When Jesus teaches on the deadly sin of Lust in Matthew 5, he’s addressing a dep- rooted problem in the human heart: the desire for excess at the expense of others. Most often, Lust happens when our sexual desires override our capacity to love and serve others, but Lust can be identified in more ways than just sexual desire. Anytime we use and manipulate other people for our own pleasure or gain, we Lust. But through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can slowly replace Lust with the fruit of Self-Control. By choosing to give up control instead of gaining control over others, and by learning to redirect our desires, we can slowly become people capable of truly loving those around us.
