Lust. Isn't. Love. -Abbigayle Ebling
"As yet I had never been in love and I longed to love...... I was in love with love." - Book III, I.
The internet (don't even get me started about Instagram!!) is the number one source of the spreading of lust versus love, in my opinion... You have thirteen year olds pregnant and sixteen year olds who have fallen into addiction. *randomly selected ages, not targeting anyone!!*
I believe everyone has a weakness, something that makes them vulnerable... The strings on your heart which Satan likes to play with. The question is, how do you handle those things?
I believe Saint Augustine does a pretty great job of covering his weaknesses, while also lacing in such a profound understanding of Biblical truth in those circumstances that I can tell he has built his line of defense against those things in which he used to partake.
So how DO you strengthen yourself against such weakness? How do you push through what you thought you weren't strong enough to take?
.....The answer is, you can't on your own. That requires a Savior. If you've heard me give an analogy of how God stepped into my life, I love using the storybook reference of a knight with a dragon and the maiden that needs saving.
Although, I don't mean that in a fluffy story sort of way, as the "dragon" is sin... it's regret, lust, habits, etc etc. The maiden is you (or me, or anyone)... as "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," found in Romans 3:23. God is the knight, who time and time again will slay your dragon and time and time again saves you from the tower, because let me tell you.... Sometimes, sin gets real comfortable in your heart. Especially the secret ones you hold in... You know, the ones where your parents would probably kill you if they found out. LIKE WHAT YOU DID IN FIFTH GRADE, YOU HORRIBLE PERSON!!! ((okay... sarcasm. 'cause getting deep isn't something I fancy doing a lot.))
But... God also sometimes has to let you fall a little bit, get burnt by the fire, before He can step in and save you. Sometimes you give into your desires so fiercely that you don't even realize God is trying to save you. Sometimes the flames feel good. Quoting again from the first segment of Book III, "........and the pain itself is his pleasure." And in Book IV, I, "Without you, what am I to myself but a guide to my own self-destruction?"
So, how does one listen to God? How do you give up the lusts of your heart, whatever they might be, to Him? 'Cause oooooooh goodness, if you can't hear God - it isn't because He quit talking, it's because you forgot how to listen. The first step is recognition of what your weakness is, identify the dragon. Then climb off, God can't slay it if you're riding it... In a less childish way of putting it, I'll go back to Augustine's text in Book IV, XII, "If physical objects give you pleasure, praise God for them and return love to their Maker lest, in the things that please you, you displease him."
Further, turning to Book V, I, "The unjust stumble over you and are justly chastised. Endeavouring to withdraw themselves from your gentleness, they stumble on your equity and fall into your anger. They evidently do not know that you are everywhere. No space circumscribes you. You alone are always present even to those who have taken themselves far from you. Let them turn and seek you, for you have not abandoned your creation as they have deserted their Creator. Let them turn, and at once you are there in their heart - in the heart of those who make confession to you and throw themselves upon you and weep........ You were there before me, but I had departed from myself. I could not even find myself, much less you."
I guess quoting that kind of summed up what I was going to say next. Trust God with it. Give it up. Wholeheartedly and completely, let God have it and "may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
With that, I conclude my blog post. If you actually made it this far, thank you so much for reading and I hope I didn't bore you too much because I promise you I sometimes find a plot and try chasing it and all the sudden I have a billion different points and ideas... although, I'm that way in real life while speaking so I mean, that's just me?? Well.... Have a great whatever time you're reading this!!
Yours Forever,
Abbigayle Ebling 💛
P.S. I commented on the posts of Will Brady and Moriah Nelson
The internet (don't even get me started about Instagram!!) is the number one source of the spreading of lust versus love, in my opinion... You have thirteen year olds pregnant and sixteen year olds who have fallen into addiction. *randomly selected ages, not targeting anyone!!*
I believe everyone has a weakness, something that makes them vulnerable... The strings on your heart which Satan likes to play with. The question is, how do you handle those things?
I believe Saint Augustine does a pretty great job of covering his weaknesses, while also lacing in such a profound understanding of Biblical truth in those circumstances that I can tell he has built his line of defense against those things in which he used to partake.
So how DO you strengthen yourself against such weakness? How do you push through what you thought you weren't strong enough to take?
.....The answer is, you can't on your own. That requires a Savior. If you've heard me give an analogy of how God stepped into my life, I love using the storybook reference of a knight with a dragon and the maiden that needs saving.
Although, I don't mean that in a fluffy story sort of way, as the "dragon" is sin... it's regret, lust, habits, etc etc. The maiden is you (or me, or anyone)... as "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," found in Romans 3:23. God is the knight, who time and time again will slay your dragon and time and time again saves you from the tower, because let me tell you.... Sometimes, sin gets real comfortable in your heart. Especially the secret ones you hold in... You know, the ones where your parents would probably kill you if they found out. LIKE WHAT YOU DID IN FIFTH GRADE, YOU HORRIBLE PERSON!!! ((okay... sarcasm. 'cause getting deep isn't something I fancy doing a lot.))
