Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. (Colossians 3:5 NIV)
“I didn’t struggle with most of the temptations urban teenagers encounter: drugs, alcohol, cheating at school, fighting, stealing,” he continued. “But in college, that changed. I was living with non-Christian roommates and in an environment where pornography was pervasive, I found myself drawn to it, at first when no one was looking so as not to ruin my witness. By senior year, I gave up pretending and convinced myself that looking at porn was not sinful.”
“I got married two years after I graduated. … I was sure that marriage would solve this problem (by now, it was a full-fledged addiction). It didn’t. … It made things worse. Things deteriorated over the years. As technology changed and my resistance diminished, I found that behaviors I’d previously deemed unthinkable became normalized.”
Like the writer of the article who shared about his struggles with lust at SafeFamilies.org, Katy also shared about similar challenges in her life.
“I grew up in a Christian home where my folks knew of the Lord and tried with what they had to incorporate faith into my life,” wrote Katy in her testimony at SettingCaptivesFree.com. “I, however, didn't grow up knowing the Lord myself and in junior high questioned if He was really there.”
“From the age of 13, I was exposed to pornography and the misuse of sex,” Katy continued. “I walked out the life of pleasing my flesh and using my body to manipulate men. It wasn't until 6 years into my marriage that God was able to really get ahold of my heart and He caused me to fall in love with Him.”
The Bible had forewarned us that those who choose to live their lives according to the deeds of the flesh to practice sexual immorality, impurity, or lustful pleasures will not inherit the kingdom of God. As followers of Christ Jesus, therefore, we ought to live our lives by the Spirit and walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:19, 21, 24-25).
Thankfully for Katy and the writer of the article at SafeFamilies.org, both of them love the Lord deeply to find help, and their lives are now back to a closer walk with God. Although they did not realize at first how deeply embedded their addiction was to their soul, they have since by the grace of God been involved in a journey of recovery, transformation, and restoration.
Are we struggling and attempting to overcome our lustful nature by ourselves or are we trying to hide our lustful acts from our loved ones and the people around us? Are we finding ourselves failing to do the good we want to do, and instead doing the very evil we hate?
If we are, we need help, if we hope to be set free from pornography, sexual immorality, habitual sin or the like. Begin by pouring our heart out to the Lord and telling Him our desire and love to want to change. Share and confess the matter with our spouse and those whom we can trust. Seek help from our pastor in charge, Christian care and counseling by therapists who understand addiction, or begin by taking up a course that helps overcome habitual sin, such as The Way of Purity course by SettingCaptivesFree.com. Put to death our earthly nature and inclination to sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, for such is idolatry (Colossians 3:5).
Dear Lord, You know our struggles and You know by our own strength we are unable to overcome our lustful nature. Help us as we seek help in our road toward recovery, transformation, and restoration. Grant us the support from our loved ones, church family, and others. By Your Holy Spirit, open our eyes to the roots of our lust and teach us what real love is. Extend Your grace to us, for we know Your hand is not shortened that we cannot be saved, neither is Your ear heavy that our prayers are not heard. For great is Your love toward us and You have delivered us from the depths and the realm of the dead.
Amen.
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