Had to bring my wife's car in for servicing yesterday, which required me to leave the vehicle at the Ford dealer for the day. They provided me with a loaner for the day. As I got into the car and started it, I turned on the radio, and a familiar song was playing. It was Aerosmith's classic, "Walk This Way." Although I had heard that song thousands of times since it was released in the 70's, it had been awhile, and I couldn't help but remember how much I use to like that song. As I sat their and listened I thought about my own youthful days of unbridled lust (which really is the theme of the song) and what the Lord in His mercy delivered me from.
Over the past few weeks at the CORE Church of Troy we've been we've been focusing on our "Pedestrians:walking through life" sermon series. I couldn't help, as I listened to Steven Tyler singing "Walk This Way..." how much the song really fits into what we've been talking about in this series. 2 weeks ago we learned what it looks like to "walk by faith, not by sight." This past Sunday we looked in Galatians 5:16-26 and focused on walking in the Spirit and the fruit of such a walk. We also looked at the negative side, or, walking in the flesh, and the results of making those choices. As we come to the third week of our series we will be looking at hindrances to our walking by faith and walking in the Spirit. One of the major league players that wars against our souls is lust; more specifically, our sexual desires, which left unchecked will take a person deeper and deeper into a world of darkness and self-centeredness and further and further away from the will of God. So many places in Scripture hit on this very subject. Proverbs warns us against sexual immorality in many passages. Jesus said that lusting for a woman is as bad as committing the physical act of adultery. Sex, money and material gain are the big things we most often lust after. This is why John wrote,
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:15-17) NKJV
Jesus calls us to a new way and a new life that is all about seeking Him and His kingdom and putting the world's ways and ideas away from us. God's way leads to life. The world's way, which is run by satan, leads to death and desruction. Each of us has the freewill to choose. So be aware when anyone, whether in songs or some other form of communication, invites you to "Walk this way."
