No one likes to talk about sins, especially those that are hidden. We were created in such a way as to be able to hide our innermost thoughts from others! A nine-year-old child can keep her intentions secret from her mother. A husband, young or old, can remain outwardly faithful to his wife yet keep lustful thoughts close to the surface of his consciousness.
Lust is the first of the Seven Deadly Sins. This is the first of my seven blog posts on these hidden sins, those we cram into a closed room in the house we call our consciousness. The "deadly sins" are those that no one else knows about. Lust is hidden away in a box on the top of seven shelves.
Many hundreds of years ago, theologians determined that some sins are "deadly." They realized these thoughts serve as the motivations for our actions. These sins cause our conscience to become numb towards spiritual matters, and the end result is this: We block the moving of God's Holy Spirit to work in our minds and hearts.
Jesus confronted the seven deadly sins head-on. Every man is challenged by his words: "You have heard it said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew5:27-28
King Solomon, certainly a man who knew something about lust, wrote, "Do not lust in your heart after (the immoral woman) or let her captivate you with her eyes." He knew the power of the 'second look.' A wandering eye, an immoral TV program, a soap opera, or binge-watching are a few of the gates through which Proverbs 6:25 can activate lust in our hearts.
Believers 2000 years ago in the historic city of Colossae, about a day's walk from Laodicea, or the same distance from Hierapolis, were instructed to, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry..." Colossians 3:5
We take comfort in these wonderful verses, which I will refer to each day for the next week. (One day on each of the Seven Deadly Sins.)
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it...Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. If Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness." I Corinthians 10:13; Romans 8:8-10
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