THE BEST SPIRITUAL WAY TO FIGHT TEMPTATION

[Gordon 7]

Quitting probably takes longer than you think. Forming new habits probably takes longer than you think. It takes 66 days on average to form a new habit. Some people are so obsessed with quitting and with new habits, so they think about forming new habits “All the time.” That leads to more rapid success. Others who are completely determined to quit still struggle after 126 days. Let's look at 3 people who are trying to quit. To start, they are each using 3 techniques. #1 Daily Bible reading. #2 Learning the habit of turning from tempting thoughts. #3 Learning new activities to replace the high-risk activities that caused them to fall so easily.

Mike

Mike has signed up for a “Through the Bible in a year app. To inspire himself to do it every day, he has memorized the verse: “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I should not sin against thee.”Mike has printed out many turn from temptation articles.” He spends 5-15 minutes per day studying them, and he puts them on his lap when he watches TV or is in any tempting situation at home. He says 5 times per day: “I will work on this habit every day. I will form this habit even if it takes “All year.” Mike has a list of 7 activities that he will go to instead of doing high-risk activities that he used to do. He says 3 times per day: I will do my best to enjoy this new activity, but it is not for fun. I am doing this activity so that I will quit. I will praise the Lord while doing these new activities. I commit to doing things God's way.

Lisa

Lisa has decided to read a chapter in the Old Testament and in the New Testament daily. She has a time and a place where she will read. Lisa has memorized 3 prayers from turn from tempting thoughts articles. She has set an alarm on her phone for every 30 minutes. With each alarm, she prays one of the prayers. Lisa has a list of 5 activities to do to replace high-risk activities. She has them listed in her phone so that she can access them immediately.

Ralph

Ralph is totally determined to quit. He says quitting prayers constantly all day long. But he loses a lot of momentum when he slips up the next day. Next, Ralph tries reading a chapter of the New Testament the next day. But he is a bit discouraged when temptation overwhelms him again. Finally, Ralph tries sports as activities to replace high-risk activities. But it is the same old story.

What I failed to mention earlier is... Mike and Lisa also fell after one day. They are both completely addicted, and they have multiple other problems in life. But, both of them went back to their new habits after falling. Mike says: I am going to do these new healthy habits all year. I don't care if it kills me.

Lisa says: I am going to plan even more and set even more alarms in my phone. I will keep trying no matter what. Finally, both Mike and Lisa are doing some smart things. I like their odds. Ralph is bouncing from one miracle quitting technique to another. He is very confused and frustrated because nothing he tries ever seems to help.

5 months later, Mike is 62 days clean, and Lisa is 29 days clean. Even more importantly, both are starting to understand that God's ways are best. They are more motivated than ever to do things His way. They have finally established some new habits, and the new habits are starting to help.

 

[Gordon 7]

1 Corinthians 3:12 ESV “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.”

We all underestimate how great life could be if we do things God’s way. But… until we stop being dominated by habits, it will continue to be that way.

I am quite sure that God has some new additional things for me to do. But I am quite content with doing the things that I currently do. I am dominated by my current habits.

Consider praying: “Father, help me not to be dominated by anything except love.”

Consider praying: “Father, help me not to be dominated by anything except being in Your will”

Today, determine not to be dominated by anything. To stop being dominated by normal things as well as by sins, we need a great goal.

Psalm 145:3 ESV Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
When we go to war daily with things that dominate us, our great God starts to get bigger and bigger in us. Consider praying:

“Father, take away this spirit of lust, and show me a bit of Your greatness.”

Are you willing to try to do something for Jesus? When we start to do something new for Jesus, more and more of His greatness starts flowing into us, then it starts flowing out of us.

But I am still dominated by certain things. However, I am thinking about new things, planning new things, I am leaving myself notes about doing new things, and praying about doing new things.

Today I printed out seven new verses to study including the first referenced verse. I searched for verses about things that dominate me. Even though I always meditate on verses, it was still shocking how effective the practice is.

