Lust :: Warning

Lust is our warning that danger is ahead.

In today’s media-driven, pornography-accepting world, you don’t hear much about lust. Most people won’t admit they do it, much less admit they have a problem with it.

When I was an active sex addict lust ruled my life. It didn’t matter what sparked it… once the idea or image was in my mind, the game was on. And sure as the sun comes up, trouble was ahead. It might not show up today or even tomorrow, but it was coming.

 

 …don’t think you’ve preserved your virtue simply by staying out of bed. Your heart can be corrupted by lust even quicker than your body. ~ Matthew 5:28 MSG

Some will argue that it’s alright to break God’s rules as long as no one gets hurt. But the truth is, someone always gets hurt. God doesn’t have rules to keep us from having a good time, but to help us not destroy our lives. Just like a loving parent puts boundaries on a young child for their safety; God’s rules are for our protection.

Take it from someone who knows from experience… Lust is dangerous! From a generational perspective, the lust my father gave in to when I was a child had serious effects on me that I still deal with today. Lust was at the foundation of many bad things that happened in my marriage and my family.

We must beware when attracted to another person we aren’t married to. If given in to, our desires may lead us somewhere we don’t want to go. Lust is a warning sign from God. To stay strong, we must immediately ask God to change our desires before we are drawn into sin.  

 

So anyone who thinks they are standing strong should be careful that they don’t fall. The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it. ~ 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 ERV

 

 

 

Working the Steps: Step 12

December… the perfect month to focus on Step 12:

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

We are all recovering from something: hurts, habits or hang-ups. And if we’re recovering, that means someone helped us overcome our problem. And if it was Christ, we must tell others.

When I was homeschooling my children in the 90’s we had The 21 Rules of This House by Gregg Harris on our refrigerator. (still do by the way) One of my favorites is Rule #11: When we have something nice to share, we share it.

What better gift to give someone who’s hurting than your story out of bondage into freedom! 

This Christmas season, give hope to someone; take an opportunity to share what God has done in your life. I believe people are more receptive to The Good News this time of year than any other. 

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, and wrong… slaves to passions and pleasures of all kinds… But when the kindness and love of God our Savior was revealed, he saved us… God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by his grace we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life we hope for. This is a true saying. ~Titus 3:3-8

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