Ruling Your Spirit: Desires

28 August 2022 PM – Proverbs 25:28 – RuleSpirit22 – Scott Childs
Introduction: Read Proverbs 25:28. If we do not learn to rule our spirits, we will have no defence against the devil. Our Christian lives will be weak and unfruitful. God has given each of us a spirit, soul and body. Our spirit communes with the Holy Spirit. Our soul, made up of our mind, will and emotions, is led by our spirit and controls our body. When our spirit yields to Satan, we do wrong. If our spirit yields to the Holy Spirit, we will do right. We must choose to let the Holy Spirit control our spirit.
Transition: This evening we are going to learn some of what God says about our DESIRES and how we are to rule them.
  1. Identify the Problem
a.         We each have many kinds of desires.
1)         Not all desires are bad. The desire to eat to sustain your health and energy is a good desire. The desire to sleep to let your body rest and rebuild is a good desire. Desires for love, friendship, fellowship, exercise, etc. are good. The desire to commune with God is a good desire. The Psalmist wrote, (Psalms 42:1) “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.“
2)         However, we also have evil desires. The Bible calls evil desires lusts. Lust is a desire for something God forbids.
3)         Our lustful desires may be selfish (wanting what pleases me). They may be sensual (i.e., sexually gratifying, a lust for a better spouse) or greedy (desiring more than God has given me, bigger and better) or gluttonous (wanting more to eat than I need). They may be desires for harmful substances (i.e., alcohol, cigs or drugs) or for peer acceptance (wanting to be liked and accepted at any cost). They may be longing for excessive pleasure (a passion to feel good, play games, have fun and enjoy life) or even lust for success may be evil.
b.         Lustful desires can be very controlling.
1)         Every one of us was born selfish. God gave parents the job of disciplining selfishness out of children, but they seldom get it all out. Sadly, many parents do not even try.
2)         Sensual desires are addictive. Porn addiction is skyrocketing. According to one report, Up to 65 percent of young adult men and 18 percent of young women look at porn at least once a week. Around 35% of all internet downloads are pornographic. https://www.therecoveryvillage.com/process-addiction/porn-addiction/pornography-statistics/
3)         The popularity of Lotto highlights the lustful desire of greed. Obesity is escalating. Substance addiction is a widespread problem. We observe the tremendous grip of peer pressure in dress, tattoos, language, hairstyles, addictions, immorality and abortions.
4)         The lust for pleasure is seen in the excessive use of phones, ear buds, and computer games. An Australian government report states, “98 per cent of Australian homes with children under the age of 18 have a device for playing interactive games; 68 per cent of Australians play interactive games, and of this game playing population: 78 per cent were aged 18 years or older, 71 per cent were working age (18–64 years), 23 per cent were aged 50 and over, and seven per cent were aged 65 years or older, the average age was 33 years, and 47 per cent were female.” One young man told me he had played 6,000 hours of his favourite internet game.
c.          Fulfilling lustful desires does not satisfy.
1)         When we get more, we want more. (Proverbs 30:15-16) “The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.“
2)         Lustful desires also produce guilt and shame.
2.        Study God’s Precepts
a.         Examples of lustful desires abound in the Bible.
1)         Israel lusted for meat. Achan lusted for riches. Samson, David and Solomon lusted for women. Gehazi lusted for silver. Pharisees lusted for praise of men. James and John desired a place of prominence in the Kingdom.
2)         Study these verses: Pro 27:20; Pro 6:25; Mat 5:28; Rom 6:12; Jas 1:14-15.
b.         God’s precepts show us His mind.
1)         (Romans 13:14) “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” We must stay close to the Lord and not make any provision, forethought or supply to make it easy to fulfil our lust again. Destroy all your supply.
2)         (2 Timothy 2:22) “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” God clearly commands us to flee lustful desires and to follow His path. Flee as you would from great danger.
3)         (Titus 2:12) “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;” We must deny worldly lusts; say NO to them. Do not listen to peers, media or the devil.
4)         (1 Peter 1:14) “As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:” You may have ignorantly yielded to bad desires in your past, but now God wants you to obey Him.
3.        Admit Your Guilt
a.         We must admit that our sinful desires offend God.
1)         When we desire more than God has given us, we are denying that God is all we need. (Hebrews 13:5) “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.“
2)         Our lustful desires test God’s patience with us. (Psalms 106:14) “But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.“
3)         Many of our lustful desires are in direct disobedience to God’s word or His holy character (1Co 6:9-10; Gal 5:19-21; Eph 4:19; Col 3:5-8; 1Ti 6:8-10).
b.         We will never get victory until we admit our guilt.
1)         When we are guilty of a lustful desire, we must admit it without excuse. Be specific. Call it by name.
2)         We must acknowledge that what God said about our lust is true.
4.        Rule Your Spirit
a.         We must say, “If God’s against it, so am I”. Repeat with me.
1)         Agree with God that you must quit your lustful desire.
2)         If God is against it, and you rely on Him, He will help you be against it. Confess it to Him as sin.
3)         Fill your heart with meditation on Scripture that deals with your lustful desires. (Psalms 19:14) “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.” Memorise to meditate (Ps 119:11).
b.         We must yield our spirit to the Holy Spirit.
1)         When the Holy Spirit convicts your spirit of a lustful desire that you must stop, submit your spirit to Him by fully obeying Him and depending on His enabling so that you can rule your soul (i.e., mind, will, & emotions), which will then rule your body.
2)         As you yield your spirit to the Holy Spirit, He will be able to produce His fruit of temperance (i.e., self-control) in your life (Gal 5:22-23). He will give you victory!
Conclusion: Is there a lustful desire in your life that you know displeases God? If so, you need to say, “If God’s against it, so am I”. Stop yielding your spirit to lust and the devil. Yield your spirit to the Holy Spirit. He will then enable your spirit to rule your soul that rules your body and give you victory (Rom 6:16). With God’s help, you CAN rule your desires and live victoriously.
Song: Victory in Jesus – 496