What is lust?

What is lust? It says in the Bible that you shouldn’t think about anyone with lust, because that’s the same as committing adultery in your heart. But what does that actually mean? I often think about the fact that boys have a penis, and that girls have big or small boobs. Sometimes I even imagine that they are naked, even people in my own family. When I do this I get a bad conscience, because I know that the only person I should think about in this way is the person I will marry, Sometimes I also think about having sex with other people, and then I get aroused ... is that wrong? At first I was quite shocked when I had these thoughts. If I think about both older and younger people in this way, does that mean I’m a pedofile? From a worried 13-year-old.

Hi worried 13-year-old,

You are experiencing a natural process that occurs in your body, you don’t need to be shocked or worried about it. During puberty hormones are activated that lead to sexual maturity in your body, they help your body grow and get ready to have a family. When you are a teenager these hormones can lead to strong emotions and thoughts. Feelings and sexual arousal come and go without you being in total control of them. When the BIble talks about lust, it is more about whether you dwell on these thoughts and actively fantasize about having sex with someone you are not married to. You are not a pedofile even if you think sexual thoughts about different age groups.

The sexual awakening that you experience in your body is created by God.

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When your hormones become active you can spend a lot of time on these thoughts and emotions, and they can lead to sexual fantasies that are bad for you. We can’t always control our thoughts, but we can decide whether we will continue to think the same thoughts or if we will think about something else. There are some simple, practical tips on how to do this in the answer to this question: Vil stoppe å tenke urene tanker

The reason Jesus says that we shouldn’t look at a woman lustfully is that we should keep our sexuality for the person we will marry. The Bible is clear about the fact that although God created sex and all the emotions that come with it as a good gift, it only belongs in the framework of marriage between a man and a woman.

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Best wishes, BoyandGirl.info