The Beast Within Us: Lust

 

This beast within us is almost universally the one we are most secretive about and the most powerful one that affects us. Lust is, simply, an emotion or feeling of intense desire in the body. It’s a psychological force that creates a very strong, often intense, wanting or desire for an object or a circumstance which will fulfill the emotion. Grossly overweight folks may have a lust for food. It could probably be safe to assume that Imelda Marcos, the former First Lady of the Philippines lusted for shoes. She had over 3,000 pairs. Neither of those are secretive lusts—the evidence of those lusts are apparent.

Sexual lust is the leading secretive lust. It’s the lust that plagues many men. Volumes have been written about it and tons of psychological studies have addressed it. Many offenders are incarcerated because of it, and many marriages have been destroyed by it. Here’s some basics about it:

·         Many men can’t look at a beautiful woman and look at her as just a woman gifted with good looks. They look at her comparatively with questions about how it would be to be with her, often in a sexual or at least a fantasizing manner.

·         Oftentimes, a man’s lust will lead him to pornography of varied kinds.

o   Idle times will often drive that lust, sometimes inappropriately.

·         Sometimes a man’s lust will lead him to extramarital affairs, or worse.

·         At times a man can’t keep his eyes off of a nice looking waitress, a group of girls hanging out together, or the like, even when with his family or friends. Even though he may try his hardest not to, he has a difficult time not taking “sneak peeks.”

·         Lust is not easily defeated, and tends to do exactly what ego’s do to us by easing God out of our thinking and hearts.

Lust, is, I believe, the one beast within that is the most easily recognized as wrong by the men who struggle with it. Therefore they are very secretive about it. They know their thoughts are not within society’s norm. The destruction to men and their relationships is also the most visible to others. The fight against lust is best done with a strong partner—God.

Bottom Line Thought: A strong enemy puts up a good fight. If you lust, how do you battle it?