Lust is a complex and pervasive issue that affects individuals from all walks of life. It is a powerful emotion that can lead to destructive behavior, damaging relationships, and spiritual turmoil. This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of lust, its consequences, and the path to freedom.

Modern culture has tried to redefine sexuality as a personal right to be exercised any way an individual wishes. Sexual behavior is considered a personal choice, akin to the decision of whether to buy a house or rent a condo. At the same time, popular opinion has all but removed the word sin from our culture’s vocabulary. The only sexual expression considered “wrong” is what is deemed distasteful to the definer. However, social acceptability varies so greatly that even the vilest of acts would be considered justified by many. So, before we can determine why sexual sin is such a big deal, we have to define sexual sin.

Fortunately, man has never been given the privilege of defining sin. The One who created sexuality also has the right to set the boundaries for it, and the Bible is clear about the guidelines. When God created the first man, Adam, and brought to him the first woman, Eve, He joined them together in marriage and pronounced it “very good” (Genesis 1:31; 2:18, 24). At that time, God introduced sexuality and set the boundaries for its expression. God created a union between a husband and wife that He called “becoming one flesh” (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:8; Ephesians 5:31). He then defined any sexual activity outside of the husband-wife relationship as a violation of His gift. Fornication, homosexuality, pornography, and lust are all violations of God’s intent when He created the sexual act (1 Corinthians 6:9,18; Galatians 5:19-20; Jude 1:7; Matthew 5:28; Hebrews 13:4).

Defining Lust

Lust is an intense, uncontrolled desire for something or someone, often driven by selfish or carnal motivations. It can manifest in various forms, including:

• Sexual lust: An overwhelming attraction to someone or something that leads to immoral thoughts, feelings, or actions. For example, a person may experience intense attraction to someone they see, leading them to engage in fantasizing or even compulsive behavior.

• Material lust: An excessive desire for wealth, possessions, or status. For instance, a person may become obsessed with acquiring the latest designer handbag or luxury car, even if it means going into debt.

• Power lust: An insatiable craving for control, authority, or influence. For example, a person may seek to manipulate others to get what they want, even if it means harming others in the process.

Categorizing Lust

While lust can take many forms, consider the following categories:

• Thoughts: Lustful thoughts can be a precursor to lustful actions. For example, a person may find themselves fantasizing about someone they see at work, leading to feelings of guilt and shame.

• Actions: Lustful actions can have severe consequences, damaging relationships and leading to spiritual bondage. For example, a person may engage in compulsive behavior, such as excessive spending, substance abuse, s***** assault, or anything else really, to feed their lustful desires.

Why is Lust Wrong?

Lust is wrong for several reasons:

• Dishonors God: Lustful behavior dishonors God and His plan for human relationships. For example, engaging in premarital sex or adultery can damage relationships and lead to spiritual turmoil.

• Damages relationships: Lust can destroy relationships, causing hurt and betrayal. For instance, infidelity can lead to the breakdown of a marriage, causing harm to all parties involved.

• Leads to spiritual bondage: Lust makes you a slave. A slave of sin.

   

  Dishonors People: Reducing Humans to Objects

   

  • When we engage in lustful behavior, we dishonor the inherent value and dignity of another person. This is a profound concept that has far-reaching implications. Lust treats another person as an object for pleasure rather than a human being made in the image of God. When we turn a person into the subject of our lust, it is due to a lack of love and selflessness in our hearts. We must recognize, it is a complete lack of love to turn someone in the object of our lust. And we must repent of this, and recognize that our hearts are unloving. We need to change how we feel! Is it love that we are allowing to grow within us? Is it the love of Christ?

    Or is it something different? And are we feeding this lust or this passion?

    • Objectification: Lustful behavior reduces a person made in the image of God to a mere object, to something that gratifies our feelings, something that will satisfy our desires, stripping them of their autonomy, agency, and humanity. This is pure evil.

    • Lack of intimacy: True intimacy is built on mutual respect, trust, and communication. Lustful behavior, on the other hand, often prioritizes physical gratification over emotional connection.

    • Disregard for boundaries: Lust can lead to a disregard for another person's boundaries, consent, and desires. 

