Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul
Peter in speaking of "fleshly lusts" uses the words, sarkikos (fleshly) and epithumia (lusts). Sarkikos describes the impulses, cravings, and desires of the carnal flesh. Epithumia is a compound word. Epi (over) and thumos (passion). Hence, epithumia describes a person so overcome by some passionate desire that he completely gives himself over to it.
Interpreted, this means that your flesh is never content until it has completely taken you over and consumed you. It is impossible to freely participate in only a little taste of sin and then walk free of it. Once the flesh has been allowed to indulge in that sin, the cry of the carnal nature to indulge in sin once more will become stronger and stronger, ferociously working against you in its attempt to pull you deeper & deeper into sin until you are completely conquered by it.
If you have one temptation that you have to constantly fight more than others, how did that fight begin? Did you look at something or allow your flesh permission to do something that you knew was wrong? Did you open the door to this attack yourself by not saying no to the flesh at a critical moment in your life? What are you going to do now to shut the door to the devil and drive this battle out of your head and flesh?
It is a whole lot easier to avoid fleshly temptations that it is to uproot them once they get deeply rooted in your mind, will and emotions. So if the world around you is crying out for you to participate in its sinful activities, remind yourself that you are just a temporary traveler in this world with no rights to participate in such activities.
Make the choice to refrain from the works of the flesh.
By making this decision, thru the power of God's Holy Spirit, you can avoid horrific battles that others fight every day in their minds because they didn't say no to temptations that were offered to them.
This post was adapted from Sparkling Gems from the Greek.
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
Peter in speaking of "fleshly lusts" uses the words, sarkikos (fleshly) and epithumia (lusts). Sarkikos describes the impulses, cravings, and desires of the carnal flesh. Epithumia is a compound word. Epi (over) and thumos (passion). Hence, epithumia describes a person so overcome by some passionate desire that he completely gives himself over to it.
Interpreted, this means that your flesh is never content until it has completely taken you over and consumed you. It is impossible to freely participate in only a little taste of sin and then walk free of it. Once the flesh has been allowed to indulge in that sin, the cry of the carnal nature to indulge in sin once more will become stronger and stronger, ferociously working against you in its attempt to pull you deeper & deeper into sin until you are completely conquered by it.
If you have one temptation that you have to constantly fight more than others, how did that fight begin? Did you look at something or allow your flesh permission to do something that you knew was wrong? Did you open the door to this attack yourself by not saying no to the flesh at a critical moment in your life? What are you going to do now to shut the door to the devil and drive this battle out of your head and flesh?
It is a whole lot easier to avoid fleshly temptations that it is to uproot them once they get deeply rooted in your mind, will and emotions. So if the world around you is crying out for you to participate in its sinful activities, remind yourself that you are just a temporary traveler in this world with no rights to participate in such activities.
Make the choice to refrain from the works of the flesh.
By making this decision, thru the power of God's Holy Spirit, you can avoid horrific battles that others fight every day in their minds because they didn't say no to temptations that were offered to them.
This post was adapted from Sparkling Gems from the Greek.
BE HOLY.
BE A MAN.
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