John Courson once said, “Lust is like a fire. The more you feed it, the hotter it gets and the more it demands.”
I can relate to that feeling too well. The first and only time I bought something on Ebay, I was overcome by my lust. I wanted a vintage briefcase, and the more the bid was out of my reach, the deeper my lust for it grew. It started out as something I wanted and quickly progressed to something I desperately needed (or so I thought). And so, I continued to bid until it was mine.
So it is with temptation. It starts with something we want, and progresses to something we feel that we desperately need. Once we step in, we continue to bid until we’re consumed by our lust.
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:14-15, KJV)
As I got to thinking about that today, I was reminded of Numbers chapter 11. How the Israelites were well fed with manna, and yet they lusted for more. Like so many of us, they were tired of the same old same old and wanted something different and new.
My dad used to say, “You might get what you want, but you won’t want what you get,” and so it was with the Israelites. God gave them the meat that they wanted, but they didn’t want what they got.
In Psalm 106, David writes,
But [the Israelites] lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. (Psalm 106:14-15, KJV)
There’s a hollow in your soul, when you chase after sin. I’ve been there, you’ve been there… The pleasures of sin will last for a season, before it leaves a trail of destruction behind.
As we see in Numbers 11, they weren’t just eating the meat, they were hoarding the meat in excessive amounts. And once their sin was conceived it brought forth death.
By their example we see how the deception of lust is a stronger force than one might expect. Satan will tempt us with lies. He’ll try to make us believe that we need things we don’t. He’ll do all that he can to pull us deep into sin.
And so we need to be wise, my friends. Be cautious, stand firm, “put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11, KJV)
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Tilling the Soil
Read the story of the Israelites and the quail from Heaven in Numbers Chapter 11.
Planting Hope
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. (James 1:14-15, KJV)
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Darlene Schacht and her husband Michael live in Manitoba Canada where the summers are beautiful and the winters are cold. Together they’ve come to learn that relationships aren’t always easy, but that marriage, the way God intended it to be, is a treasure worth fighting for.
She began her publishing journey about twelve years ago when she pioneered one of the first online magazines for Christian women, known at the time as “Christian Women Online Magazine.” After three years, Darlene left CWO to blog as a solo author at Time-Warp Wife Ministries.
It was also during this transition that she worked alongside actress Candace Cameron Bure to write the NYT Best-Selling book, Reshaping it All: Motivation for Spiritual and Physical Fitness. Reshaping it All was the winner of both the 2011 USA Best Book Awards and the 2012 Christian Reading Retailers Choice Awards.
Author of more than 15 books, Darlene continues to write and to minister to her readers through her blog at TimeWarpWife.com.
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You are loved by an almighty God,
Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife