God knows our thoughts. This is both astounding, and it’s alarming, especially for the many Christians who struggle with lust. In today’s day in age this often takes the form of pornography. 

A recent Barna survey indicates that more than two thirds of Christian men look at porn regularly. The issue is a difficult one to share, and it’s a barrier in following Jesus. The late Pastor and philosopher Dallas Willard said, “a person who cultivates lusting in this manner is not the kind of person who is at home in the goodness of God’s kingdom.” Just like any pattern of sin, you don’t just feel stuck, but you also feel robbed of knowing God the way you could. 

One of the most helpful models of combatting this is Job. He said in Job 31:1, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” In the verses that follow Job mapped out all of the steps that could lead him astray, and he instilled parameters. For him it wasn’t something to take lightly. He made a covenant and he stuck by it. 

As Paul later says in Corinthians, Jesus offers a way out of temptation. Be like Job, put in the effort, and most of all, remain hopeful.