The Problem of Lust

I am writing this post, about lust, not from the perspective of a person who has conquered lust for good and has stopped struggling with it. By God's grace, I am able to cope with it not through my own feeble strength. If I were to rely on myself, I would fail over and over again. Thanks be to God who has captured me by something that is far better than gratification of the flesh can provide.

Lust used to be something that controlled my life. I have fallen prey to it countless times, before I became a Christian and even after. To put it in a clearer manner, lust is referred to as "sexual immorality" in the bible. Lust is a sin because it puts the passion and desire to gratify the flesh before God, and God has made clear instructions to us how we should view sex. With our perverse intentions, we make what is meant to be enjoyed within a marriage something that draws us away from the glory of what Christ has done and into sin. In Matthew 5:28, "everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart". Lust goes beyond what the body does, it happens at the heart, which guides our actions.

It should come to a Christian, who has read the bible, fairly easily to understand the severity of the problem of lust. Paul tells us to flee from sexual immorality in both 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Thessalonians 4. In Colossians, Paul tells the church to put sexual immorality to death. In other parts, even the Old Testament, lust and its related action, adultery, are condemned by God. It is not that God hates sex, but that He hates sin. The number of times the problem of sexual immorality is raised should be a good enough indicator of the seriousness of continuing in it.

The problem with the world today is that it adds fuel to the immense fire. We see sex everywhere, not in the way it is meant to be portrayed. Movies, TV serials, music videos and advertisements, more often than not, cheapen sex and convey the idea that you can have it with anyone and any time. Sex sells. Also, the connectedness of many people to the Internet adds to the prevalence of pornography and the ease of access. The worldly view is that sex is casual and chastity is an ancient concept no longer applicable. The bible's view, and rightly so the Christian's view, is that sex is beautiful and should be enjoyed within marriage with one partner, and chastity is to be held on to ever so tightly till the wedding day. If one is to be single for life, may that one be a virgin for life.

It is crucial for a Christian to view sex in the way the bible perceives it, which is the way God wants it. By understanding the intent, we would not perverse it. Besides, what is more attractive than lust? Lust gives you instant gratification, which dissipates in a matter of minutes, and coming back each time stronger than before. By the time you realise it is taking over your life, you have sunk deep into it. But that doesn't mean that it is the end of the world for you. It just means that it is time to wake up and turn to something that will truly satisfy you. You see, the bible tells us that we are all sinners, and we rightly deserve to die, and be cut off from God forever. In other words, when we die, we are really dead, for good. All hopes of going to heaven, where the world wants to end up in (save for some who insist they deserve hell) are dashed for good. No chance at all. But God, in His loving kindness, gave His one and only son, Jesus Christ. Why? So that he will go to the cross to die for our sins, paying the penalty even though He did no wrong! Did you get that? Christ, who did not deserve to die, died so that we can be made right. He conquered death once and for all by rising from the grave and joined God in heaven. But God did not do that for fun or to mock at our inability to help ourselves get back to Him. He did that so that all who believe in Jesus Christ can be counted right with him and get to heaven and enjoy eternal life! ETERNAL LIFE! NO MORE DEATH! That is the good news of the bible, it promises us a life that will not fade away like the gratification we get from lust. So look to Christ, look to Christ, not lust. When you truly believe in that, it doesn't mean that you will not struggle with lust any more. It means that you understand what you are truly living for, and your inclination will not be to lust. There are plenty other sins to pray for help to fight against, let not lust be the one that allows other sins to grow under the impression that lust is the only sin.

Keep going in Christ, keep fighting and believing.