Customer Reviews

Not Even a Hint: Guarding Your Heart Against Lust

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Most of the reviewers have hit upon some of the main things that makes this great. Yet some reviewers accuse Josh Harris of borderline legalism because of the steps he has personally taken to properly handle his lust problem (and some examples from others who are fighting this sin). As a young man who, like Harris, is weak in this area, struggling with legalistic attitudes on one side and full-blown licentiousness on the other, this book has been a breath of fresh air, a glass of cool, clear water. While it does offer practical advice, Harris is not so arrogant as to claim that this is the one-size-fits-all practical guide to lust.

First, he points out a group of young people who would fast if one of the group looked at internet pornography. Instead of praising this method, Harris is disappointed and points out that One has already paid the punishment for every sin we have and will commit. To make other people "pay" for your sin is to deny the sufficiency of the atonement of Christ. He says: "If you were to use the practical ideas I'm about to share with you as a legalistic set of guidelines, not only would it be displeasing to God, but you wouldn't change. Your behavior might change for a while, but your heart wouldn't change." (p. 50) And regarding his friend that stayed outside the video store, was he saying it was right for everyone to do so? By no means! His friend had recognized the areas that caused him to lose sight of Christ, and for that time in his life, video stores were a struggle. This is vastly different than telling everyone, "So, like my friend, you shouldn't go into video stores, either."

This is exactly it: Have we really tasted of God to the degree that we want nothing less than satisfaction in Him? What I loved most was his chapter on the sword of the Spirit, adapted from John Piper's book, Future Grace. Truly, the only way to break the power of lust in our lives is to taste and see that the LORD is good (Psalm 34:8). When you taste of the Fountain of Living Waters, the broken cisterns of lust cannot compare (Jer 2:12-13). This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.

Overall, if you struggle with lust in one form or another as I do, I would, along with John Piper, commend this book for your soul. It correctly identifies how we can turn our fight against lust into legalism, and also how we tend to treat it as "no big deal." So let us also lay aside *every* weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us (Heb. 12:1), because the pure in heart, dear reader, the pure in heart will see GOD (Matt 5:8).

This is a powerful book on dealing with sexual temptation. Joshua Harris does a fantastic job of setting every man's battle in its proper biblical and theological context. He is not soft on sin, but neither does he lead one to discouragement or despair. He understands that a right relationship with God is by grace through faith alone, but he knows that the faith which justifies also sanctifies. He is candid and honest, yet remains discreet, writing a book which is appropriate for and targeted to both men and women. He avoids setting hard and fast rules, advocating that we develop "a custom-tailored plan" for fighting against lust, but he provides plenty of practical ideas about how to make progress. He addresses sensitive issues (like masturbation) as well as cultural issues (like media and dress). Best of all, he encourages open accountability ("lone rangers are dead rangers") and provides an excellent chapter on how to fight the lying promises of lust with the true and satisfying promises of God. Drawing on the wisdom of John Piper's Future Grace, and C. J. Mahaney's The Cross-centered Life, this is one of the best books on sanctification I've seen, and the best book on the particular subject of sexual temptation I've ever read. I highly recommend this to both men and women, single or married. Thanks, Josh for sharing your heart with us.

I believe this book ought to be read rather than Every Young Man's Battle. This book is cleaner (no unneeded lude descriptions), it makes solid points, it is directed at both men and women, and it stays close to scripture all the way through. This book will get the legalism out of your battle with lust, and remind you that a biblical battle with lust will always have desiring Christ and a closer walk with Him who has already declared christians righteous despite their struggles and failures at the center of it.

I got this book looking for ideas on how to share the topic of lust with our youth group. What I found was a very practical, Biblically-centered, and informative approach on how both men and women can tackle the immense problem of lust. I quickly found myself realizing that this book was not only good enough for our youth group, but for me, and even for our entire congregation. This will definitely be a future topic in our ministry, both to the teens and to the adults.

I like this book. Harris is not afraid to say what needs to be said. You know that he is like the "rest of us" because as you read the book, you find yourself thinking .. yes I've thought that before ... oh my I did that too ... good grief, is he reading my mind?

Mr. Harris offers some very simple ideas (but not necessarily easy ones) for combating lust in our lives. For example, he asks the reader to take stock as to when and where lust strikes so that we can understand how the problem occurs and how to take steps to fight it. He uses the Bible to show not only the dangers of lust, but also to show solutions to the problem. The book does not offer a "formula" that will help you win the fight. But Mr. Harris expertly points out just how society is permeated with lustful images and innuendos. And like it or not, these things influence and de-sensitize us to the real problems of lust.

