Three Keys to Overcome Lust

Introduction

In the first part of his message on lust, Pastor Célestin YAO named the trap: since Eden, Satan sows doubt and then twists desire, and he attacks our lives through the same three doors Jesus faced in the desert: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Today he asks the question that had to follow: how, concretely, do we overcome each of these three lusts?

The pastor does not settle for a general principle. He gives a master key (self-control as a fruit of the Spirit), then a practical antidote for each type of lust. He illustrates it with Paul's warning to Timothy about Demas, with testimonies from people in the church who saw their finances unlocked after asking forgiveness, and with a very direct challenge addressed to young people under attack from impure thoughts.

This message follows the previous one. Where the first laid out the diagnosis, this one lays out the remedy.

Outline of the Message

1. What Lust Has Already Stolen: Demas and the Present Age

Before giving the remedies, Pastor Célestin YAO reminds us what a Christian can lose if he treats the trap lightly. He opens Paul's second letter to Timothy. Paul is in prison, and he writes to his son Timothy: "Come to me as soon as possible, for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present age." Demas was not a stranger. He was a companion of the apostle Paul. He worked alongside him. And yet, lust pulled him away.

The pastor comments: the present age is exactly what the apostle John describes, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life. How many people loved God yesterday, cried out to him to end up in this country, and today no longer seek him, no longer find time to pray? He shares the example of a sister who came to see him a few years ago. She sensed that God was sending her toward wealthy people, into an environment of people who had succeeded. The pastor had warned her: in that kind of environment, your love for Jesus needs to be unshakable. She left anyway. Instead of winning those people to Jesus, she was absorbed into their world. Today, Jesus no longer has a place in her life. That is why you must never treat this lightly.

2. The Master Key: Self-Control as a Fruit of the Spirit

The key that opens all three locks is self-control. The pastor returns to the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and finally self-control, which other versions translate as temperance. He compares the fruit of the Spirit to an orange: one single orange, several segments. Self-control is one of those segments, and it is not just there to keep you from losing your temper. It is there to help you say no whenever lust offers itself to you.

It is very concrete: on payday Thursday, you feel like going out shopping; self-control tells you to stay home. Today, you do not even need to go out, online gambling is right there; self-control tells you to close the app. The pastor adds Galatians 5:24: "Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Once you know how to put the flesh in its place, its voice grows more distant over time. It eventually says of itself: this one is not worth the trouble, it does not work with him.

3. Overcoming the Lust of the Flesh: Walking by the Spirit

The pastor then moves through the antidotes one by one. For the lust of the flesh, the antidote is found in Galatians 5:16: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh." He does not say "you might"; he says "you will not." Walking by the Spirit means connecting to what the Spirit loves: the Word, prayer, times of fasting, an atmosphere of worship. Once you shift into that, the flesh no longer has any ground to stand on.

The pastor gets very practical and addresses the young people (though the whole church is listening) who struggle with masturbation, with impure thoughts, with sexual sin. It all starts with ideas and images that come and bombard the mind. The pastor issues a challenge: right when the temptation is strongest, put on your worship playlist, a message that once touched you, a song that lifts your soul. Then try to give in to your lust at the same time. The pastor repeats it three times: "I am challenging you before God." When the Spirit takes over in your body, your own body becomes discouraged from pursuing the lust. You have just created a different atmosphere, and that is exactly what Paul means: walk by the Spirit.

4. Overcoming the Lust of the Eyes: Lifting Your Eyes the Way the Father Sees

In the beginning, God gave us eyes to look at the work of his hands and to worship him, not to covet. The lust of the eyes, on the other hand, is always selfish, oriented toward what should satisfy me. The antidote, says the pastor, is a biblical phrase that comes up again and again: "Lift up your eyes and look." Every time God says that (to Abraham, and to others), it means: "Look the way I look, according to my burden, according to my needs, according to the beat of my heart."

The pastor returns to John 4:34-35. Jesus arrives in Samaria, a land the Jews looked down on. His disciples come back with food. Jesus, meanwhile, lifts up his eyes: "Do you not say, there are yet four months, then comes the harvest? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, the fields are already white for harvest." He did not see an enemy people. He saw men and women who needed God. And Jesus, who was only supposed to pass through, stayed two days. The pastor applies this very directly to the church: tomorrow, when you lift your eyes over Montreal, do not look the way everyone else looks. Look the way the Father sees. That is what removes the lust of the eyes: the gaze no longer looks to serve itself, it looks to fulfill the Father's will.

5. Overcoming the Pride of Life: The Mystery of Thanksgiving and Contentment

For the third lust, the pride of life, the key is twofold: the mystery of thanksgiving and contentment. The pastor insists: it is a mystery. Someone who knows how to give thanks to God for where he is, someone who can say "Lord, you are the one leading me, I thank you for what you have done and for what you will do," does not fall into the pride of life. Many people are never satisfied with what is already in their hands today; they want more, and more, and more. Learn to give thanks for what God puts in your hands this season. Tomorrow, he will increase it.

