We have seen in chapter IV that, while the Lord Jesus can purify our hearts, the sinful nature remains with us. There is also in us the normal appetite of sex hunger, which God has put there for the purpose of procreation, so that the human race will continue.

It is clear, therefore, that temptation will still have to be faced, but with this big difference -- no longer is there a traitor within, ready to swing open the door at the first attack of evil. How, then, shall we meet these forces of normal temptation?

Three Weapons

God's Word teaches us that there are three weapons in our armory. They are:

1. COURAGEOUS JOY (Jas. 1:2). "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." Is this so in our case? Must we not confess that in the main it is not so? On the contrary, we go down in the dumps and feel sorry for ourselves. Does the batter groan because the pitcher is about to deliver the ball? No, indeed! Without the pitcher there would be no game, no opportunity to make a hit or a run and share the glory of the rising score. Temptation is the Christian's opportunity. Let us think constructively about it and "count it all joy" when we fall into many different temptations. To rejoice in the face of temptation is to be halfway to victory.



2. COUNTERATTACK (Rom. 13:21)."Over- come evil with good." To counterattack is one of the basic laws of military tactics. It is also the best Christian method of meeting the foe. To put good thoughts in the place of bad thoughts and good deeds in the place of evil deeds is the way of victory. Perhaps two examples will illustrate this point.
   
   Suppose that we have been brought into the company of some charming person of the opposite sex. Before the mind has time to wander onto forbidden ground, let us concentrate on thanking God for having made so delightful a boy or girl, and let us pray earnestly that all these gifts of his or her personality may be given over to Him and used for His glory. By such constructive thinking we have stopped Satan from beginning to tempt us.
   
   Here is another instance: A fight is sometimes stirred up in the hearts of some young people by the sight of intimate clothing, or undergarments. The Holy Spirit can teach us that these garments cover some of the most wonderful parts of the body, thus making us able to substitute an act of worship to so great a Creator in place of giving way to unclean thinking.



3. CONSTANT VIGILANCE (I Pet. 5:8). "Be vigilant." How much the Master pressed upon His disciples the word "watch!" We too must be on guard. One place which is so often the scene of defeat is the bathroom. There thinking about the body may lead to a storm of temptation; but again how much the right kind of thinking can do! Why not turn such a place into a closet of prayer and praise? The singing of a chorus will often put the Devil to flight. Other ways of constructive thinking may occur to the reader, and the mental watchfulness thus encouraged will keep the child of God on the winning side.

Seek Christ's Help

Sometimes, of course, Satan uses "blitz," or rushing, tactics. What, then, is the course to take?

A Christian man told me of being in such a situation. He was in a room which was rather crowded. Beside him stood a very attractive Christian girl, who, due to the crowd, stood with her body touching his. This was Satan's opportunity. This man recalls an inward cry to Christ, the great Captain of salvation: "Lord, I thank Thee for the power and beauty of love; but deliver me from expressing it in ways dishonoring Thee."

Note, first, that there was an acceptance of what is quite normal-that is, sex hunger. "I thank Thee for the power and beauty of love." Second, observe the refusal to allow that power to be directed into forbidden channels. "In ways dishonoring to Thee."

Third, mark the handing of the conflict over to Christ -- the cry to the Lord "Deliver me."

It is useless to try to dam up the stream of sex urge, but it is possible to direct its course. Again the secret of dealing effectively with a spiritual "blitz" is constructive thinking, through looking to Jesus for help. Before passing on to discuss four factors in the physical realm which have a bearing on the victory we seek, I would like to appeal to all readers to take heed lest they help along Satan's work of temptation. The girl who wears too tight clothing and the boy who lolls carelessly may become the means of creating ungodly desires in someone.

Few young Christians have learned to turn to the Lord for aid when such carelessness on the part of another puts temptation in their paths. But learn they must, if they would grow in the life of victory. Rather than turning one's mind over to unwholesome thinking, a heart cry to the Lord will bring the needed grace and strength to enable the believer to praise and worship God for the human body, which He fearfully and wonderfully made. Thus the tempter will be defeated, and the way will be made easier for future victories over him.

