Christians and lust

     I know it's wrong but I lust for Peanut Buster Parfait every time I  pass a Dairy Queen.  Thinking about it makes my mouth water even at this early hour of the day.  Christians lust after many things in various ways.  Whether it be sex, love, food, drugs, alcohol, smoking and so many others; we can admit that this is a major problem.  So, what do we do about it?  The nature of sin is an lust of itself.  Let's call it what it is.  Sin is lust tempting and filling us with self centered thoughts, words and deeds.  Thank you Satan and what you put before Eve.  Lust when fulfilled results in death.  Not necessarily physical death but certainly spiritual death.  Once dead mankind found a myriad of ways to lust after this or that. Being consumed with all that is out there has become a foundation of the world and living in the world.  Christians aren't immune to the temptation but Christ tells us that he will ALWAYS make a way out.  There is one absolute I can get behind.  Saying, "I won't ever do that again!" is an unfillable absolute.  Why?  Because we are less than perfect and live in a space where absolutes are relegated to taxes and death and then taxes again.  Christ, on the other hand, absolutely loves us and has prepared a way for us to deal with lust.
     Psalm 1:1 states:

Psalm 1

¹ Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,

     It is here that we find ourselves developing lust in our lives.  There are three steps in the process.  First we walk among the world and see how the unsaved live.  We walk amongst the wicked.  Sometimes we see how they seem to live without consequences and dwell on that moment.  Should we do that we move to the second stage.  We stop and observe.  We observe the way of sinners and contemplate the situation.  We don't stand in the way to stop sinners.  We stand in their way and observe and dwell on that which they are partaking in.  We see those men and women as well as children having their Peanut Buster Parfait and want one ourselves.  This brings us to the proverbial fence that we are now straddling.  We sit in the company of mockers.  Though our conscience is still there, we have numbed that conscience with rationalization and justification in order to become part of the company of mockers.  Mockers?  Yep!  Those who take the first two steps and end up in the third are now mockers of God and his love and grace.  

     We have the choice.  We don't have to walk in the step WITH the wicked.  We don't have to STAND in the way of sinners.  We don't have to JOIN in the company of mockers.  We have Someone who makes it possible to live a righteous life.  That would be Jesus.  He, along with the Holy Spirit and the Father have been victorious over sin and death through the death and resurrection of Jesus.  We can, in God's power, live victorious as well.  Remember, it's always your choice.