Fighting Sexual Temptation For Men

Transcription

1 Fighting Sexual Temptation For Men In my opinion, sexual temptation is the greatest challenge Satan wages against us. They say that 97% of all men struggle with sexual temptation and the other 3% are liars. Probably very close to being true. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, our Lord used the Holy Scripture to fight the devil. And we should as well. Satan has but one objective and that is to destroy you, destroy your family and make you a useless and ineffective servant of God. John 10:10 The thief comes not but to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly. 1 Corinthians 6:9 Don t fool yourselves; whoever lives sexually immoral lives, worships idols, are fornicators, adulterers, or homosexuals will never inherit the Kingdom of God. We are all quick to use this scripture to point the finger at homosexuals. But the Greek word for sexually immoral is πόρνοι pornoi from where we get the word pornography from. When I first learned this pearl, I was convicted to the core. These are some of the scripture I use daily to wage battle against the sexual temptation I am constantly faced with. These are in my own words what I've memorized and are not exactly perfect translation. Job 31:1 I've made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman. I have revised this scripture for myself to include my mind, where the biggest battle is fought, at least for me. I call it: The Godly Man 31:1 - "I have made a covenant with my mind not to think lustfully about a woman." This includes internet, magazines, television and our wandering eyes.

2 Psalm 101:3 I will set no evil thing before my eyes (How important is this scripture in this age of the internet!) Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God. (My goal in life) Romans 12:1-2 I urge you brothers to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Don't conform to this world, but be transformed by the RENEWING OF YOUR MIND. Then you will be able to prove what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. 1 Corinthians 6:18 FLEE fornication. Every sin that a man does is without his body. But the man who fornicates sins against his own body. What, don't you know that you are the temple of God? You are not of yourselves, for you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your bodies. Check out Joseph fleeing from Potiphar's wife in Geneses 39 for a great example of this scripture! Every sin begins with a thought. There is not a more powerful example than sexual sin. And having sexual thoughts and fantasies in our minds and hearts is giving satan a foothold and is sinning against God. Mathew 5:27 You have heard that it was said, You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 2 Corinthians 10:5 We take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. (This is what we must do to transform our minds and our lives).

3 You must strive to starve your sinful man by not feeding him with the sinful and sexual temptations we face daily. This includes staying away from pornography of all forms including any tantalizing (soft-core) pictures in magazines, on television and especially on the internet. Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brethren, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God s will is. You must get in the habit of controlling your mind to think upon Godly things instead of sexual fantasies. This is where memorizing scripture, meditation on God s Word and prayer is VITAL. You can recite scripture in your head and meditate on God s word when you are tempted with sexual thoughts, especially at night when you are alone and are prone to greater temptation. And if you are able, speaking God s Word out loud is even more effective! Psalms 119:10 With my whole heart have I served Thee; let me not wander from Thy commandments. Thy Word have I hid in my heart, so that I might not sin against Thee. Yes, we must give up some things that may give us some temporary pleasure. But what is that compared to eternity? Strengthen your soul with the Word of God. Starve your flesh by not giving into sexual temptation. That which is not fed will wither and die. No one is victorious 100% of the time. There will be hills and valleys. Victories and defeats. But don t get discouraged.

4 This may take years to accomplish but it does work. Overall, you WILL eventually become more Godlike in your walk. While we will never be free from sexual temptation (even the Apostle Paul inwardly burned with desires), we CAN be victorious and remain in the hope that we will continually get closer to God. You WILL fail. You WILL fall. But you KEEP ON FIGHTING until the day you die! Proverbs 24:16 A righteous man falls seven times but gets up again. 1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. And at the same time, you must feed your spirit-man every single day with the Word of God through daily Bible reading, Bible study, memorizing scripture, fellowship with other believers, church attendance, meditation on scripture, worship, prayer and working for Christ through service. 1 Corinthians 9:27 I punish my body and bring it under subjection. Lest by any means that when I have preached unto others that I myself should be a castaway. Our reward for doing this will be that we will have the opportunity to get closer to God and know Him better. Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure at heart, for they shall see God. You must find an accountability partner and be 100% open and honest with him. This must be another man and not your wife. No man can do it alone. No man is an island.

5 Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. And you must continually fellowship with believers who can strengthen your walk with God. Hebrews 10:25 Do not forsake the assembly of yourselves together, as some are in the habit of doing. We CAN be victorious. It may take years or even our entire lifetime, but we must never give up. And don t feel you are alone in this struggle with sexual temptation. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with this until the day he died. 2 Corinthians 11:29 Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? Use the power of God by doing these things suggested here to strengthen your walk with God. James 4:6 God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up. You are weak. We ALL are weak. But God encourages us to use this to our advantage. Use the power and grace of God, not your own. 2 Corinthians 12:9 My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. That is why, for Christ s sake, I delight in my weaknesses. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

6 For those of us who are married, we have yet a greater calling to be faithful beyond the obvious reasons. Just as the relationship between God and the Israelites were a metaphor or type of the relationship between Christ and the Church (Us) so is the institution of marriage. Being faithful to our spouses in marriage is a metaphor or type representing the faithfulness we should have with God. In other words, when we are unfaithful in our marriage, whether it be physical or in our minds (See Matthew 5:27-28), we are first and foremost being unfaithful to God. For me, this is a higher calling and is a greater motivation NOT TO OFFEND GOD over any obligation I may have with my wife or any other person. When Joseph was tempted by Potiphar s wife, his response was, How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? (Read the story in Genesis 39) When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then murdered her husband Uriah, his response after he was outed by Nathan the prophet was, Against you (God), you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight. (Read Psalms 51) No matter how much a man loves his wife, his greater obligation and commitment should be to God. This only complements and strengthens our relationship with our wives and our commitment towards the institution of our marriage. You only have this one opportunity in life to serve Jesus. DON T WASTE IT! On my last day on Earth, I don t want to look back and say, I could have done so much more if I had only submitted myself to God. I want to hear God say to me, Well done My good and faithful servant. By doing this, we can have the awesome honor of being a usable vessel for Christ to use for His ministry here on Earth! What greater honor is there in life? 2 Tim 2:21 Those that stay pure will be instruments for God, holy, useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. What GREATER HONOR is there than to be a useful instrument of God while on this Earth?