Lust stalks you like a beast, attacking at every opportunity, attempting to poison your life with its self-centered cravings. We’re convinced that it’s a teen guy’s No. 1 battle. Some Christian boys even feel defeated, abandoned by God and riddled with guilt for their weaknesses. Yet we’ve met others — countless others — who are winning the war. What’s their secret? How are many teens able to stand strong, while others are giving up?
The answer is consistent wait training. Guys who are victorious have learned to face present and future temptations head-on. They’ve put into practice a purity game plan that works!
Fifteen-year-old Alex of Tampa, Fla., feels defeated. “I’m a Christian,” he says, “but I get so caught up in the things of the flesh — especially lustful thoughts. I feel as if my faith has lost its fire, and I feel distant from God. What should I do?”
Now listen to the pain — and hope — of 16-year-old Anthony (whose name we’ve changed for privacy) of Columbia, S.C.:
“Lust has been a battleground for me. I was first introduced to porn when I found some on my dad’s computer. To be honest, I knew it was wrong, but I still looked at it. Satan began attacking my purity, but I serve a powerful God!
“We are called to flee the evil desires of youth (2 Timothy 2:22) and to intensely pursue righteousness! Psalm 119:9 asks the question, ‘How can a young man keep his way pure?’ It answers, ‘By living according to your word.’ The writer goes on to talk about seeking God with his whole heart. The way we can be pure is not by seeing how close we can get to the line without crossing it, but instead by seeing how close we can get to God.
“Each morning, I strive to make Hebrews 12:1-2 my prayer: Lord, help me throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let me run with perseverance the race marked out for me. I also follow the spiritual muscle-building plan outlined in Ephesians 6:11: ‘Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.’ “
A Solid Battle Plan
Are you winning the lust battles, taking them head-on like Anthony? Or do you relate more to Alex — defeated by lust? Either way, it’s time to dig into the Bible (your life training manual) and suit up for battle.
The big question is: How?
When it comes to putting on the armor of God, some people have a distinctly Harry Potter approach. First they wave their Bibles around like some magic wand. Then they chant a few Bible words, to help the wand along: “Abracadabra, I now put on the Belt of Truth — Shazam-bobwa! — I now put on the Breastplate of Righteousness — “ The incantations continue down through the list.
There is power in Paul’s armor illustration (more on that later). But what’s the sorry expectation from all this repeat-the-right-words hocus-pocus?
POOF! Temptation goes away, forever — or at least for one day. And if the guys who try this keep putting on their armor, day after day, the Devil will never get them. Make sure you get armored up. Satan knows if you’ve prayed those words or not today.
That’s just not real.
True Christianity is not an empty shell of formal religion: saying the right things, in the right way, at the right time. It’s not about finding the “magic prayer” that will vanquish the Dark Lord of Lust once and for all. Whatever else true Christianity is about, it’s about now. It’s not about “the armor I put on during my quiet time this morning.” That was so five hours ago! That Guess? jeans billboard you’re driving past is right NOW!
True Christianity is about living truth in the moment. It’s about enjoying Jesus every second. It’s about warding off anything that threatens to take that fellowship away, facing each attack as it comes. If you don’t appreciate the moment-by-moment nature of your relationship with Jesus, you’ll spend a lot of time blaming God for not answering your prayer to take away your sexual desires ONCE AND FOR ALL!!!
Ouch.
Are you really praying for that? Thankfully, it’s a prayer God probably won’t answer affirmatively. What you really want is to learn to fight the battles as each one arises — that’s true manhood, by the way — because as long as you live on this earth (yes, even after you get married), temptations are going to keep coming.
That’s why Paul’s metaphor of the Christian’s armor is so powerful. It’s an attempt to wrap truth in something easily remembered when those enticements do attack. It’s the truth behind the metaphor that brings you the victory, not the metaphor itself. Putting on the armor of God means working the truth of the metaphor into your life through consistent Bible study and meditative thought. It’s not an instant process, but true Christian growth never is.
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When I became a Christian, I made a covenant with God
to maintain sexual purity, especially in my actions and in my thoughts. The only way to overcome the temptation to “shack up” is to keep your focus on God. Instead of being a “Sunday Saint,” live your life for Christ EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY! Keep your focus upward, and things will start coming into perspective. I’ve made this commitment not only for myself but also for my future wife. I hope that the rest of the Breakaway readers will do the same. KEEP FIGHTING!
Joshua, 17, Chapin, S.C. |
I’ve made a pact for purity, which means I want to avoid things like cussing, tobacco, alcohol, pornography and disrespect for young ladies. I am praying regularly and asking God to help me. I also have to do my part, which means keeping this commitment on my mind. I’ve discovered that when I’m not focused on Him, my sin nature can take over.
Andrew, 17, Knoxville, Tenn. |
Warrior in Training
Let’s unwrap the metaphor, looking at the truth behind it.
