"Do not love the world or anything in the world... For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." — 1 John 2:15–17
What Part 1 Taught Us
Before we go further, a quick look back. Part 1 was about the law and sin.
God gave us His law — bawal magnakaw, bawal magsinungaling. And there is a reason for that. If there were no command against lying, then lying would not be counted as sin. The law is what makes sin sin.
But here is the unfortunate thing. The law was given to people who already carry a sinful nature — and we cannot keep it. In fact, the law almost provokes us. The more na pinagbabawalan ka, the more gusto mong lalong magkasala. Put up a sign that says Do not touch — wet paint, and what happens? You look at it, you see it is not even wet, and you touch it anyway. Put up a sign that says Bawal tumawid, nakamamatay — and people cross right there, even with an overpass a few steps away.
That is the dilemma Paul described: what I want to do, I do not do. And he cried out, "What a wretched man I am!" — wretched meaning unfortunate, pitiful, someone you look at with pity. That is the state of a person given God's law but unable to keep it.
Then Paul asks: who will rescue me? And answers his own question — thanks be to God, through our Lord Jesus Christ. God made a way. He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins, so that for those who are in Christ Jesus there is now no condemnation. God knew we could not keep the law, so Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice. When you stand before the court of heaven, it is as if you never sinned. Forgiven, dressed in white, ready as the bride of Christ.
But we must walk in accordance with the Spirit. That is why we were given the Holy Spirit — to strengthen us and help us in the walk. And something changes when you receive Him. The sin you could not stop before? Unti-unti, nababago ka. You begin to have power over sin.
That was Part 1. Now Part 2: the three struggles.
Three Doors the Enemy Always Uses
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (1 John 2:15–17).
The Apostle John names three things that are in the world: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Dito lang umiikot ang lahat ng mga kasalanan. Every sin you will ever face circles around these three. The enemy is not as creative as we imagine. He has three tools, and he has been using the same three since the very beginning.
Watch them open in two gardens.
The First Garden — Where Humanity Fell
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?'" (Genesis 3:1–3).
Notice how the enemy begins. Not with a lie — with a question. Did God really say? He plants doubt first.
And we face the same question. When we read the Word of God, do we doubt it? I-bless kaya talaga ako ng Panginoon Diyos? Does God really hear my prayers? Totoo bang didinggin ng Panginoon yung panalangin ko? The enemy throws doubt at us constantly — which is exactly why we must know the Word of God. So that whatever he throws, our faith is not shattered. And without faith it is impossible to please God.
Now look closely at Eve's answer, because there is a mistake in it. She says they may eat from the trees, "but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"
Did God ever say do not touch it? No. He said do not eat it. She added to His word. And elsewhere the command was trimmed down. Dagdag-bawas — parang eleksyon. One part subtracted, another part added.
So let us be careful not to add to God's Word — including the traditions we inherited. Mga tradisyong pinagisnan natin in the religion we grew up in, things we do without ever asking: sino ang nagpagawa niyan? Nasa Bible ba yan? That is why you should question even what is taught here. Ask: is that in the Bible? Because the Bible is the truth God gave us — our spiritual manual for how to go to heaven.
You know how it is when you buy an appliance and skip the manual. You assemble the whole thing, you finish, it looks great — and then there is one piece left over. I once assembled an office table in the condo. Finished it, admired it, and then saw one extra piece of plywood. Saan 'to? I had to take the whole thing apart again.
That is what happens when we skip the manual. Read it — how to please God, how to have answered prayers, how to be a victorious Christian, how to claim that the battle is won. Then we wonder why our prayers are not answered. Baka hindi ka sumusunod sa manual. Everything is written there.
Then came the lie: "You will not certainly die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4–6).
Did they die? Yes — spiritually. Suddenly they realized they were naked, they sewed leaves together to cover themselves, and something had broken. The enemy lied.
Now watch the fall itself, and watch all three doors open at once: "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it."
Good for food — the lust of the flesh. Pleasing to the eye — the lust of the eyes. Desirable for gaining wisdom — you will be like God — the pride of life. All three, in one piece of fruit.
And here is a warning for us. When you are worn down by trials, that is when you are most easily deceived. That's the time na vulnerable ka. When you start losing your joy as a Christian, suddenly being a Christian feels tiring. Suddenly giving is hard. Suddenly praying is hard. Suddenly even smiling is hard.
I notice this at our Friday devotionals. People arrive exhausted — bagsak ang mga tuka, spirits low. But after hearing the message, they go home smiling, greeting everyone on the way out. Why? Nakakain na naman spiritually. The spirit has been fed and rises again. Ready for battle. Then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday come — and by Friday they are down again. That is why we keep gathering.
The Second Garden — Where Jesus Stood Firm
Now the second Adam. The Bible calls Jesus the second Adam, and He faced the very same three doors.
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God"'" (Matthew 4:1–4).
Forty days and forty nights of fasting — gutom na gutom ang Panginoong Hesus. The lust of the flesh, aimed at a genuinely starving man. And notice how Jesus answers: with the Word of God. Satan even quoted Scripture at Him, so Jesus answered Scripture with Scripture.
