Wasting FaithSample

DAY 3: SINFUL DESIRES

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. [2 Timothy 2:22, ESV]

By nature, we are sinful and wicked; we desire to act sinfully; and we fall short of God’s commandments. Yesterday, we discussed how we must repent of our sinful ways, ask God for His guidance, and walk according to His will for us. Today, we will examine the way our desires are directly opposed to the desires of God, how our desires will hold us back from being used by God, and how we can overcome our sinful desires.

Yesterday, we read through Galatians 5, and I hope that God spoke to you through it. Today, we return to Galatians 5, and we focus our attention on a specific passage: Galatians 5:19-21.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [Galatians 5:19-21, ESV]

Paul has already explained how our desires go against the desires of the Spirit, and now he has explained some of the sinful desires that will prevent us from inheriting the kingdom of God. If we want to see God work in and through us, we must seek the desires of God, even when that requires us to resist our own desires.

Given that we are all born with the desires of the flesh, we all have desires that we must work on continuously. As you read through Galatians 5 and 2 Timothy 2, write down anything that you can think of that you need to work on. Keep that list somewhere where you can easily see it, and whenever you pray, ask God to help you with whatever you have identified.

While we can never be perfect, we are called to pursue Christ’s perfection in all that we do. As you ask God for help with whatever you struggle with, you will see a change in yourself that can only come from above. That change will not only draw you closer to the Father, but it will also give you the ability to help others who are going through what you have been delivered from. Pursue Christ, pursue His righteousness, and you will be blessed beyond all comprehension. God’s plan for your life is greater than anything you could ever imagine, and by obeying the Lord, you will begin to see God work in your life like never before.

REFLECT:

1. What are some desires that you need to work on?
2. How will you honor God more today than you did yesterday?
3. How has God helped you in resisting sinful desires?