The Silent But Deadly Trio

Scriptures: 1 John 2:15-17, Genesis 3:6

The World System

Have you ever stopped and wondered what drives the world, like what is the modus operandi of this world system? I have pondered this thought a lot in the last couple of years, and from my observation, it can be summed up in this statement, “The pride of life, the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh!” Every day the people in the world and that includes believers are presented with this modus operandi. The Apostle John addressed the world system and warned believers to stay away from love for the world. It can become challenging to stay focused in a world so driven by power, achieving, making a name for yourself, technology, advertising, social media, etc. Everything seems to move at warped speed and is readily available at our fingertips. We live in an “instant gratification” world where we have been taught there is no need to wait for anything just order it, and you will have it quickly. While there are places in the world facing significant shortages of food, education, and supplies there seem to be no shortage for feeding the pride and lust of men and women across the earth.

Matthew Henry in his commentary on 1 John 2 stated, “The heart of man is narrow and cannot contain both loves. The world draws down the heart of God, and so the more the love of the world prevails the more the love of God dwindles and decays.” Our heart was only made to contain one God whether we serve God the almighty or the god of this world; our life grows from whichever source our heart is connected to.

Forerunner commentary describes worldliness as, “The love of beauty without corresponding love of righteousness” This is a powerful statement as this is made referring to Eve in the Garden of Eden seeing the tree was good for food and was pleasing to the eyes. (Genesis 3:6 NIV). Eve was sucked into the world system of satisfying her desires with no regards for the instruction of her creator. So if this system did not skip Adam and Eve who lived in perfection why do we think it will skip us? As long as the enemy of our soul is on the prowl, we will be subjected to this system but the good news is even though we will be presented with this system of life because of what Jesus did on the cross for us we are now empowered to live by the system of the kingdom of God. But every day we must be active and alert to the traps of the enemy and make sure we are guarded with the truth of God’s love for us and his promises which never fail.

Holy Spirit, open my eyes to see what is in my heart and help me to embrace all of God and His love for me.

Scriptures: 1 John 2:15-17, Romans 8:6-8, James 1:13-15, Colossians 3:5

Products From The World System

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans spoke of life and death and linked both to the mind. While our spirit man is alive and saved when Jesus comes into our hearts at salvation the mind is still our responsibility; the war for the believer is won or lost in the mind. It is amazing that what we act out in life begins in our thoughts. “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:6 – 8 NIV). The word flesh in this scripture refers to, “mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence.” So whenever we speak of the flesh, we are talking about the thoughts not rooted in righteousness, or have any God kind of influence. 

I have heard the saying often while growing up, “You can’t stop birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.” – Martin Luther. The enemy may shoot thoughts into our minds, but we need not keep those thoughts and make them our own. The believer now must discern which thoughts are God thoughts and which are from the enemy. The Apostle James explains how sin is conceived by man’s own evil desires when he spends time pondering those desires constantly – (James 1:13- 16 NIV). You see because Jesus paid the price for us on the cross and he redeemed us from the curse of sin and death. Now we have the power to grow healthy fruits in our lives based on the choice to have our thoughts governed by the Holy Spirit and God’s word by meditating on it daily.

When we give into thoughts that are not godly, we feed those thoughts until they become desires, and then we act out those desires which often leads us to sin. A mind not governed by the word of God, worship, prayer, praise, fellowship with other believers and accountability is a mind very susceptible to the enemy’s lies that will eventually destroy. The Apostle Paul used very strong language when warning the saints about evil desires, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:5 NIV)

Clearly, we can see from Paul’s warning we are responsible for killing those evil desires that will seek to raise its head in our everyday life because it eventually produces idolatry in our lives. It is often said, “We become what we worship” and if our minds are not being governed by the Spirit of God, then we are giving place to idols in our hearts. Nothing good can come from a mind that gives in to every desire. Therefore, understand that the products of the world system will always lead to death while the products of the Spirit will lead to life.

Holy Spirit, give me discernment to identify which thoughts are from you and which are from the enemy. Help me to meditate on your thoughts today.

