Purity #2 : Radically Escape Temptation

Deeply troubled. Teary-eyed. I had yet again given in to gratifying my sexual desires. I finally shared my failure with a fellow Christian – I’ll call him Joe.

Joe listened patiently. I told him I could no longer keep sinning against God like this over and over again. Our conversation went somewhat like this:

Joe – “ Aravind bhai, I am and I will definitely be praying for you… Meanwhile may I know what exactly causes temptation for you?

Me – “Many things bhai.. there are websites, magazines.. even newspapers.. ”

Joe – “One thing we want to remember in our battle against the Devil is that we need to make a plan keep away from all things that tempts us.”

Me – “Ok..”

Joe – “For example- you mentioned newspapers. Did you mean, like this Times of India supplement over here?”

I was hesitant to admit it. No Christian had ever admitted to me that they were tempted by images in newspapers. Pornography was the the usual “big” problem, you know.

What would Joe think of me? “ Aravind is such a weak Christian that even images in newspapers tempt him?”.

But God knew I was weak. Why hide that from a brother who could help me?

purity, cut it off Jesus said, sexual purity, obedience can be painful, obedience is eventually joyful, brothers who cared, shield yourself, use your head, Escaping is wise, Flee sexual immorality, I don't have to be strong, Jesus is strong enough,
Want true freedom? You must leave some things behind.

Me – “Yes Joe bhai, the supplement page is a problem”.

Joe – “Then you don’t have to read it. If you want, I can hold you accountable about this.”

The fresh waves of pure relief that washed over me when I heard those words from Joe!

Someone knew my real problems. He was not only praying for me but also had suggested a way to keep away from temptation. Thank you, Lord Jesus!

Believers live in habitual sexual sin not just because they hide their sins ; but also because of their unwillingness to remove access to sin.

WHY SHOULD I REMOVE ACCESS TO TEMPTATION?
Well, for starters, our Master commanded it (Matt 5:27-28) but, isn’t it more than that? Is not obedience the most sensible response to the love we have been shown (John 15:9-10)?

If I truly love my Saviour Jesus, why should I be found near things that could lead me into sin.. the same sin that He despises with all His heart? The sins for which He chose to be identified as a sinner before God the Father?

HOW CAN I FLEE SEXUAL TEMPTATION?

Jot down the most common ways in which you fall into sexual temptation.
Is it websites? Write it down. Immodest scenes from a favorite sitcom stay in your head? Jot down the name of the sitcom and where and when you watch it.

Create a plan to remove access to any impure images and videos. Radically execute this plan.
Block websites using a filter software(See ‘Resources‘ below). Or give your computer password to someone who stays with you and lock it when you feel tempted. Same for your smartphone.

If needed, stop using a smartphone, use smarter phones that do not have internet.
GBs of unhelpful movies in your hard drive? How about Shift+Delete?

Is your work computer a secret haven for watching porn? Ask for a different seat that lets people see your computer screen all the time.

Not possible? Find another job then.

Too radical a suggestion? Depends on how much you hate sin really.

I do not think God looks at His church and thinks we have been obeying Him way too much. Quite the contrary, don’t you think?

The point is this- make your access to impure stuff, very difficult. And do this only because Jesus has made you dead to sin, even though you may not ‘feel’ that way.

Rom 13:14 and Heb 12:1 should help us here – make no provision for the flesh. Of course, if we are dead to sin (Rom 6:6-7), and if we belong to God (Rom 6:11), why should we? Let’s faithfully make a battle plan. Also,regularly show your battle plan to your accountability partners and learn ways to fight better.

So, let’s start obeying God’s will now.

I invite you to share in the comments section about your struggles and victories in shielding yourself from sinful content. This might benefit both me and anyone else reading this post.

Is running away from temptation the solution to find sexual purity?

Nope. But it’s an important step.

Coming soon at Marg Families– Four common objections Christians have about fleeing temptation.

Resources

So you thought Christians do not immediately remove access to sin? Here are normal folks like you & me, who cut off access to sexual sin in radical and fun ways.

Links to filter software

Covenant Eyes: Some brothers at my church use Covenant Eyes, and many say it’s the #1 filter software out there. It’s priced accordingly too, so see if you can get an offer or email them, explain your situation and see if you could get a discount.

Safe Eyes: I recommend this if you have money to spare. I have used this software for years and it has been a blessing, but I have heard that they have not been their best since McAfee purchased Safe Eyes. I stopped using it after I experience some really bad customer service.

K-9 Web Protection: Free accountability software, woohoo! Compared to the above two rocket-launchers, this one is just a pistol, but it’s a good start!

If you don’t plan to fight, even if you just have a pen-knife, then really- which side are you on?

Leave a Reply to Anonymous