Matthew 5:28, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Jesus was clear regarding lust and perversion of the heart- He said it was likened to the sin of “adultery.” He also said in Mark 7:21-23 that the heart is the source of all sin, “21 For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22 adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Consequently, the heart of lust is no different than the heart of greed or arrogance because all sins have their roots in the heart (i.e., “the mind of man”).
Sin starts with the root in the heart then it results in the fruit of one’s life. So if you want to change the fruit in your life, you have to first change the root. If you want to rid yourself of lust, ask God to give you a pure heart.
If you want to be free from lust and adultery of the heart you have to let God change what’s in your heart. The good news is God promised that all who ask and seek Him in humility would receive a new heart. God said in Ezekiel 36:26-27, “26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Do you believe Jesus can change your heart and move you to keep His laws? The difference between having a new heart and keeping your old perverted heart is faith in God’s Word.
The solution to a perverted heart is to receive a new heart filled with the Holy Spirit that will be moved you to follow all of God’s commands. When perverted thoughts try invade your new heart and pollute your precious new life, stop and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you not into temptation but deliver you from evil (Matthew 6:13). If you happen to sin and lose the battle of the mind, quickly repent and ask God to cleanse your heart and make it pure again like David did in Psalm 51:7-12.
Paul gave us the list of things we should think on with our new heart. If anything is not found in this list it should be avoided. You are not your thoughts and you can choose what to think on. Some thoughts you need to ignore, others you need to confront and some you’ll need to repent for. The battle is fought and won in the heart. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Make a choice today to receive and keep a pure heart.
If you struggle with lust pray this out loud, “Father, forgive me of my sins of sexual perversion. Please give me a pure heart like yours. Fill me with the Holy Spirit to guide me to live a life pleasing to you in all my thoughts and deeds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Reflection
Do you struggle with lust?
Action
- Repent for the times you have lusted in your heart.
- Only think on the things listed in Philippians 4:8.
- Live in the perfect love of God for humanity. C.S. Lewis said, “Love is the great conqueror of lust.”
