WHO OR WHAT IS ENTICING YOU?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing
to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who
are just escaping from those who live in error.
(2 Peter 2:18)

MEDITATION:
Do you have children? If you do, then wouldn’t you like to guard
their eyes and ears from being exposed to the deceptive influences
of the world? What if your kids are adults? Wouldn’t you like to
see them avoid the things of the world that entice them to sin?

We have heard many phrases from the world that can lure us
away from pleasing the Lord. For instance, an athletic clothing
company coined the phrase, “Just do it!” It may sound like just
a trendy phrase, but look at what it can be communicating:
    “Don’t be concerned about the consequences of your
      actions or how they will affect others, just do what
      you want to do, regardless of whether or not it hurts
      others, or displeases God.”

Unfortunately, many impressionable young people have been
affected by this phrase. There have been instances where some
have beaten up or stabbed others in an effort to take away their
athletic gear, which was manufactured by the company which
created the phrase, “Just do it!”.

We don’t know if the young people would have done those
things anyway, but we do know that the phrase “Just do it”
can sound like a ‘green light’ for people to do anything in
order get what they want.

There are many other trendy sayings that can entice us
to do unthinkable things in to feel accepted and to please
ourselves. When impressionable youth (and adults) are
crying out for love and acceptance, they can easily be
influenced to do wrong and selfish things in their efforts
to find satisfaction.

We can expect some companies to be insensitive to the influence
they might have on others, because their main concern is making
a profit. Some will go to any extreme to encourage people to buy
their products. We can see the impact of their efforts by observing
what some women and girls will do (or wear) just to be noticed and
accepted.

There are people who are crying out loudly for love and acceptance.
However the truth is, we are all accepted, loved, noticed and completed.
Maybe not by everyone in this world, but by someone much greater and
much more important than anyone we know – it is our Creator.

We have been created in the image of God, but we are not God.
We are human beings with human feelings and desires, so we
want to do what we want to do, and when we want to do it. It
is part of our selfish DNA, which means we will rationalize or
justify doing the things we do, when we know they are wrong
in God’s eyes. Have you ever heard someone use an excuse for
sinning such as….
    “If God created me to feel this way,
      then how could it be wrong?”

We have all been created with a natural tendency to sin and rebel
against the Lord. It is a struggle that has existed throughout history
(since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden). God made us with the
capability of making choices. We can choose to be under the control
of our human nature, or we can choose to allow the Holy Spirit to be
in control of our lives.

Whenever we give in to our human nature,
we are living in a similar manner of the animals.
    When they are hungry, they eat anything they can find
    (without considering how it might damage them);

    when they are thirsty they drink
    (with no concern of the purity of what they drink);

    when they are drowsy, they sleep
    (with no concern of the dangers around them);

    when they want sex, they seek immediate sex with other animals
    (with no concern of sin, because God did not create them with morals).

God gave us the ability to use reasoning for making good choices
and for developing a moral understanding of what pleases our
Creator, and the things that do not please Him. The Bible gives
us clear instructions regarding the temptations of the world:
    “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
      but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
      you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is;
      his good, pleasing and perfect will”
      (Romans 12:2)

The pleasures of this world are enticing, but they provide only
temporary pleasures that leave us wanting more to satisfy our
human desires. We should guard our hearts, and the hearts of
those we love, to avoid being persuaded to participate in the
“things in vogue” (things that may be popular, but are wrong
in the eyes of our God). We are much more valuable than that.

As children of the King, we should feel that we deserve
a royal treatment; the kind of treatment that only God
can provide for those who belong to Him. We should
not “conform any longer to the pattern of this world”,
or do things that are inappropriate (sinful) in order
to be accepted, or receive recognition by others.

Not a single one of us is immune to the influences of the world,
and neither are our children. We should be constantly aware
that each of us can be deceived (and all the more easily if we
are not living a life that is in step with the Lord and His desires
for our us). We need to be aware that if we are not careful, we
can find ourselves becoming friends with temptations and sin.

We need to prayerfully guard ourselves and protect our
children from following worthless boasts, and the appeals
of the fleshly desires that are aroused when the ways of the
world try to lure us away from Godly morals and principles.

Look at the strategy of the world to lure us away from God:
    It gives us empty and boastful words
    (which creates a desire in us to be like the world).

    It appeals to our natural human desires of the flesh
    (which are our most vulnerable weaknesses).

    It continues to chase after us when we have chosen
    to separate ourselves from the people whose lives
    are influenced by the world, and not by God.

God is not a ‘joy killer’ who wants us to live our lives in
seclusion, but He does want us to avoid putting ourselves
in situations, or groups of people, that can cause us to be
attracted to what the world claims will satisfy us.

We need to look to Him for fulfillment and gratification. Our
hearts need to be filled with a solid sense of acceptance that is
grounded in Him, and not in the world. God will deliver on His
promises, but the world does not. His promises include eternal
life, but the world’s promises lead to eternal separation from
our Creator.

ACTION:
Have you, or one of your loved ones, been lured away from God
by the world? Or, do you stay in constant contact with God through
prayer, Bible reading, and worship? How often do you pray for the
Lord to protect you, your children and your grandchildren?

What kind of example have you given your children to follow?
Do they worship the Lord because you consistently worship Him?
Do they give in to the ways of the world because they have seen
you live (or you are living) a worldly life? Do they obey God’s
commands, or do they disobey them due to what they have seen
in your life?

God commands His children to be united in worship and when
we are not, we are rebelling against and disobeying the Lord.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, give me the strength to remain
on Your path. Direct my eyes toward the things that
are right and pleasing to You. Protect me from being
deceived by sexual sin or enticed to believe any of the
world’s other lies. Help me to always make my highest
priority – pleasing and obeying You. Thank You for
how You promise peace and joy to those who belong
to You. Thank You for the satisfaction You provide.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com