The Appetites of the Mind

The first time the devil tempted a human being he did it by convincing Eve that if it tasted good and looked good, then it was good for her. Temptation is always an appeal to the mind to set aside truth while under the influence of some desire that has been aroused in your heart by the sight of, or the thought of, some object. What kind of appetites do I have in my thought life? That secret place of mine where no one sees or knows what is going on? We are drawn to thoughts in our minds just like we are drawn to food when we are hungry, or to other fleshly desires. The devil and his helpers in this world are able to direct our thoughts by directing our attention to some object. Once we see an object the image of it is forever filed away in our memory, so from that point the devil does not have to put the actual object in front of our eyes anymore, he can just remind us of it and we see it again. This is the power of sin and the answer as to why it has so effectively destroyed the human race. That battle is in the mind, and our thought life has to be governed with the help of the Holy Spirit, or all will be lost.