A great daily habit: Study verses about things that dominate you so that you can do what God wants you to do.

This week, my goal is to stop underestimating how great life can be if I do things God’s way.

 

[Gordon 7]

Every bad habit features things we do to fall before a fall. A drinker might put on a movie that glorifies partying. A gambler may call a buddy who is obsessed with talking about gambling. A person struggling with drugs might just not fight against constant thoughts of how much they need to find some drugs. A porn addict may watch certain things that lead them to their habit forcefully.

Falling before a fall stages:

Emotional – You begin trying less. Less meetings, less studying quitting sites. Consider yelling at yourself when you enter this stage.

Mental falling – You want to fall more than anything, but you don't want the destruction. Give yourself a wake-up talk when you enter this stage. You need massive action to turn things around now.

Consider writing down 3 things that cause you to fall before a fall. Next, write down what you should be doing when you get into those things. This may take some research. Consider jotting down 7 alternatives of what you should do instead of these things.

The #1 key to avoid falling before a fall is to take action early in the process.

The #2 key is to continue to fight fiercely when you are no longer excited about quitting.

The #3 key is to work daily on “New habits.” I have formed the new habit of turning from thoughts of ______. When temptation starts, I now have the habit of thinking new thoughts. What new habits will you work on daily?

Finally, fighting against falling before a fall starts to increase your joy. Use this as motivation to always keep fighting. Believe that someday you will have joy. It does not always happen fast, but over time, you will see it beginning to happen.

 

[Gordon 7]

We always have a choice. Will we #1 run from sin, will we #2 attack sin, will we #3 fiddle around with sin? Option 1 leads to blessing and the beginning of joy. Option 2 gives us a focus and a plan. Option 3 leads to destruction.

I say 4 times per year that life is like a classic vampire movie. If you keep your house sealed and don't invite the monster in... You will be good. How do we break the seal? With sin. How do we invite the monster in? With repeated habitual sin.

Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

I have maybe told 800,000 people to war to war with sin. Many did not listen. Why? Because they did not understand how powerful the things that they unleashed were.

Bibleref.com noted, "Rulers" seem to indicate a top level of evil spiritual forces. "Authorities" refer to general forces of evil attacking believers. "Cosmic powers" seems to refer to the worldwide nature of this spiritual battle. "Evil in the heavenly places" again emphasizes a battle beyond this world.” Consider praying:

“Father, remind me that I am wrestling with dark powers. Remind me to increase Your power in my life with Your Words of truth.”

Joseph ran from temptation. Why? Because he understood that powerful forces were about to be unleashed. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to fear the dark forces. I will not give them a foothold anymore. I will stay sealed.”

I could not stop my habit ever... Once I gave it even one inch. Why? The dark forces assistance always was too much. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to run instantly from temptation.”

Instant turning keeps the monsters out. Stay sealed, keep them out.

 

[Gordon 7]

Strive to live your life like Biblical Joseph. He is famous for running from sin. He should be famous for insisting on doing what God wanted him to do. When we insist on doing what God wants us to do, running from sin becomes much more likely.

Joseph was a stickler for God's commandments. He obeyed because he knew that sin steers us from the path of what God wants us to do.

Joseph was a man of prayer. He prayed all the time about what God wanted him to do. We think, “Finding what God wants me to do is so hard.” Let's examine how hard it was for Joseph.

Joseph was thrown into a pit to die. I bet he reacted by praying constantly. Joseph was sold into slavery. I think he reacted by praying constantly. Joseph was thrown into prison. I think he reacted by praying constantly.

I told someone to set an alarm for every 30 minutes on their phone to remind them to pray:

“Father, show me what you want me to do.”

He laughed.

If Joseph had heard that advice, he might have said, “I need to be aware of what God wants me to do more often than that!”

Realize, God did not tell Joseph in the pit, “You will someday be second in command in Egypt.” God simply was with Joseph in the pit. God only told him that He would be with him if he did things His way.

