What's the big deal about lust?


Lust is the dirty little secret of American advertisers and society.

In advertisements, everything is for sale. Coca-cola makes you happy. Budweiser makes you popular and cool. The right investment firm will take care of your wants in your senior years. Drugs can provide your every need and heal any ailment. The right cell phone can finally put your life in order.

Yet all these commercials and advertisements count on one thing - your lust. Every beer commercial has beautiful, scantily clad women to entice you to drink. Drink Budweiser and these women can be yours. Your lust for women leads to you believe that drinking beer will help you attain them. Forget diet, exercise, manners and personality. Just a case full of Buds and your lust can be satisfied.

Or how about cell phones. Again, we don't see ugly people in these commercials. Handsome young men and beautiful young women laugh as they exchange texts, status updates and pictures of the "oh-so-hot" person on the other end of the room. Have this phone, and you'll be hip enough to obtain all of your desires. It will satisfy you.

Just about every commercial uses sex appeal to lure you to their product. Make-up hides your blemishes. Zit cream erases your pimples so you will be more attractive. Weight Watchers can make you slim and sexy. Apple makes you relevant to the cute girl in the library. Axe body spray flat out tells you it will lead to sex.

Lust, lust, lust, lust. Every advertisers seeks to satisfy your lust.

Joshua Harris wrote this in his book Not Even A Hint: "You won’t be able to fantasize enough to quench lust. You won’t be able to sleep with enough people. You won’t be able to view enough pornography. You can gorge yourself on lust, but you’re always going to be hungry.”

Lust can never be satisfied. It always leaves you wanting more.

Jesus was even more serious when he spoke about it in Matthew 5:27-28. "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Just looking at another person lustfully is the same as having sex with them. Jesus didn't mince words. He said your sexual thoughts about another register to God as committing sexual sin with them.

Still think lust isn't a problem? Lust leads to wanting more and more and that eventually leads to action. Jesus doesn't want us sleeping around or being casual with sex. So he says, "Don't even imagine it with someone other than your spouse."

Lust is a big deal to God. Is it a big deal to you?




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