Lust – Sickness – Pride
INTRODUCTION
Regardless of the needs or problems of anyone, anywhere and at any time, the answer lies within the Holy Bible. For this the Lord Jesus Christ said: ―Search the scripture.‖ John 5:35.
Whatever our feelings, pain or hopes are: the Bible holds the word of life for the benefit of everyone. Unfortunately, quite often we search for solutions concerning our problems outside the Holy Bible. This document, my dear friend, is a humble attempt to gather some of the verses of the Holy Bible to help you if you encounter one of the following circumstances:
Lust.
Sickness.
Pride.
First: LUST
―Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.‖ James 4:1-4.
―Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts you double-minded.‖ James 4:7-8.
―For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.‖ 1 John 2:16-17.
―You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery’ but I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.‖ Matt 5:27-28.
―Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, not let her allure you with her eyelids. For by means of a harlot a man is reduced to a crust of bread; and an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared? So is he who goes in to his neighbor‘s wife; whoever touches her shall not be innocent.‖ Proverbs 6:25-29.
―Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lust which war against the soul.‖ 1 Peter 2:11.
―As obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’‖ 1 Peter 1:14-16.
―By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.‖ 2 Peter 1:4.
―Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.‖ 2 Timothy 2:22.
―For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through
Jesus Christen our Saviour.‖ Titus 3:3-6.
―Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the other. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by His grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.‖ Ephesians 2:3-6.
―For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.‖ Titus 2:11-12.
―And those who are Christ‘s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.‖ Galatians 5:24.
―Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, not does He Himself tempt anyone.‖ James 1:13.
―How they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.‖ Jude 1:18-21.
―I say then: walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit again the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things you wish.‖
Galatians 5:16-17.
―Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to
God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your moral body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall hot have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.‖ Romans 6:11-14.
Second: SICKNESS
―Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.‖ James 5:14-16.
―And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, ―Do you believe that I am able to do this?‖ They said to Him, ―Yes Lord‖. Then He touched their eyes saying, ―According to your faith let it be to you.‖ And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them saying, ―See that no one knows it.‖ Matt 9:28-30.
―And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame when throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people, who were afflicted with various disease and torments, and those who were with demon-possessed, epileptics and paralytics; and He healed them.‖ Matt 4:23-24.
―Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for
You are my praise.‖ Jeremiah 17:14.
―For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord.‖ Jeremiah 30:17.
―But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins’ – then He said to the paralytic, ‘Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ And he rose and departed to his house.‖ Matt 9:6-7.
―So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you.‖ Exodus 23:25.
―Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins, might live for righteousness – by whose stripes you were healed.‖ 1 Peter 2:24.
Third: PRIDE
―Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.‖ Proverbs 16:18.
―Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.‖ Proverbs 26:12.
―A haughty look, a proud heart, And the plowing of the wicked are sin.‖
Proverbs 21:4.
―He who is of a proud heart stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the Lord will be prospered. He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.‖ Proverbs 28:25-26.
―The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.‖ Proverbs 8:13.
―Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger and not your own lips.‖ Proverbs 27:2.
―Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; tread down the wicked in their place.‖ Job 40:12.
―Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!‖ Isaiah 5:21.
―You rebuke the proud – the cursed, who stray from your commandments.‖
Psalm 119:21.
―And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves before men, but
God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.‖ Luke 16:15.
―How can you believe, who receive honour from one another, and do not seek the honour that comes from the only God?‖ John 5:44.
―And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, ―If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.‖ Mark 9:35.
―But he who glories, let him glory in the Lord. For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.‖ 2 Corinthians 10:17-18.
Father Rueiss Awad, CONTEMPORARY ISSUES (Toronto, ON: St. George and St. Rueiss Coptic Orthodox Church, 2019).