Good Coveting and Bad Coveting.

Covet- 

There is a good coveting and a bad coveting.

To covet means to desire, or wish for something. It's okay to desire or wish for something that isn't forbidden for us to desire. But we all know that every desire that presents itself is not necessarily good.  There are a lot of impulses we have that need to be rejected, not indulged. We get into trouble when we want to indulge the desires that are wrong.

JUST because you have a desire does NOT make it acceptable. So many people want to believe that our humanity, our flesh nature is what it is and we can't help it because we are only human. If we have the desire it must be natural because we have it, but that's not true. We know deep down it's just not true.

How many people can honestly say they've felt such intense anger towards someone they wished they were dead? It could be just a fleeting, split second thought, it could be a thought from your childhood, or youth, or even a thought you had yesterday as an adult. To indulge in that split second (or even longer) wish for someone to no longer be alive is not a good coveting by any stretch of the imagination.

It's the human nature in us, it's our flesh nature that was corrupted by sin that makes these desires exist. We weren't supposed to sin, we weren't supposed to know evil. Once we opened the door to that knowledge of evil we were given it unchecked, full blown, know it to its very worst nothing held back, not a single thing. Just think about this fact- Adam and Eve's firstborn son chose to indulge the wicked one (Satan) and was led by him. Cain killed Abel.  The firstborn son from two human parents was corrupted. God even told Cain it didn't have to be that way.

Gen 4:6  And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 

Gen 4:7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

Sin lies at the door for all of us and we need to choose which desires we possess are of God and which are of the wicked one. We will have both desires, but which we choose to act on by knowingly coveting, knowingly indulging even the desire if not the acting upon the desire, is up to us, we have to discern right from wrong. We must not indulge wrongful coveting, but shun it as soon as it rears its very ugly head.

How we determine right from wrong is found in the word of God. The knowledge will be given to those who desire it in sincerity. Those who are simply looking for a way to indulge in wrongful coveting will not find the truth. Truth will be spiritually hidden from those whose heart desires it to be hidden. The blind will remain blind if they choose, even if they voice they want to see, God knows the heart desire.

We need God to clean our heart.

Coveting will happen, and if it is towards wrong we must- as with any potential sin- not let the coveting be conceived in us but resist the temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit. We have to recognize we will be TEMPTED but temptation is not the sin, the yielding to the temptation becomes the sin.

May God help us all!

Through the love of Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR now and forever!

COVET, v.t.

1. To desire or wish for, with eagerness; to desire earnestly to obtain or possess; in a good sense.

Covet earnestly the best gifts. 1 Cor 12.

2. To desire inordinately; to desire that which it is unlawful to obtain or possess; in a bad sense.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors house, wife or servant. Exo 20

COVET, v.i. To have an earnest desire. 1 Tim 6.

Exo 20:17  Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.