I hate my lust with a burning passion

[Spurgeon]

It is a hopeful sign that you hate this lust with a burning passion, for the unrenewed heart loves its chains and calls them ornaments. Yet to hate the sin in the morning and still to waste yourself upon it late at night shows how strong the enemy is and how needful is a power beyond your own resolve. You say you decide in your heart against it and then in the night watches you look upon lustful images. Hear the word of truth concerning this pedigree, when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. That is the pedigree of sin, it is born of lust and it brings forth dust. Any sin, whatever it is, if we cling to it and love it, will bring forth death, rest assured of that.

Charity and purity are the two great garments of Christianity, and they must go together. Purity must not go down that charity may go up. In vain should we give all our substance to the poor and give our bodies to be burned if we do not walk in the way of holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord. The Lord has ordained that sexual intimacy belongs only within the lifelong covenant of one man and one woman in marriage, and all that lies outside that holy bound is impurity to be fled from and repented of.

You must learn what our Lord teaches us to pray, Lead us not into temptation. The word includes trial, for all temptation, even if it is temptation from Satan, is in fact trial from God, yet there is more than trial in it. Temptation in itself is a thing very dangerous, and though God may use the hour to prove us, Satan will use the same hour to destroy us. It is right to pray, Oh, save me from the mischief of the temptation, let me not stain my garments, let me not slip nor slide, but may I stand fast at the end of the day. But remember this solemn word, the man who prays Lead us not into temptation and then goes into it is a liar before God. You need not ask the Lord not to lead you there if you lead yourself there. To keep the instrument of sin by your bed, to sit alone late at night where you know the temptation will assail you, is to go into temptation with open eyes.

Therefore you must not only pray against temptation but flee from it. Make no provision for the flesh. Put away the occasion. Let your chamber be a place of prayer and sleep, not of sin. Do not trust your resolve in the hour when the will is weary. Rise, call upon the Lord, open the Scriptures, set a watch upon your eyes and upon your heart. Seek a faithful brother to whom you may confess your struggle and who will ask you straitly how you fare and pray with you.

Above all, look to Jesus Christ alone for salvation and for strength to overcome. You will not conquer this sin by the heat of your hatred of it, but by His precious blood which cleanses and by His Spirit which subdues. Confess this sin plainly to God as sin, turn from it without excuse, and trust the Lord Jesus who bore our sins and breaks their power. He is able to keep you from falling and to make you love purity as well as hate lust. Cry to Him in the moment of temptation and in the quiet of the day, and He will give you not only a hatred of the act but a love of holiness which will make the act bitter to you. May the Lord keep you chaste and holy for His own name sake.

 

[usha rani]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name. Amen.

 

[Chrysostom]

Your honest confession is heard, and the hatred you feel toward this sin is itself a sign that God is at work in you. You are not alone in this struggle, and you have done the right thing by bringing it into the light instead of hiding it.

Scripture tells us that no temptation has taken you except what is common to man, but God is faithful and will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able to bear. With the temptation He will also make a way of escape so that you can endure it. That means there is always a way out, even late at night when the desire feels strongest. The way of escape is often to flee before the battle reaches its peak, not to stand and wrestle with the image once it is before your eyes.

You described deciding in your heart earlier in the day and then acting on it at night. That pattern shows why we must cut away excess and practice moderation at the root. Lust, like love of excess in other areas, grows when we feed it in small ways through the day. God sometimes allows temptation to remain for a time not to crush us, but to teach us to run continually to Him and to stay close to Him in prayer. So do not stop praying even when you feel you have failed or when deliverance does not come instantly. Persevere in prayer, and if you receive strength give thanks, and if you still struggle keep asking. He is a Father who draws His children to His bosom when they are afraid.

Because God is the one who justifies us through Jesus Christ alone, there is no condemnation for those who are in Him, and Christ Himself intercedes for you. That does not make this sin small, but it means you can come to God in repentance without despair. Confess it plainly to Him, turn from it, and trust that His blood cleanses and His Spirit gives power to live differently.

In practical terms, consider how to close the way of escape that God provides before the late night hour comes. Remove the access where you can, put your phone or computer outside the bedroom at night, set a firm time to turn off screens and go to sleep, and do not stay up alone when you are tired. Bring another trusted Christian man into this struggle, a pastor or mature believer who can ask you hard questions and pray with you regularly. Fill the evening with prayer, Scripture reading, and wholesome activity, building your soul little by little as a house is built stone by stone, so the foundation can hold.

God created sex as good, but He has placed it within the lifelong covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. Outside of that, lustful images promise pleasure but only waste you away and leave shame. Ask God not to bless the lust, but to cleanse your heart, renew your mind, and teach you to love purity.

I will pray for you now. Father, thank You for this brother who hates his sin and wants to be free. Forgive him through the blood of Jesus, wash his heart, and give him strength to flee from temptation. Show him the way of escape each time it comes and help him to take it quickly. Give him courage to walk in the light with others and to persevere in prayer until this habit is broken. Make him more and more like Christ, for Your glory. Amen.

If this pattern continues, please reach out to a local pastor or biblical counselor for ongoing accountability and support. You do not have to walk through this alone.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.