Some things I have learned in battling sexual immorality

Now, I am far from an expert in this area, but it is something I have struggled with. the Setting Captives Free course has really helped me out, and it taught me many important things when dealing with issues such as pornography.

First of all, the most important thing is to have an active relationship with Christ, to spend time in the Word and have a continuous prayer line with God. For those who struggle, it is impossible to be free without God's help.

Also, however, it is important to be obedient. Now, I know for many people, they can pray all they want to be freed from pornography, but unless they take certain steps, it is not going to happen. I am not referring to the necessity of joining a 12-step program, or similar thing, but simply taking steps of obedience. One thing pointed out by the Setting Captives Free course is the need for radical amputation. That is, eliminating anything that could cause us to stumble.

Matthew 5:27 - 30 says :"27 You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[e] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

I felt like I never really knew what these verses meant until the course, but I feel like this means, cutting off everything that you must in order to be free from adultery. If the problem is internet access, get a filter or accountability program, or only go online when people are around. It may mean driving a different way home if their is a certain type of billboard that trips you up. It means cutting off anything that could cause you to stumble.

Now, not everyone agrees with this idea, because of the argument that it is the person's heart that is the problem, not their environment. By eliminating things that cause us to stumble, we are not really facing the problem. I understand this argument, and it is a viewpoint I used to share, but I disagree based on scripture.

Most importantly, the Bible, when dealing with the issue of sexual immorality, tells us to flee. 1 Corinthians 6:18 tells us to "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body." Also, I use the same passage above in Matthew 5 to support the idea that we are supposed to flee. The Bible does not tell us to stand and fight sexual immorality, it tells us to flee.

Now, there are times when it comes to spiritual warfare when we have to stand and fight. Ephesians 6:10-13 says "10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. "

Now, I believe this verse applies to certain situations where we must fight. Even though we do all we can do, we are still going to be faced with temptation, there is no way to avoid it in this sinful world. However, the verse above says that if we put on the full armor of God and do all we can do, God will give us the strength to face temptation when the time comes.

Now, this is a fine line. We cannot depend on our own strength in this war against evil desires. However, we must be obedient to God and shed off the things that cause us to trip up, along with depending on Him completely. We must depend on God to give us the strength, we must realize that we are weak and that we are dependent on him. However, that does not prevent us from doing whatever we need to do to eliminate sources of temptation. The best way to win the war against sexual immorality is to avoid the battle in the first place.