       

• Real-World Examples

  • The Pornography Industry: The pornography industry is a prime example of how lust can lead to the objectification of people. Women and men are often reduced to mere objects for the purpose of entertainment, rather than being treated as human beings with dignity and worth.

  • Sex Trafficking: Sex trafficking is another devastating example of how lust can lead to the exploitation and objectification of people. Victims are often treated as commodities, rather than human beings with inherent value and dignity.

  • Online Harassment: Online harassment is a growing concern, where individuals are subjected to lustful comments, messages, and images. This can lead to feelings of objectification, vulnerability, and trauma.

Many times, people will excuse their lust by blaming the other people they see. “Oh… They wear clothes that are so different from the past, they dress inappropriately, it's the summer look at how they're dressing, etc.” 

Do we not hear in this excuse the voice of Adam when he said, “the woman that You gave me, she led me to sin!”?

We must take responsibility for our lust, for the things that we do. We cannot go blaming others.  

Consequences of Lust

The consequences of dishonoring people through lustful behavior can be severe and long-lasting.

• Guilty conscience: Lustful behavior can lead to feelings of guilt and shame. For example, a person may feel remorseful after engaging in compulsive behavior, leading to feelings of self-loathing.

• Damaged relationships: Lust can destroy relationships, causing hurt and betrayal. For instance, infidelity can lead to the breakdown of a marriage, causing harm to all parties involved.

• Spiritual turmoil: Lust can lead to spiritual bondage, making it challenging to break free from its grip. For example, a person may become trapped in a cycle of compulsive behavior, feeling powerless to stop.

How to Be Set Free

Nowadays, of course, many young men feel like they are trapped by pornography, it's so available. And as many fathers have said, pornography is the iconography of the devil. It is evil. And it fuels the passion within us, it fuels lust. 

If we do not choose to deny ourselves, to turn away from those things we know stir up the passions within us, then involuntary, against our choice, we will be dragged away by sin, we will become slaves of sin. We will become servants of evil. We will find ourselves incapable of resisting sin because we will become the slave of sin.

So we must first, as all temptations which must be cut off at the root before they begin to grow, we must voluntarily choose to deny ourselves, to reject those things that fuel temptation. And pornography fuels desire and lust. It makes us fall into the hands of demons. Who among us would look at these defiling images if we could hear the howls of laughter and delight of the demons when we do so?

All temptation comes in two ways. There is the outer and the inner. And, Christ Himself was tempted, but He never allowed temptation to enter into Him.

But we allow temptation to move from the outer to the inner when we engage with it, when we fantasize, when we gain pleasure from the images of that temptation, and it enters into us. And once temptation has entered into us, it is much more difficult to resist. So we must cut it off before we allow it to enter us. Do not fantasize, do not engage, do not allow pleasure to accompany these feelings of temptation.

• And we must rush to confession. The demons want to keep us silent about all these things. The sins we've committed, the way that we're tempted, everything. Rush to God, confess it all. This is the first step in stamping our foot on the head of the serpent. Confess to God. This is where our healing lies. And do not imagine that you are bizarre or unusual in experiencing these things. There are many saints who struggled with this.

  Do not believe that you will forever be enslaved by this passion.

  Christ promises release, but He wishes us to repent. If we make an idol of our own pleasure, then this idolatry will separate us from God.

• Repentance: Turn away from lustful behavior and seek to live a life of purity. Ask God to forgive you, to give you a new pure heart, 

• Renewal: Renew the mind with Scripture and seek to live a life that honors God. Study the Bible, engage in prayer to overcome their lustful desires, 

   

Practical Advice

• Seek accountability: Share your struggles with a trusted friend or mentor and ask for their support and guidance.

• Avoid triggers: Identify situations or environments that trigger your lustful desires and avoid them at all costs.

• Block all websites that cause you to sin. Use uBlock Origin (Press here if you are on Firefox, if not, click here) and then go Extensions > uBlock Origin (click on it, a pop-up should appear) > Open control panel (press on a button that has 3 gears), then a new page should appear. Go to the top, then click “My filters.” and then add all websites that cause you to sin. 

• Example :

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Some parts were taken from GotQuestions.org

Have any questions? Send an email at convolite@europe.com