Never covet anything that belongs to your neighbour

There are some people who covet things of others during hard times. Some covet during easy times. While some people, covet all the time. No matter what time anyone covets, it will only be a bad thing to do. Read on to know why.

What does it mean to covet?

Some of you reading this might not be aware of the meaning of the word ‘covet’. So let’s see that is the definition of this which I have taken reference from dictionary.com

covetous (adjective)

• inordinately or wrongly desirous of wealth or possessions; greedy.
• eagerly desirous.

By the definition of what it is to be covetous, you’ll notice it’ about having a wrong desire towards having something that belongs to another.

The Bible condemns covetousness in all its forms.

Such wrong desires are already denounced by the Bible and here’s a verse about covetousness:

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17)

 

So you must be vary of covetousness each time. Don’t give any excuses about this. Ever!

 

Is it wrong to desire anything?

Now it’s not wrong to want to eat good food, earn a good salary, and even have a good spouse. In fact, you can pray to God about these things and wait upon him to grace you with a miracle for all your needs. This is true when you are not stealing from anyone nor taking away things from anyone by trickery or deceit.

 

What are the consequences of wrong or covetous desires?

What is wrong is having a desire to want something that belongs to another. Because such evil desires can lead to even bigger sins. The following verses confirm this:

• So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)
• Do not love the world or the things in the world. If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world.And the world passes away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides for ever. (1 John 2:15-17)
• Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself tempts no one; but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown brings forth death. (James: 13-15)

 

From this we can understand:

• Covetousness itself is a sin.
• Covetousness is not from God.
• Covetousness can lead to bigger sins.
• And all sin leads to death.

 

If you have lived a life of covetousness, please repent of it unto the Lord Jesus Christ. Confess this and each sin unto to the Lord God and ask for his forgiveness. The benefits are yours to accept when you choose to repent and believe in the Gospel; eternal life and friendship with God in Jesus Christ.

 

Christ be with you!

 

Further reading:

1. • Pratice your faith (disciplesofhope.wordpress.com)
   • Do not covet another one’s spouse (disciplesofhope.wordpress.com)
   • Do you discern? (disciplesofhope.wordpress.com)

Love not evil

Love not evil O God’s people pure,
Stand firm in truth and endure.
Love not immorality at all,
Be vigilant enough not to fall.

Love not wickedness nor sin,
Resist temptation and win.
Love not the vanities of life,
Be away from foolish strife.

Love not gossip soft nor loud,
Remove things that make proud.
Love not blasphemies profane,
Be truthful, sober and sane.

Love not worldly things,
Push back all evil wings.
Love not laziness nor slack,
Be always for Christ, never backtrack.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 Corinthians 13:6

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

Get rid of your lust before it gets rid of you

A man or a woman in lust is highly bothered about oneself. Such is the selfishness that seeking pleasure becomes the sole criteria of life. Immoral pleasures are the dark roads these people travel. They know not the cruel monster that hides in the shadows of sexual immorality. Outside the light of God’s loving kindness, they choose the prison of self-deception. This prison goes deep into the depths of stupidity. And many in the world cheerfully drag themselves into this. However, this prison of self-deception is not there for too long.

There are two things to consider; the physical and the spiritual consequences. A person is lust is always trying to hide his or her sexual immorality under the false assumption that what is kept secret goes unpunished. Well, that depends on what that person’s definition of secrecy is. The bad news for such people is that there is nothing secret in the eyes of the Lord God. Let’s check on the spiritual consequences first. He is aware of every sin and will surely judge at one’s death and also at the Final judgement. Think of it as getting judged not once but two times spiritually. Not a judgement of words alone but actual everlasting punishment in Hell and in the Lake of Fire. One word about these punishments; forever. When the fires of Hell burn the soul that lusted after sexual perversions, all self-deception goes away. No wonder, as pride goes before a fall.

To speak about the physical consequences there are various diseases passed on between adulterers and fornicators. Even medical science insists that to reduce instances of sexually transmitted diseases one must stick to only one partner. Yet, people throw caution to the wind and think they are exempt from the consequences. Such is their stupidity because they choose to ignore abundance of cases of AIDS, gonorrhea and the like which was transmitted due to prostitution, one night stands and whatever form of perversion. Then we have the social consequences of being found out. Many presidents who engaged into immorality today are out their presidency due to it. These have thrown away their legacy which takes years to build for a few minutes of deception. Reminds me of how Esau despised and sold his birthright for the sake of some food and never ever got back his supremacy. There was then an infamous case of how a sportsman cheated on his pregnant wife by engaging in perverse sexual relations with over a dozen women. Yes, over a dozen. And then the wife filed such a divorce case in which they not only got divorced but the sportsman had to pay a very huge amount of his earnings to her. Besides, he lost out on many advertisement deals and till day is not able to play his sport like in his earlier days of glory.

But as always, there are some people who are way too cunning to work out their lust without any physical consequences apparently. Well, their safe passage will soon run out as they won’t go to heaven if they choose not to repent of their lust. So they will have to face the evil spiritual consequences of their vile immorality for sure.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practise homosexuality,nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. (Galatians 5:19-21)

So if you’re prone to lust or if you are struggling with lust here is what you should keep in mind so that you live a holy life:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. (Colossians 3:1-6)

A few words of wisdom about the dangers of sexual immorality and lust:

“Dietrich Bonhoeffer made the observation that when lust takes control, “At this moment God…loses all reality… Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.” What a world of wisdom there is in this statement! When we are in the grip of lust, the reality of God fades… This is what lust does! It has done it millions of times. God disappears to lust-glazed eyes.” – R. Kent Hughes

“Our eyes, when gazing on sinful objects, are out of their calling, and out of God’s keeping.” – Thomas Fuller

“Passion is the evil in adultery. If a man has no opportunity of living with another man’s wife, but if it is obvious for some reason that he would like to do so, and would do so if he could, he is no less guilty than if he was caught in the act.” – Augustine

“No sin that a person commits has more built-in pitfalls, problems and destructiveness than sexual sin. It has broken more marriages, shattered more homes, caused more heartache and disease, and destroyed more lives than alcohol and drugs combined. It causes lying, stealing, cheating and killing, as well as bitterness, hatred, slander, gossip and unforgivingness.” – John MacArthur