BATTLING WITH LUST
Part -1
According to the Bible, battling lust involves understanding its destructive nature and seeking God’s strength and guidance to overcome it.
Lust is viewed as a selfish desire that disregards God’s will and harms oneself and others. The Bible emphasises the importance of purity of heart, reframing thoughts, and seeking God’s grace to combat this temptation.
A little more detailed explanation about Understanding Lust in the Bible:
Destructive nature
The Bible portrays lust as a destructive force that leads to self-destruction and harms others.
Proverbs 6: 32
“He who commits adultery lacks sense; He who does it destroys himself.” Jesus also taught that lust is equated with adultery in the heart.
Root in the Heart
The Bible emphasises that the battle against lust begins in the heart. Jesus’s words in
Matthew 5:28
“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Rejection of God’s design
Lust is seen as a deviation from God’s intended purpose for sexual desire, which is to be used within the context of marriage and for the glory of God.
BATTLING LUST ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE:
Purity of Heart:
The Bible calls for a pure heart, which is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ and seeking God’s grace.
Reframing Thoughts:
The Bible encourages believers to change their way of thinking and to focus on God’s will and ways.
Romans 12:2
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.”
Seeking God’s Help:
Prayer is the key tool in battling lust, as believers can plead with God for strength and wisdom to overcome temptation.
Walking in the light of God’s law:
The Bible suggests that consistently having God’s law before you can help avoid the snare of lust.
Avoiding sinful habits:
The Bible advises against exposing oneself to things that could lead to lust, such as harmful media or harmful relationships.
Fixing eyes on Christ:
I encourage believers to focus on the glory of Christ as a way to counter sinful lust.
Sanctification:
David in Psalm 51:7 highlights the importance of asking God not just for forgiveness but for sanctification, which is being cleansed from sin and made holy.
God’s Goodness and Forbearance:
Recognizing God’s goodness and forbearance can motivate believers to seek repentance and obey Him, rather than just fearing His commands.
Lust is certainly an ugly word. Most of us don’t want to think about it, much less learn about it. The term invokes a sleazy feeling, something dark – alluring yet wrong.
We tend to think of lust primarily as having inappropriate, intense feelings of physical attraction towards another person, but it is possible to lust after or covet just about anything: money, property, objects, and of course, other people.
Lust compels a person to seek to acquire something contrary to God’s will. It encompasses any feeling or desire that causes an individual to focus on worldly possessions or self-practices—personal interests, desires, passions and appetites—rather than keeping the Commandments of God and when we break the Commandments of God it leads us to unhappiness.
Although we have been cautioned against lust as a form of coveting generally, in its sexual context lust is particularly dangerous.
The Saviour cautioned,” Whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her.” Matthew 5:28
Apostles warned extensively against lust. The Apostle John said,” For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”
1 John 2: 16 and 17; Romans 13: 14; 1 Peter 2:11.
WHY IS LUST SUCH A DEADLY SIN?
Firstly, it is a completely Spirit-destroying impact it has upon our souls. It defiles the highest and holiest relationship God gives us in mortality.
Allowing lustful desires to germinate has been at the root of many sinful acts. What begins with a seemingly innocent glance can grow into sordid infidelity with all its disastrous consequences.
That is because lust drives away the Holy Spirit and leaves us vulnerable to other temptations and vices and the vials of the adversary leading to Hell.
My dear brothers and sisters you are thus challenged to address not just your actions but also your internal desires.
A Reflection on the real-life examples from the Bible.
King David’s sin with Bathsheba, illustrates the consequences of unchecked desires. King David happened to see Bathsheba bathing and lusted after her.
Lust yielded to action, and he had her brought to him and he lay with her. Then, in a misguided effort to hide his sin, David ordered Bathsheba’s husband to be stationed in battle where he was certain to be killed.
As a result, David lost his exaltation. 2 Samuel 11
Surrounding to lust can cause us to engage in things that no one in their right mind would do. It can be triggered by viewing pornography, listening to explicit lyrics, or engaging in inappropriate intimacy.
My dear brothers and sisters we should all strive to align ourselves with the teachings of Jesus and pursue purity in an increasingly sexualized world. It is a strong appeal to you all to passionately pursue righteousness, exercise self-discipline and unwavering uphold the sanctity of marriage.
“Do not commit adultery in one’s heart.” This teaching emphasized the importance of inner purity, highlighting that sin often starts in the heart and mind before being expressed in actions.
Matthew 5: 29-30
“If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.”
“And if your right-hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast out into Hell.”
The key point discussed in the Bible study is the powerful role our senses play in leading us into sin.
Our eyes in particular can be gateways to sinful thoughts. David’s initial sin of lustful gaze led to a series of sinful actions, culminating in adultery, deceit, and murder.
This narrative underscores the destructive potential of not guarding our senses.
Prayer for self-control and purity
Heavenly Father,
In the mighty name of Jesus, Grant me the self-control to resist the temptation of pornography and masturbation.
Help me to walk in purity and honour with my body and my thoughts reflecting Your holiness in all that I do.
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Fill me with self-control and purity. Amen.
Prayer against the Spirit of lust
Dear God,
Protect me from the spirit of lust. Destroy and bind up any lustful desire in my body. I refuse to let temptations win and satisfy the enemy.
Don’t let me lose focus on what’s important. Permit me to prioritize you first in my life. Touch my heart, clear my mind and cleanse my spirit. I rebuke any spirit that is trying to demolish me.
Fill me with the Holy Spirit and surround me with your presence. Prohibit me from craving anything but your love.
Show me that you are my only true love. My heart is ready to receive blessings from you in Jesus’s name.
Amen.
Declare upon yourself: Take authority over yourself and your lives with faith and declare this.
John 8:36
“So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (If Jesus has set me free, I am free indeed)
1 Corinthians 3:16
“My body is the temple of God and I will keep it Holy.”
1 Peter 2:24
“By His stripes of Jesus, I am healed.”
My dear beloved if you see in your dreams somebody having sexual relationships with you or you feel lustful while glancing at someone, or if you see someone marrying you in your dreams or putting any kind of ornament on you or feeding you anything etc. These are signs of spiritual Spouses.
These spiritual spouses are vindictive. They try to destroy your personal, and spiritual and stop you from reaching your destiny. I have already written about them. But there is no need to worry For God is with you. There is nothing to be ashamed of. God is not ashamed of you. It is just that you were ignorant or unaware of such things and accidently you gave them authority over you.
I will teach you how to take back the authority you gave to them by the precious blood of Jesus and break their bondage in Part 2 of Lust and a prayer.
My dear Beloved God is with you and He is waiting to deliver you from this. He loves you with an everlasting love. Part -2 To be contd.
