The Desires of The Flesh

“For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life— is not from the Father but is from the world.” - 1 John 2:16 
 
 
If we want to obediently live for Christ and submit to His will above our own, we must be aware of things that could compromise our obedience. Yesterday, we asked the question, are you promoting your brand or God’s brand? Well, there are three types of sins that you need to be aware of so that you can avoid promoting your brand over God’s brand. 
 
See, promoting your brand is not just about displaying your abilities on social media. It is not just about telling people about how great you are or what talents you have. It is the daily actions and habits you live out. Do your daily actions reveal that you are trying to live a life that promotes your Heavenly Father? Or are you living a life that promotes you and what you want in life? 
 
1 John 2:16 gives us three types of sins that threaten self-promotion. The verse says, “For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life— is not from the Father but is from the world.” 
 
The first of these is the desires of the flesh. The desires of the flesh are anything that appeals to our physical appetite. These are things such as food, drink, and sexual fulfillment. Now, none of these things are inherently evil. But Satan will use them to create carnal passions and addictions that put our priorities out of wack.  
 
All of a sudden, we begin to prioritize consuming these things in either a way or dosage that is unhealthy. Physical desires are not bad, but like anything else, when they are perverted and twisted, they are a sin. Do not go about obtaining these in a way that does not honor God.  
 
Chasing after your fleshly desires is one way to promote your own brand. Not externally, but even just to yourself. You are deciding that what you want is more important than what God wants for you. Make sure you are managing your fleshly desires. Give them to God and ask Him to help you manage them in a Godly way.