16 Chain Breaking Prayers Against Lust and Lustful Thoughts​

 

Lust is one of the most destructive and pervasive sins that so many people struggle with, men and women alike.

Especially since there is a lot of shame that is often involved with the sin of lust, it also tends to be one of the hardest to talk about or confess.

This makes prayer all the more essential to combatting this sin in one’s life.

Never underestimate the power of prayer when it comes to sin as you ask for God's help and the power of God to help you through temptation.

Here are 16 different Bible verses and prayers that you can start using today as a powerful tool to break the chains of lust in your life and move toward freedom.

 

1. 1 Corinthians 6:18 - Flee From Lust

 

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”

 

Lord, help me to flee from sexual immorality in my life.

Help me to understand that when I pursue lust and lustful thinking, I am sinning against my own body and working towards my own destruction.

Help that reality to sink into my mind so that I can flee from these things.

Help me to see how a spirit of lust and lustful thoughts affect me negatively and help me to run from them in every area of my life.

Help me to take this struggle seriously so that I can do what needs to be done to cut it out of my life.

Thank you for your grace and mercy through this struggle. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

2. Galatians 5:16 - Walk By The Spirit

 

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

 

Dear Lord, thank you for the gift of your Spirit in my life.

Thank you that I have the opportunity to walk in step with your very Spirit and that you guide me and help me through your Spirit.

Help me to walk in your Spirit so that I will not gratify the desires of my flesh.

As I struggle with lust, help me to always listen to your Spirit in every moment and make my decisions based on what your Spirit is telling me, not what my flesh is telling me.

Strengthen your Spirit within me daily. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

3. Colossians 3:5 - Put To Death What Is Earthly

 

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.”

 

God, thank you for your Word and the truth that it brings to my life.

Thank you that it shows me the weight of sexual sin in my life and how serious it is.

Help me to genuinely put to death what is earthly within me.

Help me to make radical changes in my life that take lust seriously; changes that will help me to pursue you, not my lustful desires.

Through your Spirit, give me the strength to put these things to death in my life and to make the necessary changes to do so.

Surround me with people who will keep me accountable and help me to make these changes. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

4. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 - Abstain From Sexual Immorality

 

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;”

 

Lord, I know from your Word that it is your will for me to abstain from sexual immorality and lustful actions.

However, I am not perfect and I still do sin in this area. I just want to thank you for the forgiveness and grace that you bestow on me every time I need it.

Help me to truly abstain from lust so that I can be sanctified in your sight.

Help me to become more like your son each day and grow in your Spirit so that I do not listen to my flesh.

Give me strength and new desires that overcome my old desires. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

5. Job 31:1 - Make A Covenant With Your Eyes

 

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?”

 

Lord, I am inspired by Job’s example in this verse. He didn’t just wait around for his lustful desires to go away.

He took action and decided to make a covenant with his eyes. He decided to completely remove the option of lust. Help me to do that today.

Right now, I will make a covenant with my eyes to not gaze lustfully at others.

Help me to fulfill this covenant and have the strength to uphold it in my life.

Give me grace when I fail and strength to succeed. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

6. 2 Timothy 2:22 - Pursue Righteousness, Not Lustful Passions

 

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”

 

Dear God, I desire so deeply to flee the passions of lust that weigh heavily on my life.

Help me to run away from them so that I can run to righteousness, faith, love, and peace.

Help me to have a pure heart that is set upon you so that I can purify myself of these lustful desires.

Give me the strength to truly cut off things in my life that make my lustful desires worse and help me to make the right daily decisions that will lead to purity.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

7. James 4:7-8 - Submit Yourself To God And Resist The Devil

 

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

 

Lord, we learn in these verses in James that when we submit ourselves to you, we can find the strength to resist the devil and draw close to you.

As I struggle with lust in my life, give me the strength to humble myself before you and to resist these fleshly desires.

Help me to truly draw near to you and be close to you in this time of need.

Purify me from the inside out and show me what needs to be done to cleanse my life of this sin. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

 

8. Psalm 119:9 - Guard Your Way According To God’s Word

 

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

 

God, thank you for the amazing gift that is your Word.

Thank you that it brings great wisdom and strength as it teaches us how to walk according to your ways.

As this verse in Psalm 119 says, I can keep my way pure from lust by guarding myself according to your word.

So help me to remember your Word in my times of need so that I can guard myself with it.