Hindi lang tayo mabubuhay sa pagkain. Some of us love a buffet — eat-all-you-can, be honest. May we love the buffet of God's Word just as much. Sana mahilig din tayo kumain ng salita ng Panginoon — so that it is not only our bodies that grow wide, but our spirits that grow strong.
Same tactic he used on Adam and Eve. Did it work on the Lord? No.
"Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 'If you are the Son of God,' he said, 'throw yourself down. For it is written: "He will command his angels concerning you..."' Jesus answered him, 'It is also written: "Do not put the Lord your God to the test"'" (Matthew 4:5–7).
Again he plants doubt — if you are the Son of God. He wanted Jesus to question His own identity. That is the pride of life: prove yourself, make a spectacle, force God's hand. And again Jesus answers with the Word.
This is why we must know our manual. So we know what to answer when we are discouraged, when we are sad, when we are staring off at nothing. When the enemy says you are worthless, the Word says rejoice in the Lord always. We answer him with Scripture, and we help our brothers and sisters do the same, so none of us is devoured by the lion prowling around.
"Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.' Jesus said to him, 'Away from me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."' Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him" (Matthew 4:8–11).
All the kingdoms, all the splendor, all the gold. This is the lust of the eyes and the pride that comes with it. And can Satan actually deliver that? To unbelievers — yes, in a sense; he is the god of this world. But over us he has no power. The battle is won. Remember last Sunday's message.
So we are not to be tempted by worldly things. If Jesus Himself was offered every kingdom on earth, what did He say elsewhere? What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his own soul? Even if the whole world became yours, it would not be worth it if your soul is lost. We are here only a short time — seventy, eighty, ninety years — and then our spirit returns to God. You could enjoy a thousand suitcases of wealth and still spend eternity apart from Him. Worth it ba yun?
1. Change the Heart's Desires — to Defeat Pride
So how do we overcome these three traps? First: we have to change our heart's desires to defeat pride.
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:19–21).
Pride is a question of what is in your heart. What is important to you? What is your priority in life — treasures on earth, or treasures in heaven? What consumes you? What's your passion? Is your passion for your work the same as your passion for seeking God's will for your life?
And the way this heart-change actually happens is through prayer — because prayer is communication, and every relationship lives or dies by communication.
Think of how hard communication used to be. Before Facebook, before messaging — just letters, and cassette tapes. Alam niyo ba yung cassette tape? You would record your voice and send it: "O anak, kumusta na kayo?" and the family would gather around to listen. It was so difficult.
Now remember what we have been learning: we are the bride of Christ. And in a marriage, communication is everything. You talk with your spouse. In the same way we talk with the Lord. That is why we meditate on the Word day and night — so it goes down into the heart, not in one ear and out the other. When it settles in the heart, you remember: uy, kailangan ko palang mag-pray. Because that is my communication with my husband, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Maging prayerful tayo. We defeat pride through prayer.
2. Keep Healthy Eyes — to Defeat the Lust of the Eyes
"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! No one can serve two masters... You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6:22–24).
What is Jesus talking about? When you have good eyes, you want to please God. You see everything from God's perspective. In any situation your question is: what would Jesus do here?
Here is a simple test. Someone walking ahead of you drops their wallet, and you see it. If your eyes are bad — you know what happens. If your eyes are good, you call out: "Ma'am, nalaglag po yung wallet niyo." It all depends on the eye. If your eyes are good, you will be full of light and you will do good. If your eyes are bad, you might even step on the thousand-peso bill first and stand there a while.
Or the cashier gives you too much change. Bad eyes say, sobra yung sukli, nakaganti rin ako. Good eyes return it — and remember, the shortage gets deducted from the cashier's own pay.
Something like this happened to our family once. We were only three, eating at Jollibee after an outing — and food kept arriving at our table that we never ordered. It belonged to another family. In my heart I wanted to stop it, but nobody said anything, and it was already being eaten. If your eyes are bad, makaisa na naman tayo. Sometimes I wonder if the Lord is testing me, because this keeps happening — extra change, extra food.
Now, in general what Jesus is addressing here is loving money versus loving God. That is why the very next verse says no one can serve two masters. Because when your eyes are bad, what is always on your mind is pera, pera, pera. Makalamang, makalamang.
So we defeat the lust of the eyes by seeking God's kingdom as our priority. I-prioritize natin makapasok tayo sa langit.
A healthy eye is a singular focus on honoring God. When your primary focus is God's kingdom, your whole life is guided by truth, by wisdom from the Bible, and by clarity. You have a clear direction: to please God and enter the kingdom of heaven.
But a bad eye implies selfishness, greed, and obsession with earthly possessions. It causes spiritual double vision — trying to serve both God and money at once, which ultimately blinds the soul. Hindi mo na alam kung anong priority mo. Church on Sunday, and then Monday to Saturday, something else entirely. Like politicians who attend church on Sunday and lie the rest of the week. You get confused. You think what you are doing is fine when it is not.
