Are any of you men out there struggling with sexual sin or temptation?
If your answer is “no” please send us an email…We’d love to congratulate you on being the only man on the planet able to avoid this struggle all together!
C’mon guys…you know what I’m talking about. I’m talking about the sexual images that come at you every where you turn. What about every time you turn on the television, flip open a magazine, drive by a billboard, or surf the web? Do you pretend these images don’t grab your attention? The hard part is mustering up the humility to admit that you’re struggling. I am here to tell you that it shouldn’t be so hard to do that. Because the reality is that we are all struggling. In a lot of cases, if you’re not struggling, you’re not trying to win this battle.
There is a battle going on for the condition of your heart right now, this very moment. God wants your heart honest and pure, while Satan and all of his evil forces want it corrupted. Does that sound far fetched to you? If it does, snap out of it because it’s straight from the bible.
The battle for your heart is going on every day, all day long. And the most lethal weapon used by the enemy against us men is that little three-letter word…sex. It’s the sin that has taken out so many good men. God-fearing, God-loving men. Millions of good husbands and dads have been destroyed by it. There lives and their family’s lives ripped apart. Paul wrote in I Corinthians to “flee from sexual immorality.” Webster defines flee as “to run away quickly, as from danger or trouble.” Men, there is no other one specific sin mentioned in scripture (that I know of) calling for such extreme measures to avoid.
Notice Paul didn’t say “focus your mind” or “refrain” or even “guard your heart.” He basically said “turn your butt around and run as fast as you can the other direction.” Why do you think he said that? My guess is because he was a guy, just like us, and he knew exactly how powerful the pull can be. He knew that the lure of sex, the fantasies, the images – can provide a temporary satisfaction that feels good. So good that we fall prisoner to it. And once it captures our hearts, everything around us – our walk with Christ, our marriages, our children, our careers, our character – is at grave risk.
For the last several months, I have been meeting with a few close friends every Wednesday morning at 6am for breakfast. We have been walking chapter by chapter through a book called “Every Man’s Challenge” (by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker) which deals head on with this issue of sexual temptation. I can tell you that having a select group of guys to share with – openly and honestly – has been instrumental in allowing God to change our hearts. We are watching our marriages get better and our hearts gain some purity. Just being able to share stories with one another (both successes and failures) helps encourage and offers accountability.
There are countless spiritual and practical tools in the book to help you fight this battle and we want to encourage every guy out there to read it. But first, you must be able to simply admit that the battle is real. Come clean with your wife, close friend, relative or pastor that you are struggling in this area. Tell them that you don’t want to be another statistic – another guy that lost it all because he didn’t have the character to rise above the pop culture trends of the day. It doesn’t matter how minor the interest may seem to be – it will grow and eventually become an uncontrollable force that consumes your thoughts and takes over your life. That’s why Paul said “flee.”
Men, I challenge you to have the courage to stand with us and fight for the condition of your heart. Pray about it and seek the wisdom of Christ. Talk to your wife about it. Start a men’s group. Open up about it with someone you trust. The more of a “secret indulgence” it is, the greater the foothold you are allowing the enemy to have on you. If you don’t have anyone to reach out to, email one of us at brockadamjohnson@gmail.com or deepstreampa@gmail.com
Recommended reading – “The Purity Principle” – Randy Alcorn
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