Break the Spell
Theme of the Week: The Sensuality Snare
Bill Perkins
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
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Key Bible Verse: After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin (James 1:15, NIV). Bonus Reading:James 1:13–16
A man who wants to find freedom from sexual lust must identify the rituals that precede an episode of acting out. Rituals men have mentioned to me include surfing the Internet, driving by a strip club, reading personal ads, browsing in a video store, calling a former girlfriend, TV channel surfing, cruising in a red-light district, calling 900 numbers just for information, and asking a female acquaintance out to lunch.
To break the trance, make a list of the rituals that lead up to destructive sexual behavior for you. Then name the aggressive steps you'll take to contain each ritual. Expect your sinful nature to resist, to plead with you to keep your favorite ritual. You must ignore its pleadings and ruthlessly do whatever it takes. Holding on to even one ritual will nurture your lust.
I know a man who removed cable TV from his home. As a further precaution, he refused to watch TV after 10:00 p.m., unless his wife was present.
When I'm on the road, I refuse to turn on the TV in my room. By never turning it on, I avoid the ritual of channel surfing. I've recently signed up with an online server that blocks access to pornographic sites on the web.
—Bill Perkins in When Good Men Are Tempted
My Response: The rituals that lead up to my destructive sexual behavior are _____. To eliminate these, I must _____.
Thought to Apply: Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you
—and watch against them all day long. —Richard Baxter (English Puritan preacher)
Adapted from When Good Men Are Tempted (Zondervan, 1997) by permission.
Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.
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Lord, you created me with sexual impulses. To avoid abusing them, I desperately need to submit to Your power.
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