But... God also sometimes has to let you fall a little bit, get burnt by the fire, before He can step in and save you. Sometimes you give into your desires so fiercely that you don't even realize God is trying to save you. Sometimes the flames feel good. Quoting again from the first segment of Book III, "........and the pain itself is his pleasure." And in Book IV, I, "Without you, what am I to myself but a guide to my own self-destruction?"
So, how does one listen to God? How do you give up the lusts of your heart, whatever they might be, to Him? 'Cause oooooooh goodness, if you can't hear God - it isn't because He quit talking, it's because you forgot how to listen. The first step is recognition of what your weakness is, identify the dragon. Then climb off, God can't slay it if you're riding it... In a less childish way of putting it, I'll go back to Augustine's text in Book IV, XII, "If physical objects give you pleasure, praise God for them and return love to their Maker lest, in the things that please you, you displease him."
Further, turning to Book V, I, "The unjust stumble over you and are justly chastised. Endeavouring to withdraw themselves from your gentleness, they stumble on your equity and fall into your anger. They evidently do not know that you are everywhere. No space circumscribes you. You alone are always present even to those who have taken themselves far from you. Let them turn and seek you, for you have not abandoned your creation as they have deserted their Creator. Let them turn, and at once you are there in their heart - in the heart of those who make confession to you and throw themselves upon you and weep........ You were there before me, but I had departed from myself. I could not even find myself, much less you."
I guess quoting that kind of summed up what I was going to say next. Trust God with it. Give it up. Wholeheartedly and completely, let God have it and "may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
With that, I conclude my blog post. If you actually made it this far, thank you so much for reading and I hope I didn't bore you too much because I promise you I sometimes find a plot and try chasing it and all the sudden I have a billion different points and ideas... although, I'm that way in real life while speaking so I mean, that's just me?? Well.... Have a great whatever time you're reading this!!
Yours Forever,
Abbigayle Ebling 💛
P.S. I commented on the posts of Will Brady and Moriah Nelson
Your metaphor reminded me of a book I read of a maiden who had three suitors. The first one she turned away, the second one loved her and could give her everything she needed, but she thought she loved another and she gave him her heart only to have him not realize how valuable it was and gave it away to a beast. The second suitor gave her his heart and went to slay the beast for her heart. The maiden came to love the second suiter not for his looks but for how he showed her what true love was. The story is a metaphor for what God did for us and both the story and God shows what true love is. It isn`t lust or good looks, it is all about sacrifice and compromises. It is about caring just to care and without reward.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember what that book was titled? I find that analogy concept to be quite fascinating and would love to read it!! I love a good story with God portrayed as something that is a human want or seen as attainable in a "real" way, you know?
Delete“Sometimes… God has to let you fall a bit, get burnt by the fire, before He can step in and save you.” That’s a mature thought that more people need to bear in mind… Turning to “the pain itself is his pleasure,” that just makes me think about the vicious cycle of sin. Sin always becomes addiction, whether it’s drunkeness, porn, gluttony, pride, whatever. We always go back to it knowing full well that every time we did that in the past, it only hurt us. But at the same time we convince ourselves that the small bits of pleasure we derive from it are the only things that numb the pain… The pain caused by the same act that created the pleasure.
ReplyDeleteAlso, how the HECK do you know what I did in fifth grade??
That's a deep concept, Will... Although, you're right. Have you seen the Percy Jackson movies? That segment makes me think of the scene where the fruit is keeping everyone under a spell to stay in the casino, to me that makes sin relative since pleasure is like the fruit which keeps one stuck in the "casino" of sin. With all the lights and music and what appears and sounds like fun coming from the inside comes a bondage that you did not anticipate nor expect, but like I've been told since I was little, "Sin comes in the form of cupcakes and pretty eyes, Abbigayle, it doesn't come as a scary looking demon."
DeleteAnd I didn't, but you have just confirmed my point. hahahahaha!!!!
I like what you said about us sometimes getting lost and not being able to hear or see God when he’s trying to save us from our own destruction. It reminded me of a sermon by William hudson III, Satan loves for us to get lost, he loves for us to become so deep in “self” that we lose sight of God. Sometimes we cross the line from love to lust (or skip right over love altogether) without even realising. We can’t find God when we feel that we’re at our lowest, it’s because he wants us to seek him. And if we seek we shall find.
ReplyDeleteThanks for adding that! Also, agreed! Love is such a sensitive topic, and an area I feel as though a lot of people do not understand. Love is slow to grow to its actual beautiful self... like a tree. The love of God should be at the roots of it, because then you get your soul food with the gift He grants in the form of humanly love.
Delete