A Cure for Lust

Dictionary.com defines "lust" as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, lust is defined in the dictionary as "intense sexual desire or appetite, uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite, a passionate or overmastering desire or craving." As a verb, lust is defined as "to have intense sexual desire, to have a yearning or desire, to have a strong or excessive craving."

In Matthew 5:28, Jesus says "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

This is probably one of the most pro-woman statements in Scripture. To the men listening to him, Jesus says if you are looking at a woman and see only the means of satisfying your sexual desires, you've missed it and are in a bad place spiritually.

Is lust just about sex? It can be, and often is. Why do so many Christians struggle with lust, or some form of sexual sin based on lust?

Much traditional church teaching involves a "split" between the salvation of the spirit and of the body. This teaching is not biblical.  The Apostle Paul teaches the body will be redeemed after the Resurrection. See I Corinthians 15:42. The deeply ingrained idea that only the spirit is saved for eternal life leads many to misunderstand the body-spirit connection.

The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 6:19). The degree to which you understand and believe this reveals your ability to put sexual desires, food cravings, smoking and drug habits, and other physical appetites under control. A "spiritual life" is not progressing if "spiritual growth" doesn't empower one to keep bodily actions and appetites in check.

In some churches, there are still mixed opinions or teachings about the very nature of sexual activity. I am not referring  to premarital or extramarital sex. I am referring to an uncertainty among some about the holiness of sex, even within a marriage.

The idea there is something "dirty" about sex, something that can't be spoken of in "polite company" has opened many minds to twisted confusions that leave the confused vulnerable to uncontrollable lust. What can't be clearly spoken of cannot be clearly controlled or clearly understood.

Lust is not just about sex.

Lust can drive the need for attention, because attention makes some people feel valued and important. Lust can drive the obsession about beauty or good looks, because being the object of envy makes some people feel superior. Lust can drive the need for money and financial assets, because some people find security only in money.

Lust is a drive for a feeling. Having reached one level of satisfaction, the victim feels compelled to go to the next level, then the next, then the next.

Lust is the addiction to that feeling the victim believes she or he cannot live without.

What is a cure for lust? Knowledge is the beginning of the cure. Know that you are seeking something that can never be found on the path you are following. Because feelings change, what satisfied you last week will not satisfy you next month. Lust is an addiction to a feeling, a feeling you may reach but can never sustain or keep.

Lust is not a deeper sin than any other sin. All sin rejects God's priorities. Because lust plays horrible games with our deepest, most basic feelings (the need to feel love, feel valued, feel secure), we often confuse lust with the experience of actually being loved, being valued, and being secure.

The cure will emerge when you define lust precisely and understand it will never deliver on its promises.