Give It All Away!

Wednesday's Devotion (2-3-05)

"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." Romans 13:14 (KJV)

This scripture makes me think of these other scriptures, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell." Matthew 5:29-30 (KJV). I put them both together and see it as a rule to not provide anything to yourself that will help the flesh to fulfill it's lusts and to take away anything that we have that is already providing lust for the flesh. If you're into pornography then don't buy a book of pornography and if you can't help but look at people in a sexual way then pluck your eyes out. I heard a story of a Christian man who I think is a stand up guy for what he did. This guy was into pornography strongly and he gave it up for the Lord, but he had to give up a couple of other things to make it possible. This man took his computer and his television and buried them in his backyard. In other words, he took the things that provided him with pornography and plucked them out of his life. Sometimes you have to make these kinds of sacrifices in life for the Lord. The Lord, made a sacrifice and gave His life, we have to do the same, but in a different way. We have to give our lives by dedicating our lives to the things that Christ, would do and by giving up our own lifestyles.

It's not easy to give up certain things, especially if you're addicted to bad things. That's why we have to make ourselves give up those things and we have to pray and take a strong stand with the Lord, by our sides. You might ask the same question my wife did about the man who buried his television and computer, "Why did he do that instead of selling those things or giving them away?". The answer is simple: This man was taking a stand and sending a direct message to Satan. He was telling Satan, "My old ways are dead and I have victory in Christ!". It was a sign of victory what this man did. A lot of people quit their addictions in a manner like this. If you're addicted to cigarettes then you might take your pack of cigarettes and throw them on the ground and stomp them. Believe it or not this is good therapy to help you quit. You have to take a strong stand with Jesus, by your side and say, "I'm quitting for the Kingdom of God's sake!" and then destroy any gateway that will make it easy for you to provide yourself with the things your flesh wants. If you want to call a drug dealer then take your phone and bust it on the concrete outside. If you want to over-eat then padlock your cabinets and refrigerator and give the key to someone outside of the home. I mean there are ways to prevent yourself from providing for the lust of the flesh. It's all just a matter of whether or not you're willing to make a sacrifice for the Lord... He made one for you and now He's asking for a much smaller sacrifice from you! Give it all away and give yourself to Christ!

Some of you are saying right now, "It's not that easy!". Maybe it's easier than you make it out to be. The choice is truly yours if you want freedom from addiction. If you have a nasty habit and you can't get rid of it, then it's because you choose not to! It is really that simple.

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this message and for all things. Please forgive us of all our sins and we forgive all those who've wronged us. Please help us to give up the things that we have that are making us to stumble and also help us not to provide new things to help us fulfill the lusts of our flesh. In Jesus, name. A-men!

God bless!

Hope you enjoyed. Please post your thoughts on this topic, on the message board or in our Guestbook.