God Who created the Earth and man had the best intentions for His creation and many of the things which He intended for good purposes are today being perverted, all thanks to the one who is called "the god of this world" and Satan whose primary purpose and ultimate aim has always been to infiltrate humanity with as much evil as possible, in a bid to continue His rebellion against God which began even before the fall of Adam...
Indeed, God is not unaware of the evil devices of the Enemy and so the Bible did not leave us in the dark as pertaining to these three lusts which rule the world system at every level and have even subtly found their way into the Church of God (the body of Christ), as many Believers today find themselves struggling silently with at least one of these lusts...
The Scriptures state clearly: "...For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life...1 John 2:16 (NKJV)... And no man in the world is exempted from facing these temptations from the Enemy, as not even Jesus was exempted during His walk upon the Earth...
The lust of the flesh (under which we can classify sex and sexual immorality (along with its related vices and perversions which we find prevalent in our world today: fornication, adultery, homosexuality, bestiality, obscenity, pornography, and the likes) has the greatest influence and seems to play the greatest role in worsening the fallen state of our world; especially as the world of media and entertainment aids its easy spread and promotion... And even though many have been taken and brought down by it, many are still helplessly following the same trail...
The lust of the eyes (under this we can classify the love of money and greed)... Money unarguably plays a vital role for a good life on Earth; however, the insatiable nature of man along with the lack of self-control would send a typical man into an endless race of grabbing and getting more and more yet never satisfied... History has also shown that wealth and over-abundance in as much as it should be a good thing, could turn out to serve as fuel for the lusts of man; such that the same wealth which is a blessing to one becomes a curse to another...
The pride of life (here we can classify fame, power, and influence)... Indeed, our world seems to spin around the rich, powerful and famous, with many people taking role models from this 'lucky' set of people... Resident in every man is the drive and desire to be famous and influential so as to be able to take pride in personal achievements... However, the Enemy equally takes advantage of this to set many on the path to destruction as they seek to make a name for themselves on Earth by any means possible, with disregard for God or God's ways...
We cannot dispute the fact that there surely is an unseen force behind these lusts beyond the control of the natural man that if care is not taken will bring just any man to his knees irrespective of race, status, or occupation... The Bible also makes it clear that it is possible to develop a love for the world and its pleasures which forms the basis of falling for its lusts, and in the same Scripture we find a clue to living above these lusts:
"Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things]--these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever." 1John 2:15-17 (AMP)
The above verses make it clear that the root of the matter lies largely in what the man sets his love or affection on... It would be unlikely that the man who loves God truly and passionately would equally have the same affection for the things of the world... The more the man feeds his mind with the things of God and sets his heart to obey His Word, the more the things of the world would lose their grip on him...
Also, we cannot dispute that man needs a helper beyond the natural if he must please God and overcome these lusts, so the Believer in Christ Jesus is given the ability of the Holy Spirit Who enables the Believer to grow from living according to the desires of his physical flesh to living by the desires of the Spirit of God Who dwells in his renewed spirit...
"...For those who are according to the flesh and are controlled by its unholy desires set their minds on and pursue those things which gratify the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit and are controlled by the desires of the Spirit set their minds on and seek those things which gratify the [Holy] Spirit. So then those who are living the life of the flesh [catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature] cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him. But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the [Holy] Spirit of God [really] dwells within you [directs and controls you]. But if anyone does not possess the [Holy] Spirit of Christ, he is none of His [he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God]. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Romans 8:5,8,9,14 (AMP)
"...But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)." Galatians 5:16 (AMP)
Therefore if you find yourself struggling with any of these lusts; if you have not accepted the saving grace of Jesus Christ, I please invite you to do so today; Or if you are a Believer already, congratulations, victory is in sight for you; Do not give up; I encourage you to keep renewing your mind with God's Word and keep leveraging daily on the help of the Holy Spirit, and you will surely overcome, in Jesus name!
Thank you for reading! God bless you!
#JesusChristIsLORD #GODisStillinCharge
