Bimbo Odukoya - Overcoming Masturbation

OVERCOMING MASTURBATION

OVERCOMINGMASTRUBATION

(LIVING FREESERIES)

BIMBO ODUKOYA

Published by GraceSprings Africa Publishers

P.O. Box 698,Shomolu

Lagos, Nigeria

Tel: +234 (0)802 0555617

Website:www.gracespringsafrica.org

Email:info@gracespringsafrica.org

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2006 BimboOdukoya

Scripture quotationsare taken from:

The Holy Bible, NewKing James Version (NKJV)

1984 by Thomas NelsonInc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

This eBook is licensedfor your personal enjoyment only. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, resold or transmitted in any form.

The greatest use ofa life is to spend on something that will outlast it. WilliamJames

There is nogainsaying the fact that this jewel of inestimable value, PastorBimbo Odukoya, (September 1960- December 2005) lived her life inthe service of her Master Jesus Christ and humanity. And this shedid conscientiously until she breathed her last.

Shortly after hertranslation to glory on December 10 2005, the Pastor Bimbo Odukoya(PBO) Foundation was formally inaugurated to immortalize herachievements and continue the work she started.

One of theresponsibilities of the Foundation is to dig into the archives andmake her messages available to all who desire a lastingrelationship with God and in their marriages, and also to documentthem for posterity. This book is part of the result of the effortsto achieve this worthy goal!

Be blessed as youread.

Pastor TaiwoOdukoya

Senior Pastor, TheFountain of Life Church

I never reallyenjoyed sex much says Phyllis. I had sex because I could not finda guy who would date me without it. I endured it but I never foundit pleasurable. I used to fake orgasms so that my boyfriends wouldlet me be. The only time I had pleasure was when I masturbated. Istarted masturbating when I was thirteen years old.

As a child I wasan avid reader. I read all kinds of literature, romance, sciencefiction, newspapers, magazines, detective and spy novels; anythingI could lay my hands on. My father encouraged me to read and as aresult I had a very sharp mind and I was also very bright inschool. I was easily one of the best students at any level when Iwas in school. However, my father could not censor everything Iread though he tried. There were some books that I used to hideunder my mattress and read only when everyone was out of the roomor asleep since I shared a room with my sisters. Some of thesebooks were pornographic.

As I read them,the desire for sex began to build up in me and since I knew that myfather would kill me if he knew I had a boyfriend, I decidedinstead to experiment by myself. At the time I did not know thatwhat I was doing was called masturbation. I thought it washarmless; after all I was a virgin!

I completed mysecondary education and went on to study medicine at university. Ikept masturbating all this time even though I had a boyfriend. Myboyfriend never suspected anything. I pretended that I enjoyed sexwith him, but I did not. If I had to spend the night with him, Iwould wait for him to go to sleep, and then I would masturbate.

Then one day, Imet with the Lord and gave my life to Jesus Christ. I learnt a lotfrom attending the young converts' classes. One of the things Ilearnt was that fornication was a sin and that as single Christianswe were to abstain from sex until we were married. I realized laterthat this was a major struggle for many young Christians, but forme it was not a problem because I had never enjoyed sexualintercourse anyway. I only participated in it because of myboyfriend.

However I keptmasturbating. It never occurred to me that it was wrong. For manyyears after I gave my life to Christ I was still under this bondageuntil I heard the teaching of Pastor `Bimbo Odukoya and listened tothe comments of people who were under this bondage. It was that dayI realized that what I was doing was wrong and that I was under thebondage of Satan and that I needed help!

Deliverance wasnot easy for me, since it had become a lifestyle and habit for me.I would stop for some weeks and then I would fall again and, on andon it went until finally God helped me through. Today, I standclean and totally delivered from masturbation. My spiritual lifehas not been the same ever since this little fox left my life!

Thank youJesus!

Masturbation isthe excitation of the sexual organs by oneself, often to the pointof an orgasm. It also includes the use of sex toys. Masturbationand sexual intercourse are highly common sexual practices, but theyare not mutually exclusive (some people, even married couples, getaroused sexually by watching their partner masturbate). There arepeople who are only able to achieve orgasm through masturbation andnot sexual intercourse. It is therefore a complex phenomenon.

Masturbation isperhaps one of the most debated and least resolved sexual subjectsin the Church today. The views and opinions about masturbation, itseffects and consequences (especially spiritually) have beenswirling through the Church from time immemorial.

In reality,masturbation is a grey area in the Bible. The word masturbationdoes not appear in the Bible, nor does the Bible imply or hintabout the act of masturbation. However, the Bible deals in somedepth with sexual immorality and perversions. Since the scripturesare silent about it, what should our approach be? Should it be anapproved practice or should we simply ignore it and allow people toform their own conclusions about? What is the effect ofmasturbation on our spirit and relationship with God? Does itpromote intimacy with God or does it inhibit fellowship?

Dealing Withthe Grey Areas

One of the majorbeauties of our faith is that God did not leave us alone when Jesuswent back to heaven. God in his infinite wisdom knew that we wouldbe faced with decisions on issues which may not have been plainlyaddressed in the Bible. Our God is not the author of confusion ordiscord and so does not intend for us to be uncertain of ourhandling of those grey areas. It is for this reason that He sent usthe Holy Spirit to guide and help us in our Christian walk anddecisions!

In my study andresearch on this topic, I have come across the works of several menand women - Christians and non-Christians alike. Although apersuasive and seemingly good case can be made by those who are insupport of masturbation, their arguments ultimately crumble whenplaced side by side with God's standard for holiness andpurity!

A good case is notnecessarily a God-case. Over the centuries mankind has made themistake of equating their thoughts and ways with those of God. Butthis can never be. While it is true that we were made in His image,we must never forget that God's ways are different from ours. Asthe Bible says in Isaiah 55:8-9:

For my thoughtsare not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith theLord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my wayshigher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

In essence, whatis widely accepted or practiced by man is not necessarily approvedof by God. This is the mistake many people make; they equate manwith God. But in order to walk in His will, we must seek first todecipher and understand His perspective. God's standards have notchanged and will never change.