Lust.
We all struggle with it. It’s not a man problem, a woman problem, a queer problem. It’s a fallen world problem. It’s an Adam problem and lust started from Adam in the garden. Do you really think the fall started when Adam took a bite of the fruit of the tree of knowledge? If that’s what your pastor or priest preached, sorry to tell you, they’re wrong.
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”
Genesis 3:6 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.3.6.KJV
The pattern starts here. The serpent seduced Eve. Eve seduced Adam. Adam sinned in his lust. It wasn’t that he ate – it was that he looked upon his wife, who was naked, seducing Adam who never dreamed of disobeying God until that moment. For after he ate Genesis 3:7 continues with his humiliation in nakedness and they covered themselves.
Genesis 3:12 reinforces what Adam was thinking.
“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.”
Genesis 3:12 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/gen.3.12.KJV
Notice he didn’t say only that he ate of the tree. But rather the “woman whom thou gavest to be with me.” Eve said “here, eat,” but it wasn’t the fruit that Adam was lusting after.
It was the woman.
Let those who have eyes to read see and understand why the Bible condemns lust and adultery over every sin except for dying unsaved. Indeed we see that lust is what destroys all great men of God, whether it’s lust of the flesh or lust of the heart. Not to make this any longer than it needs to be, but there are some fantastic examples of great men being left in ruin because they gave in.
- Samson: the real life Achilles and Hercules, his strength and faith in God knew no limits. This man ripped a lion in two, and after bees built a hive in the carcass. Samson snacked on the beehive. His downfall: a woman who was sent to sleep with him to seduce him into telling her his weakness for assassination. He flapped his gums and was assassinated.
- King David: this one was horrible. He fell in love with Bathsheba, sent Urias her husband to die in a suicide run, slept with her, had a son with her who God cursed to die, then married her after Urias was reported dead. True that his line gave way to Mary mother of Jesus via King Solomon (he’s next) but still. David lost so much by doing what he did to Bathsheba and Urias
- King Solomon, known as the wisest of Israel’s kings. He built the temple. He wrote the Book of Songs as a tribute to his gorgeous wife. God gave him perfect Godly wisdom and he followed the Lord all his life. Until he decided to partake in worldly pleasure and tons and tons of sex. He lost everything! He may have even lost his salvation because he couldn’t sacrifice in the temple to atone as demanded by the Law.
Will you lose your salvation, today, if you fall into lust? God forbid because all sins but one (blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which is dying unsaved) shall be forgiven of you. Will you lose blessings in this life for it though? ABSOLUTELY!!
These are concepts and ideas that we all know. We’ve heard them all before. But do we REALLY know what it all means?
Let’s look at reality. ALL HUMANS DEAL WITH LUST! It’s the true original sin and we have that sin nature upon us. From Adam to YOU AND ME, we all suffer the same, exactly. Except for the Lord Jesus Christ, the only one who was sinless. I can hear some of you now. “My husband/wife is the most handsome/gorgeous man/woman on this earth! NO WAY am I looking at another man/woman!”
You’re lying to the Holy Spirit. God knows you better than you know yourself. You most certainly do look at members of the opposite (or even same) sex with some degree of lust in your heart. You may not automatically think of them naked but you ARE attracted to them.
“And if thy right eye offend 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.”
Matthew 5:29 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.5.29.KJV“but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”
Matthew 5:28 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/mat.5.28.KJV
I just quoted in reverse but the idea is the same.
Jesus understood more than you realize.
- all humans will lust
- it is better to be blind
- He knows there’s no way we’d pluck out our own eyes
- this is why He’s going to the cross
Everyone struggles with lust. We can’t help it anymore. If society hadn’t moved beyond the early 1800s or late 1700s, we possibly could contain it. Maybe. Unfortunately, the Industrial Revolution wasn’t just about manufacturing. It also spread the access of pornography to the masses.
