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ROYAL LETTER
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May the Lord have mercy on us. May the Lord show us grace. For there is an infection in the Church. A sweet poison. A spiritual gangrene. And it destroys silently. Its name is covetousness.
But why does your prayer life feel like a burden? Why, despite your songs, despite your faith, are you no longer thirsty? Why do you feel empty, exhausted, discouraged? Why is your will present, but your strength absent? Why is prayer a burden when it should be a joy? Prayer is supposed to be a moment of romance with your Creator. But something has cut you off from the source. Something is draining you. And that “something” is covetousness.
In James 4:1-4, it is written: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have.
Covetousness is not just a want. It’s an inner infection. A misdirected burning desire. And as long as God doesn’t occupy the central place, that desire becomes a weapon of the devil against you.
Listen closely. You have no idea how cunning Satan is. So crafty that he doesn’t even need creativity to make you fall! Do you know what the devil does? He watches you, analyzes you, and uses the same method he always has. He doesn’t even innovate. He works like a mouse trap. The same old piece of cheese. The same mechanism. And every generation still falls for it.
He sets a bait. It looks delicious. Attractive. Fascinating. Beautiful. And the moment you’re distracted… snap! The trap closes, and you’re caught. You’ve seen your grandfather fall into that trap. You’ve seen your father fall into it. And despite the warnings, you go too. Why? Because covetousness is stronger than your natural wisdom. When God is not your first desire, the void calls for something else. And Satan fills that void with covetousness.
Covetousness is a fire that extinguishes the flame of God in you. It’s an ancient strategy, but still effective. It produces a momentary pleasure, followed by lingering pain—sometimes even death. If you don’t realize this, if you don’t extinguish covetousness, it will extinguish you.
You might think covetousness only means desiring evil things. Seduction, sexuality, blatant sin. No! Covetousness begins the moment God is no longer your first desire. The whole universe, your body, your breath, were created by God. You exist in Him, through Him, for Him. Your very existence is programmed to worship Him.
But you choose your desires. If it’s not God, your heart will not remain empty. Satan will fill it with something else: passionate desires for the things of this world. For nature abhors a vacuum. And instead of thirsting for God, you’ll thirst for marriage, career, recognition, power, influence… The intention may seem noble, but the orientation is misplaced. And every intense desire that is not directed toward God becomes covetousness.
In 1 John 2:15-17, the apostle warns: 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.
The love of the Father is not compatible with the love of the world. It’s either one or the other. The world and its desires pass away. But whoever does the will of God lives forever.
And if you tell me: “Pastor, I want God, but I feel torn…” I’ll respond: your primary desire is what either unlocks or blocks the divine seed within you. It’s not that you don’t want God, it’s that He has been pushed to second place. And worse: the seed you should have given to God, you gave somewhere else. To your career dream. To your marriage plan. To your reputation. You’ve been emptied. Spiritually drained. And when God comes, you have nothing left to offer because bad desires have already consumed you.
Covetousness is sneaky. It doesn’t strike with a crash. No! It slips into your heart like a virus. Like an infection. You think it’s harmless. You say: “It’s just a desire.” But that desire becomes a perversion. It infects your spiritual health. God showed me that this infection weakens you, suffocates you, slowly extinguishes you.
In 2 Peter 1:3-4, it says that we have been given divine promises so that we may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by covetousness.
This verse is revolutionary. It reveals this: every time you don’t escape covetousness, you cooperate with corruption. Your spiritual identity begins to decompose from the inside. Your potential to resemble Christ rots. It’s not just your zeal that drops. It’s your nature that deteriorates.
And the more you let this virus act, the more you pray without faith, the more you read the Word without revelation, the more you sing without joy, the more you attend services out of obligation. Come if you want. Stay if you can. Nothing moves you. Why? Because within you, the divine seed no longer produces anything. You’ve been emptied of your intimacy. The divine infusion no longer nourishes you. And then, you become restless but go nowhere. You fast but have no access. You cry out, but the heavens are shut. You’ve been disqualified by one single virus: covetousness.
It kills slowly: your desire for God fades, your thoughts dull, you settle for mediocrity. And even when you believe yourself fervent, you are lukewarm. Because as long as your heart is not filled with a burning desire for God, covetousness will sit on the throne. May God have mercy. May God bring us back.
Beloved, understand this: God is not against you having a job, a family, a home. He is the author of those things. He places the desire in you to succeed in school, to marry, to build, to prosper. But what you must never do is allow that desire to be stronger than your desire to know Him, love Him, honor Him.
When you do, you commit spiritual adultery.
James 4:4: You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God?
How can you say “God, I love You” while giving priority to your career, your children, your business? You have reversed the divine order! You want to be a Christian, but you serve your own kingdom first. And you complain: Lord, why is nothing working? Because you’ve redirected your seed! You have nothing left to give.
Covetousness then becomes your spiritual leader. It dictates your plans. It quenches the fire on your altar. And even justifies your decision to put God on pause, under the excuse of “managing your season.” Mistake! God does not take pauses. His grace is seasonal, but also precise. You missed your season of revival because of covetousness.
And now? What will you do? Return to your Bridegroom. Return to your first love. Return to the life where God is everything. Where God is desired. Where the Holy Spirit can do in you whatever He wants. A life where you no longer need a “program” to burn, but where you are a permanent flame.
Father, I desire You. I confess I let myself be distracted. My heart was seduced by other desires. But today, I return to You. I ask forgiveness for letting covetousness steal my fire, my intimacy, and my zeal. Bring me back to that romance with You. Bring me back into Your presence, where I am saturated with Your peace, immersed in Your glory. I declare that You are once again my first desire. Restore the fire altar in my heart. Heal every infection. Deliver me from this corruption. I don’t want to be empty anymore. I don’t want to betray the Bridegroom. I want my life to revive You, glorify You, satisfy You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
🙏 If you’ve never received Jesus into your life, pray this with all your heart:
Lord Jesus, I give You my life. I acknowledge that I’ve been led astray. I got lost. But today, I say yes. Yes to Your love. Yes to Your call. Save me. Change me. Fill me. I invite You to reign over my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
- James 4:1-4 – You desire… but you do not have…
- 1 John 2:15-17 – Do not love the world…
- 2 Peter 1:3-4 – … escaped the corruption that is… through covetousness
- Matthew 6:33 – Seek first the Kingdom of God…
- Romans 12:1 – The living sacrifice
- Luke 9:23 – Take up your cross daily
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