Trunk, Branches, Twigs: A Basic Roadmap for Overcoming Sexual Sin

With practice, people can weed the garden of their hearts with God so that there are fewer and fewer sexual fantasies 'married' to naked desire. Once people learn to experience sexual desire without automatically drowning in sexual fantasy, there can be an enormous drop in this sort of unconstructive thought.

1 Thessalonians 4:4 - King James Version (KJV) <4> That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

Sins are each like trees, and once we have learned to shun the trunk of those trees then God will certainly bring the branches to our attention. Once we have learned to overcome these, then He will bring the twigs to our attention. Everything is done in proper order and in a way appropriate to the particular person.

Someone who has stopped murdering may yet need to learn how to gentle their tongues. Someone who has learned how to gentle their tongues may yet need to learn how to stop hating/murdering in their hearts. Someone who has stopped outright hating in their hearts may yet need to learn how not to look down on people and groups. Someone who has learned not to be contemptuous and dismissive may yet need to learn how not to feed unflattering thoughts or resent someone for making work for them.

The same is true of sexual sin. The person who has stopped adultery may yet be sleeping around. The person who has stopped sleeping around may yet be looking at porn. The person who has stopped looking at porn may yet be fantasising in such a manner as breaks the commandment against not only adultery in one's heart but even fornication in one's heart. "For whoremongers and adulterers God will judge."

Until recently, one had enormous difficulty with these internal breakages of the commandment against unclean thoughts and it troubled me greatly. And then something happened: the fantasies were separated from desire. Since then, one's thoughts have been almost free of this problem, and it feels -- no matter how strange this sounds -- great! A noxious thorn has been plucked out.

Let no one wallow in guilt. God does not want unconstructive guilt. Wherever you are, apply yourself determinedly to mastering the stage where you are. Those who shun porn experience a noticeable drop in total incidence of unclean thoughts. Those who shun internal fantasies can experience, as stated, as great a drop again. But if you again look at porn or sleep around, then it strengthens the hold of sexual sin and delays your arrival at keeping the commandment not only with your hand but with your forehead, not only in your actions but in your thoughts. Just as you do not want to pour gasoline on a campfire, so do you not want to pour porn and deliberate fantasising on your heart.

Godspeed.

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