Be Vigilant

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Gen.3:1 [NIV]

Yesterday, we learnt extensively about these three things; lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and pride of life. And we said these are the same things the enemy uses in his antics. You might be wondering how this can work in today’s world. I will show you. In this time and age, the media is on our case. The media is constantly pumping all sorts of things at us. Ladies, you just bought a nice orange bag, and then the media shows you a purple one. After all, the first bag you bought was orange and this one is purple, right? So you buy the purple bag and just then, they show you a red one – lust of the eyes. You are driving but your eyes are on everything else but the road because you are looking lustfully at another man’s wife or daughter. This has caused many accidents. Some say it is the women’s fault. I say she did not force you to look at her. So it’s the man’s fault – lust of the flesh. Job said, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” Job 31:1 [NIV]. In those days, the wealthy had maids all over the place, waiting on them hand and foot. Maids even used to bathe them and Job was a very wealthy man. For Job to have written this, it means it was an issue. So I challenge every man reading this today and woman- if you are in the habit of looking lustfully at men. Go before the God of heaven and earth and make this vow of purity. It is a choice – I will not look. If I see the first time, then we can say it was a mistake because sometimes you can’t prevent the first time; but you can control the second time. So when everything in you is saying just look now; after all, looking is not a sin. Say to yourself, I will keep my eyes on Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of my faith. It will save your life; trust me.

The lust of the eyes literarily means the senses and for the women you could replace that with lust of the ears. Who are you talking to and who is talking to you? I usually advise couples -I say to the women, check what your husband is watching and I say to the men, check who your wife is listening to. This simple check will save a lot of marriages. Just check where your husband’s eyes are, check his computer if there’s pornography on it. Check your wife; check who has her ears. This is because she will eventually become the person that she is listening to. Who is talking to her? If it is another man that she is confiding in, then you are in trouble. But checking is the first step in dealing with the issue.

Prayer: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life” [Ps.139:23-24], in Jesus Name.