My Friend: Flee Lust

My Friend, I am here to advise you by what means you may be able to flee temptation while compelled by the times and circumstances of your situations. You live amidst a gall of horrible sacrileges and the pollution of Egypt. You desire to keep fidelity to Jesus but you are besotted with temptation within and without. I will here open my mind to you and say at first that no temptation avail a man which is not already in man, for our Lord Jesus overcame for there was no sin or desire to be found in him. My advice are not weighty if you are wholly prepare to give yourself to the Lord, but you should know, that you dwell in a hellish state and your presence there serves to bring an increase in daily temptation.

There are those who live in difficult situations, just like you, but have soon deviated from the godly path, made peace with their sin and shipwrecked their faith. You must watch, and heed carefully the ruination and deceitfulness of sin and not yield yourself an hour of rest but take rest only in the Lord lest you should sleep and never wake again. You must maintain your tranquillity, not to make a pretence of indulging in pagan idolatry in order to gain human favour and thus discarding your divine security. Many godly men who have been besotted with the same temptation as you, are now vices of the devil, the corruption has engulfed their soul that now, no distinction exist between them and the natural citizens.

Your chief temptation is lust, that corrupt vice which has crippled the most adept men of God. It displays itself in the impious ceremonies of the pagans and lurks in the secret room of godly men. It is like the grave that is never satisfied. It is modest in its first proposal but when it triumphs it hardens men’s heart like David and brings their house to ruin. It is subtle in its approach, powerful in its hold and cunning in its satisfaction. It is violent, enticing and entangling. It seeks the most obscure opportunity and vain men will deny their addiction but lust laughs and steers the course of their faith. You must be wise my friend and humbly reflect upon your own beginning and to be truthful so that you may not commence your own ruin.

If you find lust within you,  you must not think to kill it with a few stroke, nor with easiness; you must pursue its destruction until its head can be lifted no more. Kill it with prayer! kill it with the Word! at all cost you must kill it lest it rises to raise a quarrel with you. Foolish men persevere not in this duty but rather, have devised a defence by which they may keep their consciences at ease in the view of the divine tribunal. Such a defence must not be found with you, for it nullifies an internal heartfelt to piety and proclaims a warm welcome to hypocrisy. Many men, in their secret room have chased prayer out and invited lust into their bosom. They cherish it and on the outside pretend that they are the chief holiest of men but in secret, they are worse than the devils, worse than the so called sons of God who admired the beauty of the daughters of men and slept with them.

But you my friend, must not set aside prayer for lust, keep your ears open to the fearful threatenings of scripture which denounces the practice of lustful men. When the executioner comes, with his cruel features and notable stench, you will stand, for you have fled lust and what vital testimony you will be to younger men in your old age. You will be a cause for imitation and a praise in the house of holiness. While you remain in that hellish Egypt, flee temptation, flee lust. Come hitherto and pursue yourself a wife here in this paradise and you may return as the Lord as called you. But if you find your calling to be an eunuch, then stray from the path of masturbation, from fornication, from sexual fantasies and set your foot on the straight path of love.

You are not without help, nor counsel and in alerting me of your imminent danger, I am able to pray and fight with you. Many men have sought to keep their addiction quiet and fought like a lone ranger. The enemy came from all angle and they became weary and could no longer lift up their sword for the fight. The enemy crippled them and they advance no more in their pilgrim journey.

You my friend, must fix your eyes on Jesus.  Do not yield to the deceitfulness of lust. Hold tightly to the discipline of Christ, the discipline he gave to his first disciples when he enlisted them for his service. He taught them to take up their cross, to deny themselves and follow him. He also enlisted you and calls you to the same discipline. Do not deceive or flatter yourself, for there is no room for you to indulge with a false idea of piety, pretending that you cherish him but in secret your merriment is lust. He cannot be mocked, so take heed, be steadfast, abide in prayer and you will not abide in temptation.

Peace and grace to you, may God strengthen you in your battle and fill you with the fullness of him who fills all in all. Although this be a private letter, you may open it to all the church. I love you always.

K.Oni