“Useless and Unproductive” What is it that causes a Christian to be “useless and unproductive?” You know the type—going through the motions, claiming faith, but not growing in the faith. This tragic outcome happens in those who fail to overcome persistent sin in their lives. Their failure causes them to be knocked to the curb. They [...]
Overcoming Lust as a Buddhist A goal of Buddhism is to “renounce” or overcome lust. So much so, that the most fervent Buddhists live as celibate monks. Their hope is to eventually enter Nirvana, a state where they expect to “extinguish all desires”—not just lust. My quotes in this post come from a wonderfully insightful [...]
I love hearing stories about those who are in the trenches, overcoming lust. It seems like almost anyone at any stage of life is vulnerable to this sin. Lust is relentlessly “deceitful” (Ephesians 4:22). Today’s story takes the form of a short but thought-provoking email exchange I shared with Joe—75 years old—who lost his wife and is intent on “finishing strong.” To [...]
Those seeking to overcome lust face a unique problem. Not only must they resist new temptations that come their way, but they must also deal with things in the past that they have seen and done. Years ago, a pastor at a men’s retreat called this his “drawer full of memories.” He bemoaned things he [...]
Prove It Following Jesus means being transformed—changing—progressively becoming more like Him. Dealing with the sin of lust is a good example of how this works. Anyone who has struggled and failed when it comes to lust and then later enters into victory over it knows what this is like. A fascinating and important byproduct of [...]
The image above is borrowed from the ad campaign “This is Your Brain on Drugs” that is indelibly etched in most of our minds. Piggy-backing on this, the phrase “Your Brain on Porn,” has gained popularity. Google that phrase and you will bring up a multitude of websites and videos from Christian and non-Christian sources. [...]
I love hearing from readers who are in the trenches successfully overcoming lust. Here is Matthew’s story: I grew up in a typical American Evangelical family. Flawed but good parents, church on Sundays and youth group on Wednesdays. During my childhood and adolescence, I was warned of the dangers and evils of pornography. I hardly [...]
Talking with your children about masturbation is a tough assignment. The subject is so private and embarrassing that most parents avoid it—what good can come from it? I would go further and contend that it does little good to pound away at the related problem of pornography use either. When we concentrate on all the [...]
Masturbation is a confusing, controversial subject for Christians. Recently, seven different Christian writers were invited to weigh in on the subject. The responses were all over the map. Some spoke against it and some thought it was OK. Our problem right now is that we can no longer dismiss masturbation as a somewhat harmless activity. [...]
A Contrarian Optimist This is another post relating to George Gilder’s encouraging explanation of how economies work–described as “A New Economics.” I will try to show how his positive ideas about economics suggest a helpful way to look at overcoming lust as well. I suppose that makes me a contrarian optimist as well. Gilder’s Insight [...]
