New Book: 33 Days to Freedom From Lust: INTRODUCTION
I grew up in an evangelical church that loved Jesus, His word, one another, and others. We, the other teens and I, were taught much good, truth, and beauty. But there were a few errors that we were taught as well. One error we were taught was that, if you're a man, you're going to lust. It's just part of who you are in this fallen world: your sinful burden in this life. But you don't have to act on the lust in your heart.
My church was right that you don't have act on your indwelling lusts, but they were wrong in telling us that inward lusting was part of being a man. Adam didn't lust before the Fall (Gen 2). Jesus didn't lust (2 Cor 5:21). And you don't have to lust. No Christian man or woman has to lust.
In the power of the Holy Spirit, you can put lust to death in your heart (Rom 8:13; Col 3:5-6).
That's why I wrote this devotion.
My hope and prayer is that as you read God's Word, the Bible, and you receive it, believe it, and live it, your thoughts will be more and more obedient to Christ. You will think God's thoughts after Him, which will bring you victory over your indwelling lusts and other indwelling sins in your heart.
Now, in this life, there must be sin in Christians, because our flesh is sin (Rom 7), but our flesh does not have to move to the same particular sins continually. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we can put to death particular lusts. But how?
We must develop holy habits by having greater affection for God and greater affection for thinking His thoughts after Him, than we do for lust.
We create new habits by, in the power of the Holy Spirit, starving the lust in our hearts when it moves, one day at a time, until 1) it's starved to death and 2) a new holy habit is formed.
According to some scientific studies, how long it takes to form a new habit varies from person to person. The least time to form a new habit is 21 days, with the average being 66 days. Thus, I chose 33 days because it's greater than 21 days and half of 66 days.1
For some of you, 33 days will be enough. For others, you can repeat this book twice or more, but I'll also write a second volume that will be 33 more days, providing you with a total of 66 days to make war against your indwelling sin; which you can repeat as necessary.
Let's get started enjoying God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and fighting and killing indwelling lust!