“Saying ‘no’ to sin will not suffice. You must move from defense to offense. Fight fire with fire. Attack the promises of sin with the promises of Christ. The Bible calls lusts ‘deceitful desires’ (Ephesians 4:22). They lie. They promise more than they can deliver. The Bible calls them ‘passions of your former ignorance’ (1 Peter 1:14). Only fools yield. ‘‘All at once he follows her, as an ox goes to the slaughter’ (Proverbs 7:22). Deceit is defeated by truth. Ignorance is defeated by knowledge. It must be glorious truth and beautiful knowledge. We must stock our minds with the superior promises and pleasures of Jesus. Then we must turn to them immediately after saying, ‘NO!’ . . .⠀

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Cultivate the capacities for pleasure in Christ. One reason lust reigns in so many is that Christ has so little appeal. We default to deceit because we have little delight in Christ. Don’t say, ‘That’s just not me.’ What steps have you taken to waken affection for Jesus? Have you fought for joy? Don’t be fatalistic. You were created to treasure Christ with all your heart — more than you treasure sex or sugar. If you have little taste for Jesus, competing pleasures will triumph. Plead with God for the satisfaction you don’t have: ‘Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days’ (Psalm 90:14). Then look, look, and look at the most magnificent Person in the universe until you see him the way he is.”⠀  -John Piper