All of the posts are great, and so is the OP as well.
Sorry -- the "craving" for destructive things of our life before Jesus Christ will never cease.
They can get less intense -- but they'll always show up when you least expect or want them to.
So you're goal isn't to "lose" the cravings but learn how to walk according to your spirit/Spirit rather than walking by your flesh.
In fact, St. Francis wrote a hymn once in which he sang praises to "Death" -- longing for the time when this corpse will be under the ground, never to push us toward sin again.
Here are two verses which can be really helpful -- both dealing with a "two-edged sword".
Now -- at times through the centuries, armies would make two-edged swords. The Romans made a two-edged sword of iron, which was one of the main reasons they conquered all the known world. They made this sword from iron (harder than the swords of the "barbarian" tribes they conquered -- able to cut through swords of brass or bronze.) And they made it with sharpened edges on both sides of the blade (able to cut both directions in swinging it in battle.) This two-edged sword was like the most technologically advanced "wonder-weapon" of its day and time.
So when the Bible speaks of the "two-edged sword", it's speaking of the sharpest, most sophisticated weapon known to humankind at that time.
And these two passages use it as a prophetic picture. One is in the New the other in the Old Testament.
First one is Heb 4:
11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no-one will fall by following their example of disobedience.
12 For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any two-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from Gods sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
The "rest" mentioned in verse 11 is the "rest" of the Promised Land the Sabbath in the Old Testament. God had called Israel into the kind of "rest" that comes when you really, really trust God and believe in Him. In other words, the reason Israel failed to ever fully conquer the Promised Land was that they didn't completely trust God. God said they could "rest" in Him -- even if they went on the battlefield, it was God Who would give them the victory -- if they'd trust Him.
But they couldn't enter into Victory because they didn't trust God. They never could "rest" in God having done a good enough "work" in their lives.
The point of verse 11 is that
if we trust God, we also can enter into a place of "rest" -- depending on His promises and His Spirit to bring us into full, spiritual victory.
If your "new life in Christ"
started by the Holy Spirit ministering Life and Grace to you, then you can "rest" in His
continuing to bring spiritual maturity into your life. [See Galatians 3.3]
But verse 12 tells one of the Keys to receiving the ministry of the Holy Spirit in your growing spiritually: it's the Word of God.
It says that the Word of God is "sharper than any two-edged sword", so penetrating as to be able to divide "soul and spirit, joints and marrow". My old professor used to point out that you should group these into two groups -- "soul and spirit" are our spirit/Spirit, and "joints and morrow" refer to our flesh.
Looking at it like this, the Word of God (like a sword) is able to cut between that which is of the Spirit inside us and that which is of the flesh (carnal sins).
The next line says of the Word of God that "it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
So,
practical thought #1: Don't get away from the Word of God. Fellowship at places where not only is it preached and taught, but you
sense a spiritual
liveliness to its teaching. Don't leave the Bible
unread and
unstudied in your own life. As you "feed" God's Word, it will help cut between the Spirit in you and your sin-leaning flesh, and it will
clarify your mind, helping you to see the truth about the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Second one is Psalm 149, focused on worship:
149
1 Praise the LORD!
Sing to the LORD a new song,
And His praise in the assembly of saints.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
Let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with the dance;
Let them sing praises to Him with the timbrel and harp.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
5 Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations,
And punishments on the peoples;
8 To bind their kings with chains,
And their nobles with fetters of iron;
9 To execute on them the written judgment--
This honor have all His saints.
Praise the LORD!
The "two-edged sword" in verse 6 of the psalm is
parallel to the "high praises of God in their mouths".
Notice how this is very similar to the picture of Jesus when He comes again, in Rev 1.16:
He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.
There is a "two-edged sword" that comes out of our mouths
when we praise God!!!
It says, "high praises, and in the original Hebrew (Old Testament), "high praises" meant "praises" that are "raising" up -- and not only are they "rising upwards to God', they're "raising up our souls" from the pits into which we often fall.
So,
practical thought #2: Don't get away from
Worshipping God with your
mouth!
Brandish that sword!!! Cut down and execute God's enemies of sin and lustful passions and love of the things of the world!!!
Here's #1 and #2 combined:
Press into God -- press into God through His Word and through your Worship!
KingdomScribe
P.S. Here's a simple but powerful TIP: If you
press into God more in Word and Worship,
and if you hang around with those who also press into God more in Word and Worship...
...you'll be hanging around the right people!!! ks