My dad was where they dropped the atomic bomb. He said it was the most barren, dead place he had ever been. But, he said he prayed more while he was there than what he had prayed before or since. He said he felt the presence of God in that horrible place. He had nothing, but he had God with him.

Second, Joseph was going to do what God wanted him to do. He knew that sin would derail his mission. When the King's wife tried to seduce him, he ran.

Third, I will likely pray:

“Father, show me what you want me to do.” 30 times today.

I will likely pray:

“Father, keep me from temptation,” as many times as it takes to prepare for temptation.

If I watch TV tonight, I will likely pray:

“Father, help me to turn-from-lust as many times as it takes to keep that habit, and to actually, turn-from-lust.

Finally, God's system is not: “Try not to be naughty.”

God's plan is: “I have something great for you to do. You need to go to war with sin so that you can do it. You need to quit this habit so that you can do it.

Why should you consider working on the habit of praying, “Show me what You want me to do?” Because it took Joseph being thrown in a pit, being sold into slavery, and being thrown into jail before God showed him exactly what He wanted him to do. But Joseph believed every minute that God had something for him to do. No matter what happened, he kept praying and obeying.

Joseph's train did arrive. He became the 2nd most powerful man in the world, and he saved the Israelite's.

Work on healthy habits daily. Someday your train will arrive.

 

[Gordon 7]

Satan advertises lust and porn as something spectacular that you have to have. God tells you in His Word that something dies or partially dies when we give in.

There is an almost perfect parallel between how often you hear about what God says about lust and how easy or hard it is to quit.

Give me 30 Engineering students who are Christians who have memorized verses about lust, and you will likely see 30 students who have a sharply lower rate of porn in their future.

Give me 30 Bible students who read an occasional verse about lust, and who want to quit twice as badly as the Engineering students, and I will show you 30 students who struggle with porn for decades.

Why! We all know that Bible students are praying more, have more Christian friends, and are also attending classes on the Bible. But... the Engineering students are hearing directly from God about their habitual sin. They are getting all the information. Receiving power directly from God almighty about the sin that is plaguing them.

The good news is, you will memorize them by accident. If you are like I was 15 months ago you will be overwhelmed by lust all the time. If you fight temptation like Jesus did (with the Bible) you will know these verses. You will believe these verses, you will have confidence in these verses making your life better.

Porn kills you physically (with stress and less sleep), mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Proverbs 5:3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; 4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.

Verses about lust (https://www.openbible.info/topics/lust) heal you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Satan advertises lust and porn as something spectacular that you have to have. Jesus will tell you that purity and scripture are what you have to have.

Consider praying often:

"Father, help me to turn from lust."

If we hear Jesus' words as often as we hear satan's temptations, life will start getting great.

 

[Gordon 7]

In some ways it seems impossible to form new habits. Then we see someone even more hopeless than we are, and 25 days later, they are free. Why?

They worked on quitting all the time. They worked on new habits all the time. They determined to pray quitting prayers all the time. They acted like believing scripture as written would lead them to a good life, all the time.

Second, satan will whisper a great excuse for working on quitting part-time. You are tired, you are busy, you are interested in doing something else.

Third, some people would be shocked to hear that after a long time free, I still work on quitting full time during tempting situations.

My tempting situations are way down because... I have no interest in the destruction that my old life had. I have no interest in giving up my joy. But, temptations do happen, and when they do, I completely go to war. I go back to working on quitting full time. I work on running from temptation instantly. I work on thinking new thoughts instantly.

Fourth, if you are busy, consider working on quitting all the time when you have time. It is that important.

Before I quit, I had zero joy. I was empty, I was dark, I was often depressed.

Now I have joy and purpose.

Fifth, to work on quitting all the time, review old articles. Write down the things recommended to do to quit. Then, whenever you have time. Flip open that notebook, and work on something.

Finally, many people spend some time working on quitting. Some of them quit. A few people work on quitting all of the time. Many of them quit. Honestly, you will quit if you keep doing that, unless you give up that new habit.

