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Carry your cross daily
Carry your cross daily O believer,
And do not listen to the deceiver.
Carry it for Christ’s honour,
Even if you’re in a lonely corner.
Hold on to your cross even if others fail,
Be steadfast in both spring and hail.
Consider the saints and witness of God above,
For they endured in holiness and love.
Crucify the flesh and its sinful desires,
And you’ll escape the everlasting fires.
Don’t please the haters of your soul,
For destruction is their goal.
Walk towards the Lord God with humility,
To receive peace greater than worldly tranquility.
Ask for grace if you find the cross difficult to carry,
Don’t be overconfident and unwary.
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
Don’t be envious of the wicked
Never be envious of evil doers. Maybe they are living a life of luxury now. They might seem happy externally but deep inside they know such happiness won’t forever. Sometimes a believer in Christ may wonder what is going on. Because god hating sinners seem to prosper in the physical world. This is where your patience counts. Don’t lose out on your peace just because someone doesn’t get punished immediately. It could be that God is giving them a final chance to repent before strong judgement is poured out on them.
The most decisive judgement which happens to anyone is the one at the time of one’s death. If someone is in Christ at their dying hour then they will go into heaven. Here Jesus personally will comfort them and wipe away their tears. However if someone died in a state of sin and unbelief then that person will go to hell. Here Satan and his evil angels will torment that person for all eternity.
Hell is real and so are its torments. Jesus said this about hell; “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out” (Mark 9:43)
The only thing worse than Hell is the Lake of Fire. This Lake will soon hold Hell (also called Hades) and its inhabitants. This is confirmed in Revelation 20:13-15 which says that, The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The Devil too will be cast into the Lake of Fire. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)
However, those who believe in Jesus Christ won’t go to Hell nor the Lake of Fire. This is because their names are written in the Book of Life. This book is in heaven and only those whose names are in it will enter heaven and also in the new Jerusalem which is to manifest in the future.
“Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels. (Revelation 3:5)
But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27)
So dear brothers and sisters who are in Christ Jesus, don’t be envious of the wicked. Especially when you know that their hopes will perish eternally. You have eternal hope. If you believe in Christ then you are safe from Final judgement and have passed from death to life. Happy are those who believe in Jesus till their last hour and their last breath! Amen.
Disciples of hope 