The book is a very light read; you could put this one away in one sitting. But you might just find yourself going through it many times because there is a lot of practical advice and strategy to be learned. The book is highly recommended for both men and women, married or single alike. It could just be one of the most important books you will read for a long time.

What I appreciate about Not Even a Hint is that the author's stance on sexuality is utterly biblical; it is rooted in grace. Joshua Harris acknowledges and even celebrates the fact that God made us as sexual beings. He doesn't trample on attraction as a sin. He thanks God for his goodness in making men and women to be drawn to one another in complimentary ways and points to the precious gift of marriage as God's intended setting for the fullest expression of our sexuality.

Joshua also reminds us of the Bible's clear teaching that lust (which he defines as "craving sexually what God has forbidden") in any form is a sin, which, like all sins, must be punished by the God who created us. The good news of the gospel then -- that Jesus Christ has paid in full for all of our sins by taking our punishment on the Cross, and that He rose from the dead to give us new life in Himself -- provides the foundation for this book. We can work to put lust to death -- work with all of our hearts and all of the strength we have in Christ -- because Christ has set us free already from sin's penalty, which is death. And because Christ's Spirit now is at work within us, we have true hope for progress against our sin in this life and the promise of perfection in the next!

The words "not even a hint," which Joshua took from the NIV transaltion of the Bible, do not set up a legalistic and impossible standard designed to bring us to despair. Instead, the book's title (and text!) points us to the bar set by Christ Himself, who is both our Savior and the only hope we have for change. And what a hope!

Joshua Harris has done a courageous thing in writing this book. Those of us who have been helped by his biblical foundation and practical counsel commend him!

I'm so thankful for this book. When I read this book I didn't finish with a weight of condemnation but a greater love for the cross and the Saviour. Josh clearly makes it not about sex but about LUST the sin of putting your desire in something other then God. I know in my own heart I often respond to lust in my life to think that I can't even notice a pretty girl.. "It's not lust to be attracted to someone or notice that he or she is good looking." Its all about letting creation point you back to the creator, not yourself.

Thank you Joshua. After my first experience with I kissed dating goodbye I knew we had a gifted author in the making. Each book he has written continues to direct me more and more back to the cross and to the life of Jesus and what he accomplished.

I recommend this book to everyone, no matter what stage of life you are in.

Jesus Christ had greater insight into the human soul, what was good for its health, and what was bad for its health, than anyone else in human history. What was his take on lust? "I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Strong words indeed.

Joshua Harris follows his master closely in this excellent book on lust. Like Jesus, Joshua thinks that lust should not have any place in the human heart. Like Jesus, Joshua does not think lust is a normal human thing we should indulge every once in a while to avoid the risk of "repression."

Instead, Joshua humbly and lovingly tells it like it is. Lust is a deadly enemy that we must kill before it kills us. Ironically, one of the first good things that lust kills in us is healthy sexual desire. That much should be plain to any Christian, and to perceptive non-Christians. But given the fact that many people, including some Christians, attempt to evade the clear biblical truth about lust, I am grateful that Joshua has taken the time to set forth the basic facts about it. He doesn't do it arrogantly or judgmentally -- he just does it. With courage, a clear head, and a clear voice.

But this little book's virtues extend beyond stating the obvious. Joshua takes time to distinguish good things, like humanity and sexual desire, from bad things, like sin and perverted sexual desire. Thus, Joshua does not think that having a physical body is a bad thing, or that having a sex drive is a bad thing--quite the contrary. His clarity should help a lot of people accurately identify and kill their true enemy--lust--and not indiscriminately attack healthy sexual desire in the process.

Joshua also gives helpful practical strategies for battling lust, while discouraging legalism. The advice Joshua offers and the stories he relates may very well help those in the midst of struggle. But he does not come close to saying that the strategies he offers should be normative for everyone (except one: he says emphatically that fighting lust requires accountability, and cannot just be an individual project). In short, this book manages to be wise and practical without even a hint of legalism. How refreshing. And how biblical.

And no review of Not Even a Hint would be complete unless it mentioned how much Joshua emphasizes the grace of God throughout the book. The mercy of God is essential, not only in our justification and the forgiveness of our past sin, but also in our sanctification, that is, the cultivation of holiness and the eradication of our present sin. Indeed, Joshua writes that no effort on our part will be fruitful apart from the grace of God, and that battling sin without consciously relying on the mercy of God could actually do us more harm than good.

