Matthew 5: 27 You have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery.
28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
The word that is used for lust in our first passage is Epithumeo, and the meaning of it refers to having a longing, or an intense desire for something. When applied in the context, it means having an eager, or burning sexual desire for someone. It includes the act of covetousness, from which springs all sins.
Lust is one of the very real problems which many folks are struggling with, and because it is so deeply entrenched in human nature and difficult to uproot, it must be addressed. Overcoming is not something that is to be lopsided, where we are strong in some areas, but vulnerable in others.
When The Bible says in Revelation chapter 3 that he who overcomes will be granted abundant entrance into God’s kingdom, it is speaking of those persons who’ve overcome on every level, not only in some areas. The work of the Holy Spirit in the heart is to produce a mature, balanced Christian.
And even though the believer is secure in Christ at every stage of their development, we should all be shooting for gold, not for silver or bronze. In other words, we are to seek to become perfect in Christ.
Therefore, those who will pass through the time of Jacob’s trouble would have overcome in every area of their lives. They’ve overcome in diets, and foods, anger management, covetousness, lust, and they are also victorious in the temporal and financial, for the parable of the stewards commends multipliers, not subtractors, or dividers.
The Christian in our day will have to shoot for entire victory in all areas, and at every level, by the grace of God, if we are to be ready for prime time to stand unshaken, when every thing that can be shaken will be shaken. Therefore, the issue of lust would have to be confronted, for it is endemic in many people.
The problem of lust is quite pervasive in society, and it affects individuals in high and low places alike, for after studying both sacred and secular history, it is discovered that lust is no respecter of persons, for it affects the ordinary man on the street as well as the rich and famous.
Education, position, status, wealth, and even the ability to write out the Scriptures, is no guarantee that one would not be affected. Kings have been shown to be weak on this point, and Bible prophets have succumbed to it, presidents are not immune, and preachers, priests, and laity have capitulated on this issue.
Some persons believe that merely getting married will solve the problem, but history has shown that marriage, in and of itself might not be sufficient to cure the problem, for many of the characters in the Bible who fell on the point of lust, were married.
Again, persons, who might otherwise have seemed to be the untouchables, have also been shown to be vulnerable on this point. Thus, it requires an intense struggle, and a well-directed effort to overcome lust permanently, to the point where it does not faze us anymore.
In the process of overcoming, some folk will come face to face with unprovoked temptations, while others would have to fast and pray long, and hard, and some may even have to grit their teeth to resist this internal, and external foe, of which the internal one is the most dangerous.
The internet and artificial intelligence aren’t helping either, for in our day, there is pornography in every place, which aggravates the problem, and there is no shortage of sites on the web, where persons can freely indulge.
So, not only do persons have internal foes to battle, there are also a multitude of external inducements, that must also be navigated. And, men in particular should never be deceived into thinking that because we believe in Jesus it will be a breeze to overcome lust. In fact, it is not a breeze by any stretch of the imagination.
Whenever anyone is struggling with lust, they must understand that it would not be easy to overcome, for it is a deep-seated problem in our human nature which can involve mortal battle to gain the victory.
In fact, Romans chapter seven refers to the internal struggles as a military campaign being waged by the cravings and latent tendencies of the flesh, against our souls, and thus, anyone who believes that lust will just get up and leave you alone, without a fierce struggle just because you are a Christian, is like Alice living in wonderland. Let’s read:
Romans 7: 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
21 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man.
23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Galatians 5:16 This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that ye would.
No one could read the previous passages and then reasonably conclude that, to overcome lust is a breeze. It is not, and it would require a very humble admission on our part, that overcoming lust is not a walk in the park, in order for us to realize our need of Christ, to gain the victory.
Divine strength from the Holy Ghost, together with deliberate choices on our part would be required in order to be victorious. But first, persons must have a clear understanding of what the problem is and how deeply seated in human nature it is, and also the many vulnerabilities men, especially face.
Lust is never confined only to sex, it also applies to food, and every perverted craving we deal with and thus, the correct Biblical definition of lust is that it is a strong desire, or something that our fallen human nature earnestly craves, usually contrary to what is written in the word of God.
Christ in the wilderness did mortal battle against the craving of hunger, and He was victorious. Hunger is a good, natural craving, as is sexual desire, when it is within the framework of God’s revealed will but one might argue that Christ was not tempted on sexual desire in the wilderness.
Pound for pound, hunger cravings can be 100 times worse and intense than sexual desire, so, here is a question for you: Which would you prefer, 40 days without food, or forty without days sex?
Even though, in reality the craving for food is much stronger than our sexual cravings, we will, for the purposes of this study, be dealing exclusively with sexual lust.
When Adam and Eve fell in the garden of Eden, Eve fell for what she’d heard, but Adam fell for what he saw, for it was Eve’s external beauty, and the need for a companion, that drove him over the edge. And ever since that day, most of the sons of Adam have come from the womb with that inherited weakness. Let’s read:
1st Timothy 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
[Spirit of prophecy Bk1 pp 39] Eve was before him, just as lovely and beautiful, and apparently as innocent, as before this act of disobedience. She had told him of the happy influence of the fruit, of her ardent love for him, and he decided to brave the consequences. He seized the fruit and quickly ate it and like Eve, felt not immediately its ill effects.