 

[Gordon 7]

I don't have an overriding goal of always living in the glory of God. That is probably one of the reasons I had to make “habits” of a dozen techniques for quitting before I could quit.

When David was young he lived in the glory of God, always praising, always praying, always in the Word. His life was great, and he was mightily blessed. Then he got busy doing other things, and he fell hard. Then he repented and focused on living in the glory of God again. Finally, he got in a good place again. He wrote:

Psalm 72:19 ESV Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

I read several books by Tommy Tenny who wrote The God Chasers. They were very helpful in leading me to focus on the glory of God. I really need to reread them. Often your local library has them.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Exodus 33:18 ESV Moses said, “Please show me your glory.”

David focused on living in the glory of God for thousands of days straight when he was young. His spectacular, blessed life is fully chronicled in scripture. He only got into lust when he “stopped doing what he was supposed to be doing.”

Today, plan how you will go to war with lust. Then consider getting busy doing good, and focusing on living in the glory of God. It is a two-part plan that will give you good results.

 

[Gordon 7]

Deuteronomy 28 says that we will be blessed if we follow God's commands.

KJV 28 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God.

3 Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

4 Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

5 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

6 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

9 The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways.

12 The Lord shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

13 And the Lord shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the Lord thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

14 And thou shalt not go aside from any of the words which I command thee this day, to the right hand, or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

Next, the last half of the chapter is a list of all the bad things that happen if we sin, and sin, and sin. If we check the results of habitual sin over the past year, our results are just like the last half of this chapter.

This chapter is awesome for a porn/lust addiction for two reasons. Firstly, memorize all the great things in the first half of the chapter that will happen when we overcome. Use them as inspiration. Secondly, the second half of the chapter tells us why the last year was not so great (if that was the case). It also tells us to be very fearful of doing the same right now, and this year.

I have studied and studied this chapter. I have found that when I live like the second half, bad things happen just like the Bible said they would. When I live like the first half, good things happen just like the Bible said they would.

I teach my kids to be Deuteronomy 28 Christians. I teach them to believe what it says. I teach them that they can live a great life if they do what the first half says.

Finally, it does not matter what you believe about this passage. What matters is that you watch your life as it unfolds over the coming year. Watch to see if this chapter is a predictor of how your next year goes.

Or, we can live like the first half, believe God, have a mighty blessing, and be done with that habit for good.

 

[Gordon 7]

“Behind every sinful thought is some lie that we are believing. Instead, take captive and conquer – making every thought obedient unto Christ. Always have 2-3 replacement thoughts ready for when you are tempted.

When we allow temptation to “run,” it becomes more important than anything else. #2 When we consider temptation, we begin to doubt that God knows best.”

Consider praying:

"Father, keep me from temptation."

“Satan replaces God's truth with a lie. Satan said to Eve: If you eat the fruit, you won't die. Satan uses the same bait on us over and over again.”

If I poll every person on this site who is free for 100 days and ask: Are you happier now? 99% would say yes. Memorize that fact. Believe them, believe God, tell satan that you won't be fooled again.

Stop flirting with sin instantly. What I flirt with I will fall for.” Consider praying:

“Father, show me when I am flirting.”

Always remember the consequences. What you sow you will reap.

Psalms 119:112 I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end.

David was blessed beyond belief when he lived the way he wrote in this passage. He was chased and beat beyond belief when he didn't.

Focus on right things.

Hebrews 10:24 “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:” Think about others – it's not about you. If you want joy, help others. #3 “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” Think about eternity every day. Christians will be there for a long time.”

Consider praying: “Father, help me to focus on treasures in heaven.”

Lastly, always have note cards or printouts with quitting tips on them. You should be praying to “Father, keep me from temptation,” so often that you know exactly what KMFT means.

Always have something better to think about... or you will think wrong!

Finally, I need short prayers that are 4-5, or 6-7 words that you use to fight temptation. Please note if you have used your prayer for years, and how it is working.

