Sexual lust. It's an enemy of us Christian men all over the world. It tries to change the way we think about women and ourselves, and makes us less than who we really are in Christ. I have never met a Christian man who has never struggled with this, but thanks be to God, I know that my Lord Jesus Christ never ever struggled with it.
Guys, we can overcome and win the fight against sexual lust in the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself said,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask[c] anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:12-14)
The Lord Jesus Himself assures us that we can win this fight. It's part of the good fight of faith: the fight to bear fruit in keeping with repentance (see Luke 3:8). That said, I'd like to encourage you, my brothers, to take arms and wage war against sexual lust.
Practical tips in fighting sexual lust
To help you in this fight, here are a few practical tips.
1) Offense is the best defense
They say "offense is the best defense." In the fight against lust, it's also true. We need to be very vigilant and always on guard against the enemy's schemes.
The enemy knows that only those things that appeal to us are the things he can use to seduce and tempt us. James 1:14 tells us that "each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." Therefore, we should guard our hearts and carefully watch what we desire (see Proverbs 4:23).
Take control of your thoughts. Catch yourself when you start drifting away into lust, and let your thoughts be filtered by Christ (see 2 Corinthians 10:5).
2) Fight on your knees
When you get tempted, don't try to fight your flesh using your flesh. You won't win that way. You've got to drop on your knees and pray to God for help at the very moment you are vulnerable and tempted to lust.
James 4:7 says "submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." Better heed that instruction.
3) See the prize
Lastly, brothers, we need to see the prize we are running after. Our fight against sexual lust will bring to us so many rewards and joys that no amount of money (and women) can give. Think about it:
The confidence we feel before God because He enables us to overcome;
The peace we feel because our conscience is clean;
The security that our wives feel because we don't lust after other women;
The freedom that purity brings to each of our dealings with others.
The sincere love we can feel for women when we can regard them as our sisters in Christ.
These, and many other rewards, are but natural when we see our sisters the way God sees them: precious, beloved, and important human beings created in His image and for His purpose. It would be such a pleasant thing to come before God without any lust-borne guilt in our hearts. And we can do this with the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.
In closing
My dear brothers, let us all be encouraged by the fact that we have a reward for treating our sisters in purity. God created women to be our counterparts in His plans: wives for husbands, and sisters for brothers. Let us fear the Lord and focus on His desires for us.
I leave you with this encouragement:
"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
