There are songs written about it. People have given up money, reputation, families, work and happiness to get it. No one is immune from the temptation to have even more of it. It is crazy the lengths people will go to have sex. But, you know what, it is the bait that hangs all of us at one time or another. When the change in our physical bodies happen it is all chips on the table and we kind of lose our mind. We can become obsessed with it and many a marriage and friendships have been ruined by chasing after the wrong person to find satisfaction with.
Hookin’ up is more than just a phrase used today to talk about having sex with someone. It is literally what can happen to two people who are just looking to have a good time. Sex has lured many a person to the bait shop wall. They teach us in school that is just a biological thing. The church has taught that it is a sinful thing. Society has taught us that it is no big deal thing. Hollywood and porn have taught us that it is an animalistic thing. I do not know about all those things, but I do know it is an extremely tempting thing that we will all face each and every day of our lives.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 7 Paul advises us about sex and the way it can get each of us hooked. He says: “First, Is it a good thing to have sexual relations? Certainly—but only within a certain context. It’s good for a man to have a wife, and for a woman to have a husband. Sexual drives are strong, but marriage is strong enough to contain them and provide for a balanced and fulfilling sexual life in a world of sexual disorder.” 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 (MSG) Paul teaches us that sex is a good thing. Which is a little different that what I was taught in my church growing up. I never could figure out how it was so evil and then you stand in front of a crowd saying you love someone and you are all good and sex is no longer evil, but a normal part of being married. I am sure I am not the first to struggle with these thoughts and trying to figure out just how do I keep from being caught in sex’s fancy net.
There is a Chance to Resist, But Let’s be Honest…
Sex sales and is everywhere around us tempting us. Most of the time we are just swimming or fishing minding our own business when out of nowhere a thought or an image pops into our minds that leads us down to an imaginary fishing spot that is overgrown with trouble. Proverbs 5:22 – 23 reads “Sinners are trapped and caught by their own evil deeds. They get lost and die because of their foolishness and lack of self-control.” It is when we are foolishness and no self-control that trouble and sin take over our lives. We have to realize that sex was a gift from our creator and is a way for us to draw closer to each other.
Many times people will find themselves trapped or caught by sex’s lure and they usually act like they had no control or chance to resist the bait. Nothing could be further from the truth. We were given the will to decide to turn off the television, not purchase the movie online, to not visit that website, or approach that person. We can have self-control over our minds and bodies if we just choose to not take the bait. I wish resisting temptation was as easy as that last sentence was to write. It is not easy but, I think it is like a muscle. The more you work at resisting the stronger you will become and increase your resistance. So it is tough but it can be done if we just make the right choice before things are all steamy.
Don’t Let All the Lures Catch Your Eye
They say that the eyes are the window of the soul. I think they are also the gateway to our desires. Think about it for a minute, most of our trouble comes because of what we see with our eyes. Guys are especially vulnerable with our eyes. We see an image or video and we can’t get it out of our minds. The eyes let some stuff into our brains that will get us hooked on something that could ruin our lives. David wrote about this in the Psalms, I just wonder if it was before or after his midnight stroll where he saw a woman bathing at night. Anyway he wrote these words in his journal one day: “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those fall away; it shall not cling to me.” Psalm 101:3 (NKJV)
If we protect our eyes and don’t put something in front of them that will lead us to the deep water then we will not have to worry about what the rest of our body does. It seems so simple but then I guess it really is that simple. Don’t look where you shouldn’t, don’t browse where you shouldn’t, and don’t go looking for the next enticement to rev the ol’ engine up. Guard your eyes and your heart and your desires can not lead you into a sexual net.
A Good Swim Beats a Bad Struggle Every Time
“So run away from sexual sin. Every other sin people do is outside their bodies, but those who sin sexually sin against their own bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:18 (NCV) The best advice we can ever hear about sexual sin is to simply run. Just run. Leave your coat, get out of the room, turn off the computer, swipe left, delete that app and just get the hell away from the temptation. I know plenty of people who think they are stronger than what they truly are. I made some changes in my own life so that it would not be so easy to give in to temptation. My office in our house does not have a door. Anytime you can walk by and see what is on my screen. It is a small thing that keeps me from feeding a desire that could ruin my life.
I know in a time where sex is just something to satisfy yourself and you should be able to swim where you want we need to decide something. Is a 3 minute encounter worth our family, job, reputation and peace in our souls? I really do not believe that it is. This is some bait that will only leave wanting something more and never satisfied. That is why we need to be satisfied with the one we gave our hearts to in marriage. I know I sound old when I say that, but I’ve been in a few rooms with some snapshots of fish on a bait store wall who thought sex with someone, or anyone would be the answer to what they were missing. So many lives destroyed by pursuing the right thing in the wrong way. Sex is a gift from God, enjoy it in a loving and healthy relationship. Swim like your life depends on it and stay away from the sirens song.