 

[Gordon 7]

Gotquestions.org noted: “Goodness is virtue and holiness in action. It results in a life characterized by deeds motivated by righteousness and a desire to be a blessing. It’s a moral characteristic of a Spirit-filled person. The Greek word translated “goodness,” agathosune, is defined as "uprightness of heart and life." Agathosune is goodness for the benefit of others, not goodness simply for the sake of being virtuous.”
To quit permanently, we need to know and focus on the scripture about the first part of goodness. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”

Step one is to believe that "No cheating" will lead to a better life. This also starts to lead to a blessing.

Step two is to constantly think spiritual thoughts after rejecting thoughts of lust. Today I am focusing on goodness. A person filled with goodness thinks: What good can I do for someone else today? How can I be a blessing to someone today? Consider praying:

“Father, help me to know how to help others.”

Research shows that people who help others may be 50% more likely to quit their addiction. I think those numbers are low. I think if you dedicate your life to helping others, you are twice as likely to quit for good.

#1, if you do good and start to be blessed, you will be inspired. So you do more good. Next, you focus on hungering and thirsting after righteousness. This leads to more blessings.

#2, you will be busy doing something, which allows less time to mess up.

#3, These focuses force you to think often about how to renew your mind.

#4, we were created for purpose, so when we help others we start to increase in joy.

#5 Research shows that when we help others, we are less depressed, we have higher self-esteem, we start to learn how to fight against the self-absorption that comes with addiction, and we just simply feel better about life.

#6 My Bible reading today was Revelation 20 that writes about a real hell. I think that if you believe in a real judgment day and a real hell as described in the Bible, your odds of quitting double. Consider doing a Google search, "Verses hell." Find the "Open Bible" list. These are great verses for quitting. I use the NKJV because it is very close to the original Greek.

Finally, consider spending time in prayer and praying about increasing in goodness. Goodness is a key to quitting.

 

[Gordon 7]

Joseph was tempted by the Pharaoh's wife who wanted to sleep with him.

He did two things immediately. First, he said:

“How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”

Second, when she pressed the issue, he immediately fled.

Third, I quickly forget that my great wickedness is a sin against God. Consider praying:

“Father, remind me who I am sinning against.”

Consider memorizing the above verse.

Fourth, you can't quote this verse too often when quitting.

Fifth, he immediately fled the temptation.

Sixth, in 2026, fleeing involves several steps.

First, fleeing from physical temptation.

Second, fleeing from mental temptation.

Third, fleeing from risky activity temptation.

You need great expertise in every area of fleeing. Consider listing the top two ways you need to work on fleeing more.

1. ________________

2. ________________

Consider finding articles about the specific way you need more expertise in fleeing. Then work on learning habits of fleeing just like Joseph did.

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

Seventh, pursue these things. Pursue them because someday soon we want to fulfill God's great plan for our lives the way he fulfilled them in Joseph's life.

Joseph became the 2ndmost powerful man in the world because he had expertise in fleeing, and because he always prepared to do God's will. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to care about souls.” My goal is to pray this 10 times daily.

“Father, show me what You want me to do.” My goal is to pray this more than 10 times daily.

Finally, get as much of the Word in you as you can so you are prepared to flee. Then use your new freedom to do what God wants you to do.

 

[Gordon 7]

People were healed when Peter's shadow was on them because the Spirit of the Lord was a full 10 in him. Peter would shake off our habits in 24 hours because the Spirit was fully in him. The Spirit was fully in him because he was fully at war with sin 99.8% of the time, and if he did start to slip up he would “Immediately get back into scripture.”

2 Corinthians 3, "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Spirit gives liberty, but the Spirit is not involved in a sin activity. Example, the person who wants to quit drinking decides to do a little porn. Well... in that person, maybe the Spirit of the Lord was a 3 rating in them before that decision, but now, what is the new rating?

Does the verse predict their success in quitting their habit now?

Second, if you want to quit, go to war with all sin! Consider working daily on learning the habit of constantly praying:

“Father, lead me not into temptation.”

