Jacobs goes on to explain that lust must be redefined. Claiming that lust only happens when a man looks at a woman who is not his wife and desires her is "misleading and incomplete" Jacobs says. "If women don't begin to redefine what lust means for them, they will continue to isolate themselves from each other, their spouses, and, in so doing, cripple their chances of overcoming temptation."
In the book Every Woman's Battle, Shannon Ethridge describes her emotional affairs with male friends. "Even though I wasn't having sexual intercourse with any of these other men, I was still having an affair with each of them... fascination with Tom's wit, Mark's maturity, and Scott's verbal talents affected my marriage in a way just as damaging as a sexual affair would have."
Upon surveying a group of women in her church, Jacobs came to find that although female attraction functions less visibly than male attraction, it is easier for women to dismiss sexual sin. "If lust is only described through men's eyes, we won't recognize it through our own," Jacobs concluded. 'The most alarming trend in my survey was the number of women who were alone in their struggle."
Click HERE to read Marian Jacobs' full article and learn four ways in which women can prevent further isolation and defeat lust.