Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:15-16
The five senses; taste, touch, smell, hearing, and seeing, all report to the carnal mind – which is the enemy of God. These senses are what Satan uses to tempt us! The lust of the flesh includes tasting, touching, smelling, and hearing. The lust of the eyes is seeing. The pride of life is thinking you are special because of who you are, what you have, what you know, or what you look like.
The enemy uses these three things, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, to entice us to sin. Scripture shows this process at work in both the Garden of Eden and on the Mount of Temptation.
In the Garden of Eden: “The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat.” Genesis 3:6 The woman, Eve, saw that “the tree was good for food” – the lust of the flesh, “it was pleasant to the eyes” – the lust of the eyes, and “a tree to be desired to make one wise” – the pride of life. Of course you know the rest of the story! Eve was deceived, Adam disobeyed, sin came into the world, and death passed upon all men by sin, for that ALL have sinned…
On the Mount of Temptation: When the tempter came to Jesus, he said, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Matthew 4:3 – the lust of the flesh. “The devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, ‘All these things will I give thee.'” Matthew 4:8-9 – the lust of the eyes. “Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, ‘If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.'” Matthew 4:5-6 – the pride of life. Through the power of the Spirit, with the Sword of the Spirit, Christ successfully resisted the temptations of the Devil and now we can too!
For to be carnally minded (minding the things of the flesh) is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind (minding the things of the flesh) is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God…
Romans 8:6-8
I think the greatest battle we all face in our lives is the battle within, the battle between the flesh and the spirit…
Why do we «dress up» for church? Why does the pastor preach a sermon each week?
hi justwanttodowhatGodays, first question for you is this; were you directed by the holy spirit to marry this man, if not then you don’t expect your marriage to be all that perfect. but whether or not you married the will of God for you, you are already in it and u have to be in it till death separates you two as that is the oath u swore; for better for worse. But I don’t mean to scare you, there is still a way out; God. Now you just have to first of all make your way right with God by repenting of ur sin; masturbation and the likes. next is that you talk to God the way u have just tendered your case on this forum; I.e with simplicity and transparency, tell God to give you a solution and wait patiently, enduringly and in love for your husband to change. pray for God to change your husband and while you do all these you have to submit your body to ur husband at his beck and call irrespective of anything as God would not accept any excuse for keeping your body from your husband no matter how genuine. I don’t mean to sound insensitive to your plight but if you truly want Gods peace to reign in your family you have to pay this sacrifice. It will do you a great deal of good if you can meet a man God. but be careful of wolf in sheep’s clothing. here is a man of God I recommend for you from Nigeria; +2348033459147. God bless u.
hi Margo, someone has said that if you thirst after God and God fills you and you become full, then you are a fool.’ it is common for most of us that just gave out life to Christ to start out all blazing for God and then all of a sudden begin to drop and even eventually die, however this is not how God wants it to be. after Christ rose from dead, he continued to ascend until he go to heaven, in like manner after we have risen to a new life in Christ our spiritual life should continually ascend instead of the rising and falling and dying trend. so your problem may be you got full when you ought to get hungry, maybe when you saw you were being used by God through singing you were tempted to think that you had arrived, and as a result u stopped panting of God and so you began to die. so check yourself. it is not a sin to have feelings for others but you had to be careful so that you dont end up in lust. put your emotions in check by the word of God. Also God has not turned his back on you, don’t cheat yourself by thinking that, you have made a mistake and its good you have realised it, if you pray for forgiveness dont look for a feeling of being forgiven but accept by faith that you have been forgiven, that is the beauty of the righteousness that Christ came to offer us, we dont walk by feelings but by faith. so dont remain in self condemnation. just make you way right with God and tell God that you desire his presence in your life again. but watch your motives. God bless u.
God is the creature of all things with him you can move mountains just pray and always do the right thing if you do the right thing you don’t have negative thoughts about yourself remember he loves you deeply and will fight for you.
I am a weak Christian
at least you are not a hypocrite or a liar..
that’s a great start..
What are the ways we can resist the lust of the flesh
Read ur bible it helps with things of the mind .
The bible don’t only help it tells u how to live angels and God is fighting for your soul u can make a difference to once you read the bible you become like God and Jesus.
