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Part 1: Lust - Love

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Summary

When it’s all said and done, lust seeks to satisfy self without covenant commitment. That’s why love is the remedy. Lust is common to all but possibly overcome by few. The enemy is content to rip a person apart as he or she seeks to satisfy their desire and also to bury someone alive under the weight of guilt. Only in Christ can we overcome temptation and move beyond the shame of past sin. A daily commitment to Christ and sacrificial love for others is the covenant tools we need to avoid the trap and win the war.

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Fighting the Seven Deadly Sins

How do we refine our lives for the glory of God? We all struggle with sin – some sins more than others. And, what we know is that God hates sin. When we sin, we are not only sinning against others or against ourselves, but we, too, are sinning against our perfect and sinless Father. Sin is serious, and that's why we must refine our lives and rid ourselves of sin and the power it can have over us. 

In Proverbs 6, we read a passage which describes "seven sins that are detestable to God." These are the sins that each person faces and must fight against – we call them the Seven Deadly Sins.

Lust.

Gluttony.

Greed.

Sloth.

Wrath.

Envy.

Pride.

First up on the list – Lust.

What the Bible Says about Lust

All sin leads to death, as the Bible teaches us throughout Scripture, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The sin of lust is no exception. Lust is more than culture makes of this sin. It’s become so normalized, so commonplace, for lust to be displayed in media – movies, TV shows, advertisements, and more all show lustful images that have become normal, even expected. Though this is the reality in which we find ourselves in today’s culture, we still must fight. We still can not use this as an excuse. 

Scripture says, But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). Lust isn’t simply acting on a lustful thought or specifically “doing” something lustful. Lust begins with our hearts and our minds. Without taking captive those thoughts and feelings, it can lead us down an extremely toxic and dangerous road – a road that our good God desires for us to avoid. 

Lust is misplaced, sinful desire. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality… (1 Thessalonians 4:3) God created sexual intimacy as something to be enjoyed within the context of marriage, so anything outside of this is sinful. It’s outside of what God designed for sex. So, when we live in lust and give in to our lustful desires, we allow lust to do what it does best: deceive, destroy, dishonor others, and disregard God. 

However, there is another way. We must confront lust and use Scripture and use God’s power in us to fight this deadly sin. We must identify what it is that’s tempting us, choke out its supply, live in faith, and serve others and lead a life of love, rather than lust. If we are going to fight the grip that lust has in our lives, then we are going to have to choose to love fiercely and deeply. Love is stronger than lust – the kind of love that God offers to us.

Lust Vs. Love: A Choice We All Must Make

Lust grows fast in the garden of leisure. – John Piper

If we’re not careful and aware, lust can very easily slip into our lives and, slowly but surely, take hold of our hearts. When we are not actively and intentionally fighting this deadly evil on a regular, daily basis, that means we are not confronting this sin. That means we are not shielding ourselves from a sin struggle that is so prevalent in today’s world.

Above all, the ultimate remediation for lust is love. Choosing to love like Jesus does causes His love to permeate all areas of our lives. His love will guard us against the Enemy’s attempts at taking control of our thought life and turning us towards lustful thinking. In Christ, we can fight. In Christ, we can conquer. In Christ, we can take back sin’s hold on us.

While lust seeks to satisfy self without commitment, love seeks to satisfy Christ and others with a strong commitment. While lust is set on tearing us apart and tearing us away from Jesus, love draws us closer to community and to Christ. While lust is a destroyer and a deceiver, love is patient, kind, and true.

Will you make the choice to fight lust and overcome it with love?

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