HOW TO CONTROL SEXUAL PASSIONS

CONTROLLING SEXUAL PASSIONS

SCRIPTURE READING: Galatians 5:16-25

Gal.5.16 - So I advise you to live according to your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves.

Gal.5.17 - The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.

Gal.5.18 - But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.

Gal.5.19 - When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure,

Gal.5.20 - idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group,

Gal.5.21 - envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Gal.5.22 - But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Gal.5.23 - gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.

Gal.5.24 - Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.

Gal.5.25 - If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

Sexual passions are normal with people. It is not sinful in itself but how it is handled makes it sinful or not. Sexual tension can be very disastrous if it is not controlled. In todays reading, Paul admonishes the Galatians to walk in the Spirit and they will not gratify the desires of the flesh. The works of the flesh includes sexual immorality. One of the fruit of the Spirit which is an antidote to sexual immorality is self-control. Sexual sins do not happen out of the blue. It starts with a small flame of lust. It begins with a thought that goes uncontested and nurtures into a fantasy and gradually into an act. It is up to the individual to arrest such feelings and bring it under control.

Self-control is the power we have over exciting and evil passions of all kinds. It denotes the self-rule which a man has over the evil propensities of his nature. The influence of the Holy Spirit helps one to restrain their passions, and to subdue all inordinate affections. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:27, "But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified". Sexual immorality is a battle for all but we have the power to win this battle if we decide to. To overcome sexual immorality, we must try to avoid tempting situations, watch your thoughts, set boundaries surrounding your phone, computer and TV, avoid pornography, get an accountability partner, choose your friends wisely and redirect sexual passions to positive acts such as prayer and studying the word of God consistently your as well as other hobbies.

MEMORIZATION

_1 Corinthians 6:18 (NKJV)—"Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body"

PRAYER: GUIDE

Lord grant me the grace to control my sexual temptations.