(Study 4) We bring It on Ourselves

Hello, I hope you're well today. I'm doing pretty good, cant complain.....it doesn't do any good anyway. So....hahaha......Today's study was going to be about 2 verses, but I never got passed the first one. So we will get started and just see how this unfolds. Okay? Great. Go get your bible because I want you following along with me, so you can see for yourself what God has to say today. Alright? Great!


In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter says "Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;"

Dearly beloved is a fellow Christian. Here Peter is speaking to others that have accepted Jesus Christs' works as the way to be cleansed from all unrighteousness, taking on Christs' righteousness. This is the good news of the Gospel, nothing of what we've done, and all of what Jesus did, sitting in on our behalf. (Praise moment. Thank you Jesus!)

He goes on to say I beseech you;

Beseech- Greek Strongs #3870 [parakaleo] pronounced par-ak-al-eh-o also references #'s 3844 and 2564 which appear to be the same meaning- to call near, to invite, invoke, call for, desire, exhort (-ation), intreat, pray.

Peter goes on to refer to them as strangers and pilgrims. Why's does he call them that? Why, if he knew them, they were followers of Christ, walking to please God, would he refer to them as strangers and pilgrims? Here is where we see what I refer to as a 'Kingdom Principle'. I have an indepth study on 'The Kindgom' and if you'd like those notes please let me know. But this principle is this; at salvation, you are born into a new Kingdom, God's Kingdom. It has to do with rulership of your life, Jesus Christ being the King of this Kingdom, you are no longer under rulership of this world where satan is the ruler. (by the way, I never capitalize his name. he doens't deserve it! lol. spell check doens't like me lol again)

So Peter is beseeching or calling them as strangers in the world's system, pilgrims on a journey until reaching their homeland. I've described it like this; a Canadian that comes to work in the United States is still a citizen of Canada. He has to abide by the laws of his homeland and the laws of the U.S. to be in right standing with those in authority. That's a description of us when we are born again, we are born into a new Kingdom, a spiritual Kingdom, but still have to abide by the laws of the Kingdom we reside in, the natural Kingdom.

He then says to abstain from fleshly lusts;

Fleshly- Greek Strongs' #4559 [sarkikos] pronounced sar-kee-kos'. also references #4561, bodily, temporal, unregenerate, carnal.

Unregenerate- Webster says it means not renewed in the heart and mind or reborn in the spirit. So we can say regenerate is unsaved, not born again.
#4561-the symbol of what is external, human nature.

Lusts-#1930 [epithuma] pronounced ep-ee-thoo-mee-ah and also reference #1937, a longing (especially for what is forbidden) concupiscense, desire.
#1937-[epithumeo] pronounced ep-ee-too-meh'-o and also references #1909 and 2372, to set the heart upon, long for (rightfully or otherwise).

Now why would it say to long for rightfully is wrong? Let's for to Websters dictionary because it has some interesting insights we as Christians would not have attached to the word lust.

Websters has the definition we already knew which means intense sexual desire and the like but did you know that lust also takes in a passionate or overmastering desire or craving, as a lust for power? Or it being an ardent enthusiasm; zests; relish as in a lust for life?

In this passage Peter is talking to Christians saying to abstain from unsaved cravings and intense eagerness that masters us. Abstain from those. Why? It explains why in the rest of the verse; 'which war against the soul'.

Your soul is your mind, will and emotion. Now we all know what war is, but let's go to the Strong's and see how the Lord is describing what's happening to our mind, will and emotion when we allow unsaved desires to  master us.

War-#4754 and also references #'s 4756 and 4766 [stratevomai] pronounced strat-yoo'-om-ahee (dont you just love studying words from the Greek language? lol. I feel so smart, okay I'll calm down hahaha) it means to serve in a  military campaign, soldier.
#4756 [stratia] pronounced strat-ee'-ah, also referencing #4766, an army as encamped, camp-likeness (now that sounds like a Cindy word lol)
#4766 [stronnumi] pronounced strone-noo-mee, through the idea of positioning, to strew or spread.

Do you see what that desrie allowed in our lives does to us? IT serves as a military campaign, as an army encamped, through positioning itself, strewing and spreading against our mind, will and emotions.

No wonder so many of us live a defeated Christian life. We think these desires are okay, no big deal, oh it's just the way I am or I could never give that up, that's it's okay to do just this one thing. These desires are not okay. They're not indeed. These very desires are open doors. These desires themselves set up camp, position themselves, serve in a military campaign against our mind, will and emotion.

In our Mind: maybe that's why our mind is so scattered and has no peace or calm within. Thoughts run rampant and just exhaust us.

In our Will: maybe this is why we have great intentions as a follower of Christ but succumb to somthing that wants to overcome our will, ending up with us in a state of no will power, even with small things that should be nothing to deal with.

In our Emotion: We're up one day then down the next, no stability. Once up, we're expreme, we're flying high and then the next day something just pulls the rug out from under us and there we go, loosing our joy and happiness again, with no explanation of why.

When Peter says abstain! Abstain! Dont even start it. Abstain! Dont even do it a little. Abstain! Say it with me; Abstain! Abstain! Again Abstain! This is why it's so hard to live a Christian life for many of us, we're not abstaining. And the reason it's so hard is the very thing we are so extrememly desiring is positioning and setting up camp against our very self! Against who we are, what we like, our personality, or motivations. We're deafeated, always asking someone to pray for us, no victory in our lives.

We are opening the door. We are the one's welcoming in the very enemy of our soul. How then, in all of this, do we become peaceful again? How does our life calm back down and become tranquil once more. There's only one way........Abstain!