We live in a time when sexual pleasure is engaged in immoral and ungodly ways other than the context it was originally designed for; marriage. The modern media, educational system and entertainment outlets play their roles to ensure that it gains societal acceptance.
As widespread and conventional as sexual immorality is in the world today, it will never be an acceptable ideology for the children of God’s Kingdom because God’s standard for living right hasn’t changed and will never change because the Word of God is God (John 1:1) and God doesn’t mince His words (Numbers 23:19).
Inasmuch as many believers know God’s stand about sexual lust and immorality, they find themselves slipping into it at certain points in their lives. This article looks at the processes that transpire before a sexual fall; perhaps you or someone who needs help can identify which stage you are in and rescue yourself through God’s help.
The first stage to a fall is ‘observation.’ When we examine the fall of man in the third chapter of Genesis, you’ll find out that the woman didn’t just pick the fruit to eat. She first saw that it was good for food (Genesis 3:6), this likens to how people today do fall into sexual traps set by the Enemy. Temptation begins when thoughts of pleasure or traps of pressure gets before us. With God’s help we can flee from those appearances of evil. The pressure is still light at this stage, avoiding people or objects that bring sexual lust before will do much good.
The next phase is of ‘affection.’ Affection comes after one observes a thing and is then drawn to what he or she has seen, heard or read about. Imaginative powers are exercised by the mind over the observed information. The mind works like an expanding device; the more you observe a thing through affection, you will likely find more appealing features to that thing ignoring negative consequences. When a man or woman observes someone they are not married to and allows their mind to become affectionate about their observation, their mind will only paint the pleasurable part of a possible relationship ignoring destructive tendencies.
After affection comes ‘desire’ this is where the man or woman begins to crave the company of the other person for an affair. In the Eden story, after the woman saw the fruit (observation), she saw that it was good for food (affection) then she desired it. She became drawn to take action because her mind had played a beautiful picture without consequences to her. This is the last phase before an approach for an illicit affair or lustful action. At this stage, the fight is tough for the mind, battling between good and evil.
Though the last phase is ‘action,’ I believe that an action isn’t the fall but the defeat in the person’s heart is. The Lord Jesus Christ says that if a man lusts after a woman in his heart he has already committed adultery with her, he has already fallen. (Matthew 5:28). So the initial fall happens in the heart before the body manifests it physically. The fight against sexual immorality is toughest between the phase of desire and action but God’s grace is always available for anyone who calls upon him for help (Joel 2:32).
Knowing that the devil is a cunning being that doesn’t need a 99% to cause havoc but just 1% it is expedient to win the battle from the first phase. Job said that he made a covenant with his eyes not to look and think of a woman with lustful intentions (Job 31:1).
How do we win this battle?
Darkness only thrives in the absence of light; the entrance of God’s word brings light. When you meditate on God’s word it illuminates your heart such that when thoughts of lust come to our minds, there is a defense system sort of to warn us and give us energy to dispel them.
Whenever we go through these moments of temptation, we should know that we don’t have the ability to save ourselves but our strength comes from God. Our strength against lust comes from our total dependency on God for His help through the Holy Spirit.
Prayer works, fellowship with the Holy Spirit via spiritual exercise works. They make our mind alien to such carnal desires.
We must do all we can through the help of God to keep our vessel clean. Amen!
~Attah Gideonjerry Ojonumi STOPPING SEXUAL LUST IN ITS TRACKS
We live in a time when sexual pleasure is engaged in immoral and ungodly ways other than the context it was originally designed for; marriage. The modern media, educational system and entertainment outlets play their roles to ensure that it gains soc...See more