Key Bible Verse: Temptation comes from the lure of our own evil desires (James 1:14). Bonus Reading: James 1:13–18

Satan is a highly competent fisherman. He's been angling for human souls for years, and one of his prime jigs is lust. He knows that more Christians fall victim to sexual lust than just about any other type of sin.

Lust looms large in our world. It's "in." It's used to sell things. We read about it. Every day, in countless and sometimes unbelievable ways, we face its lure. The bait is always dangling in front of us. We're "trophy fish" that the devil is hoping to catch.

When they encounter the word lust, many people feel a stab like a knife in their hearts. They know they've fallen prey to it in the past, may be participating in it now, and fear they may fall for the trap again. Nearly everybody's given in to the temptation of lust, if not in reality, at least in imagination.

Lust is casting a lingering look at the newly hired secretary. It is surfing the Internet for yet another image to download into a private file. It's a group of guys huddling around a magazine rack, gawking at the latest Playboy centerfold or the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated.

Lust plays on our sexuality, but it doesn't satisfy us sexually.