Desire

Hi everyone, I thought you might like this Bible study on the sbjects of Deisres and Lust. All of us were created with a capacity to desire. Desire can be healthy or unhealthy, Godly or UnGodly, Casual or Intense. We can desire something simple like a home cooked meal, or develop a burning passion for a cause that will eventually consume us. Some desires fuel passions to white heat even driving a person to violence or crime to satisfy those desires. The Bible tells us to develop a desire to a hunger a thirst for the Lord, It is good a holy to desire God to long to know him personally to come to love him deeply. It is also good and holy to share Christ with others, and to make Gods word known. Control your desires tame them as you would a wild animal and direct them down the path that honours God. In Judges 14:3 we read But Samson told his father Get her for me, She is the one I want. Selfish desires take only ourselves into account. We become so obsessed with that what we want that we forget to ask if it is what God would want. In Philippians 4:8 Fix your thoughts on what is true and honourable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Desiring sin is always wrong. Make sure that the object of your desire is good, consistent with Gods word and not harmful to others. We should resist evil desires in James 3:13 Live life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. Keep yourself busy. In Matthew 6:13 And don't let us yield to temptation but deliver us from the evil one. Pray about it. In 2 Chronicles 34:33 So Josiah removed all detestable idols. Take away the source of temptation. In Colossians 3:2 Let Heaven fill your thoughts. Fill your mind with God. In Proverbs 15:22 Plans go wrong for lack of advice, many counsellor's bring success. Find a person to help you. It is wrong to desire your husband or wife sexually. In Song of Songs 7:10 I am my lovers, the one he desires. God has built a fire in the hearts of men and woman to desire one another sexually, It is natural, God-given gift. But outside God `s plan of marriage this fire can blaze up and devour a person.

We now come onto the subject of Lust. We can lust after many things (power,position,material,possessions), but lust most often refers to sexuality. Healthy sexual desire is not a sin, for we are created by God to enjoy sexual pleasure within the boundaries of committed marriage (Genesis 2:23-25). But when that desire is fuelled by selfishness it becomes lust. Lust views another person as mearly an object of sexual pleasure and disregards Gods standard for sexual behaviour. For in Luke 11:33-36 we read Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. When lust is allowed to take up residence in our minds it tends to consume our thoughts, and the light of God is pushed aside. In 1 Kings 11:3 He had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines, and sure enough they led is heart away from The Lord. Solomon's lust eventually led not only to promiscuity but his turning away from God. It is important that we keep our desires from becoming lust. In Matthew 5:27-29 Anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has already committed adultery in there heart. We can prevent lust from taking rout in our minds by avoiding that 'Second look" In Song Of Songs 7:1-11 Oh how delightful you are my beloved, how pleasant for utter delight. God created us to experience the joys of sexual intimacy. The song of songs reminds us that our pleasure is truly fulfilling only pursued in accordance with Gods standards of purity and love. So keep on looking up to the light which is Jesus Christ and remember Jesus loves you and has a plan for your life. Sincerely in Christ. Clive {Matched_1}