Third, even neutral activities sink us if we do not do them in moderation. Example: A person quitting porn decides to play a game for 30 minutes. Now, 3 hours later, they still can't quit. 2 hours later, they quit, stressed out and exhausted, now they are really ready to fight porn's temptation (not).

Fourth, consider setting strict limits on nonspiritual activities. If you plan to play for 30 minutes, also plan to stop and study scripture after “exactly” 30 minutes. A few minutes of scripture will do. Read enough to keep the Spirit in you at least at the rate it was in you before you did the activity. Then get back to quitting prayers, and a search of purpose.

Fifth, consider identifying 2-3 ways that you lower the Spirit of the Lord in you. Sin is an obvious culprit, but if you quit sinning and then game for hours or do _________________ way longer or way more than you should, the Spirit of the Lord rating drops like a rock, and your odds of quitting drop right along with it.

Sixth, consider setting strict time limits or quantity limits on the activity you plan to do. Then, stop at “exactly” the right time. Then, instantly study the scripture for a few minutes.

Doing this keeps the Spirit of the Lord level from being lowered within us. Obviously, we need to do spiritual activities to raise the Spirit of the Lord in us, so always try to do that more.

Finally, Peter was fully at war with sin. He lived a great life, and the Spirit was fully in him. If you keep the Spirit of the Lord in you at a good level, you “Will” have power in you. And that power will set you free.

 

[Gordon 7]

Satan wants us to fall instantly when bad things happen, when temptation happens, and when anything happens that causes falls.

God wants us to fight with all our might, and He wants us to do His will.

People who will quit, “fight” instantly, and consistently. People who might quit, fight instantly, and a bit less consistently.

Second, when severely tempted, what will you do? How urgently will you pray? Will you run to scripture? Will you review the destruction that the habit causes? Will you work on habits at quitting sites? Will you make a plan so that you can remember to work on habits more often?

Third, 98% of people who fall instantly when bad things (or whatever) happen will still have their habit in 10 years. Consider praying:

“Father, help me to learn the habit of fighting instantly when ______ happens.”

Fourth, Choose better alternative activities.

If we often choose the wrong alternate activities, we will fall. The weakest level of alternate activities are level 5 activities. Things like risky TV or movies, hanging with friends who lead you down the wrong path, or thoughtless scrolling. While these things are usually better than P you will have a much higher chance to quit your habit if you choose level 1 and level 2 activities. Level 1 activities include Bible study, prayer, reading Christian books, reading quitting addiction books, helping out at church, and telling a friend how Jesus is helping you. Also, try joining a church Bible study, sometimes they are great. These activities not only distract and help you through today, but they also strengthen you for tomorrow and all month.

Level 2 activities are things like exercising plus prayer, exercising outside of your home, team sports, group activities, hanging with friends who tend to help you instead of leading you down the wrong path.

Level 3 activities are learning a musical instrument, sports, or non-computer games at home, hobbies at home.

This article is not meant to be a complete list of alternative activities. The point is, if you focus on level 1 and 2 activities, they help your future. The more you focus on higher-level activities, the better your chances are for freedom. Always push to improve your activity by a level or two. It is a secret to success.

Fifth, everyone can add one habit/activity to help them quit. What is your plan?

Lastly, treat your activities list as your work. You are working towards having a future of freedom and joy. The pay is 10 times the pay you will get at any other job. The rewards are huge.

Believe, work, succeed.

