Victory Over Lust Patterns In The Soul

"From whence come wars and fighting among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"  James 4:1

We have been taught that the origin of spiritual warfare is 'out there' not within our own hearts.  This has been very misleading and destructive to spiritual growth and maturity. The biblical writers never stated that spiritual warfare originated 'out there' in the outside world.  The inner world of the soul is ground zero for the  origin of spiritual warfare.  I want to emphasize this point because we want to seek for causal factors in the environment in order to explain or provide a rationale for observable behavior or actions.

James is a theologian and as such knows human behavior.  He knew that what he observed in human actions and the resultant misery thereof was the result of an intrinsic condition. He knew that for the Cure of Souls to happen there must be accurate epidemiological information available.  James received his training directly from the Spirit of God.  Therefore he never had to speculate about what he observed because he had been taught of God so that he could have an accurate differential diagnosis.

Believers were having problems in their lives because they were living under inner tyranny of lust patterns that  controlled their actions. They were enslaved to obvious and not so secret sins and as a result their lives were spiralling out of control.  James knew that polemos-that is, the actual battle of hostile forces within kept them from fruitful spiritual lives.  This verse is filled with reference to the inner world of believers where victory or defeat actually happens.

We must know that the biblical writers use accurate word pictures that were inspired by the Spirit of God so that we might know origins of our primary struggle.  I have read where some well meaning person wrote that the battle is for the mind.  That may well be when one is focused upon culture, but the battle for the mind begins in the person's heart.  Mache and polemos are  the Greek words in our verse used to denote the inner hostility that takes place within our members.  This is not the will of God for our lives.

This verse serves as a reminder that where God asks us to submit our lives to his rule it is an imperative request.  If we resist God's will for our lives we cultivate misery and unhappiness.  I see the power of the inner lie so much these days in the lives of professed believers.  God, however, is not taken aback by our desire to control our lives through our own power. He knows that we do this in order to control the outcome of actions for our advantage.  We may win a desired outcome, but that win may be to our hurt.

One of the greatest actions that God can take when we want to live outside of his will is to allow us to have what we want, and the consequences too.  We don't like to experience the negative consequences of our actions, but consequences are an intrinsic part of actions.  The active pursuit of lust patterns in the soul toss us into an abyss of torture.  Just ask someone who is enslaved to pornography.  Or just speak to someone who has given up a stable marriage because someone had seduced his or her heart away from a faithful spouse.

A long time ago I counselled a believer who was controlled by a sexual lust pattern.  He had lost his family and himself as a result of his condition. He explained in rational terms according to his understanding why he engaged in this behavior.  He had little or no awareness of the cognitive distortions that controlled his mind. He came to see me a few times and then he stopped.  He wanted to continue in this behavior.  This was a man that I liked very much, and I wanted to see him defeat the monster that controlled his life, but he was not ready to be released.

Beloved are you being controlled by an inner monster?  A lust pattern that has caused you much pain, shame, and regret?  Then you must come to God, and confess your bondage to Him.  He will give you the power to overcome the stasis of defeat in your life.  Sinful lust patterns are jealous lords and they do not give up control easily. They will war against your will and seek to pull you in deeper and deeper.  God who defeated the Chaos Monster in Genesis Chapter One can bring in light where darkness actively ruled.  Come to God and be set free.  Blessings to you.

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