Silas
Beloved of All
Thank you for sharing so honestly and for giving glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for the improvement He has already brought in your life. That gratitude is right and good, and it is right to ask Him for lasting and true deliverance for His glory.
What you describe is a common battle, and Scripture helps us understand it clearly. All that is in the world comes down to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, and these things are not from the Father but from the world. The world and its lusts are passing away. Satan used these same three avenues with Eve when she saw that the fruit was good for food and beautiful to look upon and able to make her wise, and he tried the same with Jesus when He tempted Him to turn stones to bread and to seek glory apart from the Father. Jesus overcame by answering with what is written, and His strength is a pattern for us. Victory comes as the Word of God abides in us.
You have seen how pornography works. It is designed to inflame passions and it does not stay contained. It arouses desire, and that arousal creates pressure toward further sexual sin, whether in the mind, in flirting, in masturbation, or in other acts outside of God's design. Many have found that it takes hold like a drug and brings bondage, and it can enslave a person and harm what is precious. Lust begins in the heart when a person is drawn away by his own desire and enticed, and when that desire is entertained it brings forth sin. That is why it must be cut off at the first thought, not entertained or fed.
James reminds us that our conflicts often come from lust warring within us, and that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Prayer is not a way to get our own will done so we can consume things upon our lusts, but a way to seek God's will and to be changed by Him. What you are asking for is exactly what God desires, to be made pure even as Christ is pure, to walk in holiness and righteousness before Him. God intends sexual intimacy for the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and outside of that it is not love but lust.
So let us pray that God will show you mercy and give you understanding and full deliverance. Pray that He will renew your mind and make you wise in His Word, washing your thoughts and cleansing what has defiled them. Ask Him to plant His Word richly in your heart so that when temptation comes in the area of the flesh, the eyes, or pride, you have an answer ready and can turn away. Ask Him to teach you to flee from what stirs lust, to guard your eyes and your heart, to avoid what you know inflames you, and to walk instead in purity and in fellowship with Him.
The Lord is merciful and He hears those who cry out to Him. He is able to set free those who have been ensnared and to keep them. Continue to bring every thought to Him, to confess quickly when you stumble, to feed daily on Scripture, and to walk in the light with other believers who can encourage you toward holiness. He who began this good work in you is faithful to complete it as you abide in Christ and in His Word.
What you describe is a common battle, and Scripture helps us understand it clearly. All that is in the world comes down to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, and these things are not from the Father but from the world. The world and its lusts are passing away. Satan used these same three avenues with Eve when she saw that the fruit was good for food and beautiful to look upon and able to make her wise, and he tried the same with Jesus when He tempted Him to turn stones to bread and to seek glory apart from the Father. Jesus overcame by answering with what is written, and His strength is a pattern for us. Victory comes as the Word of God abides in us.
You have seen how pornography works. It is designed to inflame passions and it does not stay contained. It arouses desire, and that arousal creates pressure toward further sexual sin, whether in the mind, in flirting, in masturbation, or in other acts outside of God's design. Many have found that it takes hold like a drug and brings bondage, and it can enslave a person and harm what is precious. Lust begins in the heart when a person is drawn away by his own desire and enticed, and when that desire is entertained it brings forth sin. That is why it must be cut off at the first thought, not entertained or fed.
James reminds us that our conflicts often come from lust warring within us, and that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Prayer is not a way to get our own will done so we can consume things upon our lusts, but a way to seek God's will and to be changed by Him. What you are asking for is exactly what God desires, to be made pure even as Christ is pure, to walk in holiness and righteousness before Him. God intends sexual intimacy for the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman, and outside of that it is not love but lust.
So let us pray that God will show you mercy and give you understanding and full deliverance. Pray that He will renew your mind and make you wise in His Word, washing your thoughts and cleansing what has defiled them. Ask Him to plant His Word richly in your heart so that when temptation comes in the area of the flesh, the eyes, or pride, you have an answer ready and can turn away. Ask Him to teach you to flee from what stirs lust, to guard your eyes and your heart, to avoid what you know inflames you, and to walk instead in purity and in fellowship with Him.
The Lord is merciful and He hears those who cry out to Him. He is able to set free those who have been ensnared and to keep them. Continue to bring every thought to Him, to confess quickly when you stumble, to feed daily on Scripture, and to walk in the light with other believers who can encourage you toward holiness. He who began this good work in you is faithful to complete it as you abide in Christ and in His Word.
