My Personal Battle Against Lust: A Letter to a Friend

My Dear Friend,

It is with joy that I write you this letter.

I speak as someone who was formed in the heat of battle. There were times when my heart was heavy, darkened by shame and regret—but God gave me joy. I’m writing to you now because I’ve come out victorious, and I believe my story might encourage you.

In my fight against lust, I truly uncovered something: the only way to overcome addiction is through the training of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t just help us once—He trains us to overcome worldly desires, to wait patiently for the coming of Jesus Christ, and to live godly lives while we remain here.

There are some things that never change in this process: the blood of Jesus and the truth of God's Word. These two always agree with the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us that eternal life is in Jesus—and whoever has the Son has life.

The Spirit Is Our Trainer

Each day, I would begin with this simple statement:

“Holy Spirit, I welcome You. I can’t study, pray, or even fight on my own. Teach me today.”

That’s how my journey started—not in strength, but in surrender.

The Holy Spirit used ordinary things to train me. One of the most powerful was music—specifically, my journey of learning how to sing in harmony.

Harmony as Righteousness

Learning harmony was difficult for me. I could sing the melody well, but I always went off when trying to sing in harmony. Not because I wasn’t trying, but because I hadn’t been trained.

The melody reminded me of salvation: it’s clear, it’s given. But harmony? Harmony is like walking in righteousness—it requires daily training. Whenever I drifted back into lust, it felt like I was singing off-key. I didn’t always mean to, but without training, even my best efforts weren’t enough.

The Holy Spirit became my vocal coach. The keyboard was the Word of God. And slowly, as I kept practicing—both musically and spiritually—I started to hear the right notes. I began studying the Bible every day, and the Spirit taught me how to live in alignment with God’s will.

There were times I drifted back. I sang off notes. But I kept coming back, kept listening, kept adjusting. And with every step, I got better.

Hearing the Voice of the Blood

One of the most powerful things the Holy Spirit taught me was to meditate on the blood of Jesus.

I began to see it—shining, pouring over me, cleansing me. I would speak what the blood was saying:

“I am clean from the inside out. There is nothing wrong with me. I am whole in Christ.”

And then, I remembered what Scripture said:

“The blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel” (Hebrews 12:24).

I asked the Holy Spirit to train me to hear what the blood says. And He did.

The Danger of Following Feelings Alone

There were times I thought I was singing in harmony—but I wasn’t. I felt right, but those with trained ears could hear I was off. In the same way, we cannot rely on feelings to determine what is right.

Only the Word of God can tell us what is true. And when we mature in Christ, we realize: just because something feels right or we are passionate about it, doesn’t make it right.

The world says, “Follow your heart.” But the Bible says, “The heart is deceitful.” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Right and wrong are measured by God’s standard, not our emotions.

Even the sun rises from the east and sets in the west—because that’s how God designed it. And He has also given us a design for how to live. When our feelings go against His word, we must bring them into submission.

Training Through the Spirit

This is how I was trained:

• I welcomed the Holy Spirit daily.

• I talked to Him about my emotions honestly.

• I studied the Word as my foundation.

• I meditated on the blood of Jesus—not just that it was shed, but that it still speaks.

• I listened. I practiced. I failed. And I tried again.

The Bible says:

“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).

That’s how strongholds fall—not in one dramatic moment, but through daily, humble training.

My Friend, I Don’t Know Your Exact Story...

But I know the same Spirit is available to you. He may not train you with harmony and music, but He will train you in a way that is just as personal and powerful. You can trust Him. Your weakness is not too great for Him. And your story isn’t over.

I believe that one day, you too will look back and say:

“I am a skilled harmony singer. I am a matured, godly Christian. And I am never going back.”

With love and hope,

Yours truly,

Mathew