I am pretty open on this site—and so I figured, that I would be completely transparent and talk about the “lust” issue I dealt with on Wednesday.
Lust is when you see something and you’ve GOT to have it…you can’t stop thinking about it…you find yourself dreaming about it, imagining what it would be like to hold it. Ever been there? I was—when I saw “it” I was consumed with an unbelievable amount of lust…I wanted “it” right then—and to be honest, I still am wanting it right now—even though I already have “one”—it’s just not as nice as the one I saw.
What is it? AN iphone! (What did you think “it” was—you perverts!!!) :-)
Now keep in mind that I do have a “smartphone,” several weeks ago I “drank the kool-aid” and bought a Motorola Q…and I loved it! It enabled me to do e-mail, keep a to-do list and have my schedule and contacts all in one place. I just knew that the Q and I were in for a lifetime of happiness.
Sure…I had heard about the iphone—but so what—I had the Q. BUT then someone on staff here at NewSpring got one. AND…I saw it…not only did I see it BUT I held it…I used it…and right there in the hallway right outside my office I “fell in lust” with something that I could see but could not own.
I came back into my office and looked at my Q—it just wasn’t as “sexy.” Sure…it was nice to have around, but something else had caught my eye and now I want one so bad.
Ever been there—but maybe with a different “product” other than a phone?
One of THE most difficult commands to apply is the 10th one…you know, Exodus 20:17, the one where God tells us not to covet! BECAUSE…we live in a day and age when commercialization of what we do not have is a MAJOR part of our lives. Such as…
- You love her until you see “her.”
- You love your car until you see his car.
- You love your home until you go to your friend’s new house.
- You love your television until you see your buddy’s new one.
- You love your new dress until you see her new outfit.
You get the picture…one of the MAIN OBJECTIVES of the enemy is to focus on our eyes on what we do not have. He did it to Eve in Genesis 3:1-7, God had told her and Adam that they could eat of ANY tree in the garden…but not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. AND what did the enemy do? He showed up—took her focus off of ALL that she had and put it on the one thing she didn’t have—and she BIT!
That’s the same thing he does today—he takes our focus off all we have and puts in on the thing(s) that we should not have…and when we bite the pain hurts—the results are often broken marriages because of adultery, stressful finances because of a desire to acquire gone haywire—basically it leads to being miserable because the lie is, “once you get/achieve this then you will be happy.” IT NEVER WORKS!
I know I COULD get an iphone…it would be awesome…I would enjoy it for a while—UNTIL the newest thing came along—and then I would no longer be committed to my iphone. (It amazes me that a man will have an affair on his wife and then leave her for that woman…and for some reason that woman thinks that he is going to be committed to her!!! If he did it once he will do it again!)
What is the solution? How do we fight this? Simple…GIVE THANKS! I thank God for my wife and child on a DAILY basis…it keeps me focused on how blessed I am. I thank God for my house, my car and my “stuff.” Why? Because in doing so I realize that God has blessed me WAY beyond what I deserve.
Scripture tell us in Hebrews 13:5 to be CONTENT with what we have…and that is IMPOSSIBLE without an attitude of thankfulness. I have learned that I can focus on what I do not have and be miserable—OR, I can focus on what I have been blessed with and rejoice.
SO…right now I am looking at my “Q.” AND…I am thankful. Heck, I remember my first cell phone—it was so flippin’ big that I had to begin going to the gym just so I could carry it around. And now look what I’ve got—wow—I am really blessed.