Lusting after evil things

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

 Primary Text

“Nevertheless, God was not pleased with the great majority of them, for they were overthrown and strewn down along [the ground] in the wilderness. Now these things are examples (warnings and admonitions) for us not to desire or crave or covet or lust after evil and carnal things as they did.” 1 Corinthians 10v5-6 (AMP)

One thing we are warned about from the life of the Israelites in the wilderness is not to lust after evil things like they did. The Bible says “The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!... Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The LORD became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled (Numbers 11:4-6, 10, NIV). How is your attitude in the wilderness? When you are en route to where God wants you to be, though He is with you through it all, how do you relate with Him when troubles arise? Do you begin to wish you were back in the world and doing things others are doing? Are you quick to forget what God had done for you in time past? Psalm 106v10-15 (NLT) says “So He rescued them from their enemies and redeemed them from their foes. Then the water returned and covered their enemies; not one of them survived. Then His people believed His promises. Then they sang His praise. Yet how quickly they forgot what He had done! They wouldn’t wait for His counsel! In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland. So He gave them what they asked for, but He sent a plague along with it.” Now perhaps you are saying, well, I am not lusting after garlic, leeks, or meat. But perhaps you are lusting for things that God has delivered us from and warns us not to do e.g. adultery, fornication, witchcraft, hatred, uncleanness, even as Galatians 5v19-21 shows us the works of the flesh. Beloved, what the Israelites did was written for our learning. God was displeased with them and many died because of these things. Please check yourself, and see if you are still in the faith.

Supplementary Text

“So kill (deaden, deprive of power) the evil desire lurking in your members [those animal impulses and all that is earthly in you that is employed in sin]: sexual vice, impurity, sensual appetites, unholy desires, and all greed and covetousness, for that is idolatry (the deifying of self and other created things instead of God). It is on account of these [very sins] that the [holy] anger of God is ever coming upon the sons of disobedience (those who are obstinately opposed to the divine will), Among whom you also once walked, when you were living in and addicted to [such practices]. But now put away and rid yourselves [completely] of all these things: anger, rage, bad feeling toward others, curses and slander, and foulmouthed abuse and shameful utterances from your lips! Do not lie to one another, for you have stripped off the old (unregenerate) self with its evil practices, And have clothed yourselves with the new [spiritual self], which is [ever in the process of being] renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon] knowledge after the image (the likeness) of Him Who created it.” Colossians 3v5-10 (AMP)

Thank God for the power of prayer. You can pray like this continuously, using the power of the Spirit and the Word of God to put to death everything that is not of God in your life. Also taking practical steps to move away from all that you know is not pleasing to God.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Word this day. I ask for forgiveness in anyway I have been lusting after evil things. I submit to You Holy Spirit of God, and I mortify, deaden and deprive of power every evil desire in my life [can mention them e.g. immorality….]. I put away and get rid of anger, rage, [mention them…] in Jesus name, amen. I put off the old man and I put on the new nature, I put on Christ in Jesus name, amen.