Brief explanation:

1 John 2:15-17
15* Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16* For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17* The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
The word LUST is defined as "Desire for what is forbidden; an obsessive craving." Lust as used in this place refers to the desire for things that are contrary to the will of God. Lust is NOT simply desire, it is illicit, unlawful or forbidden desire.
The "lust of the flesh" often refers to unlawful sexual desire, that which would lead to fornication, as is illustrated in the following verses:
Prov. 6:25
"Do not desire her beauty in your heart, Nor let her capture you with her eyelids."
Matt. 5:28
"but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."
Rom. 1:27
27* and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.
Gal. 5:16
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh."
It is also true that LUST can also refer to other types of desire. 1 Cor. 10:6 tells us that Israel "lusted after evil things." The context of 1 Cor. 10 shows that many different things were included in their lust. James describes LUST this way:
James 1:14-15
14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15* Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
It is therefore possible to LUST after money, sex, power, pleasure, or nearly anything else on earth. Whatever we lust after to gratify the flesh is what is forbidden by the text in 1 John 2.
The "lust of the eyes" obviously refers to what is seen, or what we want to see. The eyes enjoy things of beauty, or riches, and when we lust after those things it is the lust of the eyes.
There is a contrast given in 1 John chapter one and two. Christians are to "walk in the light" (1Jn1:7), which means living for God (1 Jn 1:5-7), which is the opposite of "walking in darkness" (1 Jn.1:6) which is living according to the standards and desires of the World. The Christian is to attune his heart to God, and constantly strive to live for Him. When we attune our hearts to the world, our desires are for the things which the world offers, and that is the time we are guilty of the "lust of the flesh and the lust of the eye".

Click speaker Icon for recording by Minister Mike Scott on lust of the flesh and lust of the eyes

Lust is a primary ingredient of sex addiction.

Lust is harmful to the body, mind and spirit, and it can easily be mistaken for love. Lust has the opposite effect of love.

Definitions (Webster’s 9th New Collegiate Dictionary):
Lust: (n) Intense or unbridled sexual desire, lasciviousness...an intense longing: craving; (v) to have an intense desire or need, crave
Desire: (n) Conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment... longing, craving...Sexual urge or appetite

How lust got started: One of the Greek words for lust is Epithumia (Strong’s #1939), meaning the "desire for what is forbidden." It is based on the lie that the forbidden pleasures are worth the cost Satan used this lie in the Garden and Eden. He suggested that eating the forbidden fruit would bring great god-like wisdom and the punishment wouldn't be that bad. This strongly appealed to Eve (Pride of Life), who also liked the fruit's appearance (lust of the eyes), and wanted to eat it (lust of the flesh). She discovered that the fruit did not deliver what she thought it would. The consequences included curses and separation from God.

What God says about lust: Lust is sin (Matthew 5:28) and sin is death (Romans 6:23). Jesus said, "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28 NKJV). When we entertain fantasies through ****ography, masturbation, voyeurism, adultery, fornication, phone sex, etc., we sin with our minds. According to Jesus, that's the same as committing the act.

Lust and ****ography: ****ography uses the same lies that Satan used in the Garden of Eden. **** images tempt our eyes and flesh to lust James described the temptation process in James 1:14-15 NKJV: "But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death." Sin by lust causes the death of innocence, sexual health, the ability to love and sensitivity to God.

What lust does to us: Lust has many destructive effects. The most serious effect is that lust corrupts our ability to love God. John explained that lust is a way of loving the world. He wrote, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15-17 NKJV). Lust cripples our ability to give and receive love, and blocks God's love from working in us.

Other effects of lust include slavery to sin, dissatisfaction, blocked blessings, separation from God, ruin, self-hatred and hardening of our heart. For an in-depth look at these, see our What Lust Does page.

Prayers: Removing lust from your life begins with confessing and repenting from our lust. We can pray this simple prayer to confess our sin to God:

"Lord, I confess that I have lusted in these specific ways: ……(name them all). I see my attitudes as sinful. I am sorry for grieving your heart in my pursuit of carnal pleasure with my eyes and mind. I ask Your forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord, for this forgiveness I have in Jesus Christ."

Repenting from our sin is just as important as confessing it (Luke 13:3). Repentance means to turn from our sin and commit to living for God. We must sincerely turn from our sin and avoid it from this point forward:

"Lord Jesus, I turn from my lustful ways now, and I surrender every source I have used for lust: ....(name them all). I cast them off from my mind and body, committing my eyes, mind and body to serving you in holiness with your help. Lord, please teach me, strengthen me, guide me, and draw me close to You for the difficult road ahead. Thank You, Jesus, Amen."

Renouncing our sin is the final act that closes the door to Satan:

"I renounce my sin of lust and any evil spirits associated with it:...(name them if you know them...lust, masturbation, covetousness, fantasy lust, etc). I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to depart from me and trouble me no more. I close the door to lust, bar it with the cross of Christ and seal it with the blood of Christ, Amen."