Kaya kailangan good eyes. Always ask: what would Jesus do? What does the Bible instruct me to do in this situation? Someone drops a wallet — what would Jesus do? Call them back, or figure out how to keep it?
3. Crucify the Flesh — to Defeat the Lust of the Flesh
Third: we must crucify ourselves to defeat the flesh. Not literally nailing ourselves to a cross.
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22–25).
Against such things there is no law — meaning, unli. Unlimited. There is nothing wrong with unlimited love, unlimited joy, unlimited peace, unlimited kindness. Under the law you are restricted; with these things, no restriction at all.
And notice it is fruit, singular — not fruits. You cannot have love without peace, or joy without self-control. It is like a mango: the flesh, the juice, the fiber, the seed — all of it together, one fruit.
Then: those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. The old ways, the sins that enslave us — nail them to the cross. Lord Jesus, sinusurrender ko na itong pagkakasala ko. Surrender the passions and desires that do not please God.
And practically, we defeat the lust of the flesh through fasting.
Our bodies actually need fasting. That is why we call the morning meal breakfast — you break your fast. You do not eat while you sleep, so the night is meant to be a fast. Some of us break that: eating late, waking at one in the morning hungry and eating again.
Fasting puts your fleshly desires in their place. When you begin fasting, the body weakens and you put it under control — so it is not that the spirit is willing but the body is winning. Our spirit has to rise above. And once you can control your hunger, you can begin to control the other appetites too — the lusts, the addictions, the vices — because the body has been disciplined.
But pair it with prayer. Kasi pag nag-fasting lang kayo without prayer, ang tawag doon, diet. Fasting and prayer.
And remember: Christianity is not about self-discovery but self-denial. Self-discovery is wanting to improve yourself, explore, chase your ambition — without God in it. There is nothing evil in ambition, but you need God with you, because along the way you will face choices about compromise. Jesus said, if anyone wants to become my disciple, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Daily. Araw-araw ang laban.
So try prayer and fasting. Start with one lunch, or one dinner — whatever you can commit. And be careful when you commit something to God; do not promise more than you can carry.
When you fast, you remove yourself from the throne and put the flesh under crucifixion, to find the new you — a new creation, a new child of God.
When I was a new Christian, every Monday was my fasting day, until six in the evening. I needed it, because I had so much to give up in my work. It was hard. I had to stop entertaining my boss — the karaoke, the casino, the good time expected when clients came in. If someone saw me walk into those places, my witness as a Christian was gone; the salt had lost its taste. "Nakita kita, pumasok ka sa casino, ha?" So I had to fast, to kill that sinful nature. Yung lumang Marc, kailangan patayin — ipako na sa cross.
If you are struggling, I suggest the same. Fast and pray, so the old you dies and you see the new you.
The Solution — Walk by the Spirit
"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other" (Galatians 5:16–17).
This is the point of it all. When you fast, your spirit rises. When you pray, you are in close communication with God. And now you walk with the power of the Holy Spirit at your side, guiding you. The flesh and the Spirit are genuine enemies within us — so the Spirit must be the one to prevail.
And finally, remember who you now are. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them" (2 Corinthians 5:17–19).
Notice the if — it is conditional. Kung ikaw ay kay Kristo, ikaw ay bagong nilalang. The old Marc — the one who smoked, drank, chased women, gambled — he is gone. Dead. Nailed to the cross. And what stands now is a new creation.
I looked up reconciliation. From the Latin, re means again, and to reconcile is to connect again. Because we had become enemies of God — living only for ourselves. But God is the One making the effort. God is the One reaching out. Anak, bumalik ka na sa akin. He reconciled the world to Himself through Christ. May pambayad na sa kasalanan mo, anak — the blood of His Son, poured out on the cross of Calvary.
He is making the effort. All that is left for us is to receive it. It is a gift being handed to you. And do not put off the decision — hindi natin hawak ang buhay natin. We do not know what tonight holds. Think of the earthquake, the people who died under a collapsing building — did any of them know that morning? So let us always be ready.
Not counting people's sins against them. When you accept that reconciliation, God does not count your sins. It is as if you never sinned. In God's sight you are pure and white as snow — even if you were once scarlet red with sin.
So let us not be taken in by the enemy. Alam na natin yung strategy niya. Let us walk in the Spirit and overcome our sinful nature.
Challenge
This week, take the three weapons and aim each one at a real target.
Find where pride is loudest — the reputation you are protecting, the control you will not release — and meet it with prayer. Talk to the Lord the way a spouse talks to a spouse, not once a week but daily. Let the Word settle into your heart, not just pass through your ears.
Find where the lust of the eyes is pulling. Ask the wallet question all week: what would Jesus do here? Return the extra change. Speak up about the wrong order. Choose God over money in the small moments, because that is where double vision starts.
Find where the flesh is ruling — the craving you keep feeding — and try fasting with prayer. One meal. One day. Whatever you can honestly commit. Step off the throne, put the old self under crucifixion, and let God show you the new you.
You cannot fix all five of these by willpower. You do not have to. In Christ you are already a new creation — so walk in step with the Spirit who already lives in you.
Whoever does the will of God lives forever.