Four Physical Factors

The first physical factor is that there are large differences in haw we feel and react. Some people feel sex hunger far more keenly than do others. The Lord Jesus indicated this in His statement of Matthew 19:11,12: "All men cannot receive this saying, save they to whom it is given. For there are same eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are some eunuchs, which were made eunuchs of men: and there be eunuchs, which have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it "

The Master here states that while some can do without the satisfaction of a married sex life (for the sake of the interests of His kingdom), for others this is impossible. The Apostle Paul restates this in another way in I Corinthians 7:9: "It is better to marry than to burn."

In view of these statements, we must face the fact that, while grace can enable us to achieve the impossible, there are certain highly sexed young people whose only course is to marry as early as practicable. Every young Christian who finds sex a burning problem should fearlessly face these Scriptures and lay bare his whole being in the presence of the Lord.

In cases of this type it is infinitely better to marry and settle down in a poorly furnished home than to wait until a better one can be had. In this way the young couple will escape the struggles of violent temptation, with possibly the accompaniment of a vicious circle of sinning and repenting.

This modern age is demanding so much of the young bridegroom, with the result that marriage is often postponed until much later than God intended. This violation of the elementary laws of nature has brought a world of trouble and misery upon many. It is necessary for us, as Christians, to refuse to become the slaves of worldly fashions and to be guided alone by the Word of God and His personal direction.

The second consideration, which may be of value to those in the class under discussion, is to remember that our bodies are like engines; and within certain limits, the more fuel added (in this case, food) the greater the output of energy. A diet in which meat or stimulants are overabundant will always produce too much sex energy, which will result in an increase in temptation.

There was more in the apostolic fasting than we moderns care to accept. Is it not significant that the Mosaic Law and economy were given during a forty-day fast and that the Apostle Paul brought a message of deliverance at the close of a two-week abstinence? To every reader with an acute sex problem I would give this advice: Lay the foundation of victory in the dining room.

Value of Exercise

The third suggestion is the value of games, or some form of vigorous exercise. Some years ago a young Christian fellow came to me for advice. For some time his health had been poor. His particular symptoms were giddiness and short periods of blindness. When the doctor was consulted, the patient was told that the trouble was due to sex pressure which nature was not relieving in the customary night emissions. The doctor explained that he knew that the young fellow was leading a pure life, and that, of course, was partly why the trouble had arisen. The treatment which he prescribed was to relieve the congestion by controlled masturbation; but before doing this, it was suggested that my young friend should consult his spiritual adviser, letting him know the diagnosis and proposed treatment.

The young Christian was deeply puzzled. The Lord had delivered him from the habit after his conversion, and he feared lest he should once again give way to it. We prayerfully weighed the matter together, and I suggested that he see the doctor again and ask if his going regularly for a long bicycle ride (as a matter of exercise) would not be a far better means of using up the extra energy. The doctor agreed, and the rides were undertaken. The result was a complete cure.

It is much to be deplored that in some places there is a silly and unhealthy attitude toward games and exercise. Perhaps some of the moral breakdowns of young people in our churches will one day be laid to the charge of this folly. You cannot clamp down the lid of a boiling kettle without an explosion, and you cannot hedge in the energy of youth with a string of taboos and "thou shalt nots."

Healthy exercise is a God-given outlet (see I Tim. 4:8). Care, of course, is necessary in the matter of the company with whom we associate in our games. None of us have any right to link ourselves with worldly companions unless such links are deliberately made for the purpose of soul winning.

A fourth suggestion is the wisdom of not sleeping on too soft a bed or having more covering than is strictly necessary. We are to endure hardness, as good soldiers. Few of us really try it out. Softness and victory never go together.

For a final word let us turn to James 5:16: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed." A spiritual friend with whom we may think constructively about our weaknesses and needs is a necessity for us all. The effect of confession to a spiritually minded companion is little short of electric in its effect. There can be no doubt that confession in many instances is halfway to victory, the other half being secured by the prayers of the friend. A very great saint was once asked the secret of his spiritual success. He answered, "I had a friend."

At the time of the Reformation, Martin Luther and his followers rebelled against the practice of the Roman Catholic Church of having its members confess all of their sins to a priest and be forgiven by him. Confession has its place in the Christian life ("Confess your faults one to another"-Jas.5:16), but it must be in safer hands than those of a Romish priest.

May the Lord give us each the ennobling friendship that shares a life of constructive thinking and looking unto Jesus!

(Revised and reprinted from "The Sanctity of Sex," by Frank A. Lawes, Good News Publishing Co., Chicago. )