Our example in all things should be Christ. How did Jesus resist temptation in the wilderness? He quote scripture. Our sword in the armor of God is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17). The very best way to resist any temptation is to devote our time and attention to God’s Word. James 4:7 says that we should surrender to God and resist the devil and he will flee. Surrender is a big part of being able to resist temptation. If we are seeking God’s face, surrendering to His leading in our lives, filling our mind and heart with His Word, we will succeed!
1 Chronicles 22:12-13 Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.
Then shalt thou prosper, if thou takest heed to fulfil the statutes and judgments which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel: be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.
Sweet, simple and to the point. It is a good definition with sound biblical references to show examples of what each looks like lived out in the life of a person. It would have been nice to see some action steps to overcoming it.
Yes we need to come to a bring a way to figure it out I beleive there’s a way to overcome it if we can overcome depression drugs beer people must see it’s wrong first I never knew it was I never read a bible .with the bible it helps.
It has another perception where the first temptation was related to the FLESH, the second was related to the soul in the MIND, and the third was related to the spirit within the soul in the HEART of stone.
As I see it, it represents the human being which in that moment in time was totally the property of Satan. The fact that he himself tested Jesus AS A HUMAN being, for the first ever time externally, mysteriously without the spirit of God within, after John through his baptism removed Satan from within Jesus’ soul, since He was born in all things like His brethren, and still sinless:
Moses’ bush in fire and not being consumed.
So on the direction of the Holy Spirit, as the perfect man, went for fourty days and justified Himself that He was the redeemer.
Satan with the first temptation simply made it plane to Jesus that if He as the redeemer, and came to liberate souls from Satan’s grip, which as Jesus confirmed in other passage in the Gospel of John, that souls were His actual food, He first had to turn the stones into bread, which it was a direct reference to souls since with Satan’s presence, souls were made like stones.
Jesus from the other hand told Satan that humans do not live on bread alone, but IN EVERY WORD which comes out of the mouth of God, which in the truth Jesus himself was the WORD of God, and all was created IN HIM, and by HIM all is sustained, which was a direct reference to Satan himself, that Jesus “THE WORD” the Spirit of the Son, IS within him to sustain him, and made it possible to tempt HIM! Which in that moment in time ONLY Satan was kept blind in this regard by Jesus, as proof that he was under Jesus’ control from his day of his existence, LIGHT SHINES OUT OF DARKNESS and darkness comprehended not.
Also it is a clear declaration that from that moment on through Jesus’ death, Satan’s DEATH spirit, through Adam’s sin, was removed from the entire process of creation/ souls, and Jesus, the Spirit of the Son, “THE WORD” JUSTIFIED Himself as the CREATOR of ALL, the LIFE source of ALL, and SUSTAINER of ALL, and when humans eat bread, generally speaking FOOD, in the truth, they also receive Jesus’ spirit, the Spirit of the Son, “THE WORD” AS THE MEDIATOR SPIRIT, SLAIN LIKE A LAMB FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD Rev13:8, John 6:27, TO SUSTAIN THE ETERNAL LIFE IN THEM, AND ESTABLISH THE WAY TO GOD THE FATHER!
So thanks to Jesus, humans today spiritually, in the Spirit of the Son, “THE WORD” have Mary within their soul related to THE NEW HEART of flesh; NOT OF STONE ANY MORE, and Jesus in their soul related to their MIND.
This is depicted in the phrase:
they are two in one flesh; which means:
Jesus and Mary, ” THE WORD” the Spirit of the Son, male and female, in their respective role as the FLESH aspect of “THE WORD” and the SOUL aspect of “THE WORD” respectively, the SOURCE of God’s process of Divine Mercy are WITHIN the human beings! battling with Satan, to get souls back home to God.
Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh.
Depicted in the wedding in Cana in Jesus’ own words:
What is this to YOU, and to ME?
JESUS and MARY are eternally INSEPARABLE in the SPIRIT OF THE SON, “THE WORD”
JESUS
ALL BY HIM………
Lust, lust, lust. This Bible passage, 1 John 2:16 put in all human race confrontations with Satan in 3 categories.
Lust – Flesh: giving in to the pleasure of our heart.
Lust – Eyes: This is as a result of the first, the list of the flesh aids our lust of the eyes – riches, wealth in ungodly ways.
The pride of life: Combined the other two together.
As frustrating as it may sound you have already overcome sin in your life as long as you abide in your faith.
Faith in God is key and 1 John is one of the best books for understanding this. The concept of faith and brotherly love is key to this book which is why John returns to Cain and Abel in chapter 3.
