Dwight Fletcher | Counterattack sexual temptations

SEXUAL TEMPTATIONS and impure thoughts will come. They want to exit our bodies through impure actions, so we must counterattack them. It’s not a sin to be tempted. Jesus and every great saint have been tempted. Temptation will constantly attack us as Believers.

However, acting on the temptation is the sin. We need to learn to counterattack temptation. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.”

Our friends will either pull us up and closer to God or pull us down and away from God. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says, “Bad companions ruin good character.” If we hang around people who sleep around, watch pornography, and lust after others, we’re likely to do the same.

GODLY LIFESTYLE

If we hang around people who are seeking God’s will, reading His Word, and seeking Him in prayer, then we’re more likely to pursue a Godly lifestyle as well. I Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience”.

There are only a handful of temptations. All of us go through similar things. “And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” Everyone can be tempted; the key is to take God’s way of escape.

The next deliberate step to take is to commit to God’s purity plan. God’s purity plan is one man and one woman enjoying maximum sexual fulfilment in marriage. That’s the plan that God blesses and will give us the strength to keep. Psalm 119:9 (NIV) says, “How can a young person keep their life pure? By living according to your word.” We must choose to live according to God’s Word. We’re being bombarded with untruths daily that suggest that there are great, workable alternate plans to God’s plan. God’s plan is the only way to Him.

GOD’S GIFT FOR SEXUAL FULFILMENT

We need to challenge ourselves to live by God’s Word and plan. Invite Him into our bedrooms and ask Him to be a part of our sex lives. When we live according to God’s plan for our lives, it will bring joy, fulfilment, and God’s best. For those who are single, commit to staying pure, be patient, and trust God through the process. Extramarital affairs are just as prevalent as premarital sex. So, for those who’re married, stay pure in your marriage. Commit to praying and standing with your spouse. See your spouse as God’s gift for sexual fulfilment, and much more.

For those struggling with same-sex attraction, the challenge isn’t insurmountable. It starts with committing to God’s plan. The Apostle Paul wrote, “…such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV). He was speaking to persons who were once adulterers, swindlers, and homosexuals. This temptation isn’t new, it’s been around for a long time, but God is able to keep us all from falling.

This isn’t about guilt, being judged or hurt. God isn’t mad at us. He stands ready to forgive. Regardless of the past and our mistakes, by God’s grace and His forgiveness, we can live out His plan.

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”