Eye-catching Appeal

Appeal: stimulate interest, attract, get your attention,"catch your eye".

Flesh appeal most often comes through the eye. Your eye is attracted to something, which then draws your attention. Once you have both eyes locked in, your mind plays along.

Achin was a man who couldn't resist flesh appeal. Joshua led the people of Israel around the city of Jericho and the Lord brought the walls down, but they were told to not take anything from the city. Achin said, "when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I covered them and took them." (Joshua 7:20)His eye first spotted that beautiful cloak and he was hooked. He gave in to the cravings of his flesh. His lust eventually led to a disastrous defeat for the whole nation.

In her book, "When God Weeps," Joni Eareckson Tada writes, "you'll never catch me lingering in the lingerie department where they display tall, elegant mannequins wearing beautiful, silk negligees." Why not? What's so bad about that, you ask? Mannequins can do something that Joni can't; they can stand and look attractive in those flowing gowns. Choosing to gaze on what you don't have or can't do only serves to arouse lustful passions. Often we are drawn to look at those very things that make us feel bad about ourselves, too often, we let ourselves stare. You see someone with that relationship you've always wanted, someone getting more praise, more laughs, someone smarter, prettier, skinnier, more popular, more loved, and you suddenly feel unsure. You've been hooked by your flesh, and now it won't be long before you sink to that "feel so bad about yourself" place. All focus is on your self, all attention is in making yourself feel better. Like opening the refrigerator door for something to eat when you are hungry, your flesh opens to anything it finds appealing, anything that boosts the "feel good" factor.

What's wrong with wanting to "feel good"?

Can the flesh ever want what is good?

Is the flesh always attracted to those things that are bad?

Is it always selfish by nature?

Adam sees Eve, holding the forbidden fruit towards him, inviting him to eat with her. What is going through his mind? How quickly has he processed the implications of what she has just done? She's eaten the fruit and death has separated them. At that point he has a choice to make. He can choose to not eat the fruit, have eternity with God, and separation from Eve, or take the fruit, eat it, and be restored to Eve, but separated from God. He chooses separation from God.

I wonder what was more appealing to Adam's flesh, the fruit or Eve?

Do you find yourself frequently reaching out for something, while at the same time telling yourself "no, don't do it"? What has you struggling to not give in? What has you constantly wanting what you shouldn't?

"For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish." (Romans 7:17-18)

I tell myself that I want to lose weight, but all day long I'm pestered with the thought of eating something sweet. I want, I resist, I want again, I resist again. Ooof! I'm tired of this game! Why won't this constant temptation just go away? Wouldn't it be nice if God would make it all easier and take away the desire! Instead, it seems, He sends trials tailor made to fit my struggles.

Now why would He do that?