Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

“If you are angry, don’t sin by nursing your grudge. Don’t let the sun go down with you still angryâ€"get over it quickly; for when you are angry you give a mighty foothold to the devil.â€�¹

A Daily Encounter reader writes, “I have been fighting with a lust demon for years. I have asked GOD to relieve me of this demon but I keep slipping back and doing the same thing all over again. I have just rededicated my life to God and am on my church's outreach team. I want this demon of Satan out of my body never to return. Will you pray for me?�

Hello, Jim (name changed), Thank you for being honest and sharing your struggle with lust. To resolve any problem it is imperative to understand the root cause of the problem. Let me assure you that lust, as with anger, is NOT a demon. If I am wrongfully angry, that is my problem and when I fail to resolve it, I give the foothold to the enemy.

It’s the same with lust. Lust is a struggle most red-blooded men struggle with at one time or another. Severe lust, however, is usually a symptom of repressed love or unmet love needs. As long as you blame the problem on anything outside of yourself, you will never overcome it because lust is a problem within. I don't know who told you it was a demon but I challenge this person to find anywhere in the Bible where it says there is "a demon of lust."

Sure, Satan is the originator of all sin and does tempt us, but most of us don't need the devil or a demon to make, or even cause, us to lust. We can do it all by ourselves because we are all sinners.

So how do you overcome? First and foremost, you need not only confess your lust to God, but also ask Him to confront you with the real cause of your lust ... to show you the root cause of the problem … and then to lead you to the help you need to overcome. Only by facing the truth will you be set free.

Remember too, as David wrote in the Psalms, "The Lord is near to all who call on him; to all who call on him in truth."²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, whenever I have any problem that I can’t resolve, please help me to see the truth regarding the root cause of it and help me to find the support I need to overcome. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.�

1. Ephesians 4:26-27 (TLB).
2. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

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