Marriage Eliminates Sexual Temptation

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[This is a part of the 7 Lies Christians Believe Series. Have you read the other posts?]

I think this lie is believed mainly by younger men or those who are not yet married.  I believe this to be true because I fell for it.   How ignorant I was!

I don’t use ignorant in a negative sense.  I like to say, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

My goal is to help the young man through my experience  not to be ignorant.  Let’s take a closer look at lie #2.

Men are Men Before & After the Wedding

One of the reasons I couldn’t wait to get married was because I got to have sex.  And any man with half a brain knows that once they get married that sexual temptation will subside.  I found that this was wrong and it was because I was only thinking with half a brain!

What causes a us as men to become sexually aroused?  Is it long talks about our emotions?  Hardly!  All we have to do is see an attractive woman.  That’s it!  We see them and our first thoughts go straight to sex.

What does this mean for the married man?  Will he lose his eyesight once he ties the knot?  Well, his wife may poke his eyes out if he doesn’t stop staring at other women but men are still men before and after the wedding.

Sex Begins in the Mind

Jesus taught,

“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. -Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)

We can sexually sin without ever having sex.  This is why we must avoid sexual temptation.  Fail to do this and temptation shows up in places like,

• Internet
• Magazines
• Television
• Work
• Even church
  

Before we get to the application let me add that sex in the right context is awesome!  The correct context is sex within marriage.  Sex outside of marriage, whether it be through an actually physical act or just in your mind is sin.

How to Almost Eliminate Sexual Temptation

[let me preface this with saying that sexual temptation is what can lead to sexual sin]

I say almost eliminate because we will never be rid of sin this side of eternity.  As Christians our goal is to become more like Jesus everyday.  Eugene Peterson has said,

We can’t live a life more like Jesus by embracing a way of life less like Jesus.

Though we will never be 100% like Jesus in this life time we still strive!  So what are some practical tips to lowering sexual temptation in our life?

1. Pray for Strength: We shouldn’t depend on our own strength to get us through life’s difficulties especially something as powerful as sexual temptation.  Ask God to help you and believe that He will.

2. Flee Like Joesph!: Potiphar’s wife begged Joesph to sleep with her.  Not just once but twice.  I think most men would have thought their lucky day had arrived.

What did Joesph do?  Both times his answer was no.  The second time she asked he not only said no but he also ran as fast as he could away from her.  Why do you suppose he ran?  I bet it was because he was tempted!  When faced with sexual temptation will you flee like Joesph?

3. Bounce Your Eyes:  Are you having trouble with staring at attractive curves?  Then bounce your eyes.  Keep your eyes above her shoulders.  Do this just for one day and I bet you will be surprised at how much you stare at women.  I know it surprised me.

4. Starve Your Mind: Allow me to be blunt.  Masturbation’s fuel originates in the mind.  Don’t dwell on sexual thoughts and masturbation will begin to cease.

The last two tips come from the book Every Man’s Battle.  I would recommend purchasing it so that you gain valuable insight in winning the battle against sexual temptation.

Bought at a Price

I won’t dwell on this point and just let scripture do the teaching,

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. -1 Corinthians 6:18-20 (NIV)

How Do You Win?

Okay gentlemen, what strategies are you using to insure victory in this battle against sexual temptation?  Also what good books can you recommend that you believe to be the most valuable when dealing with this issue?  Share in the comments.