 

[Gordon 7]

To stop bad habits, it is wise to form habits of thinking about new things. Philippians commands us to think toward love.
First, think about things that attract, please, and win other people's admiration and attention. Everybody likes a person who does this because then they speak in a way that is positive and makes life better for everyone.
Second, part of the reason long-term habits continue is because of conflicts with others. If you form the habit of thinking in a helpful, loving way, it becomes easier to get along with everybody. Thinking right sometimes leads to speaking right as well as acting right. It all starts right in you mind. Consider praying:
“Father, help me to form the habit of having 1-2 positive, life improving things to think about.”
The Bible commands us to let our minds dwell on helpful, loving thoughts.
I am not good at this. That is why I keep referring back to these articles about what to think about. I need to keep working on that habit. It will keep me from focusing on wrong things.
Third, I act and think based on my emotions and on what I want. This is a bad system, and it leads to bad habits, which then lead to destruction.
God wants us to think before we act. Think first!
Think, what does God want me to do? How does God want me to think?
Fourth, everyone starts off thinking wrong. But only a few catch themselves and think: The way I am thinking is terrible, and it will lead to darkness, which will lead to _______. I need to change the way I am thinking. Consider praying:
“Father, help me to form the habit of changing thoughts of _______, and replacing them with thoughts of Christian love.”
Today, consider replacing thoughts of:
#1 Self-pity, with thoughts of love
#2 Fear, with thoughts of Biblical verses on courage
#3 Bitterness, with thoughts of forgiveness.
Finally, consider writing out 2-3 of your negative thoughts, then write down what you will replace those thoughts with.
If you think right, it will lead to doing right (someday).
Most importantly, replace constant thoughts of your habit with something better.
Thinking God’s way starts us toward freedom and
joy.

 

[Gordon 7]

Many have read verses about lust to fight lust. But only a few fight lust exactly the way Jesus did. When Jesus was tempted, He fought every temptation with a Bible verse. But… Jesus did not have any sin strongholds in his life, so satan bounced from one temptation to the next. But that is not how he attacks us. Lust, more lust, then some more lust, maybe with a side dish of covetousness.

When we are trying to break down a stronghold, one verse helps, two are better, but three are even better. Here are three that I really like:

Matthew 6:22-23

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

Romans 6:16 ESV

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

2 Timothy 2:22 ESV

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

Second, three are probably not enough, but Jesus had the verses memorized. Start by memorizing one and get to three as fast as possible. Then continue to add more.

If you really know all of the verses about lust by heart, you won’t think porn is stupid and destructive… you will know it.

Matthew 6:22 completely opened my eyes. I always ended up trading in my great life filled with light and joy for short-term fun which led to darkness, and depression. The more I quoted this verse, the more I knew what was really happening. The last few times I went back to porn, I literally said: I am ruining my week and month. I am going back to darkness. I will have destruction.

I was correct. That was what happened.

Lastly, it is hard for us to exactly copy how Jesus lived. But we certainly can copy His method for fighting temptation.

 

[Gordon 7]

1 Corinthians 3:12 ESV “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.”

We all underestimate how great life could be if we do things God’s way. But… until we stop being dominated by habits, it will continue to be that way.

I am quite sure that God has some new additional things for me to do. But I am quite content with doing the things that I currently do. I am dominated by my current habits.

Consider praying: “Father, help me not to be dominated by anything except love.”

Consider praying: “Father, help me not to be dominated by anything except being in Your will”

Today, determine not to be dominated by anything. To stop being dominated by normal things as well as by sins, we need a great goal.

Psalm 145:3 ESV Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
When we go to war daily with things that dominate us, our great God starts to get bigger and bigger in us. Consider praying:

“Father, take away this spirit of lust, and show me a bit of Your greatness.”

Are you willing to try to do something for Jesus? When we start to do something new for Jesus, more and more of His greatness starts flowing into us, then it starts flowing out of us.

But, I am still dominated by certain things. However, I am thinking about new things, planning new things, I am leaving myself notes about doing new things, and praying about doing new things.

Today I printed out seven new verses to study including the first referenced verse. I searched for verses about things that dominate me. Even though I always meditate on verses, it was still shocking how effective the practice is.

A great daily habit: Study verses about things that dominate you so that you can do what God wants you to do.

This week my goal is to stop underestimating how great life can be if I do things God’s way.

