If you’ve read my last two posts, you know where I’m headed with this. Sex is everywhere. Sexual temptation is everywhere. And if we’re honest, even the most noble of people, even the best of Christians can easily fall in this area. Even the most committed husband, even the most honorable mother can fall in this area. Our culture baits us sexually from every direction and from every angle. That’s why, when it comes to sex, we need more than guardrails … we need reinforced steel. So here’s 3 more guardrails to consider …
3. ESTABLISH ACCOUNTABILITY
First off, let me just say this as directly as humanly possible … IF there’s a computer in your home that’s not protected with anti-porn software or some sort of accountability software, you should throw that computer in the trash. When it comes to sexual purity online, when 70% of men in a given month give in, when 57% of Christian Pastors saying it’s a strong temptation … there’s NO NEED TO TRUST ANYONE … not yourself, not your husband, not your wife, not your children … no one. When it comes to online purity, trust won’t get you far. I won’t even trust myself. Rather than trust I suggest that you KNOW online porn isn’t an issue for you or someone you love by taking the appropriate precautions. Examples of available software are SafeEyes and X3Watch. Download one, use it. You won’t regret it.
When it comes to life in general (real life, not online life), it’s also important to have accountability with someone you trust. Remember, a conviction unspoken is a conviction that WILL BE broken. Find a Life-Giving friend and be honest. It’s worth it to have a person in your life that you can be an open book to.
4. HONOR GOD’S DESIGN AND INTENTION FOR WHEN AND WHERE SEX IS TO BE EXPERIENCED. It’s natural for us to drift from God’s design and intention. We’ve been doing it since the original fall of man. Honoring God takes intentional effort and discipline. And when it comes to sex, we’re always trying to see how close we can get to the line without technically stepping over it. Every time sex is mentioned in Scripture it’s ALWAYS in relation to marriage … either as something to be enjoyed and experienced within the context of marriage … OR something of a slippery slope with a world of regret waiting for you at the bottom.
When sex is experienced between two people, there’s a vulnerability that’s shared. And God has created the safest place possible for such vulnerability and intimacy to be shared … and that is within marriage. It’s not that God doesn’t want us to have fun. It’s not that God wants to stifle, but God knows what’s best. And it’s our job to trust him and honor Him. Period.
5. IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN AGAIN
This may not sound like a guardrail, but it may be the most important guardrail you establish in your life. Here’s why … no matter where you’ve been, what you’ve done, what’s been done TO you, it’s never too late to begin again. In Christ, there is no condemnation. There is peace, joy, life, forgiveness, and new beginnings.
For someone that means that, even though you’ve been sexually active since the time you started following Christ, you can draw a line, establish a guardrail, and decide to honor God with your body from this point on. Today can be your new beginning.
For someone else, maybe you’re living with your significant other, and you know that with as good of intentions as you may have of remaining sexually pure together, sleeping in the same bed, living under the same roof certainly isn’t going to help your cause. Sometimes when we separate ourselves from these kinds of circumstances for the moment, there is just enough space created for God to supernaturally work in our hearts, heal us, restore us … and the intimacy gained will be far greater, between you and your significant other, and between you and God, than ever before.
Bottom line, most of us have made plenty of sexual mistakes. Most of us carry with us guilt from past sexual experiences. And, if we’re honest, it’s really not all that easy to remain sexually pure in this culture. BUT, IF we are intentional, IF we have accountability, and IF we establish guardrails to protect and direct us, we CAN honor God … we CAN remain pure. And I can promise you this … no one has EVER regretted establishing these kinds of guardrails … but a lot of people HAVE regretted NOT establishing guardrails BEFORE it was too late.