As we do, remember that sexual temptation is a battle you can win. Sure, you’ve lost a few skirmishes — just about every man alive has. But your Captain’s name is Jesus. Get a glimpse of Him. Let some “I can’t lose with Jesus” mentality fill your soul (Philippians 4:13). You’re a warrior. You’re His warrior. And Your Captain is always with you.
The Belt of Truth: A Roman centurion’s belt held his armor together. Without it, everything fell apart. Without it, he would never think of facing the enemy. And that belt had to be tight, “girded up,” ready for battle. You need truth. The better your grasp of Scripture, the bigger your belt buckle. Without it you’re naked, easy pickings for the enemy. And you need to continually cling tightly to Jesus, the living Truth (John 14:6), to be ready for battle. You can’t fight sexual temptation alone.
The Breastplate of Righteousness: The breastplate covered the chest. Without it, a soldier was open to a thrust in the heart. Satan goes for the heart, too. He tries to convince you that at the core, you’re just a wicked sex fiend, and that you have no choice to be anything else. That’s just not true. In Jesus Christ, God sees you as righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). When you believe what God says — I am righteous because of Jesus — over Satan’s accusations, your breastplate is firmly in place at that moment in time. You’re protected from Satan’s heart stabs at your identity.
The Gospel of Peace, Your Combat Boots: A centurion’s boots were broken in and carefully cared for. They were as much a comfort during long days of travel as they were a protection in battle. A lot of guys don’t enjoy the Christian walk because they think it’s a hard, long, impossible journey, especially when it comes to sexual temptation. To them, the road’s too long, too tiring. But the message of Jesus is the good news of peace, not pain. He put it this way: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
Rest? Easy? Light?
If you’re convinced the Christian life is wearisome, hard and heavy, that’s exactly what you’ll experience. In those moments of navel-gazing discouragement, you don’t have your combat boots on. You’re walking through thorny ground in bare feet. Connect with Jesus. He’s everything you need. Your truth. Your righteousness. Your peace. Your rest. The journey into manhood is not short, and sometimes it’s uphill, but it’s an adventure that’s meant to be enjoyed.
The Shield of Faith: Jesus is also your shield (Psalm 84:11) and the source of your faith (Galatians 2:20). Are you starting to get the picture here? A Christian’s armor is nothing more, nothing less, than a multifaceted presentation of who Jesus is to you. If you need protection from sexual sin, you need more of Jesus. That’s the upside of sexual temptation. It pushes you into a place where you’re desperate to experience more of Christ. And when those burning darts start flying — Wow, look at that babe over there — you can raise your shield with a simple prayer: “Jesus, I need You!” Keep holding up the shield and fleeing temptation until those smoldering arrows get extinguished.
The Helmet of Salvation: Do you think Jesus came merely to save you from the lake of fire? There’s much more to it. He also came to save you from yourself. His death handled the hell part, but His life is an ongoing miracle of salvation from the sinful cravings you were born with as a child of Adam (Romans 5:12-14). Salvation is abundant life, Jesus’ gift to you (John 10:10). Every minute you’re enjoying that abundance — read: superglad to be hanging out with Jesus — your helmet is on. And with that helmet firmly in place, your mind is guarded from the onslaught of sexy images that invade your TV or computer.
The Sword of the Spirit: God’s Word is your sword (Hebrews 4:12). It contains truth, and truth can parry or stab the lies of Satan. In a practical sense, it’s easy to confuse this part of the armor with the belt of truth. One helpful distinction could be made: The belt is for defense. It’s an overall, well-rounded appreciation of truth, useful for the ongoing protection you need in the incessant minor attacks of everyday life. But the Sword of the Spirit is an offensive weapon. It has a keen edge that leads to a deadly point. If wielded well, it can attack the enemy and slay temptation before it has a chance to grow into an overpowering monster.
In your battle for sexual purity, there will be times when temptation is so in your face that your best defense is a strong offense. Quoting a specific Scripture is the strategy you’ll need to stab temptation in the throat. This is not a mindless, wave-the-magic-sword thing, but a heartfelt, specific application of Scripture — a well-guided thrust of God’s Word. Job’s words “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl” (Job 31:1) have proven to be a useful sword thrust for many godly men over the centuries. There are many other Scripture passages that address sexual temptation. The more Scripture you memorize and wield in this way, the more skillfully you’ll dispense with heavy attacks.
Fight On
God’s armor is all about the “wait training,” God’s process of transforming you into a strong and godly man who understands the big picture of sexual purity and being shaped into God’s image. So take heart, young warrior! Continue to follow your battle plan. Don’t be surprised that the battles continue. Remember that victory is attainable, and be encouraged that Jesus is always with you. 
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At Last — Help With Your Battle Against Lust!
In today’s sex-saturated culture, you need a game plan for living pure. You know the struggle. Tribe: A Warrior’s Battles is packed with real-life lessons from real teen warriors. Inside you’ll find seven strategies for conquering lust and porn, honest answers about sex and relationships, solid “wait training” advice and much more. Get the book! |
SEX, LOVE AND PURITY
Sort out the truth from the trash.
