My favorite superhero growing up was Spiderman. One of his more interesting abilities was his "Spider-Sense", which allowed him to detect danger before it appeared. This superpower gave him a chance to prepare for battle before the bad guys could get the drop on him. Unfortunately, we can't get superpowers from radioactive spiders in real life. Fortunately, God has given us a real life "Spider-Sense" which is typically known as either the "gut-feeling", "vibes", or "sixth sense." I find it helpful to call this "subconscious wisdom", because your brain is figuring things out so quickly that you know something is amiss on an instinctual level. This is the kind of wisdom that keeps zebras from becoming lion food in Africa and which will keep you from winding up on the dinner plate of the human "lions and lionesses" who want to devour the "zebra" that is your V-card.
I know a young man who has stayed a virgin up until now because he has trusted his instincts. I'll just call him Marty. An attractive young lady approached him after a training session at one of his previous jobs. She immediately started telling him about how much she liked him and his demeanor and continued to flatter him at work afterwards. Marty considered asking her out, but his "Spider-Sense" told him to not to. He remained polite, but didn't talk to her outside of work. As it turns out, he wasn't the only man who impressed this girl because within months of meeting her, she became pregnant out-of-wedlock with some other guy.
Now, I'm not saying that every woman that you meet wants to baby-trap you (or that every man who approaches you just wants to use you as a one night stand if you are a woman). I'm simply saying that if your instincts tell you that someone is "off", you better pay attention. In the same way that Marty's "Spider-Sense" saved his V-card and allowed him to avoid baby momma drama, so can your instincts save you from a lot of trouble.
So how do you develop your Christian "Spider-Sense" so that you can detect threats to your V-card?
1) Submit Your Life To Christ.
Because of sin, the "Spider-Sense" that we have has become corrupted. Since He is the only One who can repair it, you'll need a relationship with Him if you want your instincts to function properly.
2) Read The Scriptures To Develop Your Spider-Sense
Just by reading the Bible over and over, I have been permanently cured of the naive and false belief that all humans are good, kind, and well-adjusted individuals. This is a good thing because virgins (whether they are first-born or resurrected) who are naive usually get bent over or ridden like a donkey by the first crafty player/playeress who gets them alone. If you're just starting off, though, simply take a week to read through the gospels and the Holy Spirit will reward your diligence by sharpening your "Spider-Sense."
3) Pay Attention To Any Signs Or Feelings That Someone Is "Off"
No matter how charming (or smoking hot) somebody is, stay away from them if you sense that something is amiss. Remember, even crocodiles and hyenas can smile: many of the most evil people whom I've ever met were extremely charming and charismatic up until the day that they screwed me over in other areas of my life. If you let a player/playeress charm you into ignoring the alerts that your "Spider-Sense" is giving you, then they will literally screw you over a desk, a table, a bed, or some other piece of furniture before they tell their equally perverted friends about how they ate your V-card for dinner and your Christian witness for dessert.
4) Understand That Your "Spider-Sense" Isn't Fullproof
Spiderman's archenemy was Venom, a villain with similar powers who could not be detected with his "Spider-Sense." Like Spiderman, every person who is dedicated to a life of purity has a "Venom", a player/playeress who is capable of ambushing them without being detected. This archenemy can also be known as their "type." I've figured out that my Venoms tend to be playeresses who dress and act like quiet, modest, maidens of virtue as a ploy to get their targets to lower their defenses before luring them into illicit relationships. I call these women and their male counterparts "Antichristians" because they counterfeit aspects of the Christian faith to accomplish their own perverted ends. For this reason, be sure to take the next word of advice seriously, which is:
5) Ask God For Wisdom
Remember, even if we are saved, we can still make mistakes. That's why I always ask God how to relate to a particular girl, even if she doesn't set off my Spider-Sense. Doing so will not only allow you to keep your V-card, but it will save you the aggravation of dating, courting, or marrying a member of the opposite gender who you're not a good fit for.
