Your War with Lust: 12 Get Scripture, Serving, & Free

Go on the offense in your war with lust

Ephesians 6:17

Week 6

► For a God Time use the “P.O.W.E.R. Plan” in Appendix A.

► After reading this chapter, answer the following questions:

1) What is the ultimate cause of sinful lust?

2) Why is it important to memorize and use “Sword Scriptures”?

3) What are the benefits of actively serving others?

4) What is the limit of spiritual freedom in the area of sinful lust?

5) What can you become free of through mind renewal?

6) What was especially meaningful to you in this chapter?

Earlier in this study we described the warfare that David and his Mighty Men experienced. Because war was their life, their sword was their life. The same is true for you. You are in a war, a war for your heart, mind, purity, and life. You need a sword as well. Your Father has given you one, and He commands you:

Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

Go on the offense in your war with lust.

Step #7: Get Scripture that will strengthen you in temptation

What causes feelings of sinful lust? What is the power behind the desire to look at demon-possessed destroyers of your wife and life on the Internet? One thing: believing lies. In that moment of sinful desires you are believing lies about what will make you happy. Lies about what will make you feel significant or alive. You are believing a lie about how to fulfill your need for pleasure, because pornography also comes with a lot of pain.

As we have shared throughout the Christian Essentials, the only weapon the Devil has against you is a lie. If you don’t believe him you can easily resist him. Therefore, what is your greatest weapon against sinful temptations? The truth. Which is why the Apostle Paul said in the context of spiritual warfare: “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). Elsewhere the Bible promises:

Because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. (2 Peter 1:4)

It is wise to memorize 3-4 “Sword Scriptures” to address specific temptations and struggles you have. Below are some examples:

Motivation to please God:

(Matthew 22:37-38) “Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.’”

(Job 31:1-4) “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman. For what has God above chosen for us? . . . Isn’t it calamity for the wicked and misfortune for those who do evil? Doesn’t he see everything I do and every step I take?”

(Ephesians 4:30) “Do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.”

(Gal 6:7-8 NIV) “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction.”

(Jer 16:17; 23:24) “I am watching them closely, and I see every sin. They cannot hope to hide from me. . . Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord.”

Danger of sinful lust:

(1 Peter 5:8-9) “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”

(Prov 6:26) “For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.”

Protecting your wife and children

(Prov 5:7-9) “Now then, my sons, listen to me; do not turn aside from what I say. Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house, lest you lose your honor to others and your dignity to one who is cruel.”

(Hebrews 13:4 NASB) “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled.”

You are in a war. God has given you a sword. Start using it. “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). Go on the offense in your war with lust.

Putting it into practice

– Choose 3-4 “Sword Scriptures” and begin memorizing them now. Record the Scriptures you choose in Appendix C.

– Also think about the emotional “triggers” discussed in the previous chapter and that you wrote down in Appendix C. Find “Sword Scriptures” for these also.

Step #8: Get serving to invest your time and energy in productive ways

Do you remember the first mistake David made that led him to sin with Bathsheba? “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army” (2 Sam 11:1). David was not busy serving God and people.

Elsewhere in the Christian Essentials we make the biblical case that pleasure is a God-given need. We have also argued that the most pleasurable experience available on Earth is serving and blessing others, and especially using the spiritual gifts God gave you to help others. ^[1] And if your life is busy doing this, you simply will not have as much time to sin. It is when you are doing nothing productive and helpful for others that sinful lust becomes a greater temptation. But if you will exercise faith and love and serve others, you will experience the love, joy, and peace that God intended for you.

You are in a war. The Bible says, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). Serving others and putting “the word of God” into practice is another powerful way to go on the offense in your war with lust.

Putting it into practice

– Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? If not, start with reading the chapters on this topic in studies #3 and #5 in the Christian Essentials. And begin to find ways to use your gift(s).

– If you have a family, ask your wife and children how you can serve them more. If you are single and have room mates, ask them the same. Just find a way to serve more so you will be lusting less!

– Pleasure is a God-given need in your life. And you will discover that serving and blessing others with your spiritual gifts is the most fulfilling way to experience pleasure. But the Scripture speak of, “God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment” (1 Tim 6:17). Where in your life do you say, “This is living!”? If you don’t have something in your life that regularly inspires sinless adventure, passion, and pleasure than beware. Because you will seek a sinful counterfeit.

Step #9: Get free from the “triggers” that lead to sinful lust

In the Christian Essentials study #4 FREEDOM we share about the biblical promise and a proven plan to be free from the lies of your sinful nature and experience the power of the Holy Spirit more consistently in your life. God promises/commands us to “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2 NIV).

The testimonies included in the FREEDOM study demonstrate the supernatural, effortless, and lasting spiritual power that God intended for us to experience. Why else does God live in us!? Accordingly, we believe this kind of power and freedom is possible for virtually every temptation and sin on Earth.

But there are unique limits for spiritual freedom in the area of lust for men. But no amount of godly mind renewal will lead to a man not being stimulated by the sight of a naked woman. God is the one who made us that way. Eliminating that would be a perversion or require castration or a supernatural gift. The transforming effect of mind renewal is powerful, but sinful lust will always be a battle for most men.

For example, if you renew your mind about someone who has sinned against you and truly forgive them, you can have complete, effortless, automatic freedom from bitterness toward them. You can be around that person and not even be tempted to be mad and experience love and compassion for them. But no matter how much a man renews his mind regarding lust, it is doubtful he will ever be able to look at an attractive naked woman and not be sexually stimulated.

The Scriptures reflect this unique limitation on spiritual freedom in the area of sinful lust for men. When the Corinthian Christians were concerned about how to gain freedom over lust, the Apostle did not tell them “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). Instead, he told them to get married so they could pursue sexual desires in a holy way (cf. 1 Cor 7:1-2, 8-9)

Likewise, in Ephesians 6 the Apostle explained how to resist the Devil and fight sin:

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. . . resist the enemy in the time of evil. . . Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. (Eph 6:10-11, 13-14).

