Command 7 : Do Not Lust | Day 48

Use Your Chief Weapon!

When it comes to conquering lust, there is no weapon more powerful than meditation on God's Word. It must be used at all times, even when we don't think it is effective.

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word” (Psalm 119:9).

The following testimony is from a pastor. It affirms a vital principle.

"I grew up in an alcoholic and abusive background and lacked self-esteem and love. I began discovering all that the devil had in the world, beginning with pornography. I was preaching at the time and my conscience rebuked me with great pain after each incident.

"In tears of sincerity I confessed my sins and asked for God's forgiveness, but the temptation always returned even stronger. A powerful wicked force was driving me into the mud of moral impurity. I hated what was happening and tried many things to change, but nothing worked.

"Finally, I was able to attend my first Basic Seminar¹ and heard the principle of meditation and engrafting Romans 6 into my heart. I began by making a list of every past sin I could think of and tracing these sins to their root causes, confessing each one.

"I wrote out each verse of Romans 6 on a card and recited it many times until I had a pretty good grasp of it. Then before bed I recited it again, pondering the meaning and personalizing the application. When I got up the next day, I meditated on my new verse. Throughout the day, whenever possible, I continued to meditate and tied the new verse to the preceding verses. I began to see things I never saw before.

"Sometimes I fell into sin and became discouraged again, but I decided that this time I would continue to meditate—even if I failed. Instead of giving up because of my sins I pressed harder to come under the authority of God's Word.

"By the second week of meditating day and night, my peace and joy began to grow. By the third week I sensed a newness of spirit, a freshness about life, and a positive perspective. I couldn't believe how good I felt inside.

"Then it happened on the fourth week! I remember driving one afternoon on a freeway, meditating on the verses I had memorized up to that point. As I came to the verse, 'For when ye were the servants of sin ...' (Romans 6:20), I felt a bolt of fiery power come into my chest and explode. I knew then that the old man had experienced death by the cross. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I cried out, 'Praise the Lord, I'm free!' ”

Let's purpose to have the same determination that drove this pastor to freedom. For those in strong bondage to lust, memorizing and meditating on Romans 6-8 is a powerful way to renew the mind and achieve moral purity. (See Romans 12:1-2.)

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1. Learn more about the Basic Seminar.