James 1:5 "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (NIV)
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Raphael's Folly: The Danger Of Fighting The Battle For Purity On Your Own
The number one reason why I started training in the martial arts is because of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In particular, I loved the live-action movies of the early 90's. Even though my favorite turtle growing up was Donatello, the one I had the most in common with was Raphael, a.k.a. "Raph."
In those movies, Raph was the bravest and toughest of the four ninja turtle brothers. However, he was also bad-tempered and headstrong. In particular, Raph often clashed with Leonardo (a.k.a. "Leo"), the leader of the group. In the first two movies, Raph stormed off on his own after getting into altercations with Leo, only to wind up battling the Foot Clan all by himself. While he would be able to fight them off for a while, the Foot eventually overwhelmed him through sheer numbers. In the first movie, the Foot beat Raph into a coma. In the second movie, they captured him and turned him over to The Shredder, who used Raph as bait in a trap that almost got his brothers killed.
Many Christians who embark on the journey of marital MMA are like Raph. They want to use their toughness and bravery to fight for what's right, but get frustrated when their fellow believers don't see eye-to-eye with them. This frustration often leads to them to storm off, and try to battle the "Immoral Foot Clan" on their own. While they do hold out for a while, the "Foot" is so numerous that these Christians either get beaten into a coma (i.e., lose their V-card) or captured by Satan, our "spiritual Shredder" (i.e., trapped in a pornography/"romance e-book" addiction or in an illicit relationship).
So if you are tempted to fight your temptations on your own as a Christian "Raph", bear in mind the following things before you take on the players/playeresses of the "Immoral Foot Clan" without your brothers and sisters.
1) Players/Playeresses Target The Weak (And Alone=Weak)
Whenever I have been tempted by a playeress, she was either:
a) A lot hotter than me
b) A lot smarter than me
c) A lot wealthier than me
d) A lot more popular than me
Sometimes, she was all of the above! Likewise, guys who seduce girls tend to have similar leverage over them. The important thing you need to understand is that players/playeresses aren't looking for a "fair fight." They are playing to win. Period. So they usually pick easy targets (i.e. the pastor's daughter who has left home for the first time in her life to go to school or the male recent Christian college grad at work who has never experienced more than part-time employment in a secular environment). And players/playeresses know instinctively that the easiest targets are the lonely targets because they have no one to come to their rescue if they are overwhelmed.
2) Players/Playeresses Cheat To Win
Again, "fair fight" is not in the vocabulary of a player/playeress! Most of the playeresses I have encountered used some kind of dirty trick in an attempt to get me into a compromising position. The most common one was inviting me to hang out "just as friends" so that they could come on to me the instant that they got me alone. Their male counterparts use a similar trick in which they pretend to actually want a relationship with a girl when the only thing they want to get to know is her vajayjay. Players/playeresses know that if they are honest about their intentions, the "good girls/guys" who they want to conquer will run in the opposite direction. So players/playeresses "fight dirty" by deceiving and manipulating you until they earn your trust. Then they will turn you out and make you look stupid in front of your Christian peers. If that fails, these men and women will simply get you rip-roaring drunk and take advantage of you.
3) Players/Playeresses Hunt In Packs
I have almost NEVER been tempted sexually by a playeress who was acting on her own. Most of the time, the playeress got 2-3 of her playeress bffs to help her pressure me into "hanging out" with them. Some playeresses will even get their sisters (or, in extreme cases, their MOTHER) to help them lure a guy into a compromising position (if you are a guy and this ever happens to you, RUN!).
Their male counterparts also hunt in packs, but in a different sense. Most players know that if they and 2-3 of their buddies approach an unsuspecting girl at a mall, she'll run away and call the police. So instead, a male player will usually invite his intended target and her friends to a house or frat party where his "wing men" will pick off her bffs one by one until he gets her alone. At this point, through charm, experience, and leveraging his assets (i.e. the fact that he is hotter, smarter, richer, and/or more popular than her), he will have her V-card for dinner and her Christian witness for breakfast!