The pastor quotes Philippians 4:11-13. Paul writes from prison, and yet his letter is called the letter of joy. He says: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know how to live humbly, and I know how to live in abundance." And it is in that context that he says the verse so often quoted on its own: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." It is not a battle cry of conquest; it is the testimony of a man who has learned contentment. His joy does not depend on outward circumstances. It is a state of mind. The pastor finally connects this to Philippians 4:6-7: "In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts." That peace guards your heart against every form of lust.

6. Do Not Take It Lightly: The Testimony of Unlocked Finances

Before concluding, the pastor returns to a very concrete application: debt. He recalls the approach he gave the previous time: when you are caught in the cycle of debt, before crying out "Lord, bless me," first ask forgiveness for having managed your finances without wisdom from above. He then reports on three testimonies received this week. A sister had tried to consolidate her debts; her bank had refused because of her debt ratio. She asked forgiveness as the message invited her to; another bank approached her, and she is about to sign to pay off that debt. A couple came to testify that they have just acquired a second triplex, two years after the first one. And a young woman received, on top of what her father usually sends her, a bonus of six thousand dollars, like a visitation.

The message is simple: it is possible, even in a capitalist country, not to be in debt. The only debts the pastor allows are those used to acquire an asset such as a house or a condo, because your house grows in value. This year's car, on the other hand, is a debt that loses value. Live according to what God puts in your hands today. Never let yourself be financially suffocated. The credit card is not your money. Do not throw the money God gives you at the banks. Grow your love for Jesus above every other desire, and self-control will do the rest.

Key Takeaways

• Lust is not harmless. It pulled Demas away, a companion of Paul, because he loved the present age. It can pull you away too if you treat it lightly.
• The master key for overcoming all three lusts is self-control, a fruit of the Spirit according to Galatians 5:22-24.
• Lust of the flesh: walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). The moment temptation strikes, shift into the atmosphere the Spirit loves: the Word, prayer, worship.
• Lust of the eyes: lift up your eyes the way the Father sees (John 4:34-35). Look in order to worship and serve, not to serve yourself.
• Pride of life: the mystery of thanksgiving and contentment (Philippians 4:11-13). Give thanks for what is in your hand today.
• Finances are the ground where these three lusts show up fastest. Ask forgiveness, learn wisdom, live within your means, and let the Spirit lead.

Personal Application

• Which of the three lusts is the enemy bombarding you with the most right now: the flesh, the eyes, or the pride of life?
• What playlist, message, or song can you prepare right now so you can shift into the Spirit's atmosphere as soon as temptation returns?
• When you look at the people around you (coworkers, neighbors, strangers on the street), do you see them as targets, as rivals, or as fields already white for harvest?
• What, specifically, can you thank God for today in what you already hold in your hands, rather than in what you wish you had tomorrow?
• If you are in debt, are you ready to ask forgiveness before asking for a blessing, and to cut one concrete expense this week?

Verses Cited

• 2 Timothy 4:9-10: "Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present age."
• 1 John 2:15-16: "The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life."
• Galatians 5:16: "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh."
• Galatians 5:22-24: The fruit of the Spirit, including self-control. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh.
• John 4:34-35: Jesus in Samaria: "Lift up your eyes, the fields are already white for harvest."
• Philippians 4:11-13: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
• Philippians 4:6-7: "The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts."

FAQ

What makes self-control different from a simple effort of willpower?

Pastor Célestin YAO stresses one point: self-control is not a strength of character you pull out of yourself. It is a fruit of the Spirit, listed in Galatians 5:22-23. It grows when your life is connected to the Spirit through the Word, prayer, worship, and fellowship. In other words, it is the result of a walk, not of gritting your teeth. That is why the antidote to the lust of the flesh is "walk by the Spirit" and not "grit your teeth against the flesh."

Isn't the worship playlist challenge too simplistic for deep addictions?

The pastor speaks about it with pastoral authority, not as a magic trick. The biblical principle is Paul's own: when you walk by the Spirit, you do not carry out the desires of the flesh. Shifting the atmosphere the moment temptation is strongest is putting that text into practice. It is not a substitute for repentance, for accompaniment, or for the Word received and meditated on. It is a way to break the cycle in the moment, so that the voice of the flesh grows more and more distant over time.

Why does the pastor talk so much about money?

Because money is the most visible ground where all three lusts show up together: advertising targets the eyes, compulsive buying feeds the flesh, and the credit card and this year's car feed the pride of life. The testimonies he shares this week, the sister about to sign to pay off her debt, the couple acquiring a second triplex, the young woman receiving an unexpected bonus, show that when a heart repositions itself, God can act concretely on finances. It is possible to live in a capitalist society without being financially suffocated.