Romans 8:5-8 tells us that to set our minds on the flesh is death. We must fight every morning to regain a biblical perspective, a faith in and love for Christ, and the power by means of an informed mind and the power of the Spirit to do battle against all that would destroy us. So what is a man to do?īecause the Christian life is war, we must think of the issue of sexual lust as war as well. In regard to where men find titillating adventures of lustful fantasy, he need not go far, for the opportunities are copious around them. The workplace provides close proximity whereas, the gym supplies tantalizing visual material. In my counseling practice, where men fall off the sexual wagon only to find themselves in an immoral relationship with a woman, I find that it occurs often times in the workplace and in the gym. So much can be said about men’s ease of access to pseudo-sexual pleasure via various sources of media and social interactions. Many things enjoin themselves to men’s sexual appetite, not the least of these is the provocations of a sexualized culture. Given that sexual sin is one of the primary ways we leave our satisfaction with God, we need to consider the matter seriously. We are incurably deceived apart from God’s grace. Chesterton insightfully wrote, “Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God.” What that man gets instead is quick pleasure and a ticket to hell. Its roots are in dissatisfaction with God’s beauty and enjoyment of Him. And it is a slippery slope beginning with looking. With all earnestness, let me admonish us all-sexual sin will destroy us. When asked if he lusts after them after enjoying their beauty, his reply was, “Well, there really isn’t any way to avoid that, is there?” My reply was, of course, then we shouldn’t look. He claims that his looking is purely for artistic reasons, just to enjoy their sheer beauty. In fact, I have had Christian men shamelessly tell me that one of the reasons they go to the gym is for “eye candy.” What are they thinking? I had one supposed brother in Christ tell me that he cannot believe that God made beautiful women and then tell us that we cannot look at them, to even stare at them. Yet, I find that many Christian men think little of it as sin. Let me clearly say it, men: leering at women with the intent of lusting after them is sin. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. Matthew 5: 27-30 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. Why is the issue so important? Because, according to Jesus, sexual sin will send us to hell. He says that we should cut off our hand or pluck out our eye before we should give ourselves over to adultery of the heart. Frankly, Jesus is exceedingly direct about the subject. The Bible seems to be very clear on the subject of sexual lust-we shouldn’t do it. What I have in mind in particular is that of a Christian man’s view of women and his battle against (or giving into) the flesh. With all that said, the point of my concern in this blog is that of what appears to me as a dichotomy of two opposing worldviews held by a person claiming to know Christ. At other times, men are open to talk about Christ but have no faith of their own. What is also often the case is that I find a brother in Christ, who shares a common faith and wants to talk about things pertaining to Christian life. As a matter of habit, being the generally friendly guy that I am, I often find myself engaging in conversations with other men at the gym, seeking an opening to talk about the Lord.
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