Sex Is Not the Problem (Lust Is): Sexual Purity in a Lust-Saturated World

Came quickly, well worth the price. A good read.

Wow. This book is golden. I sure didn't know what to expect, or why I felt led to buy this book, but it is amazing so far. I have read a lot of Joshua Harris' books, and every one of them, without fail, has left me speechless. This book, and all other Harris books for that matter, have the anointing of the Holy Spirit for sure. God is definitely using Josh in a mighty and powerful way with his talent for writing and his passion for the Lord.With that said, I give this book five out of five stars.Now, let me begin by saying that I have not read the book in its entirety, but I am in the middle of it right now and cannot put it down. This book gives you to tools and the knowledge to stop lust before it happens, to turn away those bad desires and thoughts, and replace them with better, healthier thoughts and desires. I'm not saying this book is the manual to combat unbridled sexual desire, because no one can battle it with just a book, they need God for that. But I am saying that this book can help a lot with managing thoughts and desires and actions that provoke one's self to lust. But ultimately, God is the only One who can help us with our desires and temptations for lust, and it's a good thing He's a helper.My boyfriend of one year (and four months!) and I decided to start reading this book together, as a couple, so we have a hold on the lust in our hearts towards each other. Although we are in a healthy, Christ-centered relationship and have never even kissed or done anything sexually (it's by the grace of God!!), that desire for more is never ending, thus, causing us to lust in our hearts. We have discussed this on multiple occasions, and I decided to purchase this book and the two study guides that go along with it. (One for guys and one for girls) What we are doing, is reading a chapter a week out-loud together, and doing the separate study guides throughout the week on our own.When I saw the title of this book, Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is), I would have never guessed it would be something for couples to read together, but the way Joshua lays down the foundation for lust, pornography, sexual impurity, and masturbation (among others) in a way that is deliberate and tasteful, makes it work. It is by no means awkward or weird to read it out loud with your significant other, because these topics are vital topics in a relationship. And Joshua Harris does a fantastic job analyzing lust from all angles, and providing combative resources to flee from lust and all it's desires.I recommend this book to anyone who is dealing with the strangling grip of lust, and wants to remove the shackles from their wrists, break the chains, and run away from it. Lust is a hard thing to deal with, but by God's direction in your life, it will actually become less of a desire and more of a disgust. God can break any chain. God can. And this book says that. It shows you how to erase the lust in your life by turning to the One who can erase lust and sin. I also recommend this book to couples who want God first in their relationship, and who want to be completely pure in their thoughts and actions toward each other. Those who are striving for purity.If you struggle with lust, pornography addiction, masturbation, sexual impurity, and all other forms of lust, then this book is for you. It's a great and easy read, and the work of God is definitely evident throughout the pages. Go buy it, it's worth it. It's so worth it.

Lust: craving sexually what God has forbiddenEveryone fights with lust and in this country we are constantly bombarded with temptation at every turn. As a Christian we have a desire to fight this, but so often we fail no matter what we try. Time and time again. There are those who try to go the legalistic route and draw lines that they try not to cross, but sooner or later all of those things fail, because we are all sinful by nature. Josh really does a great job of refocusing on the real problems and opening our eyes to all of the areas lust slips into our lives.This book is an excellent resource for directing us towards Christ for the strength and ability to truly fight lust. We just don't have that ability within ourselves. However, through Christ we can. It's not easy and there is no "one size fits all" approach to fighting the lust in your life. Anything we try to accomplish on our own is doomed to fail because we are all simply too sinful. But through humility and dependence on God, we can start winning those daily skirmishes and then larger battles and in so doing truly place our lives in God's hands to use for His glory. Sexual purity is something only God can bring about in our lives.One of the great things about this book is that it embraces sexuality as a gift from God. This is a very positive book. There is no attempt at shaming us into purity. We all have enough shame from the lust in our lives as it is. Some even have shame to a degree that it impacts the beauty and goodness of how God creates us all to be. Our innate sexuality just needs to be something we save for later, when it is healthy and pure in God's eyes. It also doesn't drag us through the muck by talking about temptations in an explicit way that would just lead to temptation. Neither does it gloss over temptations or our "lust traps" in a way that is so ambiguous that the reader doesn't benefit.While the language used is earnest and direct, it is not explicit. If any of you have read other Joshua Harris books, you know what to expect. For that reason, I think this book is appropriate for anyone from high-school age on. If you are a parent reading this, I highly encourage you to read the book first and give it to your child when you think it's appropriate. Use your discernment. There's a good chance you'll benefit from the reading yourself. If you are at any age or stage in life and looking at this review, there is probably a reason behind that, some battle you are fighting. Get the book and read it with a mind focused on Christ.One more (major) thing. While lust is commonly misperceived as a male-predominant issue, this is not the case. And this book is equally valuable to ANYONE who battles with lust, women included. Josh makes that clear and does not address lust in a way that excludes girls in any way and even directly discusses some of the different ways in which lust creeps into womens' lives.Somehow Joshua Harris has walked the fine, fine line and created a very positive book tackling an extremely difficult and pervasive issue in a way that is both eye-opening and extremely beneficial for anyone who earnestly desires to fight lust in their daily lives. Excellent book.

This book is amazing, yet I am not reading complete, but, the preface alone says a lot, I am very happy.

Good, solid work to help oppose the cult of sexuality in our modern life.Grounded. Bringing you back to how sex is supposed to be, in all the glory God intended.

Things left is to practice and experience this book content in our daily life with God's grace.As the author wrote in his preface which is quoted from another author (Jerry Bridges):"Every day of our Christian experience should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone."Let's fight the lust with God's grace.

Recommended for anyone who wants to take a real look at the power of lust to destroy and the power of God to overcome.

I just want to thank God for this man's life. This book has been a big help for me. Struggling with lust (as I still do) is still a hard thing but the book reminded me of a few pointers that is now helping me to abstain from it.For those who need help with lust, this book has the answers. It's for men and women too.