OVERCOME THE LUST OF THE FLESH (2)

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the FLESH, to fulfill its LUSTS” – Romans 13:14

Abiding in Christ through God’s Word enables the Believer to OVERCOME THE LUST of the FLESH: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the FLESH, to fulfill its LUSTS” (Rom.13:14). The Contemporary English version says, “Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your selfish desires.” We are to make no provision for the ungodly works of the flesh, lustful leanings and propensities. We should not read, view, or listen to anything that arouses impure thoughts or compromises biblical convictions. We must ask: When, where, and with whom am I the most tempted to accommodate my flesh and gratify its desires?

David’s commitment in Psalm 101:3-4 is noteworthy: “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.” Beloved, have you purposed not to watch, read, or hear any vile thing? Or are you taking liberties where you shouldn’t? Do you watch unwholesome movies or filthy clips? Do you read worthless, murky materials that tempt one to sinful fantasies? Do you listen to ungodly music that stirs up impure thoughts? Are you indulging your sinful desires? Are you exploring depths of depravity and propensities towards evil? It’s time to expunge these practices from your lifestyle.

God’s command for us not to love the world or live according to the flesh is not because He is a hard taskmaster. This commandment is motivated by His Love. He knows that the world and its desires pass away, and that the lust of the flesh ultimately leads to death. Therefore, our Father-God wants us to live forever by doing His will: “And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1Jh.2:17). As the psalmist wrote, “Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psa.73:25-26). This is our powerful motivation!

It should be noted that although sexual sin is included in “the lust of the flesh,” this is not all there is to it. Such a limiting mindset may lead us to disregard all other sins. This doesn’t align with what the Bible teaches. Simply, the lust of the flesh is another way to say the desire of sin. It can be sexual lust, but it also could be backbiting, bitterness, envy, jealousy, gossip, and idolatry. The lust of the flesh speaks of the desires of man’s earthly nature, which like a wave and its raging waters, tries to pull us away from the Lord and out into the ocean of death and destruction. That’s why it’s important to be proactive in God’s Word, to fight against the lust of the flesh. We cannot be complacent!

We must not allow the weakness of the flesh to ‘silence’ the spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples at the Garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the FLESH is WEAK” (Mt.26:41). Therefore, we need to be watchful and prayerful to overcome temptation. We must be richly filled with God’s Word and continually led and controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Paul summed up a list of vices as the works of the flesh, that could hinder one from inheriting God’s Kingdom (Gal.5:19-21). Therefore, we must put the lust of the flesh to death through faith. When we believe in Jesus, and put our faith and trust in His life, death, and resurrection, we receive new life in Him and new desires (Gal.2:20). That faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Rom.10:17). As we continue to find God’s Grace and Mercy in His Word, we’re empowered to put to silence the sin that Christ has already put to death on the cross.