 

[Gordon 7]

Satan advertises lust and porn as something spectacular that you have to have. God tells you in His Word that something dies or partially dies when we give in.
When I was a kid I was told repeatedly that sex before marriage was a sin... a horrible sin. I believed my parents. Avoiding that sin leads to increased happiness later.
I was almost never told that looking with lust was a disaster. I only figured that out after I was completely hooked.
There is an almost perfect parallel between how often you hear about what God says about lust and how easy or hard it is to quit.
Give me 30 Engineering students who are Christians who have focused on verses about lust, and you will likely see 30 students who have a sharply lower rate of porn in their future.
Give me 30 Bible students who read an occasional verse about lust, and who want to quit twice as badly as the Engineering students, and I will show you 30 students who struggle with porn for decades.
Why! We all know that Bible students are praying more, have more Christian friends, and are also attending classes on the Bible. But... the Engineering students are hearing directly from God about their habitual sin. They are getting all the information. Receiving power directly from God almighty about the sin that is plaguing them.
The good news is, you will memorize them by accident. If you are like I was 15 months ago you will be overwhelmed by lust all the time. If you fight temptation like Jesus did (with the Bible) you will know these verses. You will believe these verses, you will have confidence in these verses making your life better.
Porn kills you physically (with stress and less sleep), mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Proverbs 5:3 For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; 4 but in the end she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
Verses about lust (https://www.openbible.info/topics/lust) heal you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Satan advertises lust and porn as something spectacular that you have to have. Jesus will tell you that purity and scripture are what you have to have.
If we hear Jesus' words as often as we hear satan's temptations, life will start getting great.

 

[Gordon 7]

1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”

We aggressively train our bodies. Example: We turn on the TV and the program is incessantly glorifying the thing we are trying to quit. We immediately turn it off and find a new program or something better to do.

Second, we are prepared in advance to do this because we have been praying:

“Father, help me to turn from thoughts of _______, and fill me with your love,” 10 times every day. Like a runner we were preparing for the race, now we are ready to run the race.

Third, my body is a slave to do what I plan for it to do. I will go to war with what my mind “feels” like doing. I will go to war with what the darkness in me “wants” to do.

I will fight my lusts, and will live the way the Bible says to live.

Fourth, a rigid self denial of fleshly desires is wise.

Fifth, Jesus said to “Take up the cross and deny ourselves.”

Those who “Want to follow Him,” and do His will must deny themselves. Consider praying:

“Father, I am willing to deny myself. Please help me, and show me Your will.”

Sixth, what I have seen in life is that people who have radical disciple in fighting sin, and serving God are the happiest people on earth. Consider praying:

“Father, teach me how to have radical discipline.”

Seventh, runners are willing to change everything to win the race. Paul was willing to die to his flesh so that even one might be saved. That is radical discipline.

Eight, consider saying: “I am willing to put in the strenuous effort it takes to bring my desires into subjection. Lord, please help me.”

Finally, an athlete, or any runner follows rigid training rules. When we start to learn from them, we start down the path toward life.

 

[Gordon 7]

Psychology recommends charting what you do every hour of your week. This article is loosely based on information from Psychologytools.

Simply use something like a Google calendar and write in what activity you do during every free hour. Then, at the end of the week review how each activity made you feel and what caused increased temptation. Then, slowly start to replace activities that bring you down, tempt you, or are passive and replace them with better activities.

Unless you are 18, don't change from sitting in front of the TV 7 days a week with 7 days of going out. You will be exhausted. But slowly, start making positive changes. Start adding physical activities, and hobbies. Start adding spiritual activities.

Feel free to plan a bunch of changes, but especially with physical ones – start slowly and work your way up.

Charting forces you to learn exactly what you are doing that is causing issues. This method will show you which days are causing a spike in temptation. What activities during which hours are causing a spike in temptation? Show you what activities make you feel bad, which then lowers your determination.

Once you have your information you can print out articles about which activities would be great replacements for the negative ones. Then pray about what you should stop doing and what you should start doing.

Bad activities cause traps. We will fall into them. Good activities lead to strength and the power to win.