Hard for me not to lust

Bcs90 said:

Anyone know any bible verses to help with this?

Click to expand...

My advice is keep your eyes on the ground. When you see in the corner of your eye, make an effort to look away.

Bcs90 said:

Anyone know any bible verses to help with this?

Click to expand...

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
(Joh 21:15a)

Ask yourself the same question.

Not a Muslim, but big respect to this guy.
If only we had more Christians like this.

Bcs90 said:

Makes me feel especially guilty in church, I try to just keep my eyes point up or ahead, lots of beautiful women oh Lordy.

Click to expand...

I tried the Jesus Prayer the Orthodox recite in their monastic communities, but I had trouble doing that and focusing on anything else. Pray, and do the best you can, take comfort in the fact that almost everyone has this problem.

Bcs90 said:

Makes me feel especially guilty in church, I try to just keep my eyes point up or ahead, lots of beautiful women oh Lordy.

Click to expand...

Please be aware of this Galatians verse for believers..."And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts." (Gal 5:24)
The devil uses our past life's lusts to sidetrack us from our faith, but we have God and the word to enable us to resist.
Like..."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 Cor 10:13)
Be strong in the Lord and in His word.

Bcs90 said:

Makes me feel especially guilty in church, I try to just keep my eyes point up or ahead, lots of beautiful women oh Lordy.

Click to expand...

My suggesting is renew your thinking by studying the concept of manhood/womanhood in Scripture. In sexual lust, you devalue another human being for your own perverted gratification instead of respecting them as people made in the image of God.

An older gentleman years ago use to tell me that we don't really "sacrifice" anything when we grow in grace, we change the way we think which in turn changes the way we act. Studying God's word reforms your minds, which reforms your heart, which reforms your choices. It begins with renewal of how we look at things. Augustine once said, "God gave us two things: people to love and things to use. The evil in this world comes when we transpose them."

Renew your mind in the Bible, conform your conscience and beliefs to its truths. Your convictions about a right view of sexuality will keep your eyes from going astray.

Bcs90 said:

Anyone know any bible verses to help with this?

Click to expand...

Yes, I do.

Romans 6 vs 11. Reckon yourself dead to sin.

Are you not aware that lust has no part in you since you were saved? When tempted, say, "I do not do this, I am dead to it by Christ Jesus. I am a new man who is no longer ruled by lust."

And the 2nd is like it.

Romans 8 vs 4. Walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit.

This comes with the renewing of the mind. You must change your values to eternal values.

For instance, did you know that sex is only given for this life and will cease at the first resurrection? Therefore sex is for the dying and not for the living.

Would you throw away eternity and all it has to offer for a fleeting moment of pleasure? I know I wouldn't.

Focus on The Holy Spirit in you. It seems like the more focused we are on the good works that we have been given to do the less temptation there is. Women and men should be dressed appropriately. You should attend a church that is focused on Jesus where the believers are doing good works and sharing the gospel. Invite everyone on your block to a cookout and get to know people so you can share the gospel with them. You might not be spending enough time reading the bible and in prayer. You have to see the beauty of the gospel and choose to see the beauty of Jesus. Force yourself to do good works and hopefully your heart will change over time.

Bcs90 said:

Makes me feel especially guilty in church, I try to just keep my eyes point up or ahead, lots of beautiful women oh Lordy.

Click to expand...

God commanded us to be fruitful and go forth and multiply and fill the world, bringing the gospel so that His name would be glorified. So He designed and created us all with the physical desires we have and the male/female relationship is where our focus is most severely tested. Are we focused on things of God or our own lustful desires of the flesh?

Our focus must always be to bring the Gospel. If there is strong attraction between a single man and woman they should get and stay married to avoid sinning. But, marriages founded on lustful attractions only are doomed to end in a tailspin of sin that break many of God’s laws. Lust will fade away but marriage is binding until death (Matt 19:6; 1 Cor 7:10,11, 27).

How to best avoid falling into this sin? As has been mention try to avoid putting yourself in tempting environments, difficult to do today though, I think. Remember even David struggled with this sin (2 Sa 11). When he gave in he pleaded to God for mercy and help (Ps 51). He understood he sinned against God and was afraid God would turn from him.

The best thing to do is pray God for help and strength to resist while spending time in his word. It is good you acknowledge your weakness and God’s desire.

Great advice from all. I've had to make it a point to make eye contact as opposed to staring at the floor. It is difficult to dehumanize someone when you focus on their face.

Difficult but not impossible sadly.

Bcs90 said:

Anyone know any bible verses to help with this?

Click to expand...

Romans 8:11-14 "11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."

Acts 5:30-32 "30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. 32 And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him."

Hebrews 5:7-10 "7 Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; 8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;
10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec."

It is a common temptation. You are by no means alone in that.

I don't know how old you are and which of these apply to you, but perhaps think of every woman as your own daughter/sister/mother.

Jonaitis said:

My suggesting is renew your thinking by studying the concept of manhood/womanhood in Scripture. In sexual lust, you devalue another human being for your own perverted gratification instead of respecting them as people made in the image of God.

An older gentleman years ago use to tell me that we don't really "sacrifice" anything when we grow in grace, we change the way we think which in turn changes the way we act. Studying God's word reforms your minds, which reforms your heart, which reforms your choices. It begins with renewal of how we look at things. Augustine once said, "God gave us two things: people to love and things to use. The evil in this world comes when we transpose them."

Renew your mind in the Bible, conform your conscience and beliefs to its truths. Your convictions about a right view of sexuality will keep your eyes from going astray.

Click to expand...

Thank you very helpful.

Bcs90 said:

Makes me feel especially guilty in church, I try to just keep my eyes point up or ahead, lots of beautiful women oh Lordy.

Click to expand...

What exactly do you mean by lust? Is it the fact there are a number of attractive ladies in the church, and you find yourself evaluating their "looks"? Or is it a much deeper lust where you start fantasizing about them for example? Or actually taking steps to meet them with impure motives in mind?

If it's the first, the fact there are attractive women in the church, and you're a bit distracted, then rest assured that's going to be a continuing problem. It's the way men are made. We look, even if we've been married for twenty years. But acting on the impulse is another story.

Bishop Fulton Sheen, in a DVD I've got somewhere, told a story about an air hostess (if I remember rightly) who asked him what she could do by way of Christian service. His rather surprising answer to her was to visit a leper colony. The reason - she was so "gorgeous" (the actual word he used, again if my memory is correct), that he thought she should "share" her beauty with people who had long lost their memory of anything like it.

Then he quipped, "We can look, but we can't touch!" (joking about his celibate religious vows). He might have been an outstanding bishop, now approaching sainthood, but even he knew a beautiful woman when he saw one. The male impulse to "look" dies hard.