I've been a christian for 8 1/2 years now and am relearning what 1 Corinthians 16:13 says. A pastor from another church came and spoke at our men's group a couple Saturdays ago and, though I knew this deep down, I learned about being on guard. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." Sometimes I don't think I do enough to "be on guard." If someone was out to hurt me physically and beat me to a pulp, I'd be on guard, looking over my shoulder, peeking around every corner. But for some reason, I don't do enough to be on guard spiritually knowing that Satan (and his cohorts) are out to kill, steal, and destroy.
Sexual lust is an addiction. It's a problem in relationships and particulary in marriages. As a christian, I understand its damaging effects. But as a man, I have to be extremely careful and on guard when temptation comes. Other steps have to be taken, but the bottom line is that men need to be aware. We need God's help. We need to pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to change us.
My understanding with this particular sin is that it is an addiction much like cocaine. It starts small and with the stimulus of chemicals in the brain you want more and more. And like cocaine and other drugs, it requires a long road to recovery. Don't ever think you're safe. Our culture will lie to you and deceive you. That is what makes all of this so hard. My pastor has even talked about how teenage girls have dropped their pants over their butts while he was out on a morning run. Temptation find itself on the cover of magazines at convenience stores, grocery stores, or wherever. It's even in commercials on channels like TV Land where you wouldn't think you would find them. They're all around us.
If christian men in our culture are going to make a difference, we need to model the correct behavior and teach younger men and boys what the Bible says in regards to holiness, integrity, and righteousness. I'm still learning, but I hope that with everything that I've been through that I can be used by God in some way to help someone else. In fact, I believe it's imperative that men join together in this because on our own, we are very vulnerable. And once a man goes down that road with all the self-gratification that comes with sexual lust, impurity, and ungodliness it is a very difficult road back.