Scriptures: 1 John 2:15-17, Genesis 3:6, Judges 14:1-3, 2 Samuel 11:1-4

Lust Of The Flesh

Often when we hear the statement, “Lust of the flesh” we usually gravitate towards sexual sins only, but lust is so much more than that. The word lust in the Geek is epithumia, and it means desire, eagerness for, inordinate desire and lust. The meaning is derived from two words epi – which means “focused on” and theymos which mean “passionate desire.” When put together we get the definition, “passion build on strong feelings (urges). These can be positive or negative, depending on whether the desire is inspired by faith (God’s in birthed persuasion).” From this break down of the word lust, we can see that the source of our focus will lead to our desires. So if we focus on the pressures of this life, images that are sensual, all that is going wrong we will eventually give into anxiety, frustration, sexual immorality, etc. In the same way, if we stay focused on the promises of God like, “My God will supply all my needs” (Philippians 4:19) when financial problems arise we are guaranteed peace and assurance. This is just one example, but God’s word has a promise for every situation that may arise in your life. Seek that promise and make sure you keep your mind governed by that word.

The enemy of our soul will continue to look for opportunities to inject the world system into our lives by convincing us that what we want is always “good for us” and know that God’s word and instructions are more powerful every time to counteract it. I have heard John Bevere say, “Not every good thing is a God thing.” Throughout scriptures from the very beginning, the enemy has used this system until Jesus came and he even tried this same tactic on him but was defeated. Let us look at the lust of the flesh in operation in the lives of a few people in the Old Testament:

1. The enemy approached Eve in the garden and appealed to her flesh by lying to her saying, “The tree was good for food”- (Genesis 3:6a NIV).
2. The enemy fed Sampson the lie that the Philistine woman from Timnah was good for him and he demanded his parents to get her for him as his wife. (Judges 14:2b NIV).
3. The enemy enticed King David to stay at home and be idle when it was a time for the kings to be at war. David got caught satisfying his lust by sleeping with another man’s wife named Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11:4 NIV).

These are just a few examples to show how the lust of the flesh was in operation and again the enemy will always present it in a way to make us believe it is good for us.

Holy Spirit, please give me discernment when gratifying myself. Open up my eyes and mind to ask the question every single time, “Is this a good thing or is this a God thing, will this bring death in the end or will this lead me to live?” Thank you, Holy Spirit for your guidance.   

Scriptures: 1 John 2:15-17, Genesis 3:6, Judges 14:1-3, 2 Samuel 11:1-4

Lust Of The Eyes

The lust of the eyes is described as, “the desire to have all that the world offers.” We live in a world constantly upgrading and evolving. Gadgets, houses, cars, music, movies, technology, fashion, cosmetic surgery, and the list go on and on. We cannot seem to enjoy what we just purchased because the newer model is always around the corner. Ever changing and time seems to speed along while we try to accumulate what catches our eyes. According to Ron Marshall’s article from 2015, it stated, “Digital Marketing Experts estimate that most Americans are exposed to around 4000 to 10,000 advertisements each day” this number is astounding and shows the exposure to the eyes of humans. We obviously don’t retain all these images, but this is the tool the enemy seeks to work through because if you have a weakness in a particular area, then the images that appeal to that desire could get locked into your mind and create a focus point. 

It makes me ponder, for the believer being exposed to this amount of images daily how much time is needed in getting the God-images into our system. Five minutes a day with the Lord can ever counteract the lust of the eyes. There is a war, and it is won or lost in the mind of man. Let us again look at the three scenarios and individuals from yesterday and see how the lust of the eyes functioned:

1. The enemy appealed to Eve’s eyes by ensuring what she was looking at was desirable and delightful, “It was delightful to look at” – (Genesis 3:6b NIV)
2. The enemy again appealed to Samson’s eyes by presenting the woman as desirable, and he delighted in what he saw. (Judges 14:1 NIV)
3. The enemy allowed David to walk out on his roof top just at the moment Bathsheba was bathing. David saw her as beautiful and lovely to look at. (2 Samuel 11:2 NIV)

Unfortunately when we allow the images or thoughts not from God to enter through the eye gate and we don’t filter it with the lenses of God’s word it will get into our minds and eventually into our hearts as we see from the above individuals. It is imperative we filter the images we ponder on as it will determine the fruit we produce. 

Holy Spirit, today I desire to guard my eyes. There are so many images presented daily, keep my eyes from wanting everything I see, keep my eyes from pornography and lustful images. Fill my mind with the images for me.

