So another two weeks has come and gone and here we are at the dawn of a new blog carnival. In the blog carnival we are challenged to write on a single word topic. When the topic was the Church I wrote about sex and how there is much in common with relationships and the church. For Love I wrote about the difference between love and lust, now I am tasked with writing about Lust.
Lust is a powerful emotion that can destroy the most powerful man. Certainly lust is not confined to the relationship between a man and woman, but it seems to be the most clear expression of this affliction. Lust is overpowering and overwhelming so it is no wonder that so many have fallen to its whims.
The question, then, is this: when you are in the throws of lust how do you escape? Of course this is not a simple matter. Ask any young couple that has been alone for too long and you will hear, if they are brave enough to answer, about failed battles with lust. It seems, then, that overcoming lust is all about being on the offense.
By proactively planning one might avoid the battle and thus win a mighty victory. Certainly Gideon would have loved to take on the philistine army directly and win, but he knew that the math was not on his side in the slightest. God took him on a different route and he did not fight the battle at all, but one a mighty victory.
Had David been busy with his responsibilities he would have never caved to lust when he saw Bathsheba on the roof. Countless teen pregnancies would be avoided if students planned their time together wisely instead of trusting their own strength of will to avoid temptation.
In short, if you wish to overcome a battle with lust, whether it be sexual or in another form, then learn from the failings of millions. Do not enter the strong hold of lust, look the other way, think on Godly things, and seek wisdom. In avoiding the battle you will find victory.
Love v Lust Remix
Blog Carnival: Remember
Blog Carnival-Trust
Sex is Amazing
Blog Carnival: Patience
Idle hands are the devil’s playground.
Nice post. I figured you’d be like, “Oh come on! I just wrote about that!”
Yeah I kinda did say that … but then I moved past it.
It worked! Great post.
We think it can’t happen to us. But it can. Great post.
I think that is the problem. We think we are immune to lust because we have the chastity belt of pride on. It’s one of the lesser known pieces of spiritual armor. It tends to be very shiny but pretty well useless and worst of all causes the rest of the armor to not fit.
Very direct and very true. Thanks Nick.
And thank you.
I’m reading Proverbs this month…lots of great stuff in there on this week’s word.
Avoid the battle and find victory…this applies to all ages but I am hoping I’ve gotten this message across to my college aged kids. A college campus is a minefield when it comes to this topic.
College campus is worse than high school could ever be. Even the Bible college I attended had terrible problems despite all the rules. Several couples would be kicked out each year because they didn’t plan to avoid being alone. Instead they planned to be alone so they could “pray” or something. Worst story I ever heard was two RAs at another Christian university got busted behind the pulpit of the campus chapel. Apparently they took laying on hands in the wrong way.
Nick, I wrote on something similar. Why do parents leave their teens alone (and why aren’t kids more concerned with it themselves) when it’s been proven for a VERY long time that the temptations can become too great??!!
Good post and great thoughts. Thanks.
Yep I’ve heard several of my teens talking about why their GF or BFs parents are so cool because they will let them hang out alone in their room or the parent will retreat to another room so they can have privacy. Um, so what do the teens need to do that they can’t do with a parent in the room? I can only assume that a lot of cool parents are actually hoping to be cool grandparents in a few months.
“Plan ahead.” I suppose that would include “pray ahead” — ?
“Lust is a powerful emotion that can destroy the most powerful man.”
Good quote. Good post.
Plan ahead always includes pray ahead. If you don’t pray then plans are fruitless, but under no circumstances should a guy and girl plan to pray alone together unless they are married. That’s a good way to invite lust into the prayer circle and that ain’t cool.
You know what word jumped out at me? “Whims” – seems we all fall victim to things that when looking back, and in the big scope of things, were “whims.” Nice post, Nick.
Thanks Candy, yeah it seems that a great many things that cause us so much grief are passing whims. Seems like Solomon said something about that in Ecclesiastes, but I’m too lazy to find the exact verse.
Lust and whims.
Lust lasts. Whims pass.
And still we are left with shame when we give into lasting lust or passing whims of fancy.
Shame is always the outcome of giving into our lust or whims.
Great post!
Thanks.
Shame is funny, even though it is worse than a shock collar we risk it to satisfy our now. Weird.
“Do not enter the strong hold of lust, look the other way, think on Godly things, and seek wisdom. In avoiding the battle you will find victory” is my favorite section of this post. Scripture tells us to flee from sexual immorality, and your words are good advice on how and where to flee.
I like how Joseph handled it. He totally fleed. (or whatever the proper past tense of to flee is)
Even though I don’t look at pornography anymore, there’s still a desire. How do we as Christians not have the desire to look at it? Sometimes I wonder if the Holy Spirit is in me, if it is, then why do I want to do what is wrong?
Interesting, I am reading a book that I will be giving away. In the first chapter the author talks about that very issue. Well not a struggle with pornography but rather the fact that we tend to be rebellious wanting what we cannot have and doing what we should not do pretty well from birth. If we think the solution is to change our behavior then we are sorely mistaken. We need to dig deeper and realize that we need a change in who we are. That is what God brings to us through the Son and through the Church. It is a life long process not something that we pray a prayer over and then are perfect. It is more accurate to say we are perfected in as much as we start down a path. Jesus tells us those that “endure to the end” will be saved. In other words we are called to start down the path and then keep walking down it.