Stephen Arterburn - Every Day for Every Man: 365 Readings for Those Engaged in the Battle

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

R OMANS 13:12-14

I n its proper place, maleness is wonderful. Yet our maleness is a major root of sexual sin. So what do we do?

We must choose to be more than male. We must choose manhood.

When our fathers admonished us to be a man about it, they were encouraging us to rise up to a standard of manhood they already understood. They wanted us to fulfill our potential, to rise above our natural tendencies to take the easy way out. When our fathers said, Be a man, they were asking us to be like them.

Our heavenly Father also exhorts us to be men. He wants us to be like Him. When He calls us to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect, Hes asking us to rise above our natural tendencies to impure eyes, fanciful minds, and wandering hearts. His standard of purity doesnt come naturally to us. He calls us to rise up, by the power of His indwelling presence, and get the job done.

Every Mans Battle, page 70

Lord, I want to be a man. I want to be like You. Help me rise above my natural tendencies to Your standard of purity.

I s your marriage a delight to youor is your career the only thing that charges your engines? Do you exist in marriage for your wife, or does she exist for you? What in life is the focus of your greatest passion?

Heres something to think about over the next few days. Ask yourself:

Does your wifes face brighten when you enter the room? Does she rise to greet you with a kiss?

Does she long for your embrace and love to chat with you?

When her dreams have been scattered, is it your heart she seeks or does she turn to her closest friends?

Do you guard her convictions and the treasures of her soul even when shes out of sight?

What kind of answers did you come up with? Is your wife your first love? Is oneness your passion?

Both your passion for oneness and your passion for serving show that you love her. If the passions not there, you need to find it. But if its there, your motives for serving your wife will be true.

Every Mans Marriage, pages 191-92

A ttraction to the female body is a natural, God-given desire. Its natural for you to find a womans beauty tugging at your eyes for attention.

The temptation, however, is to fulfill these desires and attractions in a wrong way and to go beyond a natural and normal outlook. That means viewing a woman more as an extremely interesting collection of body parts rather than as a precious child of God. You know when youre thinking about her mostly as a pair of breasts walking by, and little else.

Were tempted in many wrong ways to play with these natural desires and attractions to women. Obviously, stripping off a womans clothes if she is not your wife is a wrong way, but its just as wrong to stare lustfully at her and fantasize in your mind. Neither practice is any more pure than the other.