Ephesians 4:22 edited “Forget the former conversation you had with Satan, who corrupted your thinking because of your appetites;”

That is a drastic change of text. If you did not read yesterday’s devotional, this will make more sense if you back up and read that one first.

Appetite has a wider range of meaning than lust but the essentials are still the same. You developed an appetite for something, anything, because you tried it. We left off with Matthew 5:6 yesterday in which we identified hunger and thirst as acceptable, if you hunger and thirst for the right things. Truth, righteousness, and holiness are good things. Hunger and thirst are natural to the human condition, God built us that way for growth. In this case, growth in Christ.

The conversations we do not remember with Satan are self-satisfaction. Partaking of anything which is pleasing to self is what forms our appetites. It could be money, power, influence, fame, or things of a more personal and insidious nature. We partake of many things which form the basis of our behavior. Connect anything with appetite and a close examination of that appetite will reveal the driving force behind choices.

Proverbs 30:14-16 There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men. The horseleach hath two daughters, crying, Give, give. There are three things that are never satisfied, yea, four things say not, It is enough: The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

Key to understand of this Proverb is the horseleach (leech) which devours the poor and needy. A leech cares for nothing but itself. These appetites will never be enough, they only consume and kindle a fire within which is selfish in nature.

Ephesians 4:20-24 But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Does the word lust irritate you? Are you annoyed at being labeled lustful? It is the most easily identified attribute of a former life before Christ but it is unfair to label everyone as lustful. Some of us might not have lived a life full of sexual exploits. That is after all what you think of when you think lust, right? For this reason I would like to edit verse 22 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;”

Truth is the goal we seek, truth in Christ. The object activity is a renewed mind for the new man. In the middle of this is an effort which connects those two things. Clarity would help us if we can remove any insult or stigma associated with the effort.

I would begin with put off and redefine that as forget. Forget what? Former conversations. Who did you have these conversations with? The hint is in the word deceitful which means a lie. Who is the father of lies? Satan of course, but I don’t remember having any conversations with Satan. Do you?

This is where I find it important to replace lust with another word which is softer and covers a wider range of issues. Appetites. I can tie this thought back into Ephesians 4:24 (our ultimate goal) with this scripture.

Matthew 5:6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

To be continued.