Before we address the answer to conquering lust, we must know what is lust because many associate this just with sexual desires alone. According to the Bible, lust is often associated with intense, sinful desires that are contrary to God’s will. Although the phrase usually describes illegal, unbridled sexual cravings, it can also refer to any excessive, immoral longing for things that are contrary to God’s will. Lust is primarily an issue of the heart and mind, and it is often depicted as a form of covetousness. The Bible also teaches lust as idolatry in Colossians 3:5, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” And it is a gateway to further sins. James 1:14-15: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
The story of David and Bathsheba illustrates how lust led to a chain of events, including the death of Uriah, their child and significant consequences in David’s own family. Whereas the story of King Ahab and Naboth’s vineyard depicts the act of covetousness and a selfish desire for what belongs to others. So, the topic of lust is a broader topic.
To overcome/conquer lust (in any form), we need to rely on God and seek His guidance.
1. Resist by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit:
You can’t do it alone. Ask for the Holy Spirit’s help and acknowledge your weakness. As we live in this world, we are prone to fall, into this trap, but, we must always rely on the Holy Spirit. Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We get driven away to lustful thoughts when our hearts are not aligned with God’s truth. Psalmist says, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.” Psalms 119:11. Guard your heart with the word of God, seek His guidance, resist with His strength, and listen to His voice.
2. Consider the long-term consequences:
Lust breaks fellowship with God. Remembering this helps to push against immediate desires. David in Psalms 51 prays, “Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me.” David understood that the lustful sin had made a chasm between God and himself which could only be fixed by submitting to His mighty hands.
3. Flee from temptation:
1 Corinthians 6:18: “Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” Lust is not something to be entertained or battled in our own strength; instead, we are called to flee from it and avoid situations where we might be tempted.
4. Find ultimate satisfaction in Christ:
As John Piper often teaches, the fight against lust is a fight to find greater satisfaction in Christ than in earthly pleasures.
The one who find the greatest joy in Christ can never be tempted with the passing fancies of this world. Find delight in His presence, know who He really is, gaze uponn His grace and mercies, and fill your heart with the Word of God. Christ had called us for purity and holiness. So, do not yoke yourself with unholy things or passions. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God.”
The Bible urges believers to flee from lust, pursue holiness, and find ultimate satisfaction in God rather than in fleeting pleasures.