Did I forget to mention that "fair fight" is not in the vocabulary of a player/playeress?
Like Raph, you may be a loner by nature and want to fight the battle of purity on your own. Nonetheless, you should try to join forces with fellow Christians anyway. It won't be easy. Very often, your Christian brothers and sisters will be as bossy as Leonardo, as immature as Michelangelo, or irritating know-it-alls like Donatello. Nonetheless, if they are as dedicated to a life of purity as you are, then they will have your back when the "Immoral Foot Clan" comes to clean your clock.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." (NIV)
In those movies, Raph was the bravest and toughest of the four ninja turtle brothers. However, he was also bad-tempered and headstrong. In particular, Raph often clashed with Leonardo (a.k.a. "Leo"), the leader of the group. In the first two movies, Raph stormed off on his own after getting into altercations with Leo, only to wind up battling the Foot Clan all by himself. While he would be able to fight them off for a while, the Foot eventually overwhelmed him through sheer numbers. In the first movie, the Foot beat Raph into a coma. In the second movie, they captured him and turned him over to The Shredder, who used Raph as bait in a trap that almost got his brothers killed.
Many Christians who embark on the journey of marital MMA are like Raph. They want to use their toughness and bravery to fight for what's right, but get frustrated when their fellow believers don't see eye-to-eye with them. This frustration often leads to them to storm off, and try to battle the "Immoral Foot Clan" on their own. While they do hold out for a while, the "Foot" is so numerous that these Christians either get beaten into a coma (i.e., lose their V-card) or captured by Satan, our "spiritual Shredder" (i.e., trapped in a pornography/"romance e-book" addiction or in an illicit relationship).
So if you are tempted to fight your temptations on your own as a Christian "Raph", bear in mind the following things before you take on the players/playeresses of the "Immoral Foot Clan" without your brothers and sisters.
1) Players/Playeresses Target The Weak (And Alone=Weak)
Whenever I have been tempted by a playeress, she was either:
a) A lot hotter than me
b) A lot smarter than me
c) A lot wealthier than me
d) A lot more popular than me
Sometimes, she was all of the above! Likewise, guys who seduce girls tend to have similar leverage over them. The important thing you need to understand is that players/playeresses aren't looking for a "fair fight." They are playing to win. Period. So they usually pick easy targets (i.e. the pastor's daughter who has left home for the first time in her life to go to school or the male recent Christian college grad at work who has never experienced more than part-time employment in a secular environment). And players/playeresses know instinctively that the easiest targets are the lonely targets because they have no one to come to their rescue if they are overwhelmed.
2) Players/Playeresses Cheat To Win
Again, "fair fight" is not in the vocabulary of a player/playeress! Most of the playeresses I have encountered used some kind of dirty trick in an attempt to get me into a compromising position. The most common one was inviting me to hang out "just as friends" so that they could come on to me the instant that they got me alone. Their male counterparts use a similar trick in which they pretend to actually want a relationship with a girl when the only thing they want to get to know is her vajayjay. Players/playeresses know that if they are honest about their intentions, the "good girls/guys" who they want to conquer will run in the opposite direction. So players/playeresses "fight dirty" by deceiving and manipulating you until they earn your trust. Then they will turn you out and make you look stupid in front of your Christian peers. If that fails, these men and women will simply get you rip-roaring drunk and take advantage of you.
3) Players/Playeresses Hunt In Packs
I have almost NEVER been tempted sexually by a playeress who was acting on her own. Most of the time, the playeress got 2-3 of her playeress bffs to help her pressure me into "hanging out" with them. Some playeresses will even get their sisters (or, in extreme cases, their MOTHER) to help them lure a guy into a compromising position (if you are a guy and this ever happens to you, RUN!).
