Lust in context

[tsuanthony]

I know what the definition is
but someone present it in contex; what would a person who was very lustful think? In addition; are lustful people aware they are lusting? Do they deny it?

not sure if the first question makes any sense at all- examples is what im looking for

 

[texastig]

Lust is the desire to get at the expense of others.
Love is the desire to give at the expense of self.

 

[tsuanthony]

love is sefless and lust is selfish right?
is lust a unnotcied subconscience feeling? or can you tell if your having lustful feelings/thoughts?

 

[texastig]

love is sefless and lust is selfish right?

Yes, you are correct.

is lust a unnotcied subconscience feeling? or can you tell if your having lustful feelings/thoughts?

We can tell. The devil, the world and our fallen state gives us those lustful feelings/thoughts.
The only way to combat them is to pray and read the Bible. Here is some advice:

As for bad thoughts, evil spirits speak to us in our own voice. If satan can change into an angel of light (2Cor 11:14 KJV), then he can change his voice.

Your brain must stay active and it must abide and remain in Christ throughout the day. Do not give into passivity. Being passive in our minds is the devils play ground. Do this in your mind; praise God, pray and think about verses because the Word of God is active (Heb 4:12 NAS).
Here are some verses:

Isa 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Rom 12:2
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

2Cor 10:3-5
3.For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)
5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Phil 2:5
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Phil 4:7
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Phil 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Eph 4:12
For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any
twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Eph 4:23
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

2Tim 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

1Pet 1:13
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end
for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

 

[tsuanthony]

thanks- so you can tell if your lusting; I ask about lusting after thinking back and recalling when I watched inappropriate content- I never really thought about anything else- usually I was in awe by the beauty or lost in the actors eyes. Was lust evident?
I was mostly lonely and looking for love back then; although it was not the right source to look for it I felt as though it somewhat satisfied me for a very short while.

 

[ahzmort]

yeah, inappropriate content is tricky. i suffered a long addiction to inappropriate content & went a long time not understanding the problem. finally the light came on, i reviewed the times in my life when my addiction was worse & the times when it seemed to disappear. when i was dating & things were good the desire for inappropriate content disappeared, when things would go bad, arguments, etc it would creep back.. & when i was single & feeling lonely a lot it was at its worst.

 

[tsuanthony]

yeah, inappropriate content is tricky. i suffered a long addiction to inappropriate content & went a long time not understanding the problem. finally the light came on, i reviewed the times in my life when my addiction was worse & the times when it seemed to disappear. when i was dating & things were good the desire for inappropriate content disappeared, when things would go bad, arguments, etc it would creep back.. & when i was single & feeling lonely a lot it was at its worst.

hm interesting
thanks for the input

 

[SoldierOfSoul]

inappropriate content is used as an escape from reality and especially when accompanied with masturbation, the release and the stimulus are extremely addicting and is basically like a chemical drug in the brain. These sins can become entrenched into the body to where it becomes a physical and mental addiction that the body and mind feels it needs to cope with the difficulties of life.

I have struggled with this in my life, many, maybe even most men in this inappropriate content saturated culture has dealt with this at one time or another, what we must realize though, all of us, is that sex itself is reserved solely for the marriage bed. God created us as sexual beings, the desire to have sex is not wrong but the outlet we choose to express and relieve this desire can be wrong (sin). The only biblically approved outlet for sex is marriage. Anything outside of this context for sex is sin and a perversion of God's original intent for creation, just know though tsuanthony that your not alone in this fight, that many have been where your at and that God desires your freedom from the bondage of sexual immorality.

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality" (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

 

[briareos]

I think most noteably and obviously lust is the fantasy or desire of doing sexual acts or experiencing sex that would infact be sin for you to do or experience. The word Lust is not strickly concerning sex but it's most common usage does involve sexuality. The desire to have or enjoying the fantasy of some sort of sex that would be sin for you to have.

 

[briareos]

So I say most commonly, it is the desire for or fantasy of sinful sex or sexual experience.

 

[cowboysfan1970]

A lot of younger people seem to have a wrong idea of what lust is. Lust is not sexual desire. Lust is related to intent or when you are coveting something or someone. If you take your natural sexual desire and then start to make plans to hook up with someone you aren't married to then that's when you've crossed the line.

 

[Nate91]

A lot of younger people seem to have a wrong idea of what lust is. Lust is not sexual desire. Lust is related to intent or when you are coveting something or someone. If you take your natural sexual desire and then start to make plans to hook up with someone you aren't married to then that's when you've crossed the line.

So lust is define by wanting or thinking about engaging in sexual intercourse with someone?

 

[Johnnz]

So lust is define by wanting or thinking about engaging in sexual intercourse with someone?

That can be lust. Lust is not mere sexual interest, noting an attractive person, or even having a physical response to a sexual stimulus. It must develop into something much further than that.

John
NZ

 

[briareos]

I aknowledge lust cannot be confined to sexual context but in general the word is used to to mean exactly that and quite accuratly. Most commonly when a person lusts, the context is sexual sin.

