Defeat Lust & Pornography Jim Vander Spek
Defeat Lust & Pornography 2 minute read

Properly Understanding Lust

Last Updated: February 21, 2014

by Jim Vander Spek

I was a Christian for over fifty years, grew up in an actively Christian home, attended a Christian College, spent time in Seminary, was an elder in a fine evangelical church, and paid attention to everything I read or heard about dealing with sexual desires and thoughts. However—with all that—I failed to understand lust.

Those who continue in sin become a slave to sin. Not understanding lust, I gave myself over to it. I started to lust as a child and did not stop. I could not stop. I was a slave.

I praise God that He has given me victory over lust. He has set me free. This is why He sent His Son—to set us free from sin. My life has been reset. Overcoming lust has changed my relationship with God and allowed me—finally—to begin pleasing Him.

When the life-dominating sin of lust is in charge, we lose our joy and we become ineffective Christians. On the other hand, when we are freed from its shackles, we can walk in the Spirit and become filled with the joy and love that are the trademarks of those who are God’s children.

Ever since that time—when I finally understood the depths of my sin and where I needed to be—I have been perplexed over my past ignorance. I began to talk about it. I went back and rehearsed what I had been taught. I also studied what other Christian teachers were saying. Most of what I found missed the mark or was tragically—frighteningly—wrong.

Being enslaved by lust is a dreadful state. It is also deeply displeasing to our Father in Heaven. Yet most Christians and their leaders look at lust and teach about it in a way that does not line up with the teachings of Jesus. They do not know the seriousness of adultery in the heart. They do not teach about “denying worldly lusts” (Titus 2:12). They imagine that cleaning up the outside of the cup is the same as cleaning the cup itself.

I invite you to read an excerpt from my book. It will introduce you to the correct way of looking at lust. If you are a slave to this sin—as I was—I hope and pray that God will move in your heart and cause you to turn from your sin and to begin pleasing Him.

. . . .

Jim Vander Spek]

Jim Vander Spek is a CPA, businessman, author, and blogger. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Marsha. Jim graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a dual major in Biblical Studies and Business Administration.  He has attended Cross Connection Fellowship (formerly Calvary Chapel Escondido) for over twenty-five year and is the treasurer of Shepherd’s Staff Missionary Facilitators.

 

Comments on: Properly Understanding Lust

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related in Defeat Lust & Pornography

Editor's Picks

Man with a Bible praying.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Porn and Doubt: Why Porn Hurts Christians’ Faith

Watching pornography may lead you to doubt your faith. This is what…

5 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

Silhouette of a skateboarder.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

The Journey to Conquer Pornography

I am an elite-level skateboarder who has been in the sport for…

3 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

confident young man.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

My War With Pornography

My war with pornography started when I was in junior high. It…

3 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

Male jogger running on the road.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Personal Integrity and the Road to Recovery

Integrity could rightly be labeled the “litmus test” of true recovery from…

5 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

Thoughtful man.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Does Striving for a Porn-Free Life Make You “Weird”? 

We live in a time when sensitivity toward others and understanding them…

3 minute read

Read Post

Editor's Picks

Silhouette of a man praying on a hillside.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

What the Devil Meant for Evil, God Turned to Good

In this short testimony, I will offer my testimony of failure, forgiveness,…

3 minute read

Read Post

Related in Defeat Lust & Pornography

Man with a Bible praying.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Porn and Doubt: Why Porn Hurts Christians’ Faith

Watching pornography may lead you to doubt your faith. This is what…

Watching pornography may lead you to doubt your faith. This is what a 2017 sociological study concluded, and many Covenant Eyes members have expressed the same thing. Let’s take a closer look at the relationship…

5 minute read

0 comments

Silhouette of a skateboarder.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

The Journey to Conquer Pornography

I am an elite-level skateboarder who has been in the sport for…

I am an elite-level skateboarder who has been in the sport for fifteen years. I was raised in a Christian household, the eldest in my family, the adventurist, and the thrill seeker. My battle with…

3 minute read

0 comments

confident young man.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

My War With Pornography

My war with pornography started when I was in junior high. It…

My war with pornography started when I was in junior high. It snuck into my world through a school project. Once I got a taste of it, my curiosity ignited and I explored my discovery.…

3 minute read

0 comments

Male jogger running on the road.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Personal Integrity and the Road to Recovery

Integrity could rightly be labeled the “litmus test” of true recovery from…

Integrity could rightly be labeled the “litmus test” of true recovery from pornography. Addicts are prone to define sobriety and recovery on their own terms, and when they do so, that is all that they…

5 minute read

0 comments

Thoughtful man.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

Does Striving for a Porn-Free Life Make You “Weird”? 

We live in a time when sensitivity toward others and understanding them…

We live in a time when sensitivity toward others and understanding them are upheld as the highest virtues. Yet somehow this changes when it comes to sensitivity and understanding towards those trying to keep pornography…

3 minute read

0 comments

Silhouette of a man praying on a hillside.

Defeat Lust & Pornography

What the Devil Meant for Evil, God Turned to Good

In this short testimony, I will offer my testimony of failure, forgiveness,…

In this short testimony, I will offer my testimony of failure, forgiveness, freedom, and a new family that began in a nearly decade-long addiction to pornography. God’s grace and sovereignty are written all over my…

3 minute read

0 comments