LIFE SCRIPTS

“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.
Job 31:1 NIV

The poetic book of Job starts verse 31 with a declaration. Job, the man who had been afflicted with infirmity, spoke and stated that he had made a ‘covenant’ with his eyes not to look lustfully at a woman. In the original Hebrew script, the word used for covenant might also be used for ‘confederacy’. In those ancient days, weaker nations could join together in order to resist a stronger nation. Also, a nation under the rule of another, could be used by the ruling kingdom for military exploits. In that case, they would form a confederacy. In this case, Job was making an agreement with his eyes and by extension members of his flesh not to succumb to lust. His covenant was not n agreement with the terms of the flesh. It was an agreement with his flesh for it to submit to his God-fearing will. This passage in the book of Job illustrates a very tidy truth; our fleshly desires must be subject to our God-fearing will for us to conquer lust. When we are transformed by the blood of Jesus, we ought to lead our flesh and it’s desires to submit to Him. Submission doesn’t come easy or cheap. It has a very high cost attached to it. It comes with a desire to say NO to sin and YES to Christ. It comes with a desire to RESIST wrong and to ACCEPT that which is right. It comes with REJECTION of fleshly desires and ACCEPTANCE of spiritual desires. But more to that, we must contain all these motives within a package called the ‘RESOLVE’. We must be willing to make a resolution to act right, do right and be right before we encounter troubling situations. The great thing is that the spirit of God empowers and agrees with our resolve if it’s in line with God’s will. Paul in the book of Romans talks of not being ‘conformed’ to the patterns of this world but being ‘transformed’ by the renewal of our minds. When our minds her renewed in Christ, we make a resolve to walk in obedience to Him. When we make that resolve, the Spirit of God empowers us to fulfill His will. But He not only stops at that, He makes a way for us to obey Him even in the midst of threats against us. Daniel and his friends made a resolve before hand to obey God. God on His part created a way for them. Moses resolved to obey God and challenge a powerful king. God on His part made a way for him and the Israelites. Abram on his part resolved to obey God faithfully. God made a way for him to be a father of many nations. When we resolve to obey God, He makes a way for us to obey Him! He sees our hearts. Even the fiery darts of lust are no match for a believer who’s made a resolve with Job…not to look lustfuly at a woman.