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The lust of the flesh is something the Lord asks us to deal with as we move towards maturity in our Christian lives. The following study has been designed to help you identity weaknesses in your own life, pray for change and help you move beyond living in the lust of the flesh.
Use the following as a check list to review yourself and see how you are doing. It may not always be apparent that you have a problem with lust. If you find many of these in your life take it to prayer and to your pastor or accountability partner who will answer you with an honest "Yes" or an honest "No".
What thoughts occupy your mind? This will give you an honest reality check of what is going on inside of your heart. It is what you think about. Give no room for Satan in your thought life. It will lead to sin.
Excessive credit card debit and spontaneous purchases. The Lord will give you counsel and wisdom on how to handle your finances and live within the provision He has allotted for you.
Lack of maturity in Jesus. Maturity is a process we go through as we daily lay down our lives to follow Jesus whether we are at our place of employment, on vacation, at church or with our friends and family members. After time passing your decision to follow Jesus should place you in a leadership role in the body of Christ.
Fleshy emotions. Your emotions are subject to you in Jesus. Living in your emotions without a grounding in the word of God will cause instability in your Christian life. Bring hurts to Jesus for healing.
Living in the pursuit of pleasure. Daily we are to take up our cross, deny ourselves and follow Jesus. There are times when the Lord calls us to stand up for Him when it doesn't feel good. That is part of belonging to Jesus. Jesus gives us the strength to do this.
What do you joke about? Is you humour a disgrace to God? Your humour shows what is going on in your heart. Check your humour against the set Biblical standard.
Mocking others. Be grateful for what the Lord is doing in the lives of others. Share in the pain and sorrows in the lives of others so the spirit of God may use you as a vessel to bring healing and be comfort and support to your brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Check your bank account and day planner. How much time and energy are you planting into the Kingdom of God? This is a good way to check and see how important your Christian identity and belonging to Jesus matters is to you. God has given each one of us talents and financial provision to be used in the body of Christ.
Letting your flesh have more of an influence on your life then the Spirit of God. When we accepted Jesus as our Lord we became a new creature. If you are reading this and you are "knocked down" don't stay that way --- Get alone with the Lord and begin to pray for a restored relationship with Him. Living for Him will cause you to prosper on this earth.
Making idols of people. Anything that comes between you and God will hurt you. If you place people ahead of God in your life you will get hurt and be let down when they fail you. Love the Lord first and out of this relationship enjoy the friendships and acquaintances He has given to you. The Lord guards the position He has in your life so that you will run the marathon of this life to victory.
Your focus being taken from living for God. We are given a promise for all time in Matthew 6 that the Lord will provide for your needs. There is no need in your life so great that God can't fulfil it. By placing Jesus first Matthew 6:27 to 31 applies to your life.
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And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these. But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith? Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own. (NASB)
By placing Jesus first you will have the resources needed to live. Continue to seek His face on how to use them. During seasons of growth your prayers may shift to praying for alternate employment.
The lie of the enemy that you are all alone and no one cares. We are a body of Christ. There are many members who know Jesus and His love is in their lives. These are the people who both silently look to you and offer God a prayer on your behalf without coming up to as well as the people who help you tend to your needs. Do not allow the people who become God's hands and God's voice to you take the place of your prayer life and your relationship with the Lord. There are times when we need help in the body of Christ. By placing Jesus first you will walk into situations where the help is there when you need it.
Do not push away God's help by not opening up yourself or not acknowledging that you need help. Remaining humble before the Lord will get you far in this life. It may take you going to the pastor in your area and asking for help and explaining your situation so he is able to make some connections for you. Do not push it away when it is offered. People have been through experiences like yours and are able to help you get to the other side with the Lord being your source.
The lie of the enemy that you will never succeed and your life will amount nothing. We were given promises in God's Word that we are able to do anything with Jesus as our source. Read Philippines 4:13:
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I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (NASB)
This places Jesus as your source and the activities you are setting out to under take are a desire that He has placed in your life. Jesus has you planned for success. Jesus has you planned for victory. It may come one day at a time but there is victory waiting for you at the other side.
