The Prison of Lust

The following article is taken from Chapter 1 of a new book I am writing: The 4 Pillars of Purity: Principles for Freedom from Lust & Shame.

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Lust is defined as an intense or unrestrained sexual craving. This craving comes from within your sinful nature and offers false promises of satisfaction for your innermost desires. Lust can also take many forms other than just sexual. Lust for power. Lust for money. Lust for fame. But the lust I am talking about here is sexual lust. A deep inner craving to experience sexual pleasure, no matter the cost to self or others.

Sexual lust usually begins in subtle ways early on in life. I remember as a kid there wasn’t any access in my home to pornography, but I was always drawn to sneaking peeks in the JC Penney catalog at the lingerie section. This seemingly ‘harmless’ sexual curiosity planted the seeds of lust in my heart, where they eventually grew into mighty forests of sexual sin and addiction. Lust, as is true with any sin, must disguise itself in order for us to invite it into our hearts and minds. If it revealed itself as it truly is, we would run away in horrified disgust. This is why the Scripture says, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Cor. 11:14)

But sexual curiosity, although it can plant seeds, doesn’t necessarily ensnare a person in lustful patterns of thinking. So, how does one travel from normal curiosity to entrapment in sexual lust? Such a journey occurs through isolation, secrecy, and shame.

Lust lures you away from your relationships. Whether it be through external sexual temptation (pornography, racy movies, TV, etc.) or internal fantasy, lust invites you to focus solely on yourself. By increasing your self-focus you naturally distance yourself from those closest to you. After all, if your mind is fully occupied with yourself, how can you think of anyone else? And once you are alone on your island of lustful fantasy, the beast exposes his true identity from behind the mask of pleasure and proceeds to mercilessly devour whatever piece of your mind, heart, or soul you offer. But, unfortunately, as horrible as this is the cycle is not yet complete.

After being made a fool by lust, you lick your wounds, return home, and continue on with life as usual. Except now there are secrets. In your embarrassment, shame and fear you just keep your mouth shut about your time spent on ‘Lust Island,’ hoping the experience (and the consequences) will just go away. But lust has an insatiable appetite for more. More of your heart. More of your mind. More of you.

The combination of isolation and secrecy produces shame. This is a heavy burden on your heart. You find yourself continuing to follow the dragon of lust time and again to his lair on the island, hoping it will produce a different result than the previous visit (this is a loose definition of insanity: repeating the same behaviors expecting a different result). Your disconnectedness from friends and family increases, and shame over your actions and continued silence threatens to crush your heart to pieces. Shame repeatedly demands you believe that you are defective in your design, worthless in the sight of God and man. Tragically, as you remain in isolation and secrecy, you dutifully believe the lies of shame. Then, one day, you peer out from the landscape of your heart only to realize that you are gazing through steel bars. You have become a prisoner of lust.

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I would love to hear your thoughts and comments. You may email me directly at jonathan@bebroken.com.