Despite those virtues, I gave the book four stars, not five, because it did not quite fulfill one of its own purposes: to be a book equally helpful to males and females. I say "not quite" because Joshua actually does much, much better here than many. He says that lust is a human problem, not a guy problem. He even acknowledges that some ladies may struggle with varieties of lust that have typically been called "masculine." But still some of the normal stereotypes surface in Not Even a Hint: men are stimulated by sight, women by touch. Men's lust is purely visual and physical; women's lust is emotional and tied up with romantic longings. I don't think anyone can make those generalizations with any confidence, (1) because the Bible doesn't make them, and (2) because (as Joshua acknowledges) lust has been such a taboo subject among women that many of them haven't really spoken of their own struggles. If a young woman who struggles with straightforward visual, physical lust reads Not Even a Hint, she will, thankfully, not come away convinced that she's a total freak of nature, as she might if she read a different book on lust. But that young woman may still think that she's a little strange, and may still feel more isolated than she really is. I am grateful that Joshua started to roll back some of the old generalizations about lust and gender here; I just wish he'd gone a little further.

In all, however, this is an outstanding little book. Its content is, for the most part, accurate and wise, and it is very much "PG-rated," as the author desired. Perhaps its greatest virtue, though, is the author's vulnerability and transparency. Joshua doesn't make any vague, general confessions here; he gets pretty specific in places (without being lascivious). In other words, he doesn't just extol the virtues of humility and honesty about sin; he models them. Joshua's humble perceptiveness makes this a work both truthful and graceful: the grace doesn't dilute the truth, and the truth doesn't nullify the grace.

I found this book to be the best book I have read on the subject, and the material to be the best I'm aware of. Josh Harris has served the church so well in providing the biblical truth about lust: God abhors it. It is a vile, destructive and selfish sin. Joshua remedially goes through the specifics of it in an appropriate way to uncover all of its hiding places and guises. He then proceeds to lead the reader to Scripture memorization, mediation and application that is carried out in the local church as a solution.

I commend this work for being gracious, yet ruthless in its pursuit of sin. 17th century Puritan John Owen (who wrote "Temptaion and Sin" as well as inspired "Enemy Within"), would no doubt be pleased to see lust dispayed in all its ravaging and evil forms. To say that Josh is being ruthless in the pursuit of lust I think would be accurate, and would commend that as Biblical.

There is no need for exegesis in this book because it is Biblically clear that we are to be holy people, set apart for the Lord. Basing the title of the book off of a passage in the NIV was wise and within the liberty given to believers. Using the ESV translation "must not even be named" would have made for an akward title to a book. But "not even a hint" means the same thing as "must not even be named." Should you disagree, consult commentary by wise scholars and then email Josh with your wisdom. Regarding the comment that he has no support from Biblical scholars, please note the remarks in the front page of the book by Dr. John Piper (Author, "Justification of God", "Counted Righteous in Christ" and many others) as well as by Dr. Al Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (both of whom are on the Council of Biblical Manhood and Womanhood) as well as from Jerry Bridges ("Pursuit of Holiness", and "The Discipline of Grace").

As well, Josh made no attempt to say that sexual thoughts and desire outside marriage is bad. I think a few people have equated sexuality and desire with lust. Josh serves us by devoting a good section to why that isn't true. So to those who say he discourages passionately enjoying sex in marriage because of his hatred of sin (particularily lust), I would encourage you to re-read the book with the reminder that lust is a perversion of a beautiful and glorious thing. No sin (lust, hatred, jealousy, revenge, bitterness, pride, etc) should be tolerated under any circumstance. To say that we need to let ourselves "off the hook" with our humanity is to make provision for the flesh and encourage us to gratify our sinful desires, thus offending our Holy God and grieving His Spirit.

I heartily reccommend this book to all: men and women, Christian and Pagan!

Honestly, my favorite thing about this book was the emphasis that lust is a human problem, not just a guy's problem. I'm a girl. This book helped me. I'm a sinner, just like every human. This book helped me to understand what I'm dealing with and how to ask Christ to help me overcome it.

It's a girls' problem too. More girls deal with this than admit (or know) it. I am so very glad for this book. While I might not agree with everything Joshua Harris says, that doesn't matter. As long as I'm convinced he believes in the same basics I do, I'll probably enjoy most of his work.

Get prepared for the war on lust with this book. Josh just hits nail after nail on the head with this one - and the best part is, no matter what form of lust you deal with (and I'd recommend this book to my brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle with homosexuality - Josh speaks to you in here too!), it's all the same monster trying to rob you of a healthy [physical] desire and a God-centered view of [physical]pleasure.

There is no 'magic bullet' secret in this book - Josh just outlines what our enemy is and how we should go about dealing with it. As simple as it sounds, this book is profoundly deep. I got a chance to hear Josh speak on this book (covlife.org/ourlife/singles_feature.php) and click on the link to rescuing sex. between those MP3's and the book..... you'll have encouragement and support. buy this book, be blessed.