Sexual desire is everywhere now, even in our schools. In Japan, even though it is a society that either dismisses sex as nothing or so taboo that it’s unspeakable, access to pay-per-slam sexual deviation is disgustingly easy. From convenience store news racks to literally $20/hr “activities,” fulfilling the dark desires of one’s flesh has never been easier.
We’ve all been there. Tell me down below if this fits you:
- You’re happily married and at home while your spouse is at work. Kids at school. A young couple moves in next door. You may already be in your 40s but this couple is in their 20s. They’re fit with stunning bodies. You catch yourself staring and thinking of any excuse to go over and talk to them. You think about the things you want to do to them. Suddenly, it’s not about your spouse anymore. You want them – separate or together you don’t care which. You still love your spouse but your thoughts push your spouse and God out of your mind.
- You’re browsing Amazon looking for that special gift for that special someone, or yourself. You see a movie with scantily clad someone on the virtual poster. You think, “as long as I don’t touch myself one look won’t hurt.” You watch it.
That leads us into the next point.
The Poison of Pornography
Everyone struggles with this. Whether it’s seeing an image accidentally, “only looking,” or “going the distance,” our eyes are naturally attracted to that which they shouldn’t be. This is why Muslims ask women to fully cover themselves. Why we ask women to dress modestly in church.
We often talk about a man’s perspective when it comes to porn, but we rarely talk about the women. When one of our brethren confesses that they have a problem with porn, lust, sexual deviation, we blame him. “Well, why are you watching it? Aren’t you married? Why do you look at the neighbor’s teenage daughter like that?” We point at the man, and that is legitimate. He needs to avert his eyes and give it to God.
What about the women?
We often hear about “exploitation of women” when it comes to porn. What if I were to tell you that in porn, exploitation is less than 5% of the problem? The other 95% is intentional!
“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
1 Timothy 6:10 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/1ti.6.10.KJV
Women in porn get paid 600% more than men. For exuberant amounts of money, women will engage in sexual activity with anything and anyone, and they make bank! They entice men and they profit from it faster than a Silicon Valley executive made his fortunes
The sad fact of the matter is, a lot of women simply don’t care. They want the attention. Whether it’s wearing a skimpy outfit to church or absolutely nothing at all on a public beach, women seek male attention. They love to exploit it as a trap. That woman in the gym wearing a tight outfit to get googly eyes? She may make thousands in ad revenue for her OnlyFans or on X for putting a man on blast.
This circles back to Eve in the garden. If Adam had demonstrated Godly restraint, he would’ve denied Eve and we wouldn’t have needed The Savior. But fleshly desire is what made Adam fall because it was presented to him. Not the bite itself but the temptation.
It also proves one true fact that is undeniable. Adam walked with God. Adam was devoted to the Lord. Yet he still fell in the temptation of the flesh. It is one of the most difficult things any person can fight. This is why Jesus said to pluck your eye out. He knows the sin. Jesus saw it when He walked with Adam and He knows that not falling is just as difficult for a person to do, the same with plucking out your own eye. It’s not a crutch you can lean on to sin with impunity. It’s to encourage you to know that Jesus overcame even THAT!
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.16.33.KJV
In conclusion, you need to know this: when you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, His finished work on the cross, His resurrection, you put your faith in the triumphant one. It’s a victory that is truly invaluable. If you fall into lust, go directly to God (kicking and screaming if you have to). If you don’t think Christ will understand, remember that He saw it FIRST HAND in the Garden of Eden. Challenge God, put Him to the test in that you charge Him to help you through the battle. Guaranteed that He will and He will guide you through it.
Go to Him.
This is the end of the article. If you were looking for one of those miracle “read this and overcome lust RIGHT NOW,” 1. Anything that claims that is a lie and 2. This isn’t it. This is a “know your enemy” story. Once you know what you’re up against you will realize that there is no magic cure and no possible way for you to endure through lust. The only thing you can do is give it to God in your struggle. Confide in your brethren. But above all else, if you fall, confess to God right away. Remember, He was there at the beginning. He’s already seen it. He will forgive.
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