Open Heavens 26 March 2016: Saturday daily devotion by Pastor E. A. Adeboye – Beware of the Tripartite Sins

Topic: Beware of the Tripartite Sins [Saturday 26, March 2016]

Memorise: Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. – James 1:15

Read: 1 John 2:15-17 (KJV)

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Bible in One Year: Judges 15-17, Job 42:10-17

MESSAGE:

Christians are not to attach themselves to this world. When you get consumed with the affairs of this life you are distracted from keeping your mind on the things of God.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” - Romans 12:2

Satan and his agents are trying to deceive people, to see the things of this world as desirable. We must not give room for the evil values and morals that have been embraced by those who have given their hearts to the devil. The devil always wants to prove a point against God. He is always devising ways by which men will focus on themselves and the material possessions of this world. Is your mind occupied with the material things of this world? Are you a victim of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life? These three are tripartite sins which we must not give in to. All that the world system contains is built around these three categories of sin.

The lust of the flesh refers to those things we crave for with the intent of satisfying our fleshy desires. They could be the pursuit of food and other things that give the flesh a good feeling. We must not forget the encounter Jesus had with the devil after fasting for 40 days. The first test is the test of food. There are many people who are serving God today only because of their stomachs. Are you one of them?

The lust of the eyes refers to those activities that make men follow after things that look appealing to the eyes. The experience of David with Bathsheba is a good example of the lust of the eyes. The moment he set his eyes on her, he could not resist the temptation, until he fell for it and lost his kingdom. Today there are many things people do because they want to satisfy the lust of the eyes. The moment they see that someone’s house or car is better than theirs, they do all manner of things to get it. They are never grateful for what they have, but rather they chase after flashy things. Are you in this category? I pray he will not succeed over you in Jesus’ name.

The pride of life refers to those things you do in order to make a point about how important you are in the society. It is the accumulation of things not just because you need them, but to engage in a show of self-worth and superiority. This has become the norm today even among believers. They boast about their names, degrees and background. A son of mine once said that if you remove God from his life, all that will be left will be carcass. I replied him by saying, “you even still have carcass left, if you remove God from Adeboye, there will be nothing left”. This is why I cannot allow anything people call achievement to enter into my head, because I know that He is the one behind all. This is why the youths in RCCG have developed a chant: WHO DID IT? And the congregation responds by saying; JESUS! OH MY GOD, WOW!

Prayer Point: Father, please help me not to be a victim of the lust of the flesh,the lust of the eye and the pride of life.

Open Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer's Ministries.

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