Scripture reminds us in 1 Peter 5:8 to… “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Among demonic practices that are subtly getting a chokehold on the lives of men, few rival masturbation and pornography.
These are agents let lose by the wicked one to steer men away from God.
They are meant to hold people in bondage preventing them from living a victorious life.
So many of us (including myself) have fallen prey but God’s been good and He’s set us free.
Scripture gives us nuggets and wisdom about how we can maneuver these waters by the help of the Holy Spirit.
Among many passages, the book of Daniel stands out for me.
1. RESOLVE
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Daniel 1:8 NIV
https://daniel.bible/daniel-1-8
“I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.
Job 31:1 NIV
https://job.bible/job-31-1
Both Daniel and Job point us towards our hearts. Sin is ultimately an issue of the heart. Daniel and his friends were young men from Judah who had been taken hostage by Babylonians. These devout men knew where they were going to. They knew that Babylon was the sit of sin. They knew that they would be lured into sins of all kinds. But they had an ace up their sleeve…a resolve. You and I have it too. We can resolve before hand not to engage in sin (pornography and masturbation included). The food they were to be fed on was the choicest. In fact, they could justify eating it because it was the best. But it was also defiled. Are there practices at our workplaces, in our families, among our friends that defile us? We can resolve not engage in them even though they seem OK. Job puts it differently. He makes a covenant with his eyes not to look lustfully at any woman. In our days when sexism is elevated, it seems nearly impossible not to see women as sexual tools. But it starts with a resolve. It starts with how we choose to condition our minds. Romans talks of being transformed by the renewal of the mind. We must be willing to allow God’s Spirit to lead us away from sin. And that begins with a resolve before hand.
2. ACCOUNTABILITY
Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.”
Daniel 1:11-13 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/dan.1.11-13.NIV
We see mention of three other personalities other than Daniel here. His three friends played a crucial role of support and solidarity. They speak of fellowship…a band of brothers who hold each other accountable. But they are also a testament that God answers prayers. Imagine the awe in the faces of the Babylonian guards when they saw all of them healthy after a diet of vegetables. Who are my band of brothers? Whom do I run to for support and encouragement? Daniel’s friends weren’t just a one time fellowship event but a lifelong partnership. People who stood together in faith even if it displeased others. Remember when they pulled a fast one on Nebuchadnezzar in the plains when he demanded they worship the image? A fellowship of brethren is not only an accountability place but a sanctuary where we can solidify our resolve not to sin. I can only imagine a man struggling with sexual sin sharing his struggles with a group of well meaning brothers. They will band around him and support him in doing good.
3. ACTION
So he agreed to this and tested them for ten days.
Daniel 1:14 NIV
https://daniel.bible/daniel-1-14
Resolve and support make zero sense without action. Daniel and his friends made it clear that the won’t eat of the defiled food and they actually did not partake of it. Freedom from sexual sin is only complete when we take practical steps away from anything that lures us to sin. Is it the internet? Get a cheap phone. Is it social media? Take a media break. Is it programs on TV? Stop watching it. Saying no to sin means taking radical steps to disconnect from anything that appears to lure us towards it. Daniel and his friends refused royal food. They took a step to reject what would defile them. We can also do the same with things that lure us into sexual sin.
4. ENLARGEMENT
At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.
Daniel 1:15-16 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/dan.1.15-16.NIV
When we walk in obedience, God always responds. Daniel and his friends obeyed God. They put themselves through inconvenience. And God responded by answering their prayer. We see a more significant step of faith in verses ahead when they refused to bow down to an idol. The result was being thrown into a furnace. And yet again God responded. When we say no to sexual sin, God responds in ways we cannot understand. The story of Joseph of Genesis is a masterpiece in this regard. His rejection of sin led him into a pit. For a moment one wonders why God allows a good man to be punished for choosing not to do wrong. But God had the big picture laid out infront of Him. He would elevate his status to become the Prime Minister of Egypt. He would respond to him in a great way. God also responded to Daniel and his friends. Instead of them growing thinner, they grew healthier in a diet of greens. If we choose to obey God, He’ll come through for us in ways we cannot understand.
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
1 Corinthians 6:18 NIV
https://1corinthians.bible/1-corinthians-6-18
LIFE SCRIPTS 
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