The trouble with lust

"But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." (Matthew 5:28 ESV)   

It's almost cliched now to say we, especially men, are confronted with overtly sexual images. And in a time of increasing opportunities for accessing information and entertainment, we are often a mouse or remote click from sexual enticement.

In light of this, it is now more important than ever that we keep or guard our hearts.

^"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."(Proverbs 4:23 NKJV)

Here's a verse which I heard shared by a minister on a radio program several years ago. Job had done a very wise thing, realizing the danger in gazing in lust. (Remember David and Bathsheeba?)

"I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?" (Job 31:1 NAS)

So, it ought to be pretty clear that it is bad to lust. Yet, many of us have struggled with this. Though I am grateful for the freedom of expression we have in this great country of ours and with the technology we have, I'm afraid this freedom is often abused. Yet, it is our responsibility to abstain from lust. And thankfully, for believers, we have God's word and the Holy Spirit within us to help us in this area.


Here are some practical thoughts about lust:


1) When we look at a woman in lust, we are reducing someone made in God's image to an object to serve our own sinful, selfish pleasure. Let's think about how we would feel if someone looked upon our daughter, wife, fiancee, girlfriend or sister as objects in that way.


2) Lust is clearly of Satan because lust is purely about serving self- and we know he's all about self. Lust benefits no one, though it does bring temporary and inappropriate sinful gratification to the one who is looking or thinking lustfully. And that's the devil's hook!

3) The Lord God who created us, made us to be sexual beings. He perfectly understands the desires to have this God-given aspect of our beings satisfied- but there are clearly right and wrong ways of doing it. It is crucial that we understand that the marriage union He ordained is His provision for meeting those needs and having them met. Paul, understanding the difficulty in self-control in this area for many, said "it is better to marry than to burn with passion." (I Corinthians 7:9 NAS) But, like everything else, Satan does his best to pervert and twist what the Father created for good.


4) Lust can become addictive and, like all addictions, only lives to feed its insatiable appetite. Forget about esteeming others better than ourselves. Forget about serving others- including the Lord. Pure selfishness. Sinful addictions leave room for no one or nothing else and are the epitome of all that is Satanically self-serving and self-centered, and if not remedied, will destroy the individual and damage lives in its wake.


Let's stand together, guarding our hearts, keeping in the Word, guided and empowered by the Spirit that we may live victorious in this critical area.