Thus, following in the footsteps of Adam, most men go on to cultivate lust, until it could become second nature, and, the more it is indulged, the more those automatic, reflex actions in the one in question will be multiplied.
It is true that some women also struggle with lust, but, for the most part, it is a man problem, as the word of God says, and as sacred and secular history have demonstrated time and time again. That’s just the raw facts in the matter. Let’s read:
Proverbs 27:20 Hell and destruction are never full; so, the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Judges 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.
Judges 16:1 Then went Samson to Gaza, and saw there a harlot, and went in unto her.
1st Kings 11:1 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites.
3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
Genesis 30: 4 And she gave him Bilhah her hand-maid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her.
9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.
You never read in the Bible where one woman had seven hundred husbands, thus, for all intents, and purposes, we are looking at a man problem for the most part. An acknowledgement of this will lead us to better understand how to overcome lust.
We all know the story of David’s sin and repentance so we do not have to rehearse the gory details. Yet, there are important things to consider from his fall, that would pave the way for Christians, who believe in Jesus to avoid being overcome by the sin of lust.
We will point out specific things men should avoid doing, keeping in mind that avoiding temptation, in and of itself does not constitute the victory, but is rather an earnest effort to cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work upon our hearts. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 11:1 And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.
David had obviously come home to take a needed break from the war, since the victory seemed to be certain, so, here he was, relaxing, with not much to do. When men who are struggling with lust have nothing to do, they must be extra vigilant, for devils are known to find work for idle hands to do.
When David was in fighting mode, with the war, his mind was then preoccupied with fighting, and with danger on every side, he most likely would not be distracted with lust. But when he was at home with nothing to do, the latent tendencies could readily be fanned into life, if the right circumstances occurred.
Satan specializes in structuring sudden temptations to strategically coincide with our idle hours, when, like David, we have nothing to do. Therefore, even though David did not initially premeditate this act, it was designed to suddenly take advantage of David’s down time. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 11:2 And it came to pass in an evening-tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
Christian men who are struggling with lust should find something productive or constructive to do, if they know that they will have extended periods of idle hours on their hands. It does not mean that you cannot go on vacation, or take a break. Just be wary of excessive idle time with nothing to do.
This does not constitute victory, as we stated earlier, but is just a matter of intelligently positioning one’s self, since we are not supposed to be ignorant of the devil’s devices. In other words, while The Holy Ghost is doing His work on the inside of the heart, you will want to close all doors as far as possible, so that you will not be easily compromised. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 16: 49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and an abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me, therefore I took them away as I saw good.
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 156] Idleness is the greatest curse that can fall upon man, for vice and crime follow in its train. Satan lies in ambush, ready to destroy those who are unguarded; Whose leisure gives him opportunity to insinuate himself under some attractive disguise. He is never more successful than when he comes to men in their idle hours.
Therefore, if you are struggling with lust, and you know that you’ll have an extended period of down time on your hands, there are a lot of productive things you can become preoccupied with. Mow the lawn, do the laundry, help out the wife with those odds and ends she has been asking you to do for so long.
You can help the kids with their homework, give out religious material, do the dishes, fold the clothes, or even do Bible studies with someone. But, whatever you do, try to find something to do so that the mind will not be left to wander upon every suggestion the devil will throw at it.
God is more practical, and down to earth in all the instructions He gives to us therefore, we are to be humble and willing enough to learn from Him.
It is worthy of note, that someway, somehow, when you study the life of Christ, He always seemed to be very busy, except for those times when He would be taking time out for prayer, for sleep, or to be alone with His inner circle of disciples.
If He wasn’t healing, He was preaching, if He wasn’t preaching, He was working with His hands at trade, and even on the Sabbath, when you might expect Him to take a break, there He was again, going from place to place, doing ministry. He always seemed to be very busy. Let’s read:
Mark 2:1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
Luke 4: 38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with different diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Thus, it was, that Christ would be busy all day and at times late into the night. But we are just wondering what would take place with Him, if for some reason, He were to have extra time on His hands. After He had spent time fasting and praying in the wilderness someone was sure to show up, for his temptations are structured strategically.
This leads us to another critically important pointer, taken from the fall of David even as he too struggled with the sin of lust. If and when sudden temptations come our way, it’s important not to follow up on the temptation through deliberate choice.
After David was initially blindsided by Bathsheba’s beauty, he did have time to regroup, but instead of doing this, he chose to pursue those cravings of the flesh.
He could have stopped there and then, and he may have had to grit his teeth in denying self, but if he had, the bottom line is that David’s after history was going to be quite different.
Sometimes, in overcoming lust, the struggle can be quite severe, to the point where it might resemble works instead of faith. But we need to understand that overcoming lust can get pretty ugly. Some men like Joseph might have to literally run for their lives.
Others may have to avoid certain places where the forces of satan are firmly entrenched. Again, these things do not constitute the real victory, in and of themselves, but they do facilitate the working of God in the heart, and if they become necessary, and are done, your after history will be different.
