MIND MANAGEMENT: THE LUST OF THE EYE

09/29/2022

"The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light." (Matthew 6:22) It is rightly said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. The eyes can be enticed by spirits for good or evil, which is why to manage the mind, a guard must be mounted over how we interpret what we see. In the third recorded temptation of Jesus, "the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory" (Matthew 4:8). What is the devil showing you on TV, in the malls and on social media? You, the third temptation is a two-pronged assault needing a two-fold response because aside from what the devil shows Jesus, he also says, "...All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9) To the first phase of the assault, the Bible says, "Now if your right eye is causing you to sin, tear it out and throw it away from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell" (Matthew 5:29). Now, this is not literal and in context, Jesus was referring to the lust of the eye. To interpret Matthew 4:9 biblically, let's look at Job 31:1 which says, "I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?" In both texts, the Bible deals with looking at someone or something with ungodly desire. To tear out one's eye and throw it away, therefore, means to cut off one's gaze. Don't look a second time because having a second look means you are doing so with intention. The second thing to do is to respond with the written word of God. "Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve ” (Matthew 4:10). Declare that you have made a covenant with your eyes that you will not sin against the LORD each time your eyes are assaulted by temptation. God bless you! Faith-Filled Confession I have made a covenant with my eyes that I will not sin against the LORD. I mount guard over my eye ad exercise temperance in the way I look at things and people. In the name of Jesus. Amen

ONE YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: Isaiah 7-9; Galatians 4