Well, it is good to be back and want to express I have missed being here with the news and views of the Bible and what it has to say for those who follow the MOHM ministries. For those who have been wondering where I have been, off the scene, so to speak, I have been asked to preach and teach at another church and a candidate for the office of pastor, once again. My heart and mind has been wholly centered on the church and its needs which took me down a different path for just a little while, once again. It looks like to me I would get the point that the LORD does not wish me to pursue this office of pastor, but how is one supposed to know without the heart leading one to do these things for the LORD? To quote the Bible, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.” I Timothy 3:1
It is a fact that I love the church which is God’s people and try to attend to their needs. I feel the LORD does use me to get certain messages across for the right moment but then has me to move on to the next project, once again. I guess this is the life of an evangelist of sorts. In my personal life I have to admit, it is anything but glamorous, not that I am seeking such nonsense. For those who know me personally, you are aware of how the devil attacks frequently and with all intensity. Sometimes I feel that no one else can be bothered with the devil because of the time he spends tormenting me and my wife. On the other hand, I have been told that I must be doing something right because of the fiery trials that are continually presented to me and my wife of many years now. All foolishness aside, I am fully aware that my brothers and sisters in the LORD are dealt with by Satan just as I am. Satan isn’t going to just sit back and take my kicking him in the teeth every chance I get just to sit idly by. No, he is going to react to my every move for the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God. No stopping now! I must move on to the next adventure with the LORD guiding me.
What I had in mind for today’s lesson goes right along with what I have been saying about pursuing things such as a different vocation, a better job, a better way of life. I ask this question. What was the Apostle Paul speaking of when he talked about evil concupiscence?
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry…”
Colossians 3:5
The Apostle Paul is saying we need to put to death these feelings of desire for things that the LORD would not have us to pursue to our detriment and destruction. You might ask, but how is desiring and pursuing a better job, or a better home, or a better way of life going to put me at odds with the LORD? We might not be aware of this fact but this thing of evil concupiscence is talking about ungodly self-interest, self-advancement, and or glory seeking. You might be saying now, but how do I do this when all I am trying to do is just for the betterment of me and my family?
I can remember the times that I was discontent with my job and surroundings. I found myself always looking for a better way, any way that I could escape from my dull life and dreary outlook on life. I had discovered the real world of self deception by longing and desiring for those things that were not meant for my life. Satan had set me upon a course, if pursued, to total annihilation. I was thinking just like everyone else was by trying to get ahead, by getting a better education, thus putting me in position for a better job, and looking forward to having the means to acquire a better place in which to live and raise my family. What is wrong with this kind of thinking? Well, for one, it wasn’t what the LORD had in store for me or my family. You might be saying, but the LORD wouldn’t hold that against us for trying to better ourselves would he? The fact is, yes He would. In other words, I was trying to get outside the realm that God had designed for me and my family with all the hard knocks that I encountered along the way.
In our society in America, people tend to look down on those who cannot do better for themselves. Whether it be because of personal shortcomings of mental health or the type of family upbringing they were exposed to. There are countless accounts of those who ‘made it’ in this life and it seems like this would be available to everyone, would it not? Not so according to the Bible. This is the reason for the Beatitudes of Christ found in the Book of Matthew chapters five, six, and seven and a very good place to start a daily Bible reading. The LORD explains in great detail the way in which is most desirable in design for the children of God. The problem arises when the society of this world is injected into the life of a born-again child of God in which has nothing to do with the Christian except do the bidding of his or her Master, the LORD JESUS Christ. Other than this purpose, we will find ourselves outside of the will of God for our lives in the instant we start thinking we can do better for ourselves than God allows for us to live a happy, joyful, and healthy Christian lifestyle. We tend to pierce ourselves through with many heartaches and disappointments when the worldly ways are pursued by the child of God. I have found it to be true, when the child of God ventures on other paths outside of God’s bidding; despair, anxiety, fretfulness, greed, and a host of other undesirable traits start to permeate the soul to its very demise. Christian or not, seeking health, wealth, and prosperity without the guidance of the LORD is the deathtrap Satan has laid as a snare to any individual. So this evil concupiscence is a real threat to the child of God and we are warned not to pursue this thing of bettering ourselves without the knowledge of God’s purpose of our lives instilled in our hearts from the outset of our personal walk with Him. You ask how can one know which way to go and not fall prey to Satan’s devilish whims? In answer to that question is quite simply, read the Bible for yourself and allow God’s Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth and grace of the Holy Scripture. Thus one can avoid the traps and enjoy the real peace of mind, heart, and soul by the LORD’s very design for His children.
