OPPORTUNITY: THE WORLD, THE FLESH, AND THE d-EVIL

 Greetings and Salutations O Ye people that God SO LOVES.  Who...me?  Yes...you!  If you are reading this...you need to know that God is FOR you...not AGAINST you.  The d-evil...the world system...and your flesh nature...is AGAINST you.  You will have every OPPORTUNITY to follow the love of God...or to allow TEMPTATION to pull you away.

NOTE:  Temptation is not designed necessarily to pull you into something...but to PULL YOU AWAY from who you really are in Him.

Have you ever heard the phrase..."If OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS...answer the door."?  That would be true...if God was opportunity...but many times...this thing called opportunity is not God...but something to distract you and draw you into something.

There are three forms of TEMPTING OPPORTUNITY...that we need to be aware of...(1) The world (2) The flesh (3) The d-evil. 

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification], and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the [boastful]  pride of life [assurance of one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things]--these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. (I John 2:16)

There is a song by a group called THE LOST DOGS...off of their MUTT cd...called The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes and the Boastful Pride of Life...that speaks of these things. They lament the fact that these things..."drain the life right out of me."

Check it out on You Tube by following the link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qw_idC0rtJk


This Rambling started out as a Facebook post...but begged to be expanded into a Ruminator Rambling.  Here is the original post:

THE d-evil & FLESH OPPORTUNITY

"Just because you have an OPPORTUNITY to act a certain way...does not mean that you have to take it. You have the choice...the volition...the free will to choose NOT BASED on your anger or your flesh." (R.L.B.)

"Your anger and your flesh...will be manifested on your lips and actions/deeds." (R.LB.) NOTE: More to follow with Ephesians 4:29-32

"In our anger...exasperation...fury...indignation that we allow to continue...and allow to continue beyond the sun going down...we give (leave) and allow the d-evil room, a foothold, and an OPPORTUNITY in our lives." (R.L.B....based on Ephesians 4:26-27 The Amplified Bible)

"As you are called to this thing called freedom...do not let/allow your freedom...to be an incentive to your flesh...an OPPORTUNITY and excuse for selfishness...BUT in contrast SERVE one another...in LOVE." (R.L.B. based on Galatians 5:13)

 

The idea of an OPPORTUNITY...is not presented in Ephesians 4:26-27 and Galatians 5:13 as something POSITIVE...but something NEGATIVE that will impede your progress as a believer.

 

These three things...lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life...is not a new thing.  They are the M.O. (Modus Operandi) of the d-evil.  He utilized it in the garden of Eden with Adam and Eve...he used it on Jesus in the wilderness...he used it at the time of the writings of first century Christians as evidenced by the writings of John...and he is using the exact same things in...as of this writing in November of 2013.  As Solomon tells us in Ecclesiastes..."there is nothing new under the sun..."  Larry Norman puts it this way..."there's nothing new under the sun...unless you know Jesus (the Son)."

As Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness by the tempter...Jesus...full of the Holy Spirit...and led about by the Spirit in the wilderness...utilized the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and His authority over the d-evil. (Luke 4:1-13; Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13)  Where Adam and Eve failed...Jesus was more than a conqueror.  When Jesus to the devil to leave...after he had finished every temptation...it is said that he (the d-evil) departed from Him (Jesus)...UNTIL AN OPPORTUNE TIME. (Luke 4:13)

An OPPORTUNE TIME...is what the d-evil lays in waiting for us...to KNOCK AGAIN...with the OPPORTUNITY to be pulled away and condemned and accused and killed, stolen from and destroyed.  The father of lies...is continuing to lie.

 

Hollywood...has made a few films about his topic...one from 1926 as a silent film about forbidden love...and in 1959 in a science fiction tale about three survivors of the apocalypse (in the worlds point of view).

But in the words of the DeGarmo and Key album title..."Stella, This Ain't Hollywood:.  This is the real deal. It is the NITTY-GRITTY of life and we must be ON GUARD of these things.   We must approach the trifecta of temptation as Jesus did with the trifecta of the provision of God.

The GOOD NEWS...is that our Lord and Saviour Jesus the Christ been through what we are going through...and has come out the other side.

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens , Jesus the Son of God, let us HOLD FAST OUR CONFESSION.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot SYMPATHIZE  WITH OUR WEAKNESSES...but one who HAS BEEN TEMPTED IN ALL THINGS...as we are yet without sin.  Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the THRONE OF GRACE, that we may receive and may find GRACE TO HELP...in the TIME OF NEED." (Hebrews 4:14-16)

OPPORTUNITY is KNOCKING...the world, the flesh, and the devil.  All three wrapped up in pride as he (the d-evil whispers) you deserve these things, you will be like God, God wants to keep these things from you. (Just like he did in Genesis 3)


LUSTS AND DESIRES OF THE WORLD

"And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according tot he course of this WORLD according to the prince of the power of the air,  of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.  Among them we too all formerly lived in the LUSTS OF OUR FLESH...indulging the DESIRES OF THE FLESH and of the MIND and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." (Ephesians 2:1-3)

FLESH AND FREEDOM OPPORTUNITIES

"For you were called to FREEDOM, brethren, only do not TURN YOUR FREEDOM into an OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FLESH...but through LOVE...SERVE ONE ANOTHER."
 (Galatians 5:13)  NOTE:  Read Galatians 5 and 6 for Full Freedom Details)

THE d-evil  SCHEMES

"Finally, BE STRONG IN THE LORD...and in the STRENGTH OF HIS MIGHT.  Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to STAND FIRM against the SCHEMES OF THE d-evil.  For our STRUGGLE is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the WORLD forces of darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.  THEREFORE (because of what you just read)...take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to RESIST in the evil day...and having done everything...TO STAND FIRM. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY

If you are experiencing trials, troubles, tribulations, struggles, temptations, feelings of inadequacies, doubts, fears, anxiety, worries, hopelessness, and a desire to give up and succumb to the world, the flesh, and the devil...YOU ARE NORMAL.  Usually when you are attacked by the enemy...you are a threat. DO NOT GIVE UP...OR IN...STAND FIRM...RESIST...FIGHT the enemy and not flesh and blood.  Just like Jesus....he (the d-evil will leave if you tell him)...but be aware...he will come back KNOCKING for a more OPPORTUNE TIME.  Don't answer!!!

NOTE: The d-evil's opporTUNEity is a SOUR NOTE.

Love and Looking Through The Peep Hole To See Who Is Knocking
Rodney "Don't Need Opportunity When You Got Da Lord" Boyd