Scriptures: 2 Peter 1:3, 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, Romans 12:2

Why You Need a Battle Plan

As the battle for sexual purity rages hot in the sincerest and most committed of Christ’s servants, many grow exasperated, disheartened, and disillusioned when trying to find a pathway to victory. Some of this is due to misunderstanding the nature of the struggle itself. In other cases, it’s because the Christian does not realize that he has received all things that pertain to life and Godliness (2 Peter 1:3), which includes victory over sexual temptations.

But one element that many men often overlook is the fact that they don’t have a comprehensive and Gospel-Centered battle plan. The plan integrates the fear of God and dynamic spiritual discipline with a Biblical understanding of the fallen nature of this world and the spiritual resources available to them in Christ.

A soldier who runs out onto a military battlefield clad in a bathrobe and fluffy slippers will quickly realize that he really has a death wish and a nightmare on his hands. Yet a wartime mentality is hard to cultivate when we live in an atmosphere of ease and luxury—with overwhelming distractions and allurements constantly enticing us to relax, kick up our feet, and coast. The war that rages about us is an invisible one, and this is where the deception lies.

While we feel the tension of spiritual battle in the heat of sexual temptation, we don’t really sense it very keenly at other times—and this is the very thing that fosters and perpetuates the deceptive illusion, leading us to become complacent and live out most of our days with a peacetime mentality. Then, when the battle suddenly becomes apparent to us, we scramble to fight like an equipped soldier, though we have done nothing whatsoever to adequately equip ourselves.

The goal, then, is to arm ourselves for an inevitable barrage of sexual temptations. We need to proactively and deliberately prepare our minds, and our hearts must be filled with Biblical truths to draw on.

I want to set forth six powerful truths for us, over the next six days, to deeply understand, diligently internalize and daily meditate on. I have designed these points to be both memorable and mentally accessible, especially in the heat of battle. After you have engrained these Biblical truths in your heart and mind, you’ll notice that they will become an instant help to you when in the battle for sexual purity.

Dear Lord, fill my mind and heart with Your Truth so I can resist sexual temptations.

Scriptures: Romans 1:18-20

Creation: Wield Wonders as Wellsprings for Worship, Not Weapons for Wounding

The vastness of space, the order in the cosmos, the intricate design across the animal kingdom, and the breathtaking complexity and ingenuity etched in the human body should be enough to hold spellbound even the least perceptive person. God’s Fingerprints are all over His Creative Works of Art that fill up the Universe. And while men may claim that everything is the by-product of random chance, the book of Romans emphatically declares that everyone knows God exists and that He’s made this apparent through the things He has created.

After coming to Christ, my eyes were opened even more to the marvels of everything that God had spoken into existence. There was now a personal element connected to it—my Father fashioned it all.

The thing that makes sexual sin exceedingly sinful is that instead of using the evident wonders of God’s Creation found in the human body as wellsprings with which to worship Him, we tragically use them as weapons with which to wound Him. And in the process, we also end up wounding others and ourselves. We need to learn to pause when we’re tempted to lust in our hearts or to engage in any sort of sexual sin and, instead, to meditate carefully on the marvels of the masterfully crafted human body that we use in that sinful process.

So the next time you’re tempted to sin sexually, immediately think, Creation, and then reflect on the intricate, breathtaking, and mind-blowing details associated with the human body. Decide to use the astounding faculties and features that God has placed in your body as wellsprings or sources through which to express your awe of Him and honor Him instead of using them as instruments through which to sinfully wound Him, yourself, and others. And say to yourself, Creation: wield wonders as wellsprings for worship, not weapons for wounding.

Dear Lord, thank You for revealing Your Might and Magnificence through the many marvels displayed in Creation. May they point me to You.

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 6:18-20, Philippians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 15:1-3

Cross: Stop Spitting and Stomping on Such a Sacred Symbol

Although the Cross has come to symbolize different things to different people, we know that the real Cross most certainly was never meant to be a fashion accessory or a good luck charm. While it is foolishness to the world, to the Christian, the Cross is the Power of God unto Salvation—which should make it everything to him.

As believers, consider the fact that we are called to walk in a manner that’s worthy of the Gospel (Philippians 1:27), which has the Cross at the very center of it (1 Corinthians 15:1–3). God became one of us so that He could save us from Himself (meaning from His Just Wrath) and for Himself. Why didn’t God send an angel or a prophet or even fashion an altogether new being of sorts to save us from ourselves? It’s because only an infinite Being could bear the infinite punishment that man deserved for the infinite wickedness of his sin.

