How to Overcome Sexual Lust

This hub is based on Job 31:1, where Job mentions his secret on how to overcome sexual lust. I expound on that and discuss maintaining moral purity, detecting moral threats and how to deal with them, and staying focused on Jesus.

"I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?" - Job 31:1

Job was a married man and a maid is a young woman. Here, Job mentioned his secret of how he avoided falling into sexual lust with such a woman. He had a self-commitment to not even look at her. He very well knew that looking leads to lusting. However, I'm not talking about that casual glance of passers-by. I'm talking about that lingering look.

I'm talking about when a man sees a woman and thinks, she's fine! And he knows he should look away right then and there to avoid temptation; but he keeps his sights on her for just a little bit longer. What happens next is, temptation enters his mind. That temptation usually comes in the form of the thought, she would be even finer if she was doing that with me (I'm sure you could use your imagination to figure what that means)! When such a thought is mentally assented to, it leads to sin. James 1:15 puts it this way: "... when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death."

Therefore, in order to avoid sexual lust, it is important to look away from an attractive woman after recognizing that she is attractive. Especially if you have no reason to be staring at her in the first place. Especially if she's just some model in a magazine or on some kind of online advertisement, or on a billboard somewhere.

Those are the ones that usually catch my eye at a glance because they're designed to do so. Anyway, whoever catches your eye; after you see such a person and identify them as attractive and a possible moral threat, look away. Look away and focus your mind on something else.

What I usually think in those types of situations is: how could I sin against Jesus, who has loved me so much to die on the cross for my sins. If the temptation is too pressing, then I recite Scripture and even pray until I get deliverance from God. There hasn't been a time where God has let me down when I followed this process consistently. Below, I will include some scriptures that have aided me in this struggle.

• Adultery of the Heart: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart." - Matthew 5:27-28
• No place in Heaven for adulterers: "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-10
• No temptation is too strong: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13
• Promise of God's power: "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." - 2 Peter 1:2-4
• Love for Jesus: "If ye love me, keep my commandments." - John 14:15

If you want to be successful in overcoming sexual lust, you must have a self-commitment to maintain moral purity. Be careful when looking at women you have no business looking at. Don't let your glance turn into an impassioned stare; and keep your focus on Jesus.

All Scripture references from the King James Version Bible.

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