Human sexuality can be one of the most beautiful aspects of God's plan for His children here on earth. But since Adam and Eve's fall from grace, human sexual practices have drifted from God's purposes.
In fact, if we are not careful to look to our Heavenly Father and follow His teaching in this area, we live a life which makes us slaves to sin and fails to bring glory to our Lord.
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
If you are struggling with sexual sin, you are not alone. Even King David -- a man after God's own heart -- wrestled with sexual sin. When he saw a beautiful woman named Bathsheba, he was overcome by his own lust. He then went to great lengths to hide his sin. But thanks to a faithful friend and a forgiving God, David found his way home (2 Samuel 11:12
"Well, stay here today," David told him, "and tomorrow you may return to the army." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
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). And so can you.
FREEDOM IN THE TRUTH
Too often, we step onto the wrong path in our sexuality because we fail to act upon God's truth. Jesus, in one passage of the Bible, examines the freedom found in truth, and the enslaving power of lies. In that passage, the Lord puts it plainly: the truth sets us free. We either respond to the truth or to Satan's lies (John 8:31-47
Jesus said to the people who believed in him, "You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." "But we are descendants of Abraham," they said. "We have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean, `You will be set free'?" Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. Yes, I realize that you are descendants of Abraham. And yet some of you are trying to kill me because there's no room in your hearts for my message. I am telling you what I saw when I was with my Father. But you are following the advice of your father." "Our father is Abraham!" they declared. "No," Jesus replied, "for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example.* Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. No, you are imitating your real father." They replied, "We aren't illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father." Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me. Why can't you understand what I am saying? It's because you can't even hear me! For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don't believe me! Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don't you believe me? Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don't listen because you don't belong to God."
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Recognizing the truth about sex can be an important first step to achieving victory over sexual sins. First, God wants His children to enjoy the beauty of appropriate sexual relationships. The King of the universe has much to say in His Word about the joys to be found in a marriage where both husband and wife know and love Christ (Genesis 2:24-25
This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.
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; Proverbs 5:19
She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.
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; Song of Solomon).
However, the devil, the accuser of our souls, constantly tries to wreck God's plans. He lies to us, tempting us to believe that we can grab hold of sexual pleasures apart from a marriage commitment. He uses day-to-day pressures and our own sinful nature to accomplish his purposes.
And what begins as merely a "wandering thought" can quickly tempt us to act sinfully (James 1:14-15
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
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). These sins can involve pornography, fornication, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, and other ungodly sexual practices.
No matter what sins overcome us, we must recognize that lust is at the root of our sin (1 John 2:16
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
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; Galatians 5:16-20
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
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). Lust blinds us and leads us deeper into sexual sin (1 Tim. 4:1-2; Romans 1:21-27
Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
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; Ephesians 4:17-19
With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
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). Each sin results in the same end (Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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) and can carry deadly consequences of disease, and worse:spiritual death.
BREAKING THE CHAINS
To break the bonds of sexual sins, you must repent. That means a total change of direction, away from the sins and temptations, and toward the forgiving grace of a loving God. If you have allowed lust to control your life, yield to God as the Holy Spirit convicts you of your sin. God will forgive and cleanse you physically, emotionally and spiritually, if you humbly come to Him (1 John 1:8-9
If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
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; Psalms 103:12
He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
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; Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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If you do not know that Jesus is your Savior, turn your life over to Him. Simply pray this prayer: "Jesus, I know You died for me. Thank You for saving me from my sins. I ask You to be Lord and Savior of my life."
Once you know Jesus as Savior take comfort in knowing that He identifies with your struggles and He desires to set you free (Hebrews 4:14-16
So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
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). He will enable you to gain the victory.
FIGHTING THE DAILY BATTLE
To overcome the temptations you will continually face, follow God's simple plan:
Stand firm against temptation (James 4:7
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
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; 1 Pet. 5:6-9; 2 Tim. 2:22).
Confess your sins to a brother or sister in Christ and pray to be healed (James 5:16
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
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).
Hide God's Word in your heart (Psalms 119:11
I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
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), trusting in its strength (Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
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).
Minister to God with sacrifices of praise (Hebrews 13:15
Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
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) until you are filled with the peace and joy of the Lord (Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!
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).
Most of all, the change must come from within (see Proverbs 23:7
They are always thinking about how much it costs.* "Eat and drink," they say, but they don't mean it.
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). Fill your mind with God's thoughts, not worldly thoughts. And remember, the Bible says that God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and He will show you how to escape from your temptations (1 Cor. 10:13).
Finally, become part of an active Spirit-filled church. Study the Bible daily. Pray constantly and befriend other like-minded Christians. If you continue to give into temptations, you may need the help of a minister, counselor and/or other prayer partners.
AS YOU PRAY
Are you currently struggling with sexual sins? Despite the power these sins can have over us, you can have victory through the cleansing blood of Jesus and His grace to live each day.
Pray right now: "Father, forgive me and heal me from the sexual sins which have kept me separated from Your love. Help me to recognize and accept the power Jesus offers to restore me to wholeness. Help me to flee from all influences which cause me to sin, and allow me the meekness and humbleness I need to confide in a brother or sister in Christ and be healed. Encourage me and strengthen me with your holy and powerful Word. Amen."
GOD'S WORD ON SEXUAL SIN
"Don't you know that your bodies are part of the body of Christ? Is it right for me to join part of the body of Christ to an immoral woman? No, it isn't! ... Surely you know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God." (1 Cor. 6:15, 19-20).
SCRIPTURES FOR STUDY
1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
God's will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body* and live in holiness and honor— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. Never harm or cheat a Christian brother in this matter by violating his wife,* for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before. God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
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-- God's will concerning sex
Proverbs 2:12-22
Wisdom will save you from evil people, from those whose words are twisted. These men turn from the right way to walk down dark paths. They take pleasure in doing wrong, and they enjoy the twisted ways of evil. Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong. Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman. She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God. Entering her house leads to death; it is the road to the grave.* The man who visits her is doomed. He will never reach the paths of life. Follow the steps of good men instead, and stay on the paths of the righteous. For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it. But the wicked will be removed from the land, and the treacherous will be uprooted.
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; 6:20-35 -- The need for God's Word and wisdom
Psalms 51:7
Purify me from my sins,* and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
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-- Assurance of cleansing
James 1:12
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
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-- Rewards for resisting sexual sin
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