Are you envious ? (2)

Friday March 26, 2021

Are you envious ? (2)

“All that is in a man, the lust of the eyes and the pride due to riches come not from the Father, but from the world.” 1 John 2:16

Why don't you resist carnal desires better ? Because two opposing natures are in you. Like two cars approaching a crossroads at high speed at the same time, these two natures within you keep colliding with each other. Any time you cherish a dangerous urge, you can be sure that one day or another you will succumb to it. Have you ever opened your fridge when you weren't really hungry ? You will always find a good reason to snack on something ! In life the same thing happens over and over: you will always find an excuse here or there to satisfy your desire for happiness now. If you want something, you will quickly justify your desire by dressing this thing in the finest finery ! Do you want to eat a forbidden candy ? You say to yourself most naturally : “I will start my diet tomorrow, without fail !” Do you want to smoke ? You shamelessly state : “I know such a man who has smoked two packs a day for sixty years and is doing like a charm !” You want to spend a night in good company and you think : “But no one will know !” Envy always exaggerates the desire that arises in you and minimizes the danger and its consequences. Remember this essential truth : human beings are unable to resist their desire for very long without seeking to justify it in some way. As with the launch of a rocket, once the countdown has started it is very difficult to stop it. Cherish your envy and you will succumb to the temptation. So how do you escape it ? By focusing your desires on other things ! Pay attention to these lines : “Those who live according to the flesh are interested only in the desires of the flesh, while those who live according to the Spirit are interested in the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8, 5).

Source (His Word for Today)