Satan's Favorite Bait
Any serious fisherman will tell you that his favorite bait is the one that the fish find most irresistible. So, if Satan, who cannot drag us away from Jesus, wants to lure us away from Jesus, his favorite bait is going to be something that’s been tried and true. I can’t imagine anyone seriously questioning that one of Satan’s most successful baits of all time is sexual lust. Satan has snagged countless believers, including some of the most revered in history, with lust. Surely, we should expect him to keep using a bait that works!
Modern-day American Christians may be more bombarded with sexual images and themes than any believers in history. Satan casts his lines through practically every genre of music, television programming, advertising, sports, internet offerings, live entertainment, magazines… It might be hard for some believers to identify an area of their life without the presence of Satan’s favorite lure. I often hear from couples recovering and seeking to reconcile from adultery that they can’t escape the reminders.
It's everywhere and it’s effective. Our awareness of the presence of God fades as we’re snagged by lust. Sexual cataracts blind us to Jesus. As soon as the hook is set, we forget our covenant, stupefied by the shallow cravings that create a sort of impenetrable barrier between the most primal parts of the brain and those parts of us that count costs, manage risks, and honor commitments. In his book, Temptation, Dietrich Bonhoeffer described the setting of the hook this way,
“At this moment God… loses all reality… Satan does not fill us with hatred of God, but with forgetfulness of God.”
Consider King David. God knew David’s heart, and loved what he knew. David was widely known for his steadfast integrity, passionate faith, and unsurpassed courage. No one was closer to God. He was Israel’s Poet Laureate, writing psalms that have tenderized hearts and inspired faith for centuries. He united his people. He was a great military leader and statesman. He was both king and priest.
But over time, David allowed the sexuality of his culture to desensitize him to the danger before him. In Deuteronomy 17, the standards for Hebrew kings were established including three restrictions:
1. They were not allowed to acquire many horses.
2. They were not allowed multiple wives.
3. They could not accumulate much personal gold and silver.
David observed the first and third restrictions. Yet practically every king had a harem. It was normal for his time. One might say that it was expected. So, in 2 Samuel 5:13, “David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem.” He let the culture, rather than God, define his standard. This choice desensitized him to God’s presence and made him easy prey for one roaming around like a lion looking for someone to devour.
Then David rationalized that his recent military successes meant that he deserved a break. He sent Joab to lead his army into battle, while he added idle time to his embrace of the ever-present cultural sexuality. He relaxed when and where he was most vulnerable.
Then, instead of immediately looking away, he fixated on this beautiful bathing young woman. A man more aware of God’s presence would have quickly looked away. Yet, in a moment, David, who had once been a man after God’s own heart, went from being socially acceptable to a leering dirty old man. The hook was set, and his lust would not be denied.
David broke –
· The 10th Commandment (coveting his neighbor’s wife)
· The 7th Commandment (adultery)
· The 8th Commandment (stealing his neighbor’s wife)
· The 6th Commandment (murder)
· The 9th Commandment (bearing false witness)
One could even argue that by breaking the latter 5 Commandments, he broke the first 5 as well. His reign and life spiraled downward from there. All because he took the bait and allowed the lure of sexual lust to distract him and cause him to stray from the Lord.
Today, countless men and women follow the same path. We are so saturated with sexuality that we become desensitized to the danger. Most people I know are brought down by legal, culturally acceptable indulgences. We spend countless hours listening to sexual lyrics and indiscriminately consuming countless images and scenes through television and internet scrolling without realizing that we are being primed for just the “right” opportunity.
Our enemy will show no mercy. What is thought to be concealed in darkness will be exposed in the light. Our negligence has left each of us imminently vulnerable. Yet, most of us are so desensitized to sexuality that we’ve normalized and failed to recognize how mesmerizing the slow-moving bait is.
If the bait has always been intended to distract us from Jesus and cause us to unknowingly stray farther and farther away, then how do we refocus and abide in Jesus within a culture so saturated with sensuality?
Discipleship is the process of repositioning ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to be near the Lord. Spiritual disciplines are the actions and combinations of actions we engage to offset our distractions and refocus on Jesus.
Most people are not going to overcome a serious distraction like sexual lust alone. The process of discipleship is meant to be engaged within community. Does that mean one need make a public announcement? Of course not. However, Proverbs 32:5 says,
“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
James 5:16 says,
“Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Confessing one’s distractions from the Lord to another believer whom you trust unlocks two other powerful spiritual disciplines – prayer and collaboration.
As James said, “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” Prayer is both your offense and your defense in spiritual warfare. Pray for both a growing awareness of the presence of God and that one may see the hollow deception of Satan’s bait for what it is.
But you also want collaboration. Most people call this accountability. But accountability alone usually leaves adults feeling like they are being parented, and no one really looks forward to being parented by a friend. Instead, collaboration involves two or more people who share the same goal. Collaboration includes accountability, but only as part of a bigger goal of striving toward the same success. Too often accountability simply means checking with you, asking questions, and perhaps checking devices. Collaboration involves developing and working a plan together and encouraging one another.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 says,
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…”
Proverbs 27:17 says,
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 says,
“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his friend. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they will keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though an enemy might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand – a three-strand cord is not easily broken.”
Galatians 6:2 says,
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
Another spiritual discipline to employ against sexual lust is to memorize Scripture that specifically addresses its danger. Remember, Jesus spoke only Scripture when Satan sought to tempt him in Matthew 4. In Psalm 119, the Psalmist is addressing the need to guard against sexual sin when he says,
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your word. I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”
Psalm 119:9-11
Scripture that you have not learned will be of little value to you in the heat of the moment. Here’s a few specific passages you may find helpful to commit to memory: Proverbs 6:27, Job 31:1-4, 2 Timothy 2:22, 1 Corinthians 6:18
Fasting is a spiritual discipline that is seen over 50 times in Scripture. In the Old Testament, it’s often an expression of grief or a means of humbling oneself. In the New Testament, it’s a means of growing closer to God by removing distractions from our lives. Fasting can be for a specific time or open-ended. Jesus said,
“And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It’s better to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to be thrown into hell with two eyes.”
Mark 9:47
Perhaps it’s time to consider your internet service, device, playlist, or social media as the eye that needs tearing out. Perhaps you need to fast from television, internet, social media…
Remember, spiritual disciplines reposition us near Jesus, by refocusing us on Jesus or by removing that which distracts us from him. Another spiritual discipline is setting boundaries with the opposite sex. Married adults should flirt only with their spouse. Verbal intimacy should also be reserved for one’s spouse. Just being aware and wise in setting appropriate boundaries provides far more protection than the average person realizes.
I’ve dived right into one of the most prevalent and destructive ways Satan makes us weak by luring us into forgetting the presence of God in our lives, and I’ve attempted to show you how to engage combinations of spiritual disciplines that refocus us on Jesus. This was not meant to be an exhaustive list of spiritual disciplines or even spiritual disciplines that guard against sexual lust. Instead, it is intended to give a working example of how one might overcome any distraction by using spiritual disciplines to reposition oneself to abide in Christ.