Cravings . . . we all have them, don't we? I was not one of those pregnant women that had the strange food cravings common in pregnancy. But I certainly know what it feels like to crave something. You know what I am talking about! The inner urgency to have what you want, and right now! Here is the simplified pattern of a craving. You look at something or just think about it, then you desire it so strongly that you just have to have it. It can take several days, weeks, months, or even longer, for the process to be completed, or it may take a mere matter of seconds. Either way, one way or another, you will satisfy the craving, not matter what. If you can relate to that because you have experienced it (and we all have!), then you know what it is to lust after something.
LUST . . . it is a topic most Christians want to avoid talking about, yet every one of us struggles with it. We usually attach a sexual connotation to the subject, yet most of our lust issues have nothing to do with sex. They have to do with trying to remove God's rightful place on the throne of our lives with things that we consider far more self-satisfying and flesh-feeding. Since we dethrone God in order to place a higher priority on our lusts and to enthrone them, we can also call our lusts both 'gods' and 'idols.' Lusting after anything but God and the things of God, and chasing after them until we get what we want, is ultimately about placing ourselves on the throne of our own lives.
Your lust may not seem like an earth-shattering sin. It might not even be sinful. But in the beginning, lust spreads through our hearts like a wildfire. It starts with just a little spark of fire, but has the potential to destroy thousands of acres of fertile ground, charring and blackening everything in its path. And its path is not a simple line; it is far-reaching and in every direction.
Lust is a fire in the soul that seeks to burn up every good thing found there. One lust that begins as the spark of one simple action, if continually practiced over and over will, given enough time and attention, begin to destroy in your heart the good workings of God. Your walk with Him, that once seemed so intimate and precious, soon will take on the stench of smoke. If you take a closer look , you will likely see where the fire has already been. You once green vine is now charred and your fruit has burned up.
The fire of lust can be kept outside of the Christian heart, but it only takes one tiny opening for a spark to enter and set ablaze the house of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts are to be set on fire, but by the Holy Spirit, who calls us to walk in holiness and righteousness, crucifying our fleshly desires, and establishing Christ as our only ruler on the throne.
What does your heart look like? Are you faithfully keeping the world's flames at bay? Do you smell smoke? Where there is smoke, there is fire! Surrender your lusts. Lay them down at the foot of the cross. Now, let the fire of the Holy Spirit ignite your heart!
We can't turn a blind eye to what is turning our focus away from God. It becomes a stumbling block that prevents us from drawing closer to Him. Once He has revealed to us what is standing in the way, we must act or it will become sin in our lives. All we have to do is ask and He WILL show us what is in the way. The question is, Do we really want to know? I do. I hope you do, too.
ReplyDelete