Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - Paul Washer - How do we fight sexual temptation?

Episode Date: March 8, 2022

Jonny Ardavanis is the Dean of Campus Life at The Master’s University and hosts the podcast Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis. He is passionate about the Gospel and God’s Word and desires to see people understand and obey it. Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis: Big Questions, Biblical Answers, is a series that seeks to provide biblical answers to some of the most prominent and fundamental questions regarding God, the Gospel, and the BibleIn this episode Paul Washer, from HeartCry Missionary Society answers the question: “How do we fight sexual temptation?"Subscribe to stay up to date with each episode! Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, this is Johnny Artavanis and this is Dial In. In this episode, I sit down with Paul Washer, the director of the HeartCry Missionary Society, and ask him the question, what would be your biblical input on how we can fight sexual temptation that seems to wage war against us? Let's Dial In. Paul, thanks for being with us. One of the most common questions I have with young men, students, anybody in general, is on how they can fight sexual temptation. What would be your biblical input on how we can fight temptation that seems to wage war against us? Well, fighting is correct terminology, but we really need to understand it biblically. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2,

now flee youthful lust. So I'm not going out looking for a fight. Following what we see throughout the book of Proverbs, I am going to fear sin. In Genesis, sin is waiting at the door. Its desire is to have you. I am going to fear sin. In Genesis, sin is waiting at the door. Its desire is to have you. I'm going to fear sin. So the first thing I'm going to do is avoid those things that are most likely to trip me up, whether it be media or proximity to another person that may offer temptation. So you want to say, first of all, I don't trust myself.

And so I'm not going to put myself in situations that make me more vulnerable. So that's the first thing, flee youthful lust. The other thing is something that it amazes me that people don't talk about this. You know, James chapter one is the kind of the big book on temptation or the big chapter on temptation. But right after he talks about temptation, people think that automatically he changes to another subject because he says every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the father of lights. And I don't separate that from temptation. Why? Because I believe that the greatest motivation for avoiding temptation and fighting temptation is this, everything that the world, everything that the devil can offer me is a counterfeit

that eventually will become like gravel in my gut. A young man, let's say, he desires a relationship with a young woman. He desires intimacy. That's normal. That's biblical. But he's tempted to go about it the wrong way. What he needs to realize is, hold it. If I go about it this way, it will not turn out to be a good and perfect gift. Also, I need to look back at all the kindnesses of God and also my faith in what God is going to provide. I can take the counterfeit now or I can wait for the better, which God offers. And that's a tremendous motivation that is oftentimes overlooked.

So we need to flee those things and those circumstances that put us in almost a you can't do anything but fail situation. Get away from that. But also look at the goodness of God. Realize that in his sovereignty and his omniscience, he knows that many of our desires that can be perverted are actual in themselves good desires and he has a plan for them. Can you talk just briefly on the extent of what Paul is including when he says, make no provision for the flesh.

You said media, other things that might cause us to be tempted. Talk about the radical nature of no provision. Right. First of all, we need to be careful about that. Why? Because some people say, okay, I'll make no provision for the flesh. And that's true.

But none of this works unless as a life discipline. First of all, we must be regenerate. We must be Christians. You know, you can fight. I know lost people who fight sin and they're not very successful. Secondly, even as a Christian, the foundational thing is renewing my mind in the word of God, that I might know what the will of God is, Romans 12, 1 and 2. So in that, that's the foundation. Now, this thing of making no provision for the flesh

is not just media, computers, being with someone that I'm attracted to in a certain circumstance that make both of us vulnerable, but it's also, and I find this to be one of the most important things. It's that bad company corrupts good morals. When I was in college, people said, you know, that I grew really fast. And there was a reason for it. It wasn't that I was special. God surrounded me with other college students that were godly. I was in a church where righteousness was preached. And so a lot of times you're making a provision for the flesh

by hanging out with people that really do not take sin very seriously, especially immorality. One of the things I always go to is that Christianity is not a lone wolf religion. If I am surrounded by godly men or someone surrounded by godly women, a young lady, that's what we have to have. So if someone comes up to you, Paul, and says, I'm fighting my sin, I'm fleeing temptation, and I know I need to renew my mind. How can I do that? How can my mind be renewed? You know, when it talks about renewing your mind in Romans 12,

it doesn't say renewing your mind with the word. I mean, it's not in there. But we do know from other passages, Psalms, and throughout the Bible, that the greatest way in which we renew our mind is with truth and the only infallible truth is the Bible but it's also talking about renewing our mind in fellowship conversation you know Colossians 3 16 17 renewing our mind with the the music that we listen to the Reformation was advanced through the hymns they they were. And so that's the way we do it. That's the way we do it. So helpful.

Thank you so much. But let me also say this. How do I study the Bible? And yes, there are a lot of ways, but I find that very few people have ever read Matthew to Revelation. I find that there are even fewer people who have read Genesis to Revelation. Just read the Bible through over and over and over. And it will renew us.

Yes. Paul, thank you so much.