But when David deliberately chose to facilitate the cravings of lust, instead of facilitating the work of God in the heart, he opened up his vulnerabilities, and the rest is history.
When once a man uses his freedom of choice in the facilitating of lust, it becomes a slippery slope from which it can be difficult to escape, because, at that juncture, he is cooperating with devils, instead of God. And once choice is placed in satan’s favor, he makes certain that it would be pressed to its logical end.
Thus, when we read of David sending to inquire of the woman, he already committed sin, by yielding to lust. Similarly, if a Christian man in our day is going about his daily duties, minding his own business and out of the blue a Bathsheba appears, and lust wells up in his heart, if he proceeds to enquire after her, he would have sinned already, in his heart.
Again, if a man is surfing the internet for legitimate reasons, like buying tools on Amazon, and out of the blue a Bathsheba appears in the side bar, if he clicks on to further inquire after her, adultery has already taken place, because deliberate choice was used to pursue the inner craving of lust. Sounds like we’re in big trouble. Let’s read:
2nd Samuel 11:3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said isn’t this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?
4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
Men cannot prevent any Bathsheba from appearing out of the blue, and there are times when the one who is struggling to overcome lust might be stung with stunning external beauty, but he must not even linger, or drool after her, because doing so would be the equivalent of David “Sending” to enquire after her”.
This will call for stern self-denial, through the grace and power of the indwelling Christ, for if we were to give loose rein to lustful cravings, the problem could become so endemic, that involuntary actions would follow. And wherever this is the case, uprooting lust becomes all the more difficult. Let’s read:
Matthew 5: 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, thou shalt not commit adultery,
28 But I say unto you, that whosoever looks on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
29 And if thy right eye offends thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
This is not to say that next week we should see any one-eyed saints walking around, it just means that very stern self-denial has to be incorporated into one’s daily experience, so as to facilitate God’s work in the heart. This will lead us to two very important questions as men seek to overcome lust:
[1] Question: When a Christian man, who might be struggling with lust and porn, prays to God for help, does God remove the cravings, or does He give us the strength to resist the cravings?
[2] Question: When Jesus was in the wilderness, He did fast and pray, as all of us must, so, did God remove Christ’s craving for food, or was He strengthened to resist the craving. In other words, after Jesus had fasted and prayed for strength to overcome hunger, did He still remain hungry? Let’s read:
Matthew 4: 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
[The Desire of Ages pp 118] For forty days He fasted and prayed. Weak and emaciated from hunger, worn and haggard with mental agony, “His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” Now was Satan's opportunity. The Savior was faint from hunger, He was craving for food, when Satan came suddenly upon Him.
[Redemption Bk 2 pp 54] After Satan had ended his temptations, he departed from Jesus for a little season. The foe was conquered, but the conflict had been long and exceedingly trying, and Christ was exhausted and fainting. He fell upon the ground as though dying.
Heavenly angels who had been with intense, and painful interest watching their loved commander, now came and ministered unto him. They prepared him food and strengthened him, for he lay as one dead.
We are asking the question again, so that it would resonate in our consciences, even as we ponder the severe conflicts involved in overcoming lust. Here it is:
When a Christian man, who may be struggling with lust or porn prays to God for help, does God remove the cravings or does God just give him the strength to resist the cravings?
When Christ was in the garden of Gethsemane, in mortal combat with the powers of darkness, He did hint at the possibility of shrinking from the conflict.
But He surrendered His will to God, as all struggling overcomers must do. So, after He had prayed, was overcoming a breeze? Or was He just strengthened to resist? Let’s read:
Matthew 26: 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
[The Desire of Ages pp 693] The angel came not to take the cup from Christ's hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father's love. The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury.
In the effort to overcome lust, the one who may be struggling will have to earnestly seek God daily for grace to help in time of need. Trying to overcome by avoiding Bathsheba, or by gritting your teeth in self- denial will not give us the victory.
In other words, to put it plainly, Christian men will fail miserably on this point, if the effort to overcome is engaged through sheer will power alone. It’s not a problem of will merely, it’s an issue of men dealing with who they are at their core.
Therefore, deliberate choices in resistance will need to be made, efforts in avoiding sights, and sounds of lust will also have to be made, and most of all, your prayer life must not be haphazard.
Prayer, coupled together with the consistent study of the Bible will allow the Holy Spirit to habituate the mind to dwell on uplifting themes. If we were to stay the course with Christ, the problem eventually would be eliminated, for it is not the will of God for men to be continually bogged down with nagging problems. Let’s read:
[Patriarchs & Prophets pp 717] If one comes to lose sight of his entire dependence on God, and to trust to his own strength, he is sure to fall. Man is contending with foes who are stronger than he. It is impossible for us in our own strength to maintain the conflict; the tenor of the Bible is to inculcate distrust of human power and to encourage trust in divine power.
In harmony with this statement, we will end with a passage of Scripture which encourages us to keep trying by God’s grace, for the passage tells us that we can and will overcome, if we will stay the course with Christ. Let’s read:
Revelation 3: 20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
God Bless!