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One lie from Satan has tricked most men out there: Single guys cannot live lives of sexual purity. The trend among men in America amplifies that lie. But here’s the truth: We do not have to wait until we’re married to get our sexual desires under control!
Another lie is that singleness is a rule-free time of experimentation. However, those experiments can cost you your dreams and even your life. At the very least, they will quench your fire and stifle your effectiveness for the Lord. Who wants to tell someone about Jesus when they feel so rotten over the sexual sin they were involved with the night before?
David laments of the same problem in Psalm 51. He is broken over sexual sin: adultery with Bathsheba. After acknowledging his sin and asking God for mercy and cleansing (vv 1-7,) he asks for God to renew his spirit and restore his joy (vv 8-12.) “Then,” he says in verse 13, “I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.” As soon as God cleansed him of the guilt of sin and revived him, David was ready for ministry.
This has been my story as well. Throughout my adolescence, sexual sin racked my mind and my heart daily and was manifested in devastating ways in my life, the worst being a marred relationship with my Savior.
I tried a thousand different approaches to tackle this sin, but nothing worked. Then one day I became fed up with it, but rather than myself, I turned to the Word of God for the answer. I learned that this struggle would continue all my life, even if I get married some day, and I need to learn to fight for the long-haul. I applied verses like Psalm 119:9 and 11 and 2 Timothy 2:22 to my life, and I declared war on sexual sin. Relying on Christ for strength and direction, the victory I have experienced since then has been real and lasting.
Many other single guys have shared with me their stories of triumph over temptation as well, and there are some definite trends in the things that facilitate their victory. A rich relationship with Christ that includes daily surrender in prayer and a hunger for and careful study of God’s Word is critical. Also, building strong, affirming friendships with other guys that will encourage us and keep us accountable is essential, because loneliness is as big a contributor to sexual sin as is lust. There are many other weapons to help us wage this war that are discussed in Sex and the Single Guy.
It’s time to commit your sexual life to the Lord. Let’s live pure and holy lives, consecrated and set apart so our heavenly Father can use us more than we ever dreamed. God is moving, guys. He’s asking who will join Him. Will we follow our Father, or will we indulge our flesh? We can do only one—we’ve got to make a choice.
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