Think of it: Christ chose to leave the splendors of His Eternal Kingdom, don a robe of flesh, and suffer on a cruel Cross at the hands of His own Creation. He not only endured the blasphemies that issued forth from the very vocal cords, tongues, and lips He had crafted, but He even allowed Himself to be crucified on a wooden beam that came from a tree that His own Hand had fashioned, with spikes that were forged from the very iron He created. And He did it all willingly.

Your battle against sexual sin must be a Cross-empowered and a Cross-centered one. You’ll find no greater deterrent to surrendering to sexual sin than meditating on the Cross in a moment of temptation. Envisioning the torture and torment that Christ endured to save you from sin will rescue you from the perilous brink of delusion and folly.

When considering the Cross, you realize that you no longer live for yourself but for Him who died for you on the Cross before rising again. And you can heed the Savior’s call to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him.

Remember that when you choose to indulge in sexual immorality, you are doing it in the very shadow of the Cross. In consideration of these sobering realities, guard your steps by proclaiming to yourself, Cross: stop spitting and stomping on such a sacred symbol.

Dear Lord, thank You for dying on the Cross for my sins. Help me never take Your Sacrifice for granted.

Scriptures: Galatians 6:7-8, 1 Peter 3:15-16, Philippians 1:12-18

Crisis: Consider the Catastrophic Consequence of Compromise

Christians typically understand that crises are common occurrences in a fallen and broken world. However, the critical mistake we often make is ignoring the serious ramifications that result from them. That leads to complacency, which leaves us thinking that we are not likely to do the sorts of things that would cause crises to arise in our lives.

But all sin-fueled escapades come with loads of built-in regret on the other side of the climax. Once the tension is released and we’ve regained our scruples, we are left with the devastating work of reaping what we’ve sown. Enter crisis.

There is no shortage of crisis-filled examples associated with sexual immorality. Here are five examples of crises related to sexual sin:

• Conscience: When you venture into new areas of sin, you distinctly feel its amplified twinges. But the more you persist in waywardness, the more desensitized your conscience becomes. When you’re not walking uprightly, you steer clear of holy activities because they awaken feelings of guilt and conviction that you’re seeking to suppress.
• Moral Authority: Imagine discovering that a man you’re close to is ensnared in the clutches of sexual immorality. You know that he respects you enough to listen to your counsel and input, but if you are habitually engaging in the same sin, how can you exhort him to repent?
• Leadership Capacity: You remove yourself from leadership when you squelch your ability to exert influence because of secret or public sexual sin. Living in rebellion against God kills your integrity, vision, passion, and voice. And without these, you won’t want to lead anyone, and no one will want to follow you.
• Witness: Unbelievers often accuse Christians of hypocrisy. Why would they want to be Christians if their experience with you differs from whom you claim to be? Also, when you give in to sexual immorality, the last thing you want to do is proclaim the Gospel to others.
• Joy: As readily available as joy is to those with the Spirit in them, you can suppress your ability to experience that joy by choosing to indulge in sin, grieving the Holy Spirit.

The wise Christian will contemplate these crises and be determined to learn from them, using this knowledge as a deterrent to sexual sin. Complacency is a tragic error that the believer must avoid at all costs. Therefore, determine to exclaim to yourself, Crisis: consider the catastrophic consequences of compromise.

Dear Lord, when I face temptations, remind me what’s at stake and keep me from complacency.

Scriptures: Hebrews 11:6, Jeremiah 29:12-13, James 1:12

Crown: Envision Endurance Ensuring Eternal Enrichment

In the process of discovering that Eternal Rewards are Biblical, we learn that it’s legitimate for God’s children to desire them. God’s Rewards are far more valuable and important than anything the world could offer.

The Lord makes it clear to His people that the primary foundation of faith—the type of faith that’s pleasing to Him—includes not only trusting that He exists but also believing that He rewards those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Jeremiah 29:12–13 reveals to us that this type of seeking after the Lord is grounded in wholeheartedness and rooted in total and glad obedience to Him.

This means that even in the face of life’s difficulties, challenges, and intense temptations, along with the struggle, the pain, and even the confusion that might arise at times, we maintain a proactive pursuit of God.

Perhaps it has never entered your mind that enduring temptations is something that God has promised to reward. It almost seems more fitting for God to reward great feats of faith, trust, and obedience. But that’s exactly what enduring temptations entails.

When you find yourself being drawn toward sin, your decision not to give in to it demonstrates the fact that you believe God’s warning to turn away from it. Choosing to do what is right in place of what is wrong shows you trust that God knows best.

And ultimately, by acting on your faith and trust, you demonstrate obedience. James 1:12 tells us that the Lord will give the Crown of Life to those who endure temptations. This is not related to our Salvation but rather Precious Rewards that are connected to our faithfulness to Him.

