Lust

[mattistheman]

I am young, at 15.  Already I find myself fighting lust, and I fear I am losing.  I would really appreciate it if someone would give me some pointers on how to combat this destructive emotion.

Thanks

Thanks be to the Living God

[The_8th_Person]

I feel your pain I am 14 and having the same problems. I try to combat it but some pointers would be nice.

[Bern]

Hey folks,

Lust is definately one of the toughest things that men face. I dont know about women, seeing as I'm male.. I think my last post on the "Can somebody help me get a girlfriend" thread in the "You name it" section may be of help. Hopefully this link will work.. its a link to the post in question


http://forums.christiansunite.com/index.php?board=10;action=display;threadid=5989;start=15

[ephesians429]

Here are some thoughts that might be helpful:
(1) Recognize that lustful thoughts are common. Don't give in to them, but don't feel condemned because of them.
(2) Pray to see sin as God does ... as something awful, not something tempting.
(3) Pray to truly love people ... not to see them as sex objects.
(4) Choose wholesome entertainments (movies, videos, websites, etc.).
(5) Resisting temptation is a life-long battle, but as you grow in the Lord He transforms (changes) you!!!

[kdr22]

I am young, at 15.  Already I find myself fighting lust, and I fear I am losing.  I would really appreciate it if someone would give me some pointers on how to combat this destructive emotion.

Here is a good site for guys your age...www.wuzupgod.com

[Getting_Real]

Lust is a part of growing - don't worry, it's normal. However:

Don't ever underestimate the power of internet porn. If you are mucking around with it there is a very high chance that it is going to have a major affect on your life.

This is a powerful issue today - don't spend the next 10 years of your life growing progressively more enslaved to it before you seek help. If you are finding yourself turning to pornography (and even if you think you can walk away from it anytime) then you need to talk to someone and make yourself accountable to them.

If you find yourself turning to lust (fantasy, wrong looking, etc) increasingly instead of building relationships with girls (because it's difficult, or you've been rejected a few times) - and I mean building friendships, not just dating etc - then this is an area of danger too.
Each time you give up on the difficult area of building relationships, and turn to lust instead, you're setting up a habit that will only ever have negative effects on your life. Taking the easy option each time begins to make the more difficult option even more difficult.

The problem with Lust is that a role that it often plays in our lives is to replace genuine relationship. Lust is more often than not a temptation based in legitimate desire - for love and relationship - but twisted by the devil to tempt us to pursue an object rather than a relationship.

Be aware that one of the greatest ways the devil is undermining the church today is through making people ineffectual by trapping them in things like habitual lust. One of the things that traps us easily is the shame we feel when we fall into lust.

Conversely, one of the greatest things you can do to set yourself free and maintain freedom is to banish shame by confessing to someone you can trust (pastor, older mentor, etc), and forming a mentoring relationship with a person like this. Honesty and accountability does wonders to helping you resist lust - because it counters one of the devil's greatest weapon's in this area - the fear people have of asking for help.

If you find yourself turning to pornography, don't be fooled that you can stop at any time. It draws you in to greater usage over time.

At the same time, don't ever think you're the only one, or that your sin is too shameful to talk to others about. It's not - it's one of the more common sins undermining Christian men all over the world today. Even Kirk Franklin struggled with pornography - at the same time that he was releasing albums like Stomp.

But you cannot afford to take lust lightly - esp with porn so easy to get. If you find yourself starting to take it lightly ask yourself this question:

"How many years of my life am I going to give up to pornography, before I'm going to start feeling truly alive?"

[kdr22]

Escape the Trap!

If sexual temptation looked and smelled like roadkill, we wouldn’t need this site! But that’s not the way it is…sexual temptation will always confront guys who want to please God.

That’s why we’ve created the Escape the Trap! web site—to be a practical online reminder that God is always ready to help you resist and overcome temptation. Here’s what’s available now. Check in from time to time to see the new stuff.

Read the book online

http://lmi.gospelcom.net/escape.html

[ajjessadams]

This has to be the most difficult time to go thru puberty for boys.  With the over-explotation of sex being so commonplace, it's hard for a young boy to escape it. Every teenage (and younger) girl wants to dress and look like Britney Spears with 'Booty-liscous' on the rear of her pants, or the barely there see thru tops.  It is no wonder that the youth of today can become so directionless and lost in a sea of perversion.

For starters, see if your church has a youth group and GO.  You will meet good christian girls there and build lasting friendships with other people your own age.

Realise that lust is a normal male reaction and learn to subdue the desire.  If you don't learn to control it now, it will control you later.

[Joshua]

I know how you guys feel. I am 20 and just getting over a bad porn addiction. How am I getting over it? God said to hide his word in your heart so you might not sin against him. So what I did is found a verse in the Bible that matched my sin, sexual immorality, and memorized it. whenever the temptation came I qoeted the verse over and over outloud, mainly for satan to here. The thing is to not give in and understand you have to lean on God and always remeber Micah 7:8 Don't gloat over me my enemy, though I have fallen, I will rise, though I sit in darkness, the lord will be my light.

[ArchSeeker]

I've just start reading these forums, and as I read them, and this one in particular, I find myself combating the vice known as lust even at this very moment.

I'm a student of conversation and human-kind. I've spents years now studying what we are and why we act, what our soul is and what the man in us is responsible for, while at the same time learning to seperate that from the tools of the evil which also finds opportunity in our individual souls.

With that knownledge and realization that I am only a student, and not yet a teacher, I have to decide when it is appropriate to speak out to others and with great care give them information that will not harm them, but help them; for I(like anyone else) will be held responsible for what I preach.

On that note I'll kept my advice very simple and hopefully accurate.(Right now you are IN the situations on a daily basis, so I'll cut it down to the practical parts)

Define what it is that is troubling you. In this particular circumstance it is Lust.
 Lust is a vice of mankind and in that, you need to assert unto yourself a definition for understand it in this instance and future ones to come. From there you can always see it coming, and deal with it, commanding it and taking dominion over it.
So, having said that I'll give you my own, and hopefully give good witness.
Lust is your willingness to disobey, in order to obtain something you want.

If you disagree with this statement, that is fine, but it has seen many trials, so combat it with not only what you've been told about your current situation but the circumstances of others as well.

If you feel lead to work with this definition until you can better hone it yourself over time, then compare it to your situation and make sure that it is lust that has you troubled.
Otherwise concern yourself with the human body, and your own hormones. Consider that it is those very levels of testerone that can cause men to commit murder and defile woman by rape. Assess your young self and realize that you have a lot of time to grow, and decide for yourself if you need to become more deciplined. That is a very hard thing to do, and it take a strong heart and mind,but sometimes we are that passionate, and sometimes our hormones do hold that much sway. In those circumstances we have to hold ourselves accountable and strong that much stronger.

It is through ignorance that God's people are destroyed.

Seeker,
Michael

[the overlooked]

dude i am 15 and i have been through what you are going through a couple things you can do to help your situation is to pray and medatate.  that always works for me.  

[MorethanConquerors]

Hiya,

I am 30 years old and about half that time was spent in addiction to p*rn and lustful thoughts. However, the Lord set me free from that four months ago. Now the compulsion is even gone.

Allow me to give you some advice from a man set free....

1) Lay it before Jesus. Look at my discussion handle. We are More Than Conquerors through him. You CANNOT quit by yourself, but only through Jesus.

2) You cannot break bad habits simply by not doing them. You have to replace them with something. Basically, break bad habits with good habits. Conquer evil with good. When you feel lust creeping you can do several things. 1) Close your eyes and just pray. It almost doesn't even matter what you pray..just pray. Offer a praise, cry for help, speak a word of scripture. 2) Pick up your Bible when you feel the "need" coming. It works. I promise. 3) Someone metioned meditation earlier. Good one. Pick a piece of scripture or maybe a hymn or just think about Jesus and meditate on it. Remember, replace bad habits with Godly habits. Soon the everlasting joy from the Godly habits will make you cringe at the thought of the momentary pleasure the bad habits bring.

