1Pet 2:11 Beloved, I entreat you as strangers and sojourners to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul, 1The 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fornication;
In verse 11 Peter refers to the believers as sojourners and pilgrims. He begs these sojourners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts. This entreaty is a very practical matter and not merely a doctrine. Here Peter seems to be saying, “I beg you all to abstain from fleshly lusts.
Do you know who you are? You are not worldly people. You are sojourners and pilgrims, people who belong to another country and who are traveling through a foreign country. Actually, you are on this earth as aliens, for you are not citizens of the earth. You are heavenly sojourners and spiritual pilgrims. As such persons, you should live a life that is different from that of the worldly people. You need to abstain from the vain manner of life. The vain manner of life is a life that comes out of fleshly lusts. Therefore, in order to show others that you are heavenly aliens, you must abstain from fleshly lusts.”
In verse 11 Peter says that the fleshly lusts war against the soul. The fallen body is fleshly and full of lusts. The fleshly lusts in the fallen body war against the soul, against our inner being, that includes the mind, the will, and the emotion. Often we think good things, love good things, and decide to do good things. Thinking is in the mind, loving is in the emotion, and the deciding is in the will. Nevertheless, the fleshly lusts often war against what we think in our mind, what we love in our emotion, and what we decide with our will. The fleshly lusts are contrary to our good thoughts, intentions, and decisions. Therefore, we should abstain from the fleshly lusts which war against the soul
Prayer Confession Loving Father thank you for this word. Thank you for this knowledge that I belong to the Heavenlies and that though am on earth, I don’t belong to the earth but am just a sojourner and a Pilgrim travelling through a foreign country to my destiny. Lord, as am still in this foreign land, I ask for the grace to abstain from the vain manner of life which comes from the fleshly lusts in the fallen body that wage war against my mind, will and emotions that I may represent the heavenly kingdom well where am a citizen in Jesus’ name, Amen.