Scriptures: 1 John 2:15-17, Genesis 3:6, Judges 14:1-3, 2 Samuel 11:1-4, Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:13-17, Proverbs 16:18

The Pride Of Life

Pride is described as the “desire of the world’s approval rather than the approval of God.” This proves to be very true because everyday life seems to be a competition for approval from our peers, business associates and in the end we long to hear the praise of men while forgetting our creator. The Apostle John also described it this way, “the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].” (1 John 2:16b AMPC). Pride can hide itself and can be very subtle, I think we all have a measure of pride hidden deep within; nothing is wrong in celebrating success and enjoying the finer things in life, but when it borders on us taking the credit for the success and pay no mind to God or show thankfulness and gratitude we are then rooted in pride. 

Pride is most dangerous in the world’s system because pride makes a statement. “I don’t need God because I know what is best for me and I can control my life and my future.” Lucifer the archangel created by God in beauty and splendor and was in charge of worship in heaven was found with pride, and he desired to be in the place of God. Lucifer’s fall from heaven was because of pride, see (Isaiah 14:12-17, Ezekiel 28:13-17 NIV).

Let us again examine the individuals’ lives we’ve been following for the past two days as the pride of life ruled them:

1. The enemy appealed to Eve’s pride by enticing her with the lie she would become wise and like God, “And a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6c NIV)
2. The enemy again appealed to Sampson’s pride by allowing him to believe he knew what was best for him, “And Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she is all right in my eyes.” (Judges 14:3b NIV)
3. The enemy appealed to David’s pride by causing him to use his position as King to bypass accountability and allowed him to believe that as King he could do as he please, “And David sent messengers and took her. And she came to him, and he lay with her.” (2 Samuel 11:4a NIV)

All three individuals were presented with something or someone that would promise satisfaction to their immediate desires. All focused on the object or person until they burned with desire or had a strong urge to have it. All convinced themselves that it was good for them and ultimately gave in. Eve’s decision to give in to the world system brought death to all creation, Samson lost his eyes and was imprisoned and treated like an animal, and King David committed adultery and murder because of his choice. While they were redeemed from their sins because of Jesus, they all suffered a huge cost and the products of their actions will be remembered forever. While this may all sound hopeless for us, I don’t want you to be discouraged, because of Jesus we need not give in to the world system. 

Holy Spirit, please help me to recognize the subtly of pride in my life. Help me to weigh the cost of my choices and decisions and help me to remember Eve, Sampson, and King David regularly as I ponder life. 

Scriptures: 1 John 2:15-17, Matthew 4:1-11, Galatians 5:16-21

It Is Written

Until Jesus came, it was difficult for anyone to beat the world system of the “Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” But today I am so grateful that Jesus not only beat the system, but he enabled us to do the same by giving us his Spirit to indwell us. The help given to us in the person of the Holy Spirit is amazing if we learn how to host him and keep our minds governed by him. The Bible tells us clearly that Jesus, once he was baptized by John and he came up out of the water, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit rested on Jesus, and then he was led into the wilderness to fast and pray for forty days to be tested. (Matthew 4:1-11 NIV)

The enemies of our souls have employed this world system from the beginning of time and will continue to enforce it till the end; this system didn’t skip the men and women of old, it did not skip Jesus, and it sure won’t skip us. But we must become wise by spending time with the Holy Spirit; reading and meditating on the word, praising and worshiping because this habit is the only way to beat the world system. Let us examine the temptations presented to Jesus and see how he counteracted it:

1. After forty days Jesus was hungry, and the enemy appealed to the need of Jesus flesh at that moment to satisfy his hunger, the enemy said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matthew 4:3b NIV). Jesus immediately responds with an “it is written statement.” “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 NIV)
2. The enemy appealed to Jesus’ pride by telling him to prove his power and authority as the Son of God. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. ‘” Again Jesus responds with the word of God, “Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” (Matthew 4:5-7 NIV)
3. The enemy tries one more time by appealing to the eyes; showing him all he could gain if he would just bow down and worship Satan. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9 NIV). And Jesus immediately shuts him up by responding, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” (Matthew 4:10b NIV).

Jesus single-handedly decimated the world system by having the written word in his heart, mind, and mouth. There is no other way to defeat the enemy and his system except by habitually walking and living by the Spirit of God.

Holy Spirit, I welcome you to walk and talk with me daily. Manifest your power in my life so I may overcome the world system just like Jesus did.