In college as a music major (classical guitar), I had numerous recitals and concerts for which to prepare. Picking out the music for these was always fun, scanning the repertoire of significant works within my ability, listening to recordings, etc. That was followed by the early days of practice, getting acclimated to a piece, comfortable with its shape and dynamics. But, at some point in the process, you had to get specific. Each piece had its own challenging points, and these had to be worked out carefully and fully. Otherwise, the piece would flow wonderfully until the predictable train wreck at the same point each time you played it. Likewise, in our battle against lust–or any type of sin–at some point we have to get very specific about how this sin works in our life and how we are going to battle it.
Josh Harris’ book, Sin is not the Problem (Lust is), is strongest in this area, giving some key areas to consider just how it is that lust affects us. This principle is illustrated well in a quote he cites from Richard Baxter:
“Keep as far as you can from those temptations that feed and strengthen the sins which you would overcome. Lay siege to your sins, and starve them out, by keeping away the food and fuel which is their maintenance and life.”
What is the “food and fuel” that are feeding your lust? His chapter, “A Custom-tailored Plan,” deals with that very effectively. Here are some of what he calls “lust triggers” that we should be aware of:
- Time of day: Do you find that you are more tempted in the morning getting out of bed, at night drifting off to sleep, in the afternoon when you take a coffee break or get home from school? Knowing this time of day can help us battle extra diligently in these hours.
- Tempting locations: Do you find going to the beach or the mall or the pool harmful in battling lust? Are there changes you need to make to avoid certain locations for the sake of our purity? Some are obvious (beach, pool), but others might be specific to you because of your past (an old hangout from high school, certain restaurant, etc.).
- Television: Perhaps we’re aware of the obvious shows that we shouldn’t watch, but we have to be honest here and realize when even PG-13 types of shows tempt us unhelpfully. At the very least, we need to be aware also of when television is starting to rob us of our taste for activities like reading, prayer, Bible study, or fellowship.
- Newspapers, magazines: Are there magazines that you need to stop reading because the articles or advertising is too tempting? We cancelled our subscription to Newsweek years ago because the celebrity gossip part of it (back then, anyway) was too tempting for me to have in my house on such a regular basis. Newspaper sports sections are always sprinkled with sinful advertising meant to awaken lust in us.
- Music: Does your choice of music affect you positively in your love for God, or negatively? Do you listen with a sense of God’s having gifted these individuals in their craft, or simply to feed your flesh?
- Books: Do the books you read inspire your faith and trust in God, or do they weaken it?
- Internet: The internet is such a significant topic we’ll take a look at it in its own post. But, obviously we must fight as diligently in this area as necessary to get it under control.
- The mailbox: Are we on certain mailing lists, or receive certain catalogs, that are too tempting? If so, we need to take action. Have someone else get the mail, or get off that mailing list.
- In public: Even going about our daily lives we have to be vigilant in keeping ourselves from temptation, making sure that our eyes and feet don’t go places where they shouldn’t. So much temptation is prevented if we don’t look at anything to feed it.
What about you? Josh asks these questions to make it personal:
List your own top three lust triggers. How can you avoid them?
What time of day or week are you most tempted by lust? What can you do to prepare for those times?
Which locations are the most tempting for you? How can you limit your time in those places?
What five little battles do you need to be fighting more faithfully? Describe in detail what it looks like for you to fight—and win—those battles?
May God give us faith and perseverance to fight these “little battles” that so often develop into full-blown lust and sexual immorality.
Victorious only by his grace,
Daniel Baker
