Jesus gave the sinner “Living water.” How do we find it? To me, the Christian who is obviously “different,” who is filled with love and purpose has “Found it.” The challenge is... We accept Christ, and then struggle in habits that keep us from purpose. To break habits, the rule of 10 says to focus on one new habit now, this week, this month, even though we need all 10. We need to start somewhere. Learn the “Praise the Lord” habit. This habit fights addiction and depression, and it is a big part of “It.” When David was doing spectacular things for God, he had the constant habit of praising the Lord. If you have constant thoughts of lust, consider praying: “I am sorry,” and praying, “I worship you Lord, not lust. I Praise You, Lord.” Try to make it a habit to do this with every bad thought. Problems: You say, that is weird, not respectful, my church never taught that. But... Does God prefer you fighting lust, or trying to keep a deep religious respect for Him? I say that fighting lust is the deep respect for Him. Problem # 2. You may fail 100 times, 1000 times, or more. But...Real success is working on forming the habit consistently. Real success is “Trying” every time a tempting thought pops up. Solutions: It took me many months to form the habit of turning from lust. But now, I usually turn from lust “before” I even think about whether that is what I want to do. I still keep working on turning from lust, but I am very happy that I am starting to take my desires out of the equation. My new habit is to automatically start to do the right thing. And once I start to do the right thing, I remember, I don't want destruction and darkness, I do want to do the right thing. Finally, we find “It” by spending a block of time in prayer. My most important hour of the day is my time in prayer. Consider trying to pray more and more. Prayer helps us start to make better decisions. Better decisions are key to fighting habits. #2 Prayer helps us to start to know God's will. The more we do what we are supposed to be doing, the less time we have for bad habits. #3 Prayer helps us to focus on good things. It will be helpful to focus on good things more this year.
Lust has a purpose. Satan's purpose with lust is to destroy your spiritual destiny. Satan uses lust to make you content with life as is. Lust is a literal fight for your purpose. When tempted, you need to see satan's plan in that temptation. Consider praying: “Father, help me to flee from lust, and help me to pursue righteousness, and love.” Today, when you start to see temptation... Start praying immediately, and imagine seeing next to your temptation – satan standing there planning your downfall just like he did with Adam and Eve. Consider praying: “Father, help me to turn from lust and keep reminding me about who is trying to destroy me.” 1 Peter 5:8 ESV Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Finally, we need a great weapon against satan. The Bible is the sword. A great weapon. The more you get it in you, the better you will fight.