 

[briareos]

People normally just use diffrent or more common words to refer to nonsexual desire concerned sins like coveting or envying.

 

[ezeric]

I think you are getting some great answers here, all giving you different view points of what this ugly beast looks like.

The LORD once showed me that lust is simply taking something out of its proper place and putting it in the wrong place or wrong position.

We talk lots about lusting after women, something all men have to deal with.

But that lust is simply taking a woman out of her GOD given position as a child of GOD, and a beautiful princess/ queen into a 'thing' that we play with and discard. Only thinking of them as 'pleasure toys for me' and not the image GOD places.

They are brought down to lower realms.

Take a lust for money, some people would kill for it or have killed over it.

They simply take money and raise it above man, above people and thus money
is placed in a wrong position, and is loved (really lusted) over to attain, at the
cost of anything else.

Because you will kill or defeat anyone or anything that stands in your way to get
your god - lustful thing (money, inappropriate content, power) you name it.

Love (as mentioned already) is always outward, its 'others seeking'.
Lust is perverted, it is love twisted inward, its 'self seeking'.

How to gain victory?
1) its GODs battle and not yours.
2) Admit to GOD you can't do it, you need JESUS because you can't save yourself.
3) Ask HIM to do whatever HE has to, to release you from your bondage.
4) When you fail (because you will), run back to FATHER (DADDY) who loves you and forgives you, and receive (by believing) that you are forgiven and healed.
5) Realize who you are in JESUS. You are not a bad person trying to be good. No, you are a forgiven and righteous saint that sometimes does wrong.

It is a 'Rest Walk' not a 'DIY' Christianity.

-eric

The Exchanged Life

 

[iambren]

A guy struggling with lust goes to the beach, what does he see?

Boobs-boobs-vaginas-vaginas, a depersonalizing,selfish, burning want.


A guy with proper sexual desire sees the person, then admires their attributes with it. I would even go so far they may imagine what it would be like to make love to them on a honeymoon, to be wrapped in their arms in a loving way would STILL not be lusting. Without that desire why would ANYONE get married and to say Christians don't legitimately have these thoughts near wedding day??? Puh-lease.

I think it is hard to walk pleasing before God without this one sneeking up on you. This is where our Helper, the Holy Spirit, is our guide--tapping us on the shoulder when we go too far. It's easy to become a Pharisee and make formulas but like catching bitterness, or to somehow disrespect our parents we walk by grace as He lives in our hearts.

There is something to be said with getting to know the person. I sat next to this gal in grad school who was a knockout and married. I fought lusting after her everyday in class. In the library I would move my books to keep away from seeing her avoiding distraction. Then a wierd thing happened--we were placed in a subgroup where I got to know her well, even befriended her. Then I saw her as a PERSON, I could go anywhere around her. We were friends and I felt no lust.

 

[tsuanthony]

A guy struggling with lust goes to the beach, what does he see?

Boobs-boobs-vaginas-vaginas, a depersonalizing,selfish, burning want.


A guy with proper sexual desire sees the person, then admires their attributes with it. I would even go so far they may imagine what it would be like to make love to them on a honeymoon, to be wrapped in their arms in a loving way would STILL not be lusting. Without that desire why would ANYONE get married and to say Christians don't legitimately have these thoughts near wedding day??? Puh-lease.

I think it is hard to walk pleasing before God without this one sneeking up on you. This is where our Helper, the Holy Spirit, is our guide--tapping us on the shoulder when we go too far. It's easy to become a Pharisee and make formulas but like catching bitterness, or to somehow disrespect our parents we walk by grace as He lives in our hearts.

There is something to be said with getting to know the person. I sat next to this gal in grad school who was a knockout and married. I fought lusting after her everyday in class. In the library I would move my books to keep away from seeing her avoiding distraction. Then a wierd thing happened--we were placed in a subgroup where I got to know her well, even befriended her. Then I saw her as a PERSON, I could go anywhere around her. We were friends and I felt no lust.

what if the man sees both?
I seldom think perverted thoughts, but when I do it lasts only a split second.
when I see a girl I like I often wish I Could hold her/hug/cuddle with her, be there for her, love on her (like I would love on my other brothers/sisters, experience being with/around her.

what kind of thought would that be labeled as?
Just got back from a retreat and something like this was addressed.
Is it really wrong to like a girl and want to be with her? Because when you love you give a part of your heart to that person; which kind of spoils God's gift of pleasure.

It's not always easy to see a girl and treat her as a sister rather then wanting to go out with her or something. Of course it makes it simplier if I just submit that problem to God; it's not easy being lonely either though.

 

[iambren]

Problem? What problem? If I was a gal and you thought of me as a sister, then I wouldn't want to go out with you.

I think it's simply maturing to be at home with your own sexuality. Don't make it a complicated thing. God made you sexual, let Him be your guide.

 

[highlife]

So whats the difference between burning with passion and lust, clearly paul is not saying such a person is living in sin until they find a wife. Lust must very clearly be beyond simply longing for sex or sexual acts regardless of what stimulus you use.