Abel stood on faith alone and understood a sacrifice was needed to cleanse his sin. Cain suffered from the pride of life. He believed that the works of his hands justified him and made him righteous. His offering displeased God because he brought the best work of his prideful hands. His pride of life led to him slaying his brother and divided the race of men between faith and flesh.
1 John 5:4 tells us that our faith is the victory that has overcome the world. We are told in 2 Corinthians 5 that through Christ God makes us His righteousness.
Many churches have destroyed Christian lives by preaching guilt sermons to collect tithes and free labor all for the pride of life.
They preach the Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin. The bible does not say that. Go read John 16:8 but don’t skip the verses after “of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more” so which category are you in? They who do not believe? No you believe and you should be convicted of RIGHTEOUSNESS. Once again 1 John nails it with the verse “If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts” (3:21)
If you are ever taught to drive professionally the first thing they teach you is where you are looking is where you will go. If you stare at the ditch when sliding then that is where you will steer the vehicle. We spend all our time focused on sin and keep going into the ditch. Turn your eyes to heaven for your redemption draws nigh. Stop worrying about sin and turn that energy to the Father. Become Abel and turn to God in faith believing that he is the reason you are saved and his work is wonderful in you. Let grace free you, yet do not use it for vice.
I really understand the way you explain these three enemies of man. but the flesh is just ruling many christian. some are covetous but yet they don’t see anything wrong with it. Any believer that is not contented with himself can never be rule by the spirit of God and making himself a cheap tool for the devil to use and manifest. Thanks and God bless you sir
The problem with today’s Christians is that they are not receiving sound doctrine. Satan has deceived the masses. To be born again and Spirit filled you must receive the gift of The Holy Ghost with the EVIDENCE of Speaking in tongues. That is proof that you have received the gift of eternal life, which is his Spirit indwelling within you. Sunday is not the Lord Jesus day of rest the Lord said that the Sabbath is a sign between him and his people. The Sabbath was made for MAN (not for Jews only) Mark 2:27. Exodus 20:8-11 the Sabbath is the Seventh day which is Saturday. Sunday is the first day of the week. Pagans celebrate Christmas and Easter. Look into it. Don’t fall for this great deception. God says for us to be Holy because he is Holy 1 Peter 1:16. He’s not going to tell us to do something we can’t. You cannot be Holy without the Holy Ghost. You cannot be ruled by the Spirit if you don’t have it.
I am sorry…but please I just dont know what is up with me…any time I read a part in the Bible that talks about livin in the spirit. ..I just feel somehow. ..like I dont desire to live spiritually….all because I dont want my friends to know me as this “church boy”…I dont know what is wrong with me…I really dont like it
What is your soul worth to you? Heaven or Hell. Friends or Jesus. Cause if you miss Receiving the Lord you missed it all. This life is short. You miss eternal life you miss it all.
Dear one, there is a battle going on for your heart and your soul. Please ask the Holy Spirit to take control..Psalm 25:4-5 “Make me know Your ways O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your TRUTH and Teach me. For You are the His if my sakvation; for you I wait all the day”. He will answer you.
Dear one, there is a battle going on for your heart and your soul. Please ask the Holy Spirit to take control..Psalm 25:4-5 “Make me know Your ways O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your TRUTH and Teach me. For You are the hope of my salvation; for you I wait all the day”. He will answer you.
Read Romans chapter 7 which explains the war we have within ourselves. Everyone has a mind, soul, and spirit. Our mind gives us internal dialogue that usually has some part to so with our external environment. If we spend time seeking the kingdom of God and praying in our private place it helps increase the renewing of the mind. We are all broken and Jesus died on the cross and shed his blood for our sin’s so no matter what, we are loved and forgiven by grace. When you ask Jesus into your heart and ask for forgiveness that is it. When people attach things such as you have to do this and that to stay saved it isn’t true. Salvation is a gift from God and once you start attaching demands on salvation it then becomes a wage. I hope I’ve helped. Good- luck.
Really helpful I mean all the comments above
The only problem am having pertains to the flesh and it’s lustful desires after woman and even snowballing me into photography. These things has claimed many of my useful time. Please what can I do to overcome this I have been praying but seems to no avail
@ Dave, you need conviction inside you and need to take a firm decision without reasoning to follow Christ, your life is more precious to Him… It’s the devil doing those stuffs in your heart
You should write more on this topic rather than making it a short little excerpt, for the 5 senses can be used for the LORD Jesus Christ’s glory too.