Company’s Coming

Romans 13:11-14 (ESV)

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. ¹² The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Company’s Coming

When our kids were still at home, every time I got the vacuum cleaner out to clean, my son would say, “Mom, who’s coming over?” He knew I was cleaning up to prepare for something, or someone.

Paul is telling us in the above passage, “The Lord is coming. It’s time to clean house.”

Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

Let’s go deeper and look at the Greek definitions of lusts – a longing (especially for what is forbidden): – concupiscence, desire, lust (after);  to set the heart upon (rightfully or otherwise)

Personal Testimony

I discovered this lust in my own heart recently when I recognized an unusual attraction toward work. In our company where my husband and I work together, we are experiencing some prosperity even in the midst of this pandemic and we are growing, thanks to God’s hand of mercy and blessing.  My husband has a key position in this company, and I have a part-time, supporting role to what he does.

I noticed I was beginning to look at my husband not as a man or as my husband, but like an object that could satisfy a longing  for financial increase. I was looking past his welfare and seeing him as a tool, a thing that could bring in more money.  I had set my heart upon, not my husband, but upon the dollar signs. I was looking past my husband to the temptation.

As the Lord revealed the truth to me, I had to repent from the lust that was in my heart. Then I could love my husband again the way I should.

We have to be careful about what we “set our hearts upon.”

The Lord alone is my provider. He taught me that years ago as He taught me how to be content in Him. When I put the weight of my fleshly needs and desires upon my husband, I am hindering him from operating in the fullness and freedom of God’s power and provision. That fleshly lust toward my husband, if you will, was like a dam in a river or a clog in an artery–it was blocking the flow of the Spirit’s power from getting through.

That blockage can cause sickness in our hearts, which spills over into the body.

We can be Well

Proverbs 4:23

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

It is the issues of the heart that cause sickness in the body. We have to be healed in our heart to take hold of the promises of health and life. There have been so many days in the past few weeks where I have been so drained, physically and mentally. It was like the life was being sucked out of me.

When I recognized and repented from that lust and asked for the Lord’s forgiveness, He extended His mercy and gave me His righteousness where the sin was. This is where my heart changed. The callousness has been removed and I feel love in my heart for my husband again.

That strand of righteousness takes root in the Lord where it cannot be moved. Now my energy is coming back and I don’t feel like I’m carrying around a heavy weight around my neck and shoulders. I’m not being dragged down by that issue in my heart.

We have to cast off the works of darkness. We have the power to do this, because we have control over what we set our hearts upon.

Subjecting our Flesh to Obedience

Over the years, I’ve had to practice bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, but not only my thoughts, but my emotions and desires–my flesh. This is casting off the works of darkness.

The more we cast off and renounce the works of darkness, the more the light of the Spirit reigns in us. Our heart then can be healthy–both spiritually and physically.

As we are healed spiritually, we can’t help to be healed in our bodies, minds and souls. The issues of the heart spill over into the body. Likewise, the healing of our heart also spills over into the body. The question is: is it going to be the darkness that reigns in our hearts, or the light?

Cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. It says Armor of Light for a reason. Our hearts are protected when we put on the Light. When we are walking in the darkness, we are exposed and susceptible to the diseases of the heart. What might seem like a passion might actually be a lust. We have to examine our hearts.

It can be the same with a husband toward his wife. He might look to her to fulfill him in ways that only God the Father can do.  Lust can be so many different things. When we put our dependence upon each other or anything else, instead of on God, we drain and dilute the power of the Spirit within us.

When I cling to something or someone other than the Lord, it hinders the flow of the Spirit.

Psalm 101:3

I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.

Lust is very sticky.

It’s like walking in peanut butter. The health of our souls depends on the flow of the Spirit within us. If we hinder the Spirit, we hinder the power within us. It gets bogged down in the peanut butter. The only way we get our feet out of the peanut butter is to repent. He cleans us up and sets our feet upon the rock, where we can be healthy again.

As a husband and wife, or any relationship, continually seek the Lord and grow in righteousness, the power of the Spirit is increased and the power of the flesh decreases.

Ephesians 1:9

That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

As we collectively seek the Lord and repent from the lusts of our flesh, we receive the righteousness and favor of the Lord. This is how He makes ready His bride. Our blemishes, spots and wrinkles are removed in the power of the Spirit.

As the clogs in the arteries are removed, we will see healing–not only in our physical bodies but in the church body… because healing is being poured out into our hearts and our souls.

We will see vibrancy. We will see the Kingdom coming. We will see Jesus.

We’ve got to get ready. We need to clean house. Company’s Coming.