He will never leave you nor forsake you. Your life matters to the Lord. It is a relationship He desires to have with you. Your relationship with the Lord affects those around you. As you grow in the Lord the character of Jesus becomes alive in your life and you see things from His perspective. See Hebrews 13:1 to 6.
Renewal is found in Jesus. Training yourself to be focused on the Lord instead of on yourself and your needs as your primary focus will see a transformation in your life. The Lord provides the strength and courage to press forward. See Isaiah 40:27 to 31.
We are able to have the mind of Christ by studying the Bible, praying and thinking about the Lord. This gives us the desire to live for Jesus. As we enter the life style He promises for us we begin to know the heart beat of God for our lives. See 1 Corinthians 2:6 to 16 and Romans 8:1 to 11.
The Lord is a shelter to His children. Jesus prepares the way for us in our lives. The time we spend in prayer provides hope, encouragement and direction in life. With Jesus going before us we live in His shadow and He is a safe shelter for us in the storms of life. See Psalm 91.
Prayer prepares the way for a break through with the Lord. With the help of the Holy Spirit the following are areas to pray for and surrender in order that you may break free from the lust of the flesh.
Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in a time of repentance where you violated God's moral law. Do this with a mature believer in Christ. This is establishing a right relationship with the Lord and yourself. By praying and confessing your short comings to the Lord you are loosing Satan's grip on your life.
As the Holy Spirit brings back each instance to your memory confess it to the Lord and receive His pardon. Do not cause this to be a mental only exercise. If emotions come allow them to do so. The Lord is cleaning you as His temple during this time and connecting with your emotions will set you free at an emotional level of activities you involved yourself in which you are now confessing to the Lord.
"Father God I have fallen short and lived in the desires of my flesh. Jesus I acknowledge the work in my life you accomplished on the cross. Thank you for carrying my burden and paying my price. I receive your forgiveness."
Surrender your anxious ways to the Lord. Surrender the areas in your life you find yourself being anxious over or worry over. This is the result of a lack of trust in God. By surrendering these areas into His hands you are inviting the Lord to be part of this area of your life and you will see a turn around. We see God respond as we pray to Him.
"Lord thank you that you are my provision and you have the number of hairs on my head counted. Lord thank you that you gave me life and that I find my source in you.
In Jesus' name I now bring my anxious ways to you Lord God.
Jesus you took it all at the cross and I acknowledge before you now that you have set me free, paid the price for my life and you are the source of my provision in life.
Lord I pray for the ability to trust others and set boundaries. Help me to follow the nudging of your Spirit and see you at work in my life on the earth.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen."
Deal with the loneliness in your life. There are different types of loneliness. One type is from physical isolation. Jesus placed Himself in this situation often to pray to His Father and to have time to recharge. The type of loneliness I am talking about here is the inability to connect to people letting the real you come out where people know you well enough that they may hurt you. This is the difference between being locked up like a turtle inside it's shell and being able to freely soar like the eagle. An emotional dis-attachment comes in relationships with people after being repeatedly hurt, unable to forgive and move on in your life.
When you begin to have close friendships and relationships your peers will know you don't have it all together regardless of how hard you try to cover it up. But there is a grace that covers you in this situation. We read in 1 Peter 4:8
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Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (NASB)
By acknowledging to Jesus the hurts in your life that are holding you in bondage to the past you may be healed and be able to move on with your life. Part of this comes through prayer one on one with the Lord. Your healing is completed by sharing some of the deep hurts with trusted friends and having them acknowledge the deep pain in your life, praying with you and for you. This will bring completion to the healing process in your life.
Studying, recognizing and acknowledging your identity as a child of God and applying this to your life. Seeing yourself as a child of God will change how you react to situations. One of the most exciting and challenging things you could do for yourself is to spend time in the Bible seeing what the Bible has to say about who you are in relationship to God. You became a new creation when you accepted Jesus as your Lord. This places your life on a different path. As you have grown as a Christian and desired to see Jesus increase in your life He will help you move to the next level in the Lord and put the lust of your flesh to death.
Having dealt with your flesh allows the Lord to operate in your life and through you in a deeper, more intimate way. Your passion for the things of God will deepen and your faith will strengthen. Living in your flesh and for the desires of your flesh is living the life you once knew before you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour.
Begin your study of your identity in Christ by writing out verses in your prayer journal that stick out and the Holy Spirit highlights to you while reading your Bible. Continue to compile the list until you have a sense of completeness. Your identity in Christ will reflect Jesus' love for you, His death and how it affects your life, your relationships with others and the meaning of your salvation.
Is there a lot of anger in your life? Bring it to Jesus for healing. It is Jesus' desire to heal you and bring wholeness and balance into your life. When Jesus went to the cross He made provision for you to find healing and wholeness in this life. He understands the pain you are going through. Anger often is caused from the desire for change. With Jesus and as His child we don't need to be all strong. Our source is found in Him and we are work in progress.
Check yourself for the source of your anger. When Jesus over turned the money changers tables and turned the temple from being a market place it was righteous anger He was acting out of. Is the source of your anger the holiness of God? If so how does the Holy Spirit encourage you to express it?
Is the source of your anger unforgiveness? Unforgiveness feeds your flesh. By Jesus' death we are able to forgive and be set free from the bondage of unforgiveness. Forgiveness brings about restoration. Forgiveness is a decision on your part. As a child of God and a follower of Jesus it is your call to be in right standing with the Lord. As the Holy Spirit leads you forgive those who have hurt you. Your pastor or a mature believer in the Lord is able to help you in this area.
What music do you listen to? Is it pleasing to the ears of Jesus? Breaking free from the lust of the flesh will affect your music selection and how you express yourself through music. It may be a very natural response that you clean out your music closet as you go through this process with music that is pleasing to the Lord. There are different styles of Christian music. Use the standard of Jesus listening with you to whether a C.D. is suitable for your collection or not.
Live out the will of God in your life and the purposes He created you for to do. God has a very special and unique plan for you in this life. You will find joy in using the talents the Lord has given you. Whether it is in full time Christian ministry or working in a secular company you will find meaning and purpose where the Lord places you. As well you will see Him work in the lives of those around you where He leads you. He will even open up ministry opportunities so you may effect those around you for His sake.
Accountability. Have a mature Christian of your same gender who you are able to talk honestly about yourself and how you are doing. The focus must be on growth in the Lord. You need to find someone who you are able to be honest with and won't say stuff to please them. In having accountability you are acknowledging that there is change needed in your life and you are asking God to use a member of the body of Christ to help sharpen you to be more like Jesus. Allow this to be a God centered relationship. Follow the warning of Jesus in Luke 6:39 to 45:
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And He also spoke a parable to them: "A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit? A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, `Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye. For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit; nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit. For each tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush. The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for the mouth speaks from that which fills his heart." (NASB)
Do not ask someone to be your accountability partner for some thing they struggle with. We know by Jesus' words here that it will not work.
Worshipping the Lord is not just for at church on Sunday but during the week by yourself and with small groups of believers. Worship music brings your focus to the Lord and with your focus on Him He will fight your battle. Worship enables us to yield our lives to the Lord. If you find yourself having trouble doing this alone the use of worship C.D.'s that were recorded live where people were seeking the heart of God will help you. As you listen begin to worship along side of those on the C.D. Seek to touch Jesus such as the woman who had the issue of bleeding for twelve years. It is in this place where you are able to be renewed in your spirit and your mind as your focus is brought back to Jesus.
Do not only worship when you feel like it. Don't allow your flesh to dictate when and how often. Seek to meet with the Lord each day of the week to continue to keep your focus on Him.
Guard against idolatry in your own life and profession. See Jesus as your source. Acknowledge the fact that it is a battle you are in. Yet we were given the Armour Of God to fight the battle we are in. The Armour of God is found in Ephesians 6:10 to 18. These are the ingredients God has given us to fight, stand and have victory in our Christian life:
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Truth - Ephesians 6:14a
Righteousness - Ephesians 6:14b
Gospel as your foundation for living - Ephesians 6:15
Faith - Ephesians 6:16
Salvation - Ephesians 6:17a
Working knowledge of the Word of God - Ephesians 6:17b
Prayer with an alert mind - Ephesians 6:18