🕊️ PRAY HERE Devotion 🕊️ The 3 Root Causes of Sin: 2. The Lust of the Eyes

Scripture: 1 John 2:16 (KJV)

“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.”

Devotion: My grandparents used to say,

“Don’t be long-eyed!”

😂

What they meant was,

“Don’t be wanting everything you see!”

Although they were joking most of the time, there is actually a biblical truth behind that saying.

Whew!

A couple of days ago, we talked about the lust of the flesh ; the overwhelming desire to satisfy our sinful cravings.

Today we move to the second root cause of sin:

The lust of the eyes.

The lust of the eyes is allowing what you see to create sinful desires in your heart.

Your eyes become the doorway.

The enemy knows if he can capture your attention long enough, he may eventually capture your heart.

My, my, my!

Some sins that are rooted in the lust of the eyes include:

• Coveting what belongs to someone else.

• Greed.

• Envy.

• Jealousy.

• Materialism.

• Pornography.

• Adultery that begins with looking.

• Idolatry—wanting worldly things more than God.

Notice something…

Every one of these begins with looking.

Whew!

Let’s make this practical.

You weren’t thinking about buying a new vehicle…

Until you saw your neighbor pull up in one.

Now all of a sudden, the car you were thankful for yesterday isn’t good enough today.

Or maybe you’re happily married…

Then you begin entertaining inappropriate images, social media accounts, or conversations.

What started as “just looking” slowly turns into lust.

Another example.

You scroll social media and see everyone’s vacations, houses, clothes, businesses, or ministries.

Instead of thanking God for what He’s doing in their lives, you begin comparing yourself.

Comparison turns into envy.

Envy turns into jealousy.

And before long, you’ve lost your joy because you’re focused on someone else’s blessings instead of your own.

Whew!

The lust of the eyes is dangerous because it often starts so subtly.

It whispers,

“Look at that.”

“You deserve that.”

“Why don’t you have what they have?”

“You need more.”

Before you know it, your eyes have convinced your heart to want something God never intended for you.

That’s why Job made this powerful statement:

“I made a covenant with mine eyes…” (Job 31:1)

He understood that if he guarded his eyes, he could also guard his heart.

Glory to God!

The good news is this…

Just because you see something doesn’t mean you have to desire it.

We have the Holy Ghost.

We have self-control.

We have the Word of God.

We have the power to look away.

Hallelujah!

And remember what we learned yesterday.

John tells us these things “are not of the Father.”

God did not place these sinful desires within us.

They come from the world.

Our Father desires something much better for us.

He wants our eyes fixed on Jesus.

When our eyes stay on Christ, the things of this world lose their grip on our hearts.

Today, ask yourself:

What have my eyes been feeding my heart lately?

If the answer isn’t drawing you closer to God…

It’s time to look away.

God bless you!

Prayer: Father God, thank You for opening my eyes to the truth of Your Word. Forgive me for the times I have allowed what I see to influence my heart more than Your voice. Help me guard my eyes from anything that leads me away from You. Remove every spirit of greed, envy, jealousy, comparison, lust, and covetousness from my life. Teach me to be content with every blessing You have given me and to rejoice when You bless others. Fix my eyes on Jesus so that my heart desires You above everything else. Thank You for giving me the power through Your Holy Spirit to overcome every temptation. I choose today to look toward You and not the things of this world.

In Jesus’ name, Amen. 🙏🏼🕊️