Of course, we don’t know exactly what these Eternal Rewards will be, but we know the Heart and Character of the One who dispenses them. That should be enough to know that they are Exceedingly Good and to cause excitement to well up in our hearts when we think of them.

Therefore, when we are bombarded by sexual temptations, we need to remind ourselves that this vexing crucible is very short-lived. In contrast to this transient season, our freedom will be eternal, and our choice to endure our temptations now will secure for us Priceless and Everlasting Rewards. We top this all off by saying to ourselves, Crown: envision endurance ensuring Eternal Enrichment.

Dear Lord, help me believe You reward those who seek You.

Scriptures: Hebrews 12:1-2, Hebrews 11

Crowd: Do as the Departed Did and Don’t Dispense Devastation

Egocentricity seems to be everyone’s favorite pet sin. Who could argue that it’s not a very blinding and self-deceiving one? As it impairs our sense of reason, it simultaneously causes us to forget that the sinful decisions we make in life impact everyone within our sphere of influence. Egocentricity also makes us self-absorbed to the point of ignoring the powerful examples of the Godly Christians who went before us.

When calling us to run with endurance the race that’s set before us, the author of Hebrews tells us to lay aside the weights and the sin that so easily ensnare us because we are surrounded by a great cloud (or crowd) of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1). These are the saints from the great Hall of Faith who are described in Hebrews 11. These are the ones who reveled in triumphant victories and who persevered amid great trials of suffering. But all of them—despite their particular set of circumstances—were commended because of their faith (vv. 1–2). We see certain believers still living who are examples to us.

By the same token, we recognize the massive impact that our decisions have on others. Can you imagine the devastation and confusion experienced by those who know someone who speaks a lot about God yet is living in secret sexual sin the whole time?

We can never forget the crowd of precious souls all around us—the ones we should seek to guard against devastation by living in sexual purity and the ones for whom we should, in turn, leave a stellar example to follow. This will then lead us to evaluate the way we think, the places we go, the things we watch and listen to and participate in.

We each have to decide whether we’re willing to overhaul our lives and deal a death blow to the egocentricity that causes us to satisfy the interests and well-being of no one but ourselves.

When pursuing sexual purity, it is important to meditate on the Crowd of Witnesses who left us a powerful model to follow and to fixate on the faces of our wife, children, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, employers, employees, coworkers, mentors, mentees, friends, and others. We cry out to ourselves with determination, Crowd: do as the departed did and don’t dispense devastation.

Dear Lord, help me walk in the footsteps of Your faithful followers and set a Godly example for those around me.

Scriptures: John 15:5, Hebrews 2:17-18, 1 Peter 1:17-19

Christ: Seek the Sweet Savior for Strength, Satisfaction, and Sympathetic Support

It should be no wonder to us that everything for the Christian begins and ends with Jesus. Remembering that apart from Jesus we can do nothing (John 15:5), we look to Him as the Source of supply of all that we need to have victory over sexual sin.

Most importantly, we call to mind His Heart of Unwavering Love toward us. He is our High Priest who sympathizes with our weaknesses and who calls us to come boldly to His Throne of Grace in order to receive His Divine Help in our time of need. He can do this because He was made like us in all things except for our sinful nature, and He can therefore come to our aid whenever we’re tempted (Hebrews 2:17–18).

Having such a Savior, we should make it our aim to flee from sexual sin and walk in a manner that is worthy of Him—the One who redeemed us with His Precious, Priceless Blood (1 Peter 1:17–19). Though we’ve never seen His Face or heard His Voice, we still rejoice over Him with joy inexpressible and full of glory, loving Him above all else because He has touched our lives like no other.

Jesus, as the Bread of Life, is the ultimate satisfaction for our spiritual appetites. When we cease to feast on Christ in order to satisfy all those cravings, we end up reverting to substitution with the physical as starvation leads to deterioration. No matter how far we may stray, like the father of the prodigal son, Jesus is always there to welcome us back home, where we can turn from the pig slop of the world’s poisonous junk food and once again feast at the banqueting table of His Endless Love.

While we are to avoid sinning, if we do sin, Jesus is our Advocate, the One who is the Propitiation for our sin, the One who nailed to His Cross the decrees of judgment against us, and the One who will never condemn us. So while you passionately pursue a life of purity, keep Jesus at the heart of your pursuit as you regularly herald to yourself, Christ: seek the sweet Savior for strength, satisfaction, and sympathetic support.

Dear Lord, thank You for providing me strength, satisfaction, and support as I passionately pursue a life of purity.