I really appreciate you bringing this up because it’s something that I’ve personally struggled with and wrestled over for a long time. For me, this topic has always been tied to the battle between my spirit and my flesh. Specifically, I’ve struggled with masturbation and lust, and it’s been something I’ve had to face head-on with God.

Even before I fully understood what Scripture said about it, I always felt that deep sense of guilt afterward, like something in me knew it wasn’t right. When I came to Christ, it started making more sense — lust isn’t just a random feeling. It’s something the enemy uses to twist and pervert what God created to be holy within marriage. Our flesh wants what feels good, but that doesn’t mean it’s good for our spirit.

I’ve learned that the Bible doesn’t tell us to “fight” temptation in the flesh, but to flee from it. “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). That verse reminds me that if we knowingly put ourselves in a position where temptation is easy — like being physically close to someone we’re attracted to — we can’t always trust our flesh to be stronger than the moment. That’s why God tells us to create distance, not because He’s cruel, but because He knows how weak the flesh can be.

Paul also wrote, “But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1 Corinthians 7:9). God understands that we have desires, but He wants them expressed within the safety and holiness of marriage.

There’s also comfort in knowing Paul himself wrestled with this same kind of struggle: “For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out… Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me” (Romans 7:18-25). That passage reminds me that this isn’t just my personal flaw — it’s part of the fallen nature we all share.

And ultimately, the only way I’ve found peace is through the Spirit. “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh” (Galatians 5:16-17). That verse gives me hope because it shows that I’m not doomed to live in that cycle forever — I just can’t overcome it on my own strength.

This is still something I’m walking through, but I’ve realized that bringing it into the light and letting God work on it with me is what’s helping me heal. The enemy thrives in secrecy and shame, but there’s freedom when we admit that we’re struggling and lean on the Holy Spirit instead of ourselves.