Their male counterparts also hunt in packs, but in a different sense. Most players know that if they and 2-3 of their buddies approach an unsuspecting girl at a mall, she'll run away and call the police. So instead, a male player will usually invite his intended target and her friends to a house or frat party where his "wing men" will pick off her bffs one by one until he gets her alone. At this point, through charm, experience, and leveraging his assets (i.e. the fact that he is hotter, smarter, richer, and/or more popular than her), he will have her V-card for dinner and her Christian witness for breakfast!
Did I forget to mention that "fair fight" is not in the vocabulary of a player/playeress?
Like Raph, you may be a loner by nature and want to fight the battle of purity on your own. Nonetheless, you should try to join forces with fellow Christians anyway. It won't be easy. Very often, your Christian brothers and sisters will be as bossy as Leonardo, as immature as Michelangelo, or irritating know-it-alls like Donatello. Nonetheless, if they are as dedicated to a life of purity as you are, then they will have your back when the "Immoral Foot Clan" comes to clean your clock.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10, "Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up." (NIV)
Sunday, August 17, 2014
And The #1 Reason Why Christians Don't Succeed In Staying Pure Before Marriage Is Because...
They don't want to.
It's as simple as that.
Staying pure so that you can experience "The Sexual Force Unleashed" and "Romantic World Peace" within a Christ-centered marriage requires discipline, hard work, and focus. It's very similar to studying the martial arts in that it's a LIFELONG process. Just like you have to practice DAILY to develop your ability to defend yourself from a physical attack, you also have to practice DAILY to develop your ability to defend your V-card and your marriage from attacks by forbidden sexual temptations. When many Christians realize the sacrifices that they will have to make to live a life of purity, they decide that it's more trouble than it's worth and they give up. Unfortunately, this leaves them completely defenseless when they are actually attacked. A martial artist who experiences an attack which they did not prepare for normally winds up seriously injured or dead. Likewise, a Christian who does not prepare for the violent attacks of forbidden desires will wind up with a sexuality that is either seriously injured or dead.
On top of that, many Christians know that forbidden sex is wrong, but want to experience it anyway because it seems fun. These are the Christians who claim that they can "play" without "going all the way." They are the spiritual equivalents of martial artists who know that they shouldn't hang out in bars/nightclubs or go out alone on car dates with strangers, but choose to do it anyway because it's fun. These Christians believe that, like their black belt counterparts, they can "handle it" if things get out of hand. Unfortunately, like the guy who winds up getting jumped by 20 bikers because he said the wrong thing about their leader's mother, or the girl who gets pinned to the backseat of her date's car because she got hammered with the wrong person, these Christians wind up in over their head. Sometimes, they escape with their V-cards intact and their future marriages unscathed. Most of the time, they don't.
In all likelihood, these Christians wanted to "fail" all along and deliberately stacked the deck against themselves so that they would have an excuse to sin. That way, they can enjoy the forbidden pleasure of their sin and deny responsibility for their actions by blaming the heartless, evil, conniving player/playeress who "seduced them" (and leave out the fact that they secretly desired that person all along). It's only when the consequences of their actions (like STDs and baby momma drama) come after them like a gang of biker thugs or a drunk date who's interested in nonconsensual love that these Christians express regret for what they did. And even then, those consequences aren't always enough to keep them from doing it again.
If you truly love Christ, you will obey His commandments about romance and sex and stay pure before, during, and after marriage. Like a wise martial artist, not only will you properly train to defend yourself from the forbidden temptations which want to kill you. You will also save yourself a lot of pain and suffering by avoiding dangerous situations to begin with. If you do these things, not only will you experience the power of human fusion by truly becoming one with your spouse. God will also allow you to lead others to saving faith in Jesus through the sacred starlight of your Christ-centered marriage.
John 14: 15 "If you love me, keep my commands." (NIV)
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Marital MMA: A Way Of Life
The most important thing to understand about Marital MMA is that it's not a destination. It's a way of life. Even if you and your spouse stay pure before marriage, the temptations to indulge in forbidden sex won't disappear. In fact, the temptations will actually get worse because Satan will do everything in his power to destroy your relationship. On top of that, your inner terrorist (a.k.a. your flesh) will continue its unholy jihad against you until the day you die, eager to seize control of your body, heart, mind and soul the instant that you take your eyes off Christ. This does not mean that you will lose your salvation, for it is not possible for a true believer to lose eternal life once they have received it from Christ. It does, however, mean that you are still capable of making decisions that not only destroy the earthly lives of you and your loved ones, but permanently damage your ability to lead others to Christ as well.
