If you’re stuck in some area of your life (sexual or otherwise), it might be because of shame. Shame has an unrivalled ability to derail progress and hinder growth, and . . . it’s sneaky. It can come so subtly that often you don’t even realize it’s there. Shame’s primary message goes something like this: You are uniquely defective. Take a look at those words for just a moment. Is there any area...
Sorry, Eyes
A pen is designed to write. A book to be read. A violin to play music. A pen can also punch a hole in a watermelon. A book can work as a decent footstool. And in a pinch, a violin would make fine kindling. Likewise, eyes can lust. But they’re not designed to. If you struggle with lust, you need to know this. Your eyes aren’t the problem. Christ came to condemn sin in your eyes, not to condemn...
Unfit for Man
How often do you see men depicted in contemporary media who successfully resist when tempted sexually? Examples are rare, but I’ll bet most of us can think of at least a few. Now what about depictions of men turning away from an opportunity to lust? Examples are nearly non-existent. The man always turns to see what he’s not invited to, to steal a glance, to take a peek, even to let his eyes...
Weighty, Wonderful Freedom
God put freedom in our DNA. We feel it when we look out over the ocean. Or when we can’t see over the prison wall. But if I’m honest with myself, I’m not always happy with how far God goes with this gift of freedom. Freedom means any number of possible outcomes, and they’re not all good. “God, do you see what’s happening down here? Could you scale back on the freedom just a bit, please?” As a...
Necessary Nakedness
One of our greatest and deepest human needs is to be naked. We were not created to hide ourselves, whether behind clothes, possessions, achievements, or titles. Nor were we made to hide behind silence, small talk, anger, a smile, or busyness. We were made to be naked and unashamed, yet in this fallen world, we also know instinctively we need to be clothed, to be covered somehow. We’re not in Eden...
Pure What?
Before I came to Regeneration, my accountability partners and I regularly talked about pursuing purity. Interestingly, though, none of us ever asked what exactly we meant. What I was after was a complete absence of sexual sin. That was my definition of purity. I’d say something very different today. (As a matter of fact, I’m about to.) Purity is not primarily about an absence of something sinful...
