BREAKING FREE FROM THE POWER OF LUST
For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
1 John 2:16 (NIV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10 (NIV)
Today’s passages remind us that we’ve been born into a world at war. We fight against our sin (driven by lust and pride), the world (that powerfully lures us in), and the enemy (who seeks to steal and kill and destroy). These are not small battles. These are not slight inconveniences. This is war. This explains why the world is in the state that it’s in. This also sheds light on the internal struggle we face every day. There is a pull inside us that longs for freedom, yet the world cannot give us freedom.
The second part of John 10:10, above, is what I’m after. I long for the life, the fullness of life, that comes from Jesus. He didn’t come to make us nice people. He didn’t come to make us moral. He didn’t even come to give us a ticket to heaven. He came to set us free. As the apostle Paul chimes in, It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5:1a (NIV).
There is hope! Let me repeat it. There is hope! Jesus’ death and resurrection have the power to set you free from the lusts inside you and the world’s cravings that surround you.
APPLICATION: Identify a stronghold in your life. Think of the ways this world has a hold on you. Name it and ask God to set you free.
PRAYER: God, I long to be free from how I lust after this world. My pride and sinful desires pull me away from You, and I long for freedom. By the power of Your Spirit, I pray that You would free me from my attachment to this world and restore my union with You. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?