Lust: what is it?

What is Lust? Matthew 5:27-32

I’m going to talk about my personal struggles in this devotion, so if that makes you uncomfortable, feel free to turn off the video now.
Father,
I know that I have struggled with this. I haven’t gone so far as to gouge out an eye, but I have struggled with it, mightily. Porn has been a thing in my life for too long. I have justified myself for the last time. My eyes have had times of purity, but I want to cleanse and protect them and myself from further lust in my heart. I plead Jesus’ blood over my heart, mind, soul, and eyes. I ask that my eyes would be restored so that I no longer objectify, but really see people. I ask that my heart and mind would be reset as through I’d never stumbled across porn in my life, much less allowed it to become a stronghold. I tear down that stronghold and break covenant with those thoughts and memories, even the desire to seek more stimulation of that sort. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you that your blood is more than enough to cover and heal me.
Amen

Matthew 5:27-32 (TPT)
“Your ancestors have been taught, ‘Never commit adultery.’ 28However, I say to you, if you look with lust in your eyes at a woman who is not your wife, you’ve already committed adultery in your heart. 29If your right eye seduces you to fall into sin, then go blind in your right eye! For you’re better off losing sight in one eye than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand entices you to sin, let it go limp and useless! For you’re better off losing a part of your body than to have it all thrown into hell.
31“It has been said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her legal divorce papers.’ 32However, I say to you, if anyone divorces his wife for any reason, except for infidelity, he causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Real talk: I have struggled and still struggle with porn. I have not chosen to take that path for close to a month, and there have been longer seasons of victory in the past, even a year or two. However, I wind up falling back into it, inevitably. This may be abit more raw than most, so if you are uncomfortable with the topic, watch no further. Porn plays on lust, and allows its roots to dig deeper into our souls. What was the wound that gave that weed the opening to germinate and grow? Why is lust such a major problem in our culture? Is it a problem? Is porn a problem, or is it just “a way to explore without getting hurt”? Let’s look at the Word for an answer here.

If Lust is a bad enough thing to warrant going blind in order to avoid it, according to Jesus, then wouldn’t a product of lust be a problem as well. Sexual lust is a perversion of our natural desire for our mates, just as envy is a corruption of an innate desire to better ourselves. Both are an overgrowth of natural needs and desires, but take nature to the nth degree. Lust of any kind, whether in sexual terms or other things, leads to dark places of objectification, as is typified by the plethora of porn that exists, along with the nature of advertizing in western culture, telling us what we should want to have, nay what we NEED to have so that we don’t “miss out”.

Pornography is materials printed or produced (online, video, print) to ellicit sexual reactions and responses in those who partake in it. It is rooted in and sets the viewer up to partner with the spirit of Lust. Gramatically, it comes from the Greek word porneia, which is often translated as sexual immorality. This is much of why the very word feels dirty to those of us who grew up in the church. It is born from and feeds Lust in ways that it never could be fed in real life, with an overwhelming array of variations that would probably kill you if you tried to partake in them as portrayed. Not to mention that it destroys intimacy with your partners and spouses (one at a time, thank you very much). It gives you the feeling of having conquered another person (or been “taken” by them, if that is the subset you find appealing), but without actually meeting, much less knowing the person about whom you are fantasizing. When one brings that into their marriage relationship, it #1 sets you up for unrealistic expectations, both of yourself and your spouse; #2 it leaves you feeling inadequate, as well as likely your spouse as well; #3 it leads you to believe that you can act however you see the actors or characters act in your particular poison of choice and get those results; #4 it forms a wedge of intense isolation between you and your spouse, and can destroy your marriage, as it often cuts off communication when you are in the thick of it, as you feel ashamed of what you know is wrong.

Enough on porn for the moment, lust is a multi-faceted issue and spirit that if left unchecked, can and will destroy relationships and lives. That is why Jesus hits it with both barrels, as His heart is to heal and restore and build, not destroy, when the thing in view is good, as marriage is. Lust rots marriages from the inside out. I tried to come in as purely as I could, but lust was always gnawing at me, goading me to imagine ridiculous fantasies, and to make insane requests of my wife (at least in my mind, as I’ve always been very inhibited, not wanting to appear either needy or domineering). It was there when we laid the foundations of our marriage, and it has rotted things that should’ve been strong. That is not to say that I feel that my marriage is weak or horribly damaged from it at this juncture.

Jesus tells us to gouge out our eyes if we are dominated by Lust. After all, if you can’t see a physically attractive person, you cannot lust after them. The idea of literally losing eyesight over giving myself over to a stray lustful thought is deeply disturbing, as I would’ve been blind many years ago. I suppose that it would solve much, though. On the other hand, if one’s entire life is predicated on lust, and you cannot break out of it, drastic steps may need to be taken so that your salvation does not come into jeopardy. As a believer, we always have ways out from temptation. It is completely unnecessary for us to be stuck in lust or any other destructive form of behavior, thought, or attitude. We can break free. Along with the help of the Holy Spirit and the community of faith, we are to exert mastery over ourselves, and take every thought captive to the Mind of Christ in us. When we are weak, we need to admit it to ourselves, the Lord, and an accountability partner. Take this advice however you will, but as you climb back out of the lust pit, and escape its fruit in your life, these things will be useful to you. I’m not going to exhaust this topic, here, so I’m going to end it now. I hope that this was helpful for you, as it was therapeutic for me to not allow shame to control me.