Help me not only remember it but to do what it says, especially when I feel tempted by the desires of my flesh.

I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

 

9. 1 Peter 2:11 - Lust Wages War Against Your Soul

 

“Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.”

 

Heavenly Father, thank you that you are a refuge from the destructive force of the wars that are being waged against my soul.

Your Word tells me that the power of lust and the passions of the flesh are waging war against my soul as I struggle with them.

Yet you, through the power of the Holy Spirit, are a refuge from that war.

Help me to find refuge in you and strength in your presence to overcome this war that is being waged against me.

By your Spirit, help me to overcome the powers of lust and lustful thinking so that I can become pure and cleansed of them.

Strengthen me daily in your Spirit through the time that I spend with you. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

 

10. 1 John 2:16-17 - Lust Is Not From God

 

“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

 

Lord, thank you for all of the good things that you have given me.

I know from your word that every good thing comes from you.

Yet the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes are not good things.

Lust and impure thoughts do not come from you, yet I find myself indulging in them because of the sinfulness of my flesh.

Through your Spirit, help me to remember to abide in the things that are from you, not the things that haven’t come from you.

Help me to have the strength that I need to run from lust and its desires so that I can live a godly life, not according to the flesh.

I ask these things in Jesus’ holy name, amen.

 

11. Romans 8:5 - Live Your Life According To The Spirit

 

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.”

 

God, you place before every one of us a choice that we make in every moment of every day.

Will we live our lives according to the Spirit, or according to the flesh?

That is a decision that we make constantly, and I want to decide to live my life according to your Spirit.

Please grant me the strength that I need to follow your Spirit every moment of every day so that I can crucify the lusts of my flesh and leave them behind.

Help me to be obedient to you and to love you more deeply each day. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

 

12. Philippians 4:8 - Set Your Mind On That Which Is Worthy Of Praise

 

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

 

God, my mind is a battlefield. It is a constant battle to keep lustful thoughts out of my head and I need your strength to help me get through it.

Through your Spirit, help me to not set my mind on worldly desires or worthless things.

Instead, help me to always be focused on you and your Son, Jesus Christ.

Through that focus, help me to guard my mind from thoughts of lust and impure things. In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

13. 2 Corinthians 10:5 - Take Every Thought Captive To Obey Christ

 

“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,”

 

God, the sin of lust starts in my mind.

It may start with one look or a certain thought that pops into my mind, but that’s also where it can be stopped.

Help me to fortify my mind with your Word so that when those thoughts come up, I can take them captive to obey Christ.

Strengthen me in your Spirit to be able to stop these sinful thoughts before they lead to sinful action so that I can obey you in all that I do.

Create in me the ability to take every thought captive and remind myself of the truth that is in your Word so that I can combat every sinful thought that enters my mind.

I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

 

14. Psalm 51:10 - Ask God To Renew You

 

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

 

Lord, please create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me, just like David asked you to do for him.

God, I struggle so much with the sin of lust, but I desire to be pure and clean once more.

Wash me with your grace and love and restore me to a state of godliness.

Help me to turn away from the desires of my flesh and to follow you in all that I do.

Give me strength and power to resist these temptations and to honor you with my life by being a true living sacrifice.

I ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

 

15. Romans 13:14 - Make No Provision For The Flesh

 

“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”

 

Heavenly Father, I want to ask you today to empower me so that I might put on the Lord Jesus Christ so that I can make no provision for my flesh in my life.

I want to choose right now to not gratify the desires of my flesh in my life and instead gratify the Spirit that you have placed within me.

Help me to follow your Spirit in all that I do and to put the flesh to death along with its passions and evil desires.

Help me to abide in Christ Jesus, your Son, and to bear fruit as I stay connected to him every day. I ask these things in Jesus’ name, amen.

 

16. 1 Corinthians 10:13 - Remember That God Is With You

 

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

 

God, thank you for not being a God that is distant from his people.

Thank you for being close to those who love you and for being faithful, even when I am faithless.

I know that I am not ever tempted beyond my ability, even though it may sometimes feel like it.

I also thank you for always providing a way of escaping these temptations, even though I don’t always take that way out.

Help me to escape sexual temptation so that I can live a life that is godly and glorifying to you.

Help me to always cling to you and your Word as a temple of the Holy Spirit so that I can live rightly and not succumb to the desires of my flesh.

I pray these things in your name, almighty God, amen.