So even though you have been given many practical tips on how to stay pure so that you can experience "The Sexual Force Unleashed" and "Romantic World Peace" in marriage, remember this one crucial thing:
Total submission to CHRIST is infinitely more important than any technique, plan, or method that can be used to stay pure!!!!!!
So if you haven't already, come before Jesus. Take responsibility for your sinful nature and acknowledge that He is the only One who can save you. Accept His death on the cross and His resurrection for the payment of ALL of your sins and surrender your life to Him. Faith in Christ is the ONLY way to achieve true sexual purity, as well as the ONLY way to have eternal life in heaven and, after that, the New Jerusalem. Without Christ, not only will you be burned and tortured in the Lake of Fire for the rest of eternity. You will also spend your life with your heart, mind and soul in the jail of your earthly body with the "Big Bubba/Bertha" of your wicked desires and their prison gang of accompanying consequences.
If you are already a believer, don't withhold your sexuality and romantic relationships as a final stronghold of rebellion and control. If you do, then your sexuality and romantic relationships WILL be used against you and your ability to win people to Christ will be severely damaged, if not destroyed. If you are really stubborn, God, like a coach dealing with a disobedient football player, will bench you. This can take the form of being removed from the ministry, thrown out of the church, or, in extreme cases, "taking you out of the game" entirely by killing you and bringing you to heaven before you do any more damage to yourself, your peers, and His name. So if you haven't already, turn your sexuality and romantic relationships over to Christ. Then continue to nurture your relationship with Him as He does greater things in you and through you than you can possibly imagine!
John 11: 25-26a "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die..." (NIV)
So even though you have been given many practical tips on how to stay pure so that you can experience "The Sexual Force Unleashed" and "Romantic World Peace" in marriage, remember this one crucial thing:
Total submission to CHRIST is infinitely more important than any technique, plan, or method that can be used to stay pure!!!!!!
So if you haven't already, come before Jesus. Take responsibility for your sinful nature and acknowledge that He is the only One who can save you. Accept His death on the cross and His resurrection for the payment of ALL of your sins and surrender your life to Him. Faith in Christ is the ONLY way to achieve true sexual purity, as well as the ONLY way to have eternal life in heaven and, after that, the New Jerusalem. Without Christ, not only will you be burned and tortured in the Lake of Fire for the rest of eternity. You will also spend your life with your heart, mind and soul in the jail of your earthly body with the "Big Bubba/Bertha" of your wicked desires and their prison gang of accompanying consequences.
If you are already a believer, don't withhold your sexuality and romantic relationships as a final stronghold of rebellion and control. If you do, then your sexuality and romantic relationships WILL be used against you and your ability to win people to Christ will be severely damaged, if not destroyed. If you are really stubborn, God, like a coach dealing with a disobedient football player, will bench you. This can take the form of being removed from the ministry, thrown out of the church, or, in extreme cases, "taking you out of the game" entirely by killing you and bringing you to heaven before you do any more damage to yourself, your peers, and His name. So if you haven't already, turn your sexuality and romantic relationships over to Christ. Then continue to nurture your relationship with Him as He does greater things in you and through you than you can possibly imagine!
John 11: 25-26a "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die..." (NIV)
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Jesus Christ: The Only One Who Can Execute Your Inner Terrorist
So how do you overcome the evil desires of your own heart so that you can experience "The Sexual Force Unleashed" and "Romantic World Peace" within a Christ-centered marriage? I have some bad news: You can't.
