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Discussion Forum : Devotional Thoughts : Be acquainted with the whole range of sensual desires -baxter

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 Be acquainted with the whole range of sensual desires -baxter


[b]Be acquainted with the whole range of sensual desires[/b]

(Richard Baxter, "The Sinfulness of Flesh-Pleasing")

Be acquainted with the whole range of sensual desires, and
pay attention to them, and watch them in all their extravagances.
Otherwise, while you are stopping one gap, they will be running
out at many more. I will here briefly set some before your eyes:

1. Watch your appetites as to food and drink--both quantity
and quality. Gluttony is a common sin. The flesh enslaves men
most--by the appetite; as we see in drunkards and gluttons.

2. Take heed of the lust of uncleanness, and all degrees of it, and
approaches to it; especially immodest embraces and behavior.

3. Take heed of ribald, filthy talk, and love songs, and of such
sensuous snares.

4. Take heed of too much sleep and idleness.

5. Take heed of taking too much delight in your riches
and lands, your buildings, and delectable conveniences.

6. Take heed lest honors, or worldly greatness, or men's
applause--become too great a pleasure to you.

7. And take heed lest the success and prosperity of your
affairs do too much please you--as the rich fool, "And I'll
say to myself--You have plenty of good things laid up for
many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."
Luke 12:19

8. Take heed of an inordinate pleasure in your children,
relations, or nearest friends.

9. Take heed of a delight in vain, unprofitable, sinful company.

10. Take heed of fineness of apparel--to set you out to
the eyes of others.

11. Take heed of a delight in romances, novels, useless
news--which corrupt the mind, and waste your time.

12. Take heed of a delight in any recreations which are
excessive, needless, devouring time, discomposing the
mind, enticing to further sin, hindering any duty--especially
our delight in God. They are miserable souls, who delight
themselves in such unprofitable things--as cards, and dice,
and theaters, and immodest dancing.


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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2007/11/23 1:27Profile
enid
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Joined: 2006/5/22
Posts: 2680
Nottingham, England

 Re: Be acquainted with the whole range of sensual desires -baxter

Sounds so much like today, only the Christian today is obsessed with the flesh and pleasing it.

No is a word the flesh hardly knows, and if it does hear the word it rebels vehemently against it.

Baxter refers to gluttony as a common sin. Preach that today in any pulpit and see the reaction you get.

As scripture says, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

God bless.

 2007/11/23 3:29Profile
FireinmyBones1
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Joined: 2004/1/17
Posts: 219
Michigan

 Re: Be acquainted with the whole range of sensual desires -baxter

While I certainly agree that these are things that should be avoided, I'm not to sure that simply knowing of their existence and striving to "die daily" (which is a gross misinterpretation of scripture...) is the way to overcome. The only reason I mention this is because many sincere Christians would see a list like this and then begin striving to live their lives according to a list instead of by the continual leading of the Spirit as they abide in the vine. The below scripture (at least in my life) has been the pattern after which sin and sensual desires have been best overcome...

COL 2:20-23
20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- 21 "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," 22 which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

COL 3:1-5
1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. 5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry

Paul states that it isn't in a hars self-denial that "self" is actually overcome. (certainly Jesus told us to daily deny ourselves...) It seems that Pauls instructions seems to indicate that fixing ones mind on heavenly realities rather than on earthly realities (an over emphasis on what to or not to do i.e. the basic principles of this world...) is the key. I know far to many believers who know "holiness theology" who don't seem to understand that intimacy and tasting the heavenly pleasures of Jesus Christ is the real key to overcoming a desire for sinful pleasures. The key is not in living a semi-glorified-gnostic lifestyle of denying the body, but rather in feeding the spirit with the eternal glories of the heavenly realms. Feasting on the glories of Jesus Christ! This intense pleasure dwarfs earthly, sensual pleasures as the sun dwarfs the stars.

In my experience, this has been the secret weapon to overcoming. Not an overemphasis on the basic principles of this world, but an extreme emphasis on indulging myself in the fatness of His presence and love. Then the "things of earth" "grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace".
Just my two cents...
God Bless
Jeff


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Jeff

 2007/11/23 12:43Profile
PaulWest
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Joined: 2006/6/28
Posts: 3405
Dallas, Texas

 Re:

Quote:
The key is not in living a semi-glorified-gnostic lifestyle of denying the body, but rather in feeding the spirit with the eternal glories of the heavenly realms. Feasting on the glories of Jesus Christ! This intense pleasure dwarfs earthly, sensual pleasures as the sun dwarfs the stars.



Yes, there is truth in this. I think you stated it very well. The great secret to overcoming sin is in the continual looking to Christ, and not by an overly indulgent focus on things of the earth, or even at the unseen war in our members. We wrestle not against flesh and blood; it is often overlooked that the lusts and ungodly passions that so terrorize many of us have a spiritual genesis. I do not believe for a second that ungodly desires are physiological or somehow the result of chemical neurons firing off arbitrarily in our brains.

I believe we fight constantly against wicked powers, against principalities, with invisible spirit forces able to manipulate and inject unholy thoughts, desires, notions, and fear into our bodies. The lusts that war in our members, I believe, have been set in place through an ancient usurpation, an alien spiritual virus that infects us all - and will contiunue to do so until we receive our new and glorified bodies.

Since these hurtful devices are of "spiritual" origin, I belive it is absolutely futile to combat them in the flesh. We cannot overcome them by willpower, or by memorizing scripture, or by anything that has its root in the effort of mortality. Spirit must be fought with Spirit, and our only recourse is to look to Christ in faith and utter weakness. Any other effort is akin to a man putting a band-aid over a ruptured artery.

Looking to Jesus Christ is the great and simple secret, and looking daily to Jesus Christ in faith is what we daily strive to do, it is the fight itself, as I believe all things outside of Christ are devised to twart our gaze from Him. It is a wonderful thing when a man begins the process of learning to look to Christ no matter what the situation is. When he finally surrenders all his faculties of "life support", admits he has a fatal virus with no earthly cure, and commits his entire being into the hands of the Great Physician. Yes, he may still fail - and even experience a temporary relapse - but he knows restoration and sanctuary and healing and health are only as far as he has to lift his head once again and look to the Serpent on the pole.

Oh Lord, reveal this truth to our spirits, open our eyes, teach us to be still and [i]just look.[/i]

Brother Paul


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Paul Frederick West

 2007/11/23 15:33Profile
FireinmyBones1
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Joined: 2004/1/17
Posts: 219
Michigan

 Re:

Well stated...especially the fact that we wrestle not with flesh and blood. Jesus stated that the prince of this world was coming, but he had nothing in Him. He understood clearly that the temptations were not coming "from within" but from "without". Perhaps there was an unseen hand plucking inward desires, but still, the plucking came from without. When we live a life of morbid navel gazing, we quickly become selfish (in the name of holiness) and many times ineffective. I'm reminded of Isaiahs threefold vision in Isaiah 6
1. he saw the Lord
2. he saw himself (woe is me)
3. he saw the fields/harvest (here am I, send me)

Jesus admonished His disciple to LIFT UP their eyes and look at the fields. Many Christians never become useful in the Kingdom due to a life of internal vision only.

My two cents,
God bless
Jeff


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Jeff

 2007/11/23 15:43Profile





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