1 John 2:15-16 (ESV)
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
We are in the world, but we are not to be of the world. Our strongest desires should be for the word of God, to Worship God, to have fellowship with those that Love God, and long to be in the Heaven.
Think about what your strongest desires and wishes are -- do they show your priorities are for that which is spiritual? If not, I urge you to get into the word of God.
We know from Romans 10:17 that faith comes from hearing and hearing from the word of God. It is God's word that will nourish us and help us to become more like his Son. We should also take our concern to God in prayer and ask his help as we seek to follow His word and way for our life. We should also seek the encouragement of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to help us keep our focus on the right things.
Additionally, we should be focusing on helping others to follow Christ and subordinate our needs and desires to help others. It is important to keep in mind that we do not live for the here and now but for the there and then.
John further wrote in I John 2:17 - "the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."
God's word and will are eternal. This world is passing away. All that is in the world is decaying and one day God will destroy the entire world. We must keep this in perspective. Having this understanding will help us keep our priorities straight. We need to make sure we truly desire God's word that will grow deeper in our faith and understanding. We need to make sure our first desires are spiritual. We need to make sure we aren't in love with the world.
We can't even begin to imagine or comprehend how great the blessings are that our God has prepared for us. We need to make sure we are not fooled by the world into focusing on "having everything the world has to offer". Our treasure is in Heaven and as such we can see past the glitter of what this world has to offer. We know that what the world has to offer is worthless and foolishness in comparison to what God has promised us. We know that worldly desires - "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life" are desires that we should flee from. Only by filling our life with Christ and filling our life full of Godly desires can we overcome the world.
Proverbs 4:23-27 (ESV)
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
James 1:14-22 (ESV)
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 fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
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