If you try to defeat your cravings for forbidden sex on your own, your "inner terrorist" (which God's Word calls your flesh) will, like a giant shark, swallow you whole. This is why so many people at church (some of whom are actually saved), not only lose their V-card before marriage, but also fall into all sorts of perverse and addictive behaviors even after they are married. They think that if they memorize enough verses, pray hard enough, get enough counseling for past wounds, and do enough good things at church that God will flip the "off-switch" on their Love Bratwurst/Vajayjay and that they will never, ever lust again. Unfortunately, God doesn't do things that way for one simple reason:
GOD WANTS YOUR HEART, NOT "STRAIGHT A'S" ON YOUR CHURCH MEMBER REPORT CARD!!!!!
Here are the problems with doing each of these activities without giving our hearts to Christ:
1) Memorizing Bible verses: Without giving our hearts to God, this is really just leisure reading to pass the time. It can become as pointless as reading a book on nutrition when you are never going to give up burgers, pizza and ice cream or reading a magazine on self-defense when you will never set foot inside of a dojo.
2) Praying hard enough: Without giving our hearts to God, this is basically the equivalent of asking Mom and Dad to bail us out when we get ourselves into trouble. If we have no intention of giving up our sin and just want a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card, God will eventually stop bailing us out. He won't hesitate to leave us in a prison cell with the "Big Bubba/Bertha" of our consequences if that's what it takes for us to finally learn our lesson.
3) Getting counseling for past wounds: Without giving our hearts to God, this can rapidly degenerate into blaming others for our sinful behavior. The wicked deeds of others can exacerbate our forbidden desires and make us more creative in the way that we go about fulfilling them, but they don't cause them. For example, a babysitter may have molested you when you were six years old, but they didn't force you to knock up your girlfriend, refuse to pay child support, and leave her and your kid to fend for themselves when you were 25. Likewise, you may have been date-raped when you were 15. However, your attacker didn't make you commit adultery with your best friend's 19-year-old son and hire a crooked attorney to take all of your husband's worldly possessions in divorce court when you were 45. Getting counseling and legal help for what others did to us can accelerate the healing process. Using their sins as justification for our own wicked actions will only keep us from dealing with the root cause of our sexual desires (our heart) and lead us to self-destruction.
4) Doing good things at church: Without giving our hearts to God, church service is just a thinly veiled attempt to make ourselves look good in front of others. It has the same root as forbidden sexual desires: pride. Not only can it lead to us justifying sexual indiscretions "on the sly" (i.e. I do so many good things at church that I deserve to "indulge" once in a while). It can also lead to God exposing us by allowing a skilled player/playeress to call our bluff, turn us out like a college freshman, and make us look stupid in front of our church community.
In other words, when we try to overcome our inner terrorist with those activities, we are fighting a brain tumor with Excedrin. Sure, some of the pain might go away, but we will still die! So here is the key to defeating your inner terrorist:
YOU HAVE TO ALLOW CHRIST TO KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL YOU!
At the end of the day, Christ is the only one who can defeat your inner terrorist. However, since He is a gentleman, He won't do it unless you let Him. So here is how you let Christ give your forbidden desires the death penalty:
1) Take responsibility for your sin and turn your entire life over to Christ as your personal savior.
2) Take responsibility for your sin and turn your entire life over to Christ as your personal savior.
3) If you are already saved, turn your sexuality completely over to Christ. Many Christians (King David being the greatest example), allow Jesus to be the Lord of every area of their life except for their sexuality. When they do this, they provide an "Achilles' Heel" for Satan, the world, their peers, or players/playeresses to shoot arrows at until one hits the mark and their Christian witness dies like the ancient Greek hero. If you give this area of your life over to Christ, He will shield you from these arrows so that you can serve Him effectively.
4) In case I wasn't clear the first two times, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR SIN AND TURN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE OVER TO CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR!!!! Nothing else will work if you don't do this, and I mean NOTHING!
