Sex: Sex is not the problem (lust is) by Harris

Today I'm adding 'Sex is not the problem (lust is)' by Joshua Harris to the Master Reading List under the category of Sex (Available from Amazon).

Sexual immorality is a huge problem in our culture.  And Christians are not free from this favourite technique of Satan for ensnaring people in sin.  Not surprisingly then, Harris' book is just one among many Christian books on sex.  But what makes his different is that he calls attention to the fact that sex is not the problem, lust is.  Thus in his second chapter Harris rightly shows that the sex drive is a good drive to drive us in a healthy direction toward the opposite sex - a strong desire to have sex is not wrong.  But lust is wrong.  What is lust?  'Lust is an idolatrous and ultimately insatiable desire that rejects God's rule and seeks satisfaction apart from Him.'

And once Harris has established that lust is clearly the problem, he spends the rest of the book equipping the Christian soldier in their battle against lust.  The most important chapter is chapter three which shares the gospel with the reader - as without a correct understanding of the gospel you will never come close to conquering the sin of lust.  Then chapters follow on:
- identifying when you are most vulnerable to lust so you can address those times (e.g. time of day, in front of the internet);
- how men and women can help each other in the struggle;
- masturbation (don't do it, it's self-centred sex);
- the media (primarily television);
- accountability partners;
- common lies you feed yourself about lust and their Scriptural antidotes (e.g. I can't control my sex drive; porn won't affect me);
- encouragement to work on spiritual disciplines in general (e.g. prayer, scripture, local church);
- the internet.

The book is well written and contains many illustrations throughout, both from Harris' own experience and the experiences of others.

If you want to get serious about sexual immorality in your life, you must start by conquering lust.  And Harris' book is a most helpful weapon against it.