LUST

“i will not boast about myself, except about my weakness...

...to keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a throne in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times i pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. but He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you , for my power is made perfect in weakness.” therefore i will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. that is why for Christ sake, i delight in weakness...

for when i am weak, then i am strong.”

2 Corinthians 12:5-10

i am finding it difficult to battle the lust my eyes desire. times are definitely harder than others but it doesn’t matter how old i get or how madly in love with my wife i am...i am figuring out that this battle has very little to do with circumstances.

i always figured if something changed in my life then i would be miraculously healed. as a young kid seeking to pursue righteousness i fell short often, very short. i alway thought that as i got older then the struggles would be less. if that didn’t cure it then marriage would definitely cure it. well here i am, 6 years into one of the greatest marriages in the world with a smoke’n hot wife and the struggles is still there.

can i blame these struggles on an attack from Satan? well, don’t let me get cocky because i know Satan so many more righteous people than me to attack since he is not omnipresent. can i blame these struggles on “Satan’s little helpers?”

i don’t know if you fall into the same category with me or not but as a kid i was taught (i can’t really pinpoint where biblically) that each human was provided a guardian angel as well with a demonic angel. what?!?!

who’s to blame for our continual struggle? we alway need someone to blame don’t we? is it God? that cant be because James 1:13 makes it pretty clear that God cant be tempted nor tempt anyone. that’s not His nature. i’ll tell you who’s nature it is more like...you got it...Satan and his clan.

if the buck stops there then we are further from God then ever!

the apostle Paul has a unique take on this subject to me. he talks about guarding against spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6 but he also talks about his own sinful nature that he was plagued with from birth. Romans 7:14 begins his rant on his own sinful nature and it’s pretty humbling. James 1 that i mentioned earlier even talks about it in a unique way in a unique part of its text.

the reason i quoted 2 Corinthians 12 at the beginning because i think Paul brings it home for me regarding this subject.

Paul is a confident man who knows he has a lot to boast in because he has seen and done plenty to boast about. but he choses to boast in his weakness. God realizes his potential pride fall and the text reads, “to keep me from being conceited...there was given (Paul) a thorn in (his) flesh.”

He begged God to take it away but Gods response is perfect and humbling all at the same time, “my grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”

i would be a fool to say that temptation comes from my God but its hard for me to believe that it’s not ordained by Him.

the blame for our struggles only lies in us. Jesus states that a part of righteousness is morning over our sin...knowing we are not perfect. not being guilt ridden but being sorrowful (Matthew 5).

God proclaims through the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that he will provide a way out in our sin that we can stand.

OUR CHOICE puts us in the place of unholiness.

we need to find a new level of joy, like Paul, joy in suffering. knowing that God is God and we are not. knowing that God grace is sufficient. knowing that we are born to struggle and thank God we do.

healing is not changing your behavior or circumstances...it has nothing to do with us
healing is falling in love with Christ today!