Matthew 19:26 "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NIV)
If you try to defeat your cravings for forbidden sex on your own, your "inner terrorist" (which God's Word calls your flesh) will, like a giant shark, swallow you whole. This is why so many people at church (some of whom are actually saved), not only lose their V-card before marriage, but also fall into all sorts of perverse and addictive behaviors even after they are married. They think that if they memorize enough verses, pray hard enough, get enough counseling for past wounds, and do enough good things at church that God will flip the "off-switch" on their Love Bratwurst/Vajayjay and that they will never, ever lust again. Unfortunately, God doesn't do things that way for one simple reason:
GOD WANTS YOUR HEART, NOT "STRAIGHT A'S" ON YOUR CHURCH MEMBER REPORT CARD!!!!!
Here are the problems with doing each of these activities without giving our hearts to Christ:
1) Memorizing Bible verses: Without giving our hearts to God, this is really just leisure reading to pass the time. It can become as pointless as reading a book on nutrition when you are never going to give up burgers, pizza and ice cream or reading a magazine on self-defense when you will never set foot inside of a dojo.
2) Praying hard enough: Without giving our hearts to God, this is basically the equivalent of asking Mom and Dad to bail us out when we get ourselves into trouble. If we have no intention of giving up our sin and just want a "Get Out Of Jail Free" card, God will eventually stop bailing us out. He won't hesitate to leave us in a prison cell with the "Big Bubba/Bertha" of our consequences if that's what it takes for us to finally learn our lesson.
3) Getting counseling for past wounds: Without giving our hearts to God, this can rapidly degenerate into blaming others for our sinful behavior. The wicked deeds of others can exacerbate our forbidden desires and make us more creative in the way that we go about fulfilling them, but they don't cause them. For example, a babysitter may have molested you when you were six years old, but they didn't force you to knock up your girlfriend, refuse to pay child support, and leave her and your kid to fend for themselves when you were 25. Likewise, you may have been date-raped when you were 15. However, your attacker didn't make you commit adultery with your best friend's 19-year-old son and hire a crooked attorney to take all of your husband's worldly possessions in divorce court when you were 45. Getting counseling and legal help for what others did to us can accelerate the healing process. Using their sins as justification for our own wicked actions will only keep us from dealing with the root cause of our sexual desires (our heart) and lead us to self-destruction.
4) Doing good things at church: Without giving our hearts to God, church service is just a thinly veiled attempt to make ourselves look good in front of others. It has the same root as forbidden sexual desires: pride. Not only can it lead to us justifying sexual indiscretions "on the sly" (i.e. I do so many good things at church that I deserve to "indulge" once in a while). It can also lead to God exposing us by allowing a skilled player/playeress to call our bluff, turn us out like a college freshman, and make us look stupid in front of our church community.
In other words, when we try to overcome our inner terrorist with those activities, we are fighting a brain tumor with Excedrin. Sure, some of the pain might go away, but we will still die! So here is the key to defeating your inner terrorist:
YOU HAVE TO ALLOW CHRIST TO KILL THEM BEFORE THEY KILL YOU!
At the end of the day, Christ is the only one who can defeat your inner terrorist. However, since He is a gentleman, He won't do it unless you let Him. So here is how you let Christ give your forbidden desires the death penalty:
1) Take responsibility for your sin and turn your entire life over to Christ as your personal savior.
2) Take responsibility for your sin and turn your entire life over to Christ as your personal savior.
3) If you are already saved, turn your sexuality completely over to Christ. Many Christians (King David being the greatest example), allow Jesus to be the Lord of every area of their life except for their sexuality. When they do this, they provide an "Achilles' Heel" for Satan, the world, their peers, or players/playeresses to shoot arrows at until one hits the mark and their Christian witness dies like the ancient Greek hero. If you give this area of your life over to Christ, He will shield you from these arrows so that you can serve Him effectively.
4) In case I wasn't clear the first two times, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR SIN AND TURN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE OVER TO CHRIST AS YOUR PERSONAL SAVIOR!!!! Nothing else will work if you don't do this, and I mean NOTHING!
Matthew 19:26 "Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NIV)
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