How I was able to beat lust and how you can too

Hey everyone,

I recently asked for suggestions on our next newsletter topic, and one of our friends mentioned struggling with lust. This letter will address that issue and offer support to anyone facing similar challenges.

It might be a bit longer than usual, but I aim to make it valuable. I personally struggled with lust as a teenager, but by the grace of God, I am proud to say that I have overcome it. Don't feel ashamed if you're struggling with it now—many biblical figures like King David, Samson, and Solomon also faced similar battles.

So, let's dive in...

How I was able to beat lust and how you can too:

When you give in to the lust of this world, the things that once brought you joy no longer have the same effect. You might find that attractive women in real life no longer appeal to you, and you struggle to have meaningful conversations with them because your perception has shifted. Instead of seeing them as human beings, you start to view them as objects.

Additionally, you waste valuable time that could be better spent elsewhere. This behavior also brings feelings of shame and guilt, and even after indulging, you're left with regret and many other negative emotions.

When I was 16 I reached my lowest point and in my testimony I wrote I had bad habits well this formed part of my bad habits like most teenage boys lust and this sexual desire it got the better of me I couldn’t stop watching as it was just a few clicks away when you’re on the internet and I thought to myself that I won’t be able to quit. I was in a repetitive cycle of sin I felt like I was in a black hole this is before I surrendered my life to Christ I was only 16 at the time. The guilt and shame it completely devoured me. It reminds me of that Spiderman scene when venom is taking over him.

I felt like I was Spiderman and me trying to get rid of these bad habits were like Spiderman resisting Venom. It was only through gaining wisdom and understanding from reading self-help books as well as the Bible and applying that knowledge that I will share with you, I was able to overcome.

I tried my best to quit watching and I did for a few days but the desire was so strong I would find myself desiring it and I fell back into watching and sometimes I would last a month without watching but would come back and I thought I needed to go to a bootcamp as I thought I wouldn’t be able to get rid of this sexual desire😔 that I knew needed to stop. Thanks to God He broke my chains of addictions.

The closer to God you become the more sinful you will feel. I definitely couldn’t have gotten out of that if it wasn’t for Him.  I built a relationship with God and began to read my Bible daily, pray and go to church and developed these good habits because of this relationship I built with God it’s like I didn’t want to disappoint Him and I only wanted to Honour him as I know God wants the best for me so I tried again to quit with God. I did my best to quit my bad habits for God as I was on this new path and they didn’t just leave I still faced these storms of temptations but overtime as my relationship grew with God it became easier to resist.

Faith is like a muscle the more you exercise it the stronger it becomes. Sometimes God is going to give you the same test over and over until you know better because to know better is to do better. Every time I was tested I got stronger and He gave me another life.

Remember these 2 quotes for overcoming lust:

1. An idle mind is a devils playground, remember that the devil will easily attack you with these desires when you are remaining idle and not doing anything with your life. At any point in time if you aren’t getting closer to God then you are remaining idle which makes you an easy target for the devil. 

2. Victor Frankl who says “When you lack purpose you distract yourself with pleasure and when I was in highschool I wouldn’t say I knew my purpose in life and so I was easily distracted by pleasure but on my journey with God I eventually found my purpose in life and that is what helped me out of that repetitive cycle.

Scripture verse for you to remember when dealing with lust:

Bible Storytime:

After being baptised by John the baptist. At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights and afterwards was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread. He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, you shall not put the Lord, your God to the test.” Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain and he showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him, and behold angels came and ministered to him. -Matthew 4:1-11

In the story of Jesus being tempted and him resisting it ends with “then the devil left him”. So like with me and my addictions I always remembered the scriptures and that gave me a reminder that God is with me in my battles so I kept trying to remove my bad habits and it worked so I want you to know that it does get better just be patient and trust God because He remains faithful to His words. In Corinthians 10:13 it says

I’ll end this letter with a verse in James

Closing prayer:

Dear God,

Thank you for helping me overcome my temptations so that I can share with others and make a difference in their lives. I pray that whoever is reading this on the other side of the screen finds value in this letter and grows closer to you because with you, God, all things are possible. May they begin to witness Your miraculous work in their lives.

In Jesus' name, Amen.

You got this 👊 

Timothy