Can Men Win the Battle with Lust?

"I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?"

 Job 31:1

 If only more men would do this! Our culture is saturated with lust. Many men refuse to make this covenant with their eyes. They allow lust to dominate their lives, their thoughts and their jokes. Scars and wounds from their childhood and from past relationships only make this worse. They believe that it's normal and as long as they keep their actions in check, it doesn't matter. The bad news is that it's nearly impossible to think lustful thoughts without committing lustful actions. Even if men are able to keep an iron-fisted control over their actions, lust still destroys their marriages. Even pastors and other Christian men seem to be caught in affairs and illicit relationships too.

Is it hopeless? Can we win? Yes, I believe that this is not a lost battle. How can we do it: self-help books, iron self-discipline, never leaving the house, cutting off all connection with the outside world? Some of these things may help, but they are not the solution. In many cases, they are the reason that so many well-intentioned men fall. First of all, we nee to realize that the bait of lust that Satan holds in front of us is a lie. It doesn't deliver on it's promise. Lust can never be satisfied. It will take us on an addicts journey to find that elusive high. Satan doesn't play fair. He promises but doesn't fulfill. He will ruin us and then drop us in the mud. He will take us deeper into sin than we ever imagined we would go.

Secondly, we must realize that our own hearts are the root of the problem. The desire begins in us. No amount of self-discipline will ever change that. Only when we surrender our entire lives to the complete control of Holy Spirit, can we deal with the root cause. This is not something we do one time at conversion. Instead, it is a daily walk. We need to continually crucify our desires and give them over to God.

God, I thank You for having given us the power to win the battle with lust. I thank You for Holy Spirit that can control our desires. Again today, I want to surrender my heart to You. I want to allow You to remove any lustful desires from my heart. I want You to help me relate to all women in a respectful, Christian way. I want to be able to say as Job did that I do not look lustfully at anyone. Lord help me to be an example in this. I pray for the many Christian men who struggle with this. I pray that You would help them to find victory every day. Amen.