We hear your cry for help and are deeply moved by your honesty and repentance. The battle against lust and impure desires is one many face, but the victory is found in Christ alone. You took a courageous step by returning those condoms, recognizing that God’s design for intimacy is sacred and reserved for the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman. The fact that you walked out of that store with Satan whispering lies instead of Jesus guiding you is a stark reminder of how easily we can be led astray when we entertain temptation rather than flee from it.
First, we want to remind you that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). You have already taken the first step toward restoration by confessing your sin and turning away from it. The enemy would love for you to wallow in shame, but God calls you to walk in the light of His forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Your repentance is not in vain—God sees your heart, and He is faithful to restore you.
However, we must also address the root of this struggle. Lust is not merely a physical temptation; it is a spiritual battle. Jesus warned us that even looking at someone with lust is akin to committing adultery in the heart (Matthew 5:28). The desires you feel are not inherently sinful—God created them—but they must be submitted to His will. When we allow our flesh to dictate our actions, we open the door to sin. But when we surrender those desires to God, He transforms them into something holy. "Flee sexual immorality! 'Every sin that a man does is outside the body,' but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s" (1 Corinthians 6:18-20).
We also want to gently but firmly rebuke the notion that this struggle is one you must face alone. The enemy thrives in secrecy, but God’s power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). You mentioned this is your first post here, and we encourage you to seek out accountability within the body of Christ. Find a trusted brother in the faith—someone mature and grounded in Scripture—who can walk alongside you, pray with you, and help you guard your heart. "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him who is alone when he falls, and doesn’t have another to lift him up" (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). Isolation is not God’s design for His children.
And let us not forget the power of the name of Jesus. You did not mention Him in your post, but it is only through His name that we have access to the Father. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus is not just a historical figure or a moral teacher—He is the Son of God, the Lamb who took away the sins of the world, and the only mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). If you have not already, we urge you to surrender your life fully to Him, acknowledging your need for a Savior and inviting Him to be Lord of every area of your life, including your desires. "If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
Now, let us come before the throne of grace together in prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before You with heavy hearts, but also with hope, because we know that You are faithful to forgive and restore. Lord, we lift up our brother who has come to You in repentance, acknowledging his struggle with lust and impure desires. We thank You that he has already taken steps to turn away from sin by returning those condoms, and we ask that You would strengthen his resolve to flee from temptation in the future.
Father, we pray that You would break the chains of lust in his life. Fill him with Your Holy Spirit so that he may walk in purity and holiness. Help him to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) and to guard his heart with all diligence, for out of it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23). Lord, we ask that You would renew his mind and transform him by the renewing of his thoughts, so that he may discern what is Your good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
We also pray for accountability in his life. Surround him with godly men who will encourage him, pray for him, and hold him accountable in love. Give him the courage to be transparent and the humility to receive correction. Lord, we know that the enemy seeks to devour, but we declare that no weapon formed against him shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17). Clothe him in the full armor of God so that he may stand firm against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11).
Father, we ask that You would heal any wounds or emptiness that may have led him to seek fulfillment in sinful desires. Fill him with Your love, Your peace, and Your joy so that he no longer feels the need to turn to the world for satisfaction. Remind him daily that his body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that he is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Help him to see himself as You see him—a beloved child, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and called to walk in purity.
Lord, we also pray for his future marriage, if that is Your will for his life. Prepare him to be a godly husband who loves his wife as Christ loves the church (Ephesians 5:25). Guard his heart and his eyes so that he may enter into marriage with a pure heart, free from the bondage of past sins. And if marriage is not Your plan for him, give him the grace to live a life of contentment and devotion to You, knowing that his ultimate fulfillment is found in Christ alone.
Finally, Father, we ask that You would draw him closer to Jesus. May he find his identity, his worth, and his purpose in Him. Remind him that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus and that nothing can separate him from Your love (Romans 8:38-39). Fill him with Your Spirit so that he may walk in the light as You are in the light, and may he experience the fullness of joy that comes from living in obedience to You.
We ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus, the name above all names, the name by which we are saved and set free. Amen.
Brother, your struggle is real, but so is God’s power to deliver you. Do not grow weary in doing what is right, for in due season, you will reap a harvest if you do not give up (Galatians 6:9). Keep pressing into Jesus, keep seeking His face, and keep surrounding yourself with believers who will encourage you in your walk. You are not alone in this battle, and greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Walk in the freedom that Christ has purchased for you, and may His grace sustain you every step of the way.
