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Overcoming Lusts: Lesson #7

Embracing God's Love

Discipleship Level 2: Reaching Beyond Mediocrity

Rev. Paul J. Bucknell

Lost in Lust | Secret Look | Word study| Lust vs. Love | Power of Love | Pornography

Weaknesses | Handling temptation | Clean up | Lovely Thoughts | Breaking Free

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Video Podcast | D2 Index | RSS

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Purpose: Our goal is to help you overcome your lust and find God's love in your life. Since we do not have the privilege of personal discussion, we have provided several work sheets or exercises that can help you more carefully analyze what is needed to reacher there. Embracing God's Love, Overcoming Lust is the seventh lesson in the Discipleship Level 2: Reaching Beyond Mediocrity series.

Exercises to overcome lusts (#1-4)

Tools to facilitate and remember this process

No matter what sin a person has, he needs to be thorough in dealing with the problem. Do not think it is solved in five minutes. Usually what needs to happen is a change of values and thoughts. These are usually hidden behind the scenes especially if one is 'addicted' to these lusts ("I can't change").

They are closely interwoven with each other and this fact helps one spot the problems. They are not always very evident. If you think wrongly about desiring something, you can be sure there is something wrong in your value system. These values could be based on what you hear your friends tell you, "the more wild the better" or it could be related to some deep personal problem you faced growing up such as abuse.

Lusts are usually connected to other sins such as lying. Be sure that you confess all of your sins and tell the Lord how horrible you are. It is true we are that bad. Our righteousness is dependent upon the Lord's love shown through Christ. Facing our problems gives us an enriched perspective of salvation.

Solutions

Real solutions for lusts are not focused on refraining from the lust but in the actual devotion to use that energy and focus to care for others.

Our cure is not just for our own lives but it becomes a living testimony to the power of God in your life.

As you work through these areas, try to pay attention to the struggle you go through, the way the evil one tempts you and the way God sets you free.

The better you are able to communicate the changes that took place in you, the better.

Here are some trouble points to look out for.

  1. Keep getting caught by temptation.
  2. You end up in your lusts before you recognize it.
  3. Very hard to tell others about your lust problem.
  4. Hard to identify what things you value over doing what is right and good.
  5. You feel very guilty and do not know how to find God's peace.
  6. It is hard to identify what you doubt about God or the way He takes care of you.
  7. You wonder whether God can really help you with your lusts (they are so bad!)
  8. You know God's Word but somehow it doesn't change things.

We have provided four exercise sheets. Each worksheet helps us along this process of recording our defeats and victories. The more clearly we observe our situation, the more evident our solutions will be.

(1) Understanding your lusts

It is hard to get an accurate picture of our lives! Take an inventory. As you look at your responses, you should better be able to discern the impact your desires/lusts have on your life.

This is a simple self-evaluation to see if you typically have lusts and to what degree they impact your life.

The complete book with the exercises, Reaching Beyond Mediocrity, can be purchased at our BFF Store!

(2) Trace your lustful thoughts and responses

Take a certain situation where your desires (lusts) took over and influenced your decisions. The list of provided questions will help guide you through thinking about what happened.

Many times we do not understand our own responses to our lusts. This exercise helps us to see what we actually do.

The complete book with the exercises, Reaching Beyond Mediocrity, can be purchased at our BFF Store!

(3) Preventing Lusts

It is important to prevent lusts from ever happening. It is a bit tricky at first because we so smoothly go from temptation into guilt. This only shows us how much Satan desires to destroy our lives. We need to be much more aware of our thoughts if we are going to prevent these lusts from controlling our lives.

We can help focus on what happens by discovering what triggers the lust in the first place, that is, observing what is my lust is connected to. A simple diagram can help you focus on what happens when.

(4) Combating lusts

When you succumb to temptation, suggested thoughts from the evil one guide your thoughts and decisions. This chart helps you discover what those thoughts are and how to train your mind to think the right way. Often times we will be given a half truth but with a disguised motive of having us draw a wrong conclusion.

Observe the thoughts that go over and over in your mind. An example might be, "You are only important if you make a lot of money." This thought will ruin you by making you pursue (i.e. lust for) money. Once you identify one of these controlling thoughts, write them down on the left and think if there are any others.

In the right column, write down the opposite thought. This is almost always the truth and what we should believe. After this, write scriptures that supports the truth. We only can have long term success if we identify, reject (i.e. confess) and adopt new and proper thinking and values.

The complete book with the exercises, Reaching Beyond Mediocrity, can be purchased at our BFF Store!

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Running

Also look at the extended series on overcoming lusts. Colorful graphics and diagrams make this study refeshing and helpful.

Go: Running the Race: Overcoming Sexual Sins


Reaching Beyond Mediocrity book

Reaching Beyond Mediocrity (Click here)

Discipleship at the 2nd level

by Paul J. Bucknell

God's Word comes alive as you learn how to use it to overcome personal struggles like anxiety, depression, pride, lust and anger. God has made you strong! Many worksheets! (300+ pages). This is the full resource with all the complete and updated pages included!


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Scriptures typically quoted from the New American Standard Bible unless noted: (C) Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1988

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