“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:16 NIV
In this series, “What’s Your Next Move?”, we have been working through the book of 1 John, identifying key truth from God’s Word that prompts us towards action. This week, as Pastor John taught about what it means to love the world properly, this verse, 1 John 2:16, gave us the diagnosis of what makes the world so bad, and how loving the world improperly puts us at odds with the will of our Heavenly Father. The “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” are listed as specific sins that come from the world, and there is a direct correlation to how these sins pull us away from the will of God, and it goes back to Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:1-18. In this section from what we call the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses giving, praying, and fasting as important spiritual disciplines to be practiced in private, or in secret. By living out these disciplines according to Jesus’ teaching, we have a great reward with our Father in Heaven Who sees what is done in secret. The sins of the world listed in 1 John 2:16 directly wage war against these righteous practices that Jesus teaches, and so for your “next move” this week, seek victory in the secret place.
Fasting is the answer to the lust of the flesh.
“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:16 NIV
“But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:17-18 NIV
Fasting is the spiritual discipline of denying yourself of food and intentionally relying on God for provision and sustenance. Biblical fasting is not a diet, it is not an eating disorder, and it is not something to be done on a whim. A planned, intentional fast includes going a planned length of time without food, and replacing the time you would spend eating with committed prayer - asking God for strength and energy for the day and listening to God for His direction to be made more clear. Fasting can come from a place of desperate need for the Lord’s power in a specific situation, and it can also be prompted from a desire to overcome the lust of the flesh. To deny yourself of food, which itself is not bad, can strengthen you to deny yourself of other fleshly desires or the lust of the flesh. Lust of the flesh could mean sexual immorality, gluttony, or other channels of instant gratification for our physical bodies. Fasting biblically is denying yourself the instant gratification which can come from food so that you can train yourself to trust God’s provision in a deeper way. And as Jesus taught, this fasting is to be done in private, for the approval of God and not man.
Giving is the answer to the lust of the eyes.
“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:16 NIV
“But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:3-4 NIV
In a very similar fashion to fasting, giving is to be done in secret. Jesus goes so far as to challenge us to not even let our left hand know that the right hand is giving to the needy. This is a direct contrast to how we can sometimes view our giving. We want to get credit for our generosity or gratitude for how we give and serve, but that can’t be the case according to Jesus, or that gratitude from people will be the only reward we receive. Rather, we want to give for the glory of our Heavenly Father who sees what happens even when no one else does. This combats the lust of the eyes - greed, jealousy, and all materialism. When we fall to these temptations, we have been defeated in the secret place for generosity and a heavenly treasure. Jesus challenges us to give radically and give in secret, for this brings us to a deeper trust that the Lord has all I truly need. It brings us to a more firm understanding that my ultimate goal is for eternal life and not this life. And it establishes a pattern in my life that my financial habits are building up others and not myself. There is a promise of reward from our great Father in Heaven as we give to others.
Prayer is the answer to the pride of life.
“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” 1 John 2:16 NIV
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6 NIV
What is pride except an attitude that says, “I can do it on my own.” Pride draws us away from our Father, and rather than growing in self-denial and reliance on God, we pridefully grow in reliance on self. Prayer teaches us to put our schedules and priorities behind our relationship with God; it teaches us to rely on God for what we want and need. And prayer teaches us that we are not always right - that we need forgiveness, correction, and provision according to God’s will. Jesus teaches this practice of prayer in the following verses of Matthew 6 in what we call the Lord’s Prayer. This prayer teaches us to acknowledge that God is holy and greater than we are, that His ways are better than ours, that His provision is better than what we can provide, and that we need His help to get through each day and to live lives that glorify Him. The pride of life that comes from the world subtracts from all the elements of the Lord’s prayer. And again, rather than praying for the approval of mankind by publicly making a spectacle of great words and phrases in our prayers, we pray privately, committing the time and ourselves to the Lord for His approval and His reward.
Accountability and Community can help you
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Hebrews 10:24 NIV
I hope that you don’t mistake victory in the secret place as an instruction to try to follow Jesus all by yourself. Living for the approval and praise of mankind is not the same as having a few brothers and sisters in Christ holding you accountable to how you honor God in your life. If I intend to do a serious fast, I will often let my closest brothers in Christ know to be praying for me and to hold me accountable to it. That same accountability can help you with fasting, prayer, and giving. This accountability is not done in such a way that I text my guys every time I pray, or fast, or give. It instead looks like intentionally asked questions and intentionally timed encouragement for what I do in the secret place. The Lord blesses us with the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ to help us follow Him well, and it is my prayer that you will have victory in the secret place through prayer, giving, and fasting this week. God bless.
