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Key Bible Verse: Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. (Titus 3:3) Dig Deeper: Titus 3:3-7

Every one of us is broken by the effects of sin, and that brokenness includes our sexuality. There is no room for a sense of moral superiority or self-righteousness that would cause us to look down our noses at others who are struggling.

Sexual sin has adverse effects, but we must remember that we are not saved by sexual purity any more than we are saved by any other human action. We can only be saved because of what Jesus has done for us. A relationship with Jesus through which grace is poured into our lives is the beginning of the healing and wholeness we need. For sex to take on a proper proportion in our culture and in each of our lives, we must learn that a huge part of the connectedness we long for is found in a relationship with Jesus, the God who made us. And as we heal, we discover love and meaningful connections in healthy, interdependent relationships with family and friends and, often, in marriage. In the context of marriage, which is an act of the will in which we choose to love someone else with the same commitment with which God has loved us, sex finds its only healthy, life-giving expression.

—Philip Carlson in Love Written in Stone

My Response: When I am tempted toward sexual sin, I will use it as an opportunity to turn toward God and deepen my relationship with Christ.

Thought to Apply: The broken person … will find that all of the resources of heaven and all of the Spirit's power are now at his disposal.—Jennifer Kennedy Dean (writer)

Adapted from Love Written in Stone (Bethany House, 2011) by permission. All rights reserved by the copyright holder and/or the publisher. May not be reproduced.

Copyright © 2012 by Christianity Today/Men of Integrity magazine. Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Father, give me a healthy understanding of my sexuality and help me to submit my sexual desires to your holy and wise will.

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