“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2:16 KJV
Lust is a major struggle for Christians today because it is so tempting. With sex being so easy to obtain, and even easier to watch, we need to be on high alert to what we entertain as a child of God. It is one of the greatest battles we will ever face, and yet, it is often rarely discussed. If we fail to talk about it, we fail to properly equip ourselves and each other with the proper tools and strategies to defend against the enemy’s attacks. Because lust is so prevalent in society, we need to be even more careful and diligent in our daily walk with Christ.
Here we will go into the Best Four Ways to resist lust and live a holy life unto God.
The Best Four Ways to Resist Lust
1. Pray
“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:” 1 Thessalonians 4:3 KJV
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.“ James 4:7 KJV
Firstly, we need to pray. There is nothing that prayer cannot do. The Bible tells to “pray without ceasing” for a reason. When we are consistently praying to God, we do not allow the thoughts of lust and temptation to have space in our hearts and minds.
Please don’t be ashamed to go to God and confess that you have been struggling. God understands how hard it is to resist lust. He knows how weak our natural human bodies are and he also knows how cunning the enemy is. Remember, God created sex to be pleasurable and fulfilling, but only in the right context (marriage). God knows that sex and everything that goes along with it is good; it is only the devil that perverts it and makes it evil.
Once you realize this, you can understand that if God made it into existence, he also knows the best way for it to be done. We must trust his design and not believe the lie that sex is something casual, easy, and only for fun. Sex brings two people together in a marriage, and is a special and wonderful act to only be shared with your intimate partner. When we engage with sexual sin outside of marriage, or in an ungodly way, we tarnish the beautiful and perfect design God has for us and our partner.
We don’t need to edit, or add, or remove anything to or from God’s already perfect design. When we pray, we humble ourselves to acknowledge we cannot resist this temptation on our own, and we need God’s help to uphold his will for our lives. And we must take heart, because God wants us to be able to do his will, so of course he will help us. And when the time is right, he will supply us with that partner where we can enjoy the proper design, he has intended for us in marriage. Praying allows us to see through God’s eyes and rely on him.
2. Read the Word
The Bible holds the key to defeating the enemy. When the devil approached Jesus to tempt him, Jesus used the word to fight against every tactic and was victorious. When the enemy comes to us and tries to convince us that lust is okay sometimes, or isn’t too bad of a sin, or tries to trick us into entertaining unholy thoughts, we need to fight back with the word of God. Here are some powerful scriptures you can use to defend yourself against the lies of the enemy regarding lust:
“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” James 1:15 KJV
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6:20 KJV
“Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that commits fornication sins against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:18-19 KJV
“Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul.” Proverbs 6:32 NKJV
I also encourage you to stay in the word and keep digesting it and repeating it. The more you know it, the less likely the enemy can trick you with lies.
3. Avoid things/areas where lust is prevalent
“And if thy right eye offend you, pluck it out, and cast it from you: for it is profitable for you that one of your members should perish, and not that your whole body should be cast into hell.” Matthew 5:29 KJV
One of the greatest ways to conquer lustful thoughts and actions is to avoid places that create them in the first place. This can be anything and everything that allows space for lust to grow. For example, we shouldn’t watch explicit movies or shows that display sexual sins/behaviors, or anything that endorses lust with their words. This can be an extremely hard thing to do because many things we watch or listen to today have a copious amount of sexual content. However, it is vital to truly eliminating any trigger to the natural tendency we have to sin.
Social media is also one of the main tools that provoke lustful thoughts. We are constantly being shown half naked men and women, in pictures and videos, some of them dancing or moving promiscuously to attract a large audience of vulnerable viewers who succumb to their lack of self control. We must not engage or follow any of these things, as a way to protect our thoughts and heart from sin.
Physical locations such as bars, clubs, and inappropriate social gatherings (such as a party hosted by someone who is known to have friends who dress and speak provocatively) should also be avoided. Music or any form of entertainment that is encouraging or condoning sexual sin shouldn’t be listened to.
I know what many people are thinking: “This all sounds very limiting and like too many rules. When can I have fun? Won’t people think I’m weird since everyone partakes in these kind of stuff?” Yes, the Bible tells us that we will often be rejected from the world because we do not act or talk like them. Jesus himself says the world will hate you because you are not of the world, but of heaven. The world loves its own. There are so many ways to have fun in God that doesn’t involve sin, and I encourage you to pray and find godly friends who show you how much fun can be had while living and staying in God’s presence.
God wants the best for us and tells us to use these boundaries because he knows the damaging effects of sin. So much joy and protection is found by keeping God’s word, and (though it might take some time) if it is in God’s plan for you, he will give you a wonderful spouse that you can enjoy sex with. I guarantee that you will be happy you waited and avoided sinful lusts. Keeping yourself holy and pure for God and your partner is so important and offers much more benefits compared to the loss of temporary and shallow pleasures in this world.
4. Guard your mind
“But I say unto you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” Matthew 5:28
Guarding your mind is one of the biggest ways to avoid and conquer lust. There are so many things out there today online that are feeding us with images and videos that encourage lustful thoughts and actions, and it is no coincidence! The devil made is so easy to access, and so normalized within society, because he sees how tempting it is, and knows that when we struggle with this sin, many of the other areas of our life will be struggling as well.
One of the devils main goals is to break apart anything God establishes, and the primary thing that lust destroys is marriage. When your body, mind and heart are all constantly distracted and consumed with temptation of sexual sin, it damages your ability to be solely intimate with your future/current partner. This also takes our mind off of the things of heaven and of God, and places them on the affairs of this world.
Lust is never ending and can never satisfy us. We will always need more. The enemy used this tactic to have us constantly in a cycle of sin, and destroying the holy mind/body we are called to maintain. We are the temple of God. So, the enemy knows if we destroy the temple, God cannot live in us. Lust is one of the fastest ways to achieve the devil’s greatest goals: the destruction of our relationship with Jesus. He will use any avenue to bombard us with thoughts of engaging in ungodly sexual behaviors. We must protect our minds at all times. How do we do this? Refer back to point three: avoid/completely cut out things that encourage or even hint at sexual sin. We need to be completely free from temptation.
Many people will tell us we are doing too much or its not that serious, but they do not realize what is at stake. Our relationship with God, and our relationship with our current/future spouse. We must stand firm on our values, standards and boundaries and not be ashamed of taking drastic measures when it comes to our soul. Lust is so normalized within society that it is hard to find anyone who is standing up against this.
I was told that I was crazy for resisting sexual sin, and that everyone in the world is watching porn, and I could never find a partner who doesn’t! Don’t listen to others. Their view of the world is only based on who they surround themselves with. Surround yourself with Christ-like people who are chasing after God’s heart and not only will you find it supportive for your goals against sin, but also comforting that you are not alone in this.
No matter if every last person on earth is engaging in lust, YOU should make a stand against it. Recall to mind the three Hebrew boys in the book of Daniel in the bible. Even when everyone else bowed to the idol, they refused to bow. Be like these strong men of God and refuse to bow to sexual sin. Refuse to bow to lust. God will reward you. You will have a wonderful, holy relationship with Jesus, an intimate and loving relationship with your spouse, and a ticket into heaven. How beautiful is that! Keep that on the forefront of your mind every time lust pops up in your life. It isn’t easy, but it is so worth it.
This post was all about lust.
