What Does Scripture Say about Lust?
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“For everything in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — comes not from the Father but from the world” (1 John 2:16).
We live in a world that is driven by lust, whether it is lust for money, power, or pleasure. It makes sense because pride, power, and pleasure are the things that drive Satan, and after all, he is the god of this world.
When you think about what the Bible says about lust, you can see that lust presents a real problem. One reason is the things we most often lust after don’t bring the satisfaction they promise. This is often why some of the most miserable people are those who have pursued their lusts and gotten them. They have obtained what the world says will make you whole, complete, and fulfilled, and yet they still find themselves empty and wanting.
However, lust is not something that only affects a few. We all have the potential to fall prey to lust. For this reason, you must know what lust is and be clear about what the Bible says about lust. This is something you cannot take lightly.
What Is Lust?
When we think about lust, we most often think about it in a sexual sense. This is understandable because one definition of lust is to have an intense sexual desire or appetite. However, lust is not just sexual; people can have a lust for power, greed, or any number of things.
Whether or not it is sexual, to lust is to have a passionate or overpowering desire for something. This desire can become unnatural and even uncontrollable. The yearning overtakes you to the point where you feel you must have that thing, no matter what the cost is. Whether it is sexual or something else, lusts are not good because they most often appeal to your fleshly appetites.
One problem with lusts of all kinds is they don’t satisfy the underlying desire. Often, once you get what you lusted after, you despise it. This is the wicked, evil, and deceptive aspect of lust. It promises things it cannot fulfill. For this reason, if you see lust forming in your heart, you must deal with it quickly because it will steer you down a destructive path.
What Is NOT Lust?
We must be careful not to confuse desire, which is normal, with excessive desire, which is lust.
It is normal that a husband and wife would have a sexual desire for each other (at least it better be). This is healthy and helps makes the marriage work. It is also normal if you are at a birthday party where they have a cake that you would desire to have a slice.
While these desires in and of themselves are not lusts, they can turn into lusts if they become excessive and overbearing. One way to identify that is to recognize that lust is driven by selfishness. The root is I want what I want. When this becomes prevalent, then healthy desires can become lustful ones.
What Does the Bible Say about Lust?
So what does the Bible say about lust? In short, a lot. Here are some verses that address different areas where we can be prone to fall victim to lust.
Sexual lust
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).
Lust after money
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10).
Lust for fame or notoriety
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:1).
Lust for honor or recognition
“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place” (Luke 14:7-8).
Lust for power
“What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
Why Is Lust Such a Dangerous Sin?
As I mentioned earlier, lust can be ignited towards different things. What we may miss when talking about lust is everything in life has the potential to become something we lust after. So it is something you must pay attention to in your life. I want to share with you three reasons lust is such a dangerous sin.
1. It Makes You Irrational
One problem with lust is you can become irrational in your pursuit of the thing you desire. Some people will go to extraordinary lengths to fulfill a desire that has overtaken them. In my own life, I can remember some of the foolish choices I made because I was overrun with desire.
2. It Makes You Forget the Potential Consequences of Your Actions
When people become consumed with lust, they become blind to the consequences. Most people don’t even consider the consequences and if they do, their lust for what they want overrides it. Lust only thinks about the moment, it pays no attention to the moment after.
3. It Leaves You Worse Off Than Before
For many people who have pursued lusts and obtained them, they often find themselves still empty and wanting for more. Lust does not subside when you get what you want, it only pushes you to want more because there is no real satisfaction in what you have received. That’s why you are worse off than before.
“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
What is true of money is true of everything we lust after.
What Should a Christian Do When They Feel Tempted by Lust?
“But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15).
Lusts may come from internal desires, but external factors often trigger them. When that external factor connects with your internal desire, you conceive the lust. It is at the conception stage where you must decide what you are going to do with this lust before it grows out of control. Here are some things you can do when you are feeling tempted by lust.
Create Distance
Joseph was confronted by Potiphar’s wife, and she wanted to sleep with him. Joseph was a young man and if he was a typical young man, he had sexual desires. However, he did not want to dishonor God or Potiphar, so he made it a point to stay away from her. Sometimes the only way to overcome lust is to create distance between you and the temptation.
Remove the Triggers
Triggers usually enhance lusts, so you need to watch what you are feeding your eye, ears, and your mind.
My daughter and I were recently watching a cooking competition on television. When the chefs were cooking and presenting their food, my daughter said “watching all this food is making me hungry.” This is exactly how lusts work. Whatever you spend your time indulging in is going to make you hungry. As best as you can, you need to remove the things that will trigger the lust.
“If your right eye causes you to stumble, 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. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:29-30).
Seek to Be Filled with More of the Holy Spirit
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16, NKJV).
Perhaps the greatest way to overcome the lusts of the flesh is to confront them with power that is greater than those lusts. That power comes from the Holy Spirit. I can assure you the more yielded you are to him, the more control you will have over the potential lusts that want to pop up in your life.
Conclusion
We all have certain areas that have potential to turn into lust in our lives. What appeals to you will be different than what will appeal to me. Regardless, by yielding to them, the damage can still be the same. That’s why it is not enough just to know what the Bible says about lust, we must know what the Bible says about overcoming lusts.
Thankfully, you don’t have to do that in your own strength. Yes, to overcome lust will take some work on your behalf, but the biggest part of that will be finding strength in the Holy Spirit. He will help you walk upright and help you stand regardless of any lust or temptation you may face.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Jenny Dettrick
