Fighting Against the Flesh
We live in an ever increasingly sexualized world. From television to TikTok to novels and children’s education, sex and sexualization has pervaded almost every facet of the western society. For a long time, this has been described as a man’s struggle, yet the reality is that both men and women struggle with lustful thoughts and desires. Both men and women are regularly enticed by sin into viewing pornography from early ages, watching questionable videos on TikTok, or spending their Saturday afternoons gawking down at the beach—yet we often shy away from being clear that this too is sin.
In Matthew 5:27-30, Jesus addresses people who struggle with lust. Beginning with a reminder that the law explicitly condemns adultery, Jesus moves on to exposit the law by challenging all who look upon others with lustful intent. It’s not merely an issue of external action, but an internal problem of our heart. Christians are called to fight against the lusts of the flesh and Jesus clearly tells us that it would be better for us to cut off our bodily appendages in order to fight against sin than it would be to continue in sin.
Recognizing that this is a heart issue, Ray Ortlund, author of the book The Death of Porn, writes, "I am a Christian pastor. I love my wife. I am not looking at porn. I am a sexual sinner". The reality of our situation is that we could likely all rewrite that sentence with our own names—but that doesn’t mean we have to resign to a life of sexual sin. It may feel impossible for the weight of sin and the draw of lust to be cast off; but that which is impossible man is entirely possible for God.
While it may feel impossible to be freed from the shackles of sexual sin and lustful thoughts and desires, God will not abandon His people—He will redeem them. God’s work of redeeming His people is something wrought by the Spirit thought the shed blood of the Son. In Christ, we have been redeemed and set free from the penalty for our sin. Nevertheless, the struggle against sin in this life will persist. Paul recognizes this and yet calls the church to “put to death the deeds” of the flesh (Rom 8:13).
How can we fight against lust and the deeds of the flesh? Here are a few ideas:
1 | Pray
A simple first step, though one that we are quick to pass over. Throughout Scripture, we are shown the same example: in times of trouble, in times of worry, in times of susceptibility towards sin, God hears the cries of His people in prayer and is faithful to help deliver them. If killing sin is as challenging as Scripture suggests, then it is not something we can do on our own. The putting to death of sin requires divine assistance. Through prayer, God strengthens us to persevere in our fight against sin; through prayer, God provides ways out from the pressure of our sin.
2 | Remove the Temptation
We often find ourselves falling into sin and temptation in the same ways. This cliche stands true: “fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Temptation can come from all around us, but if we aren’t putting in the effort to avoid the places where we know temptation will come from we aren’t doing the work of fighting against sin. For many, lustful thoughts and desires might come from scrolling through Instagram Reels or TikTok videos—yet daily we find ourselves back in those same spots. For others, temptation and lust may arise on a sunny summers afternoon at the beach. Still others might find themselves drawn to the latest Netflix series.
We each know the place or thing which will turn our hearts to temptation and lust. How often do we take the next step and actually remove the thing which will draw us in?
Are you drawn to viewing pornography on your phone? Turn off the web browser, delete the social media apps, download Covenant Eyes, or replace your phone with something that won’t feed the temptation.
Are you drawn to lustful thoughts at the beach? Find a spot no one else goes or stop going all together.
Are you drawn to binge the hot new series? Delete your Netflix account or destroy your television.
Does this all seem a little extreme? To paraphrase Jesus, it is better to miss the content, be disconnected from social media, and not to swim, than to be subject to the fires of hell.
3 | Find a Supportive Community
We cannot do this alone. We cannot fight sin, Satan, and temptation as an island—no matter how hard we might try. As Ray Ortlund Sr once wrote, “to be alone is to invite sure failure.” Christians have understood from the very beginning that we cannot survive this fight on our own; instead, we surround ourselves with brothers and sisters in Christ who are committed to fighting together.
Who do you trust? Who is willing to support you in your struggle? Turn to a trusted friend, join a community group, call someone—we all need support. We can’t be lone rangers thinking that if we just exert a little more effort than next time we will win—on our own we are doomed to fail and fail again. Community provides support, accountability, a place for vulnerability, and a people to pray with.
Get plugged into community, cut out the things that bind you to sin, open up, confess your sins in prayer, and find the freedom that comes from putting sin to death.
My name is Colin. I am a Christian minister. I love my wife. I am not looking at porn. I am a sexual sinner—but by God’s grace I have been forgiven and by God’s Spirit I have been empowered to put to death the sins of my flesh.
Will you join me in the fight?