3) If you are having a problem with the internet use a filter. I recommend www.wisechoice.net. Its not free...but its the best. The only way to turn it off is to cancel your service...Its a very accountable, christian filter.

4) Find someone you can be accountable to. Someone each week you can meet with and who isn't afraid to ask you the hard questions. Better yet, find two people. And make sure they are men.

5) Pray that the Lord gives you his eyes so you can see the women you lust after are the children he died for. This is my current prayer for myself.

[nChrist]

Chancellor,

It would be impossible to argue the absolutely true and correct statement:

Books are good, BUT ONLY AFTER THE BIBLE!!!!!

The same would be completely correct about those who wish to read commentaries about the Bible instead of reading the BIBLE.

There is no substitution for the Holy Bible. We should go to the Holy Bible first and last. Other books are the words of men, not the WORD OF GOD. I read a lot of books, but I read the Holy Bible first, last, and most of the time.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Philippians 3:9  And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

[gary cook]

Gal 5:16  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
Gal 5:18  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.
Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Our flesh is weak ,also when young our being goes though changes .We must over come these .satan is putting evil thoughts in many people on the earth to trick them .
What you must understand ,We need the HOLY SPIRIT to teach us what is important .You are spirit 1st ,not flesh .The rewards for over coming is far beyond any thing you could think of .
Many are called ,but few choosen .Because few will follow HIm .Be one of the few .Rule with HIM one day soon .He will bless you here and MUCH GREATER there .in love gary

[kdr22]

I am young, at 15.  Already I find myself fighting lust, and I fear I am losing.  I would really appreciate it if someone would give me some pointers on how to combat this destructive emotion.

You Are Not Alone!

by Seth Louis Carter

In the summer of 2000, on June 15, my friend and I were riding our bikes to a local convenience store. We rode down his street to a four-way stop. The driver to our left waved us on. My friend went. I looked the other way to see if any traffic was coming, then I went. The driver to our left apparently thought that I was waiting, and she started out at the same time as I did and hit me.

My bike was knocked away. I fell under the car and was run over by the tires. I made it out with a skull fracture, a broken jaw, both heels cut and an Achilles tendon partially cut.
Everyone including the doctors considered my survival -- with no injuries to my internal organs or to my spinal column -- a miracle. After staying in the hospital for a week, I was up on crutches and back in school in September. By October 1 I was healed and actually able to participate in the first day of wrestling practice!

Since the accident, God has been so real in my life. He woke me up from my dry and dull relationship with Him. I realized that I had a lot of sin in my life and that I wasn't doing anything for His Kingdom. I struggled with sexual temptations and lustful desires. But because of God's awesome grace and mercy, I am able to put the past behind me. I still face struggles, but God's grace helps me to move forward.

Everyone struggles with temptation to sin -- it's hard not to, especially with the pressures at school. The pressure was bad enough in middle school, but now that I'm a freshman in high school, the pressure is much worse.

I constantly hear about sex and face other temptations in school. It is important for me to stay focused on living for God and on doing what is right.

I have taken to heart a story the youth pastor told our youth group. There was this teenager who struggled with the same sin that I do. His youth pastor told him that he couldn't overcome sin unless he sees sin the way God sees it, hates sin the way God hates it, and forsakes sin the way God would have him forsake it.

Thinking about that every day can help us to keep from giving in to temptation. Here are some other ideas that have helped me, and may help you too, to grow and be victorious in Christ:

1. Memorize Bible verses related to your sin. It is helpful to quote these verses when temptation occurs.

2. Have a quiet time with God each day. Read God's Word and pray each day. This is key to being close to God and to overcoming sin.

3. Be accountable regarding your quiet time. If you don't have someone helping to keep you on track, you may drift away and go back to sin. A good accountability partner may be a Christian friend or a youth pastor.

4. Don't become discouraged -- remember, you are not alone!
Seth Louis Carter, a freshman in high school, enjoys wrestling and volunteering with his church's youth group. He lives with his family in Lexington, Ky.
 
This article was taken from DECISION magazine, March, 2001; © 2001 Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, used by permission, all rights reserved.