Where to go from here: The journey out of sex addiction is also a journey of getting closer to God.

Ten Points on Destroying Lust

1. Confess, repent from and renounce your sin of lust to God

2. Make no provision to fulfill lust: "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." (Romans 13:14 NKJV)

3. Walk by the Spirit: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16 NKJV)

4. Put lust to death by the power of the Holy Spirit: "For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live." (Romans 8:13 NKJV) (see also Colossians 3:5)

5. Reckon yourself with Jesus - alive to God and dead to sin: "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24 NIV) (also Colossians 3.5 and Romans 6)

6. Flee youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace: "Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22 NIV)

7. Deny lust and live righteously: "11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:11-13 NKJV)

8. Invest your time, energy and efforts in God’s will, not in lust: "1 Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God." (1 Peter 4:1-2 NKJV)
9. Apply the truth to the lies: (John 8:31-32, Psalm 51:6); see truth and lies about sex sin

10. Submit to God, resist the devil, draw near to God: "7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up." (James 4:7-10 NKJV)

[align=center]HOW **** WORKS[/align]

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****ography in its various forms has become accessible to just about anyone. With the help of the internet, videos, cable television, satellite and magazines, thousands...or possibly millions of people are becoming addicted to ****ography every day. Though the sex industry downplays the impact of **** on society, the truth is that ****ography profoundly damages people.

****ography images are designed to appeal to our human tendencies toward lust and "sexual idolatry." Let's examine these tendencies more closely:

Lust: Webster's Dictionary defines lust as "intense or unbridled sexual desire," "an intense longing: craving" and a "conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment." The problem with lust is that it is based in selfishness and works contrary to love. In fact, it is the opposite of love . When fed, it can grow into an uncontrollable force in a person's life. Like a wildfire, lust can consume a person's resources, time and attention.

The Bible identifies 2 basic types of lust that people are tempted by: "lust of the eyes" and "lust of the flesh" (1 John 2:15-17).****ography caters to both types by providing visual stimulation that appeals to our "fleshly" desire for sex. It also gives us lifelong fuel for lust through the memories of the sexual images. With the help of special hormones released in the brain during sexual arousal, **** images are retained in our memories much longer than non-sexual memories.

Unfortunately, ****ography's powerful appeal leads many into sexual addiction. A life dedicated to ****ography, or even just seasoned with occasional viewing of it can become considerably darkened by the many harmful side effects. Here are just a few of the many possible side effects of ****ography addiction that we've witnessed:

• Irritability
• Sexual imbalance
• Sexual dissatisfaction
• Masturbation
• Lies & deception
• Uncontrolled thoughts
• Spiritual oppression
• Marital strife / destruction / divorce
• Corrupted perception of reality
• Warped interpersonal skills
• Reclusiveness
• Fear
• Increased tendency toward sexual crime
• Guilt & condemnation
• Loss of Hope
• Depression
• Inability to give or receive love
• Spiritual death
• Torment
• Depraved mind
• Darkened understanding
• Loss of discernment between good & evil
• Promiscuity
• Lustful eye

good thread, it will hep many overcome the lasciviousness that the enemy

tries to put out there on souls, keep it upniceone.gif

Lust v Love

Lust and love are complete opposites, and lust often replaces love. One of love’s definitions is"unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another" (Webster’s). The Bible says, "love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;[suP] [/suP]does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;[suP] [/suP]bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away" (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV).

Lust is not kind, lust envies, lust behaves rudely, lust seeks all for its own, lust thinks evil, lust rejoices in sin, lust perverts the truth, lust bears nothing outside of its own pursuit of fulfillment. Lust does not believe God or His word, and hopes only in its own gratification. Lust cares only for itself. It will hurt, deceive, destroy, lie and anything else it has to do to sustain itself.

The major difference between lust and love is that love is a selfless concern for another person, where lust is totally self-focused. Lust believes the lie Satan has crafted. The lie suggests, "If you do this thing, you will be satisfied deeply." The truth is that doing so will only lead to dissatisfaction and desire for more. Lust keeps growing and choking the person who feeds it.

The battle between lust and love is a spiritual battle. The forces of evil promote sexual lust through the internet, cable TV, magazines, erotic literature, strip clubs, adult bookstores, phone sex, advertisements, and computer games. Since lust constantly seeks fulfillment, it is almost a guaranteed moneymaker to the company or individual without scruples. By serving greed, they become instruments of evil. It may seem like a losing battle for love. But, since God is love (1 John 4:8), we know that evil and all its programs will be ultimately destroyed.

God gave mankind the perfect example of love when He allowed His son, Jesus, to be crucified for mankind (John 15:13, John 3:16). God’s awesome love fills your heart when you truly receive Jesus Christ as Lord. Amazing changes happen when His love hits your crusty heart, previously dead in sin. You receive the ability to show true love and to crucify the lusts that wage war against your soul (1 Peter 2:11).