To Overcome Lust - Time is Everything

Last week, as I was riding on my bike, my eyes abruptly fell upon a billboard. I found on it these words, written in big letters, “In Cancer Treatment, Time is Everything.” As I was reflecting on it, a thought suddenly dawned on me—to overcome lust, is not time everything, I mean, an essential element?

Everyone knows cancer is a deadly disease, which is responsible for the death of millions of people. According to World Cancer Research Fund International, it is expected that by 2030 the number of people dying of cancer would reach to 21 million. And one major reason for people dying of cancer is due to lack of early detection and treatment. Time seems to play a vital role, isn’t it?

Lust—which is an inappropriate and unrestrained sexual passion in striking contrast to healthy sexual desire—is perilous like cancer. Lack of prompt dealing with lust is a major cause for so many to fall into sexually immoral acts, thereby ruining one’s personal and family life.

Take Instant Turn

We need to understand that many who fall into sexual sins—be it in pornography, fornication, adultery, homosexuality or lustful fantasies—neglect to deal with them promptly and seriously at its initial stage. They casually face it and miserably fall into it.

Fact: Lust thrives in a delayed and negligent attitude.

For this reason, Jesus exhorted in hyperbolic language, “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell” (Matt. 5:29). Eugene Peterson paraphrases it in his contemporary translation The Message, “If you want to live a morally pure life, here’s what you have to do: You have to blind your right eye the moment you catch it in a lustful leer.”

In other words, if your eye is caught up in a lustful sight, turn your eyes instantly from it and urgently root out that lustful attitude. To save oneself from falling into lust, it is only a spur-of-the-moment. If you delay a bit, you will without delay find yourself drowned in a lustful pit.

Fact: The more we delay in resisting lust, the more it becomes difficult to overcome it. 

I have learned that to overcome lust—particularly when you bump unexpectedly into something sensual, such as a porn image or a lustful wall poster or a sensual scene on television—it is only a matter of seconds. If I do not turn away from it immediately at my first glance, my mind would easily be captured by its lure. Therefore, when I find myself into a lustful temptation, I am disciplining myself, by God’s grace, to turn immediately or flee in a second.

Of course, when I flee, I do face temptations that I am missing a great pleasure and just need to yield to the temptation to satisfy my sensual emotions. But I know that’s deception and also destructive.

Fact: Lust grows stronger when you stay longer at what you watch.

Flee Lest You Cleave
 
Therefore, the Holy Bible says, “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). In my study of the word “flee”, I have found that it means, “To run with rapidity, as from danger; to hasten from danger or expected evil.”

Fact: Lust is such a fiery temptation that if we do not run away from it, we rush into it.

We cannot spend a little time and then walk away slowly from lust. It is like a flood of water released from a dam. If we don’t flee quickly and immediately, we cannot stand against its raging torrent of temptation, having been easily wiped out by its enticement.

O, how many neglect to flee instantly from lust, but once they are swept off by it, they cry out helplessly for freedom!

Fact—The devil doesn’t drag people directly into sexual acts. He first feeds their sight with lust, fills their mind with evil imaginations, and then it is effortless for him to knock them down in immoral acts.

Take Off Lest You Give In

Think about the young man Joseph. Since he was handsome and well built, the lustful eyes of Potiphar’s wife fell on him. After persistently tempting him, one day when none was there inside her house, she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!”

But what did Joseph do? He left his garment in her hand and immediately fled from her (Gen. 39:11-12).  Had he given a little room for lust to gaze at her, he could have easily fallen in adultery.

Fact: If you don’t flee from lust immediately, you may cleave to it inescapably.

Friend, may be you are entertaining a conversation or chat with a person which is progressively leading you into an illicit affair. May be you are moving too close physically with a person which may end up in some sexual sin. May be you are staying in a place where there is a danger of getting dragged into immoral acts. May be you are watching certain things which may appear less harmful to you now but they may indeed be stepping stones to greater pits and terrible fall. May be you are constantly tempted by someone or something to enjoy the momentary pleasure of sex which doesn’t fall into the boundary of marital fidelity.

Like Joseph, are you learning to rapidly flee from such lustful traps?

So, the next time, if you happen to find yourself into a lustful sight or place, know—time is everything. Just flee!

Related Articles:

• The Conversation of Job on Lust
• A Lesson from Cotton Buds on Sexual Purity
• Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity

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