And the rest of the passage describes how to resist, stand firm against, and fight “against all strategies of the devil.” But what does Paul say to do when tempted with sinful lust? “FLEE from sexual immorality” (1 Cor 6:18). In fact, the Greek here is in the present imperative sense and more accurately means: “Keep on running from sexual immorality.”

In Ephesians, Paul instructs us not to run but to fight “against all strategies of the devil.” But when it comes to sexual temptations, he tells us to “flee.” This is because spiritual Freedom in this area is limited even for a Spirit-controlled man. Therefore, even if you are experiencing relative freedom in the area of sinful lust, including abstaining from pornography, remember Paul’s warning: “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall” (1 Cor 10:12).

All of this is why a majority of the steps suggested in this study are what we would call “coping” steps. Things to battle the constant temptation to lust because it is not God’s will for most men to be free of it.

However, we should not ignore or diminish the powerful freedom that can be experienced with the emotional “triggers” that lead us to lust. We are simply saying above that no amount of mind renewal will keep a man from being stimulated by the sight of an attractive naked woman. But virtually everything else, including feelings of anger, boredom, and low self esteem can be significantly removed in your life when you are “transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2).

The need, requirements, and process to do this are thoroughly explained in the Christian Essentials FREEDOM study. But other counselors have noted the connection between unresolved emotional wounds in our past and current struggles with lust. One Christian counselor reports:

Behind the sexual addiction we discovered a longing for intimacy, not a reservoir of lust. His marriage provided as much genuine intimacy as he could tolerate, but in fantasy he sought ways of experiencing intimacy that did not make the demands on him of a real relationship.

More important, however, we discovered a high degree of resentment and a strong sense of entitlement. As we explored this, he became aware of a feeling that he deserved something better than he was experiencing. It was this that ultimately led us to his core sin tendency—pride.

At root, Stuart was deeply bitter that no one recognized how special he was. As we explored this feeling, he was able to trace it back to childhood. He had felt overlooked in his large family of six siblings. He had been the responsible one who took care of everyone else, but no one seemed to appreciate him for this. ^[2]

Likewise, Dr. Kleponis explains why some men have a much greater struggle with sinful lust than others:

Many men in America have viewed pornography, gotten bored with it, and ultimately rejected it. But as we discussed in earlier chapters, those who keep going back to it are self-medicating deep emotional wounds to ease their pain. They become emotionally addicted to it and this allows the physical side of the addiction to set in. ^[3]

Dr. Kleponis goes on to explain the importance of mind renewal and the resolution of a man’s past experiences in his battle with lust:

Tom always believed he used pornography for entertainment and to relieve stress. He never thought he was self-medicating emotional pain. . . Those struggling with pornography addiction often use pornography as a coping strategy to deal with deep emotional pain they don’t even realize is there. All they know is that pornography makes them feel really good and that they must go back to it over and over again.

The fact that they cannot feel good without pornography is an indication that there is a deep wound for which they are using pornography to anesthetize. . . In his research with one thousand sex addicts, Dr. Pat Carnes (1991) found that 97% were emotionally abused, 74% were physically abused, and 81% were sexually abused. . . Severe depression was reported twice as frequently among internet pornography users compared to non-users. . .

The emotional wounds listed above don’t necessarily themselves lead men to use pornography. Instead, they often feed five core beliefs that can lead men to use and become addicted to pornography. “I am unworthy of being loved.” “If people really knew me, they would reject me.” “I cannot trust anyone, including God, to meet my needs.” “I must find something that I can control that will meet my needs.” “Pornography/Sex is my greatest need and source of comfort”. . .

It’s not the triggers per se that lead a man to use pornography. The triggers activate the pain from deep emotional wounds that feed the five core beliefs, and this can lead a man to use pornography to ease his pain. Most of the time, he is unaware of this process because it takes place in his subconscious. He simply has a strong urge to use pornography.

Thus, for example, the boredom, stress, and fatigue a man experiences in his job might activate his emotional pain of being abused as a child by his parents. This reinforces his core beliefs. The emotional pain and core beliefs are what actually compel him to use pornography. Consistent use of pornography to keep this pain at bay can lead him to become emotionally dependent on it. ^[4]

To “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2) and resolve the pain and imprinting of your past can be the most difficult thing you ever do in your Christian life. But God commands you to do it. And the spiritual power and freedom you will experience, even over sinful lust, will be well worth it.

You are in a war. God tells you, “Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph 6:17). To “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2) is the most effective way to obey this command and go on the offense in your war with lust.

Putting it into practice

– If you are currently in P.O.W.E.R. counseling, continue your journey to freedom.

– If you have not experienced P.O.W.E.R. counseling, speak to Pastor Kurt.

► Return to the beginning and answer the questions there.

► Recite Proverbs 7:7 from memory.

► Memorize Ephesians 6:17 in the translation above or another.

► Go to Appendix C and begin to complete “Your Plan & Progress in Your War with Lust.”

1. For more on how God wants to meet our need for pleasure in serving see the Christians Essentials study #3: FAITH, chapter 3.22 “Your Dad’s Pleasure.” ↑
2. David G. Benner, The Gift of Being Yourself: The Sacred Call to Self-Discovery (InterVarsity, 2009), Kindle Edition, p. 66. ↑
3. Peter Kleponis, Integrity Restored: Helping Catholic Families Win the Battle Against Pornography, Emmaus Road Publishing. Kindle Edition, (Loc. 3306-3308). ↑
4. Ibid., Loc. 630-633, 706-707, 767-868. ↑