Today, we will discuss worldly desires. Every moment, we face temptations that lead us away from righteousness. When we go to fulfill worldly desires, we often sin and turn away from God. God’s Word warns us and tells us in detail about the dangers of temptation.
The pursuit of wealth, power, or pleasure are various worldly desires. They initially bring us joy, but later they distract us and cause us harm. God’s Word warns us and instructs us to guard our hearts by keeping ourselves away from all these temptations.
If we look at the life of King Solomon, we see that he was blessed with wisdom and wealth. But he was not able to guard his heart and was led astray by worldly desires. He married many women, acquired a lot of wealth, and was addicted to idolatry. From his life, we can learn that worldly desires will cause us to fall if we do not put God first.
The Bible commands us to turn away from worldly things and focus on divine things. It teaches us to walk the path of life with our eyes fixed on Jesus by renewing our minds. When we follow God’s guidance and live a prayerful life, we can resist temptation.
If we are friends with the world, we are enemies with God. We are called to be in this world, but we are not permanent residents of this world. This means that we will live a life that will reveal more of the divine than the worldly.
Now let’s look at the following Bible scriptures that talk about worldly desires.
James 1:14-15 : —
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, enticedThen when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death”
James 4:4 : —
“Ye adulterers adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God”
James 5:5 : —
“Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter”
Romans 12:2 : —
“Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, perfect, will of God”
Romans 13:14 : —
“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof”
Romans 8:5 : —
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit”
Titus 2:12 : —
“Teaching us that, denying ungodliness worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, godly, in this present world”
Titus 3:3 : —
“For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts pleasures, living in malice envy, hateful, hating one another”
Galatians 2:20 : —
“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, gave himself for me”
Galatians 5:16 : —
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh”
Galatians 6:8 : —
“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting”
Colossians 2:8 : —
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, not after Christ”
Colossians 3:5 : —
“Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, covetousness, which is idolatry”
Matthew 13:22 : —
“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; the care of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, he becometh unfruitful”
Matthew 16:26 : —
“For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Matthew 19:21 : —
“Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go sell that thou hast, give to the poor, thou shalt have treasure in heaven: come follow me”
Matthew 6:24 : —
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, love the other; or else he will hold to the one, despise the other. Ye cannot serve God mammon”
Mark 4:19 : —
“The cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, it becometh unfruitful”
Mark 8:36-37 : —
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, lose his own soul?Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Ephesians 2:3 : —
“Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh of the mind; were by nature the children of wrath, even as others”
Ephesians 5:3 : —
“But fornication, all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints”
Philippians 2:21 : —
“For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s”
Philippians 3:19 : —
“Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)”
Proverbs 27:20 : —
“Hell destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied”
Proverbs 28:22 : —
“He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, considereth not that poverty shall come upon him”
Luke 12:15 : —
“He said unto them, Take heed, beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth”
Luke 16:15 : —
“He said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God”
Luke 21:34 : —
“Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, drunkenness, cares of this life, so that day come upon you unawares”
Psalm 119:36 : —
“Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, not to covetousness”
Hebrews 13:5 : —
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”
John 17:16 : —
“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world”
Revelation 3:17 : —
“Because thou sayest, I am rich, increased with goods, have need of nothing; knowest not that thou art wretched, miserable, poor, blind, naked”
Jeremiah 4:30 : —
“When thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life”
Ecclesiastes 5:10 : —
“He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity”
Isaiah 55:2 : —
“Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, eat ye that which is good, let your soul delight itself in fatness”
Ezekiel 33:31 : —
“They come unto thee as the people cometh, they sit before thee as my people, they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness”
Micah 2:1 : —
“Woe to them that devise iniquity, work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand”