72 Bible Verses about Self Indulgence

We all once lived in the lust of our flesh, indulging the desires (lusts) of the flesh and of the mind. We were by nature children of anger and violent passion, like everyone else.

But sin, finding occasion, worked out in me through the commandment all manner of coveting. Apart from the law sin is dead.

They do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the unaware.

For we also once were foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

Each man is tempted when he is drawn away by his evil desire (lust). He is enticed (allured).

For, uttering arrogant words of vanity, they entice in the desires (lusts) of the flesh, by sensuality (lasciviousness), those who are just escaping from the ones who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they are bondservants of corruption. A man is brought into bondage by one and enslaved by another.

The entire world, the desire of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of material wealth, is not from the Father, but is from the world.

If you have bitter jealousy (envy) and greedy ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and lie against the truth. This wisdom is not a wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish. For where jealousy and selfishness are, there is confusion and every evil deed.

A man of solitude (who keeps to himself) (isolates himself) seeks his own (selfish) desire. He objects to sound wisdom.

idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, wrath, contentions, divisions, sects,

But the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition without pure motives, thinking to cause me great suffering and distress in my imprisonment.

They are dogs with mighty appetites. They never have enough! They are shepherds who lack understanding. They all turn to their own way and each one seeks dishonest (unjust) gain. Come, each one cries, let me get wine! Let us drink our fill of beer! And tomorrow will be like today, or even far better.

Be sure there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him. He would go stubbornly on his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.

What causes wars and fighting among you? Is the cause of fighting your sensual lusts for pleasure that battle within you? You lust, and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain! You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly (with bad motives) that you may spend it on your pleasures.

Now the works of the flesh (sinful human nature) are apparent. They are: fornication, uncleanness, loose conduct,

They shouted to Lot: Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out so we can have sex with them!

While Israel remained at Shittim, the people indulged in sexual immorality with the Moabite women.

Do not commit fornication like some of them committed. Twenty three thousand of them died in one day.

Late one afternoon, David got up from his nap and went to the palace roof. He walked around on the roof. He saw a woman taking a bath. She was very beautiful. He sent a messenger to find out who she was. He learned that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite. So David sent messengers to get her. She came to him and they had sexual intercourse. She had just cleansed herself after her monthly period. Then she went home.

She offered them to him. He grabbed her and said: Come to bed with me! She said: No! Do not force me to do this disgraceful thing. It is evil. How could I ever hold up my head in public again? And you, you would be completely disgraced in Israel. Please speak to the king. I am sure he will give me to you.read more.
Amnon wouldn't listen to her. He grabbed his sister and raped her.

I covered my bed with fine linen from Egypt. I perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come; let us take our fill of love until morning. Let us comfort ourselves with love.

I am afraid that the next time I come my God will humiliate me in your presence, and I shall weep over many who sinned in the past and have not repented of the uncleanness, fornication and loose conduct that they have practiced.

They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin! They entice unsteady persons. Their hearts are full of covetousness. They are children of cursing.

Your gold and your silver are rusted. Their corrosion will be for a testimony against you, and will eat your flesh like fire. You stored up your treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who harvested your fields, which are held back by you, cry out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of Jehovah of Hosts. You lived in luxury on the earth, and take your pleasure; you nourished your hearts in a day of slaughter.

When I saw among the spoils a quality Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them. I hid them in the earth in the middle of my tent.

The sons did not follow their father's example but turned to dishonest ways of making money. They took bribes and denied people justice.

Your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain. You are shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion.

Is it time for you to dwell in your roofed and covered houses, while this house is desolate?

They must be stopped. Their mouths must be shut up, for they subvert entire households. They teach things that should not be taught, for the sake of dishonest gain.

Instead there was joy and festivity, killing oxen and slaughtering sheep, eating meat and drinking wine. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.

Do not associate with drunkards or gluttons.

They are past feeling. They have given themselves over to loose conduct, to work all uncleanness with greediness (a lust for more).

For this cause God gave them up to vile affections for even their women changed the natural use into that which is against nature. Also the men left the natural use of the woman and burned in their lust, one toward another; men with men working that which is obscene. They receive full recompense due for their error. They did not like to retain God in their knowledge, so God gave them over to a reprobate (depraved) mind, to do things that are not fitting.read more.
They are filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, unforgiving, and unmerciful.

Know this also that in the last days perilous (dangerous) times will come. For men will be lovers of their own selves, covetous (lovers of money), arrogant, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful (ungrateful), unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, despisers of those who are good,read more.
traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

He said: I would pull down my barns and build larger barns. I will store all my grain and goods there. I will say to my self: 'You have many possessions saved for many years. Take it easy and eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him: 'You fool this night you will give up your life. Then who will have all these things you accumulated?'read more.
He who lays up (earthly) treasure for himself is not rich toward God.

He that loves pleasure will be poor. He who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

A prostitute will cost you your last crust of bread. An adulteress will cost you your life.

For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

In a short time the younger son sold his share of the property. He left home with the money and traveled to a far away country where he wasted his money in reckless living. He spent everything! When a famine spread over that country he was left with nothing. He went to work for a citizen of that country who sent him to his farm to take care of the pigs.read more.
He wanted to eat the Carob bean pods the pigs ate, but no one gave him anything to eat.

But she that gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives.

Those who are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will receive wrath and indignation.

Why will you be intimate with an immoral woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? The ways of man are before the eyes of Jehovah. He ponders all his paths.

Their end is destruction. Their god is their belly. Their glory is in their shame. They set their mind on earthly things.

At the end of twelve months he was walking in the royal palace of Babylon. The king spoke: Is this not great Babylon, which I have built for the royal dwelling-place, by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth a voice came from heaven, saying: O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from you.read more.
You will be driven from men. Your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. You will have to eat grass like bulls. Seven times shall pass over you until you know the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will.

Hear this word you cows of Bashan who live on the mountain of Samaria. You oppress the poor. You crush the needy. You say to your masters (husbands) (lords), Bring us drink. The Lord Jehovah has sworn by his holiness that the day will come when they will take you away with meat hooks, and those who remain with fish-hooks.

You lie on beds of ivory, and stretch on couches. You eat the the best lambs out of the flock and the fattest calves out of the stall. You sing idle songs to the sound of the harp and like David you improvise on musical instruments. You drink wine in bowls, and anoint yourselves with the finest oils. But you are not grieved because of the affliction of Joseph.read more.
Therefore you will be captured with the first that go captive. Your feasting and lounging will pass away.

I will say to my self: 'You have many possessions saved for many years. Take it easy and eat, drink and be merry.' But God said to him: 'You fool this night you will give up your life. Then who will have all these things you accumulated?'

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, yet the inside is full of extortion and excess.

Do not be conformed to this world (religious, social, political, and economic arrangement). But be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Do not handle. Do not taste. Do not touch. These are the precepts and doctrines of men. These have, indeed, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body. But these are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Put on (live like) (clothe yourself with) the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not make provision for the desires of the flesh.

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have impaled the flesh with its passions and lusts.

For the grace (divine influence) of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us, to the intent that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly and righteously and godly in this present age (world) (period of time).

They who live according to flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. They who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

Incline my heart to your laws and not to dishonest gain.

Live as children of obedience. Do not fashion yourself according to your former lusts, for you were ignorant at that time.

From now on you must live the rest of your earthly lives controlled by God's will and not by human desires (lusts).

This is the will of God, for your sanctification (holiness) (purification), that you should abstain from fornication. Every one of you should know how to possess his own vessel in holiness and honor, not in the lust of sexual desire like the nations who do not know God.

Do not exhaust yourself to get rich. Be wise and show restraint.

Every man taking part in the contest is temperate in all things. They do it to obtain a corruptible crown but we do it to receive an incorruptible crown. I do not run without definite aim (purpose) and I do not fight like a man beating the air. But I discipline my body, and bring it into subjection, so that after I have preached to others I will not be disqualified.

The end of all things is near. Be of sound mind and judgment. Also be sober for the purpose of prayer.

Include self-control with your knowledge. Supply patience to your self-control. Your patience should be helped by godliness.

Make your members that are upon the earth dead with regard to fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness (greed), which is idolatry.

Daniel determined in his heart that he would not defile himself with the king's special food and wine. He requested permission from the officer in charge that he might not defile himself.

However, I tell you that whoever looks at a woman with lustful thoughts commits adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, take it out and throw it away! It is better to lose a part of your body then to have your whole body destroyed in the ever-burning fires of the Valley of Hinnom.

Beloved, I request that you as aliens and strangers abstain from fleshly lust (desires), which causes conflict in you.

For you brothers, were called for freedom; only do not use your freedom for an occasion to the flesh. Serve one another through love!

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient (profitable). All things are lawful for me, but all things do not build up (confirm) (strengthen). Let no one seek his own advantage, but that of the other [person].

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others more important than you. Look out for the interest of others and not only for your own personal interest.

This is what you must do whenever there are poor Israelites in one of your cities in the land that Jehovah your God is giving you. Be generous to these poor people. Freely lend them as much as they need. Never be hardhearted and stingy with them.

Zacchaeus stood before Jesus and said: Lord, I now give half of all my possessions to the poor. If I have defrauded any one I will give back four times the amount taken.