Stormproof Men IIISample

Storms Are Normal

Storms are a regular part of the weather. For years, I lived in Louisiana, a state hit hard by two hurricanes in 2005. The first, Katrina, flooded New Orleans and caused untold damage along the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts. A few months after Katrina, Rita struck the coast near Lake Charles. None of the residents affected by the two hurricanes wanted these storms to strike them. They just came. However, with the benefit of modern technology, people knew the storms were coming and could prepare for them. The wise choice for those living directly on the coast or in low-lying areas was to flee the storms rather than risk their wrath. Those who chose this option gathered their valuables, did what they could to protect their homes, and headed inland. Some did not heed the warnings; some lost their lives. Whether facing a hurricane or any other storm, preparation for the storm influences how it impacts us.

Just as storms are a normal part of the weather, so too sexual temptations are a regular part of life. Sexual temptations and natural storms do differ in one significant aspect. When we face the storms of nature, we simply hope to minimize any damage we might incur. We aren’t promised relief from the storm, and sometimes, despite our best preventative actions, we still suffer property damage or injury.

But we can be stormproof when we face sexual temptation. We are not limited to minimizing the damage, as we are with a physical storm. Rather, God gives us what we need to face temptation successfully and prevent damage. He promises a "way of escape." He promises that by walking with the Spirit, we will not carry out the desire of the flesh. We can withstand the power of temptation.

When the Bible speaks of temptation, at its core, it speaks of something that entices us to sin or do evil. We must first understand that God is never the source of this enticement. And second, temptations can refer to “external” temptations and “internal” temptations.

External sources which seek to entice us to sin or do evil—they just exist. They pop into our world without invitation. They include those temptations external to our bodies (such as a provocative, unsolicited email) and those random thoughts that seem to pop into our thinking without a cause. We internalize the temptation and begin being carried away by its enticement. For example, sexual temptation crosses from being external to internal when we start dwelling on the thought that popped in our head, maybe fantasizing about it or beginning to plan to act on it. “External” temptations are largely out of our control; “internal” temptations, however, are a different story. Our experience of purity hinges on keeping “external” temptations external and dealing with “internal” temptations healthily.

For more resources and information about the book Stormproof Men, Sexual Purity for Christian Men in a Sex-Saturated World, please http://www.gsot.edu/stormproof/