Choosing Obedience
Scripture says that Satan goes around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. He wants us in bondage; Christ wants us free to live in obedience. Disobedience is contagious, but so is obedience. The more we do it, the more it becomes the pattern of our lives.
We must call upon the resources of Christ granted to us, and depend upon Him, while decisively making the choices to remove temptation. If internet access, even on a cell phone, is a source of temptation, then we need to cut it off. Internet access is not a biblical mandate. To a person who goes to pornographic sites, having them just a double click away is utterly foolish. It’s like keeping explicit magazines on our bookshelves, waiting for us to come to them in a weak moment. If purity is optional, we will never experience it.
Right now, in moments of strength, we must make choices that will serve us well in moments of weakness. If we don’t radically cut off the sources of the temptations that pursue us, then we are just playing games, and have no intention of obeying Christ. (Yes, some of these temptations we can’t cut off without being hermits, but many of them we can.) We can take decisive actions by getting rid of anything in our homes and workplace that draw us to sin—including books, magazines, pictures, posters, movies, TV, and internet access. We can’t expect God to call the cable company and cut off our service, if that’s necessary to avoid temptation. That’s our job.
Scripture says to “Flee from sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18). This is not a suggestion, it’s a command. We disobey it to our own destruction. We must not just walk away from temptation; we must turn and run from it. It’s a good idea to write out this verse and put it where you will see it: “Turn my eyes from worthless things; renew my life according to your Word” (Ps. 119:37).
Changing Our Behavior
We must realize it is possible to control our behavior and choices no matter how vile or persistent the temptations. I know many men who face temptation toward pornography, but they consistently resist both the thoughts and the actions.
The existence of a desire does not justify or necessitate succumbing to that desire. We live in a hedonistic society that tells us desires are meant to be fulfilled. But every desire need not be fulfilled, and indeed, in many cases, should not be. We are not animals blindly compelled by desire. We are human beings, created in God’s image, with the capacity to choose. We are not victims. Every action is a choice. Every sin is a choice. Every right behavior is a choice.
If we feel our desires are so strong that we “must” look at pornography, we should ask ourselves the question, “Would I still do this if someone pointed a gun at my head and promised to fire it if I did?” If the answer is no—and of course it is—it demonstrates that we don’t have to make this choice, but merely that we want to and choose to.
-Randy Alcorn
Download the FREE PDF booklet HERE that this above excerpt was taken from: Sexual Temptation – Establishing Guardrails & Winning the battle_booklet
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