Each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable. (1 Thess. 4:4)
AS A WRITER, I spend a lot of time on the Internet. Following a conversation with a friend whose marriage broke up as a result of online pornography, I installed a program on my computer to guard me or anyone else from ever following a link into some dark area. I would never do it deliberately, but we live in an impure world. We have to safeguard ourselves and our families.
Next time you’re at the checkout of the supermarket, take a look at the magazines on display. Then think what the suggestive photographs and headings are doing to the small children, the testosterone-loaded young men, or even the married adults who don’t hold their sexual appetites under control.
God’s Word is clear. Learn to control your “own body in a way that is holy.” How do we learn to do that? We remember that God’s Holy Spirit is dwelling within us for just such a purpose—to provide us the means and way of escape. We belong to Him, and He dwells within us. Just imagine how differently we would respond if we acknowledged and practiced the presence of Christ any time we encounter such temptation. When we are in close relationship with Him, He will keep us away from places and circumstances where we know God is dishonored.
He might even help us find, and use, the TV off-switch, or put a guard on our computers.
Ask God to help you control your body and your mind today.
Shirley Corder is a registered nurse, pastor’s wife, and cancer survivor. She lives with her husband near the sea in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
