Sensible Help for Sexual Sins Prov. 20:18 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

This broadcast is the fourth in a series of broadcasts that we have done offering help to those who are struggling with sexual sins.  We have taught on Scriptural Help, the help that you get from Biblical truth, Biblical wisdom and Biblical remedies.  We have taught on Supernatural Help, how restoring broken fellowship with God is essential to successfully dealing with sexual sins.  We have taught on Spiritual Help, how finding contentment in Jesus Christ and being filled with the Spirit produce in you spiritual love rather than carnal love.  Today we are going to offer some sensible help for sexual sins.  This is simply some practical advice [Prov 20:18] to go along with the other help we have offered.  In dealing with sexual sins it is sensible to:

Seek help from a godly counselor – Sexual sins are secretive sins and so it is very difficult to open up with anybody about them.  However, it may really help you to speak with a counselor with whom you can honestly sort out your thinking and from whom you can receive wise, godly counsel if you really mean to stop.  But you are going to have to be honest without being defiling.  On days that you can tell you are really messed up in your thinking, you can get wise counsel to get you back on track.  Ordinarily your time in daily Bible reading, prayer and fellowship with the Lord should suffice to keep you from going down most detours.

Watch your thoughts – you must get control of your thoughts.  People struggling with sexual sins have confessed that their thought life is terrible.  Filter all thoughts through Phil 4:8 because your thought life is definitely involved.  Your thoughts must be true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report.  If what comes to your mind is not in Phil 4:8, then quit thinking about it immediately.  Your thoughts turn to desires, your desires turn to lusts, your lusts turn to sins, and your sins then turn to secret actions.

Watch your eyes – your thoughts feed your eyes and your eyes feed your thoughts [Job 31:1].  Be careful about “targeting;” sneaking glances at a person to whom you are attracted, feeding your infatuation with their flesh.  By all means stay away from pornography and all suggestive pictures (these are everywhere today).

Rule your spirit – Prov 16:32 and Prov 25:27 talk about a man ruling over his spirit.  When you cannot control your fear, your anxiety, your anger and so forth, you are not ruling your spirit.  Someone or something else is ruling your spirit.  Often, people who have trouble ruling their spirit also have trouble ruling over sexual sin in their lives.  Therefore, work diligently to rule your spirit.

Get outdoors – when you are outdoors and being very active, you are in the light and your mind is occupied with something other than your imagination.  If you are a man, do “manly activities.” Exercise, do some good hard work, get lots of fresh air.  Being cooped up in an office and then in your house is very conducive to wandering, lustful thinking.

Be patient – these sins don’t have an instant cure if they have been habitual.  They diminish with growth, as your love for the Lord abounds.  Like recovery from a serious surgery, dealing with sexual sins takes time and requires care and attention.  Like coming out of emotional distress, you get better with time.  Be comforted that, at least, you are heading in the right direction.  You don’t need to be where you should be in order to be in a right relation to God as long as you are what you should be.  If you keep going in the right direction, you are going to end up where you need to be in due time.  In sexual sins your conscience has been seared until it feels no guilt for doing wrong [1 Tim 4:2] and it has been so defiled [Titus 1:15] that you find pleasure in doing wrong.  Your conscience needs to be purged [Heb 9:14] and strengthened in the fear of God.  And that takes time!!  Don’t get frustrated because everything that you want to change hasn’t changed yet.

Conclusion: as we said at the beginning of this series, sexual sins are multi-faceted.  You have to deal with them circumspectly.  Sexual sins are carnal but they are deeply rooted in spiritual problems.  The first three broadcasts dealt with the spiritual aspects and today’s broadcast dealt with some practical aspects. Our hope is that these recent lessons have helped you or will be a help to you.