Sending a shout out to the blogger of “Turn Back To God” for sharing this image. Thank you.
In 1 John 2:15-16 (NIV), it says “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world.”
I grew up around people and loved ones (besides a select few) that lived and followed this way of life and how to pick up partners. It was as if I didn’t understand to understand, but I understood. Confused by my words? Then we’re on the right track then.
To begin, the “lust of the eye(s)” is a dangerous thing and one sinful weapon in this world. How? Matthew 5:28 (NIV) quotes “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” But isn’t there a written commandment about this somewhere? Oh wait. Out of the 10 written commandments, the 7th Commandment says “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Matthew 6:22 (NIV) quotes “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light.”
Just because it says that this lesson is meant for men does not mean that for us, females, we get a free pass or a “Get Out Of Jail Free” card on a Monopoly Board Game. Sorry. I shifted off topic for a second because I remembered being sent to jail during one of my board game plays with my family. Anyways, this lesson pertains to females as well.
I will admit that I was guilty of such a lustful path as a teenager, but then, there were reasons for my activities. From the exposure to my life fears, I didn’t know what to do, and because I wasn’t taught how a man should appreciate and love a child in the Lord, I was still not fully understanding how a man should treat me. After witnessing a lot of relationship violence, I thought that was how a man should love me OR any man could have their way with me as long as I’m respecting their needs.
Yeah, I was in trouble, but as of right now, not anymore. When I first became an adult at 21, I still had that same mindset of a teenager. I had so much discovery and mentality to learn on what it truly meant to be an adult. So besides ‘responsibility’ in the world, I was learning how to grow up ‘spiritually’ in Faith. It’s paying off because I’ve learned how to push away from people and those things that enjoy bringing me down and can only see me as a sexual object first before listening to me. Oddly enough, I’m currently dealing with an ex that claims that he loves me for who I am but is mindset is sexually stuck and charged towards me. What can I do with a man that doesn’t believe in God? Ultimately, pray to God in helping me to push him away from me. Only God knows what to do.
Our eyes are “the windows to the soul”, as mentioned by William Shakespeare and described a way in the bible. Anyways, when we “lustfully” gaze at someone, it creates an immediate domino effect: From our eyes, through our hearts, and through our spirits; which is a kind of infection that only “WE” can unaffect ourselves spiritually from with the Lord’s Hand.
Your spouse should look towards you as a loving friend, studying the Lord’s Word together, teaching one another, while in the meantime, having fun and enjoying each other’s company. That’s the kind of husband I pray to have one day. Not a man that only looks to me and seeks sexual attention from me or like a sexual object. 😦
All we have to do is do our part, believe in God and remember that He will always make a way out of no way. I know what it means to continuously fight for Him and what it means to be persecuted because of Him… because that’s exactly what I’m going through in my life now. For God, I will always keep on fighting for Him.
I will keep all you in my prayers. Love you all, Brothers and Sisters! In Jesus Name, Amen.
Encouragement and Poetry 