It seems the M words are the ones that bring most debates for Christians. Music. Money. Movies. Mini-skirts. Michelob. The Magic Kingdom and Mickey Mouse. Marlboros. Marijuana.
A word I see great division in regarding Christians today is this M word. Masturbation.
IF you don’t know what this is, good. Don’t google it, don’t get involved with it, don’t study it. If you are reading this and you are a male, you likely have had a struggle with it. And you likely want some help either avoiding it or figuring out a way to do it so you don’t feel guilty.
I think why this is so out of control today is because it is taught to the world today to be a normal practice you must do or you will go crazy. We live in a sex crazed generation where there are innuendos even in the G-rated kids movies. Commercials today are more vulgur than the dirtiest of movies 100 years ago. Ads from Kohl’s and JC Penny model women in their underwear and you can find half naked women jogging on the road, see ads soliciting strip clubs on billboards, and find hard core sex at the punch of a button on your private cell phone. If you aren’t looking for trouble, it will easily find you today and woo you and won’t let up. It is very easy to feel like you can’t take much more. The M word promises instant gratification for these reved up desires. And today, many Christian leaders encourage this practice to curb the appetite.
The question we should always ask is BUT IS THIS BIBLICAL?
The answer I get from Christians today about anything they want to justify is this. The bible doesn’t mention it. Yes, the bible never says THOU Shalt NOT MASTURBATE. But the bible doesn’t say, Don’t smoke Crack. Don’t put a loaded gun to your head. Don’t toss midgets onto a busy highway. Don’t eat arsenic. Don’t engage in road rage. Don’t tip cows. Don’t inhale carbon monoxide. However, if we want to honestly know what the bible says about a topic, we can find an honest answer. If we know we aren’t going to like the answer, we can say the bible doesn’t mention it, and keep enjoying our pet sins.
I am going to try and shed some light on this — and maybe you will agree with me or not. I honestly think if we search the scriptures the bible says we are to crucify the flesh and deny ourselves and if we still can’t then we marry instead of burning.
However, I think it is far easier to starve the flesh then to come into marriage with your flesh out of control, expecting to have your needs met and fulfilled. First, marriage will open a whole other can of worms. Second, in marriage, you are to put your spouse’s needs ahead of yours. The complexities of marriage, health, being worn out if you have children, etc will cause most couples to struggle to find a regular romantic life. If you are the exception, praise God.
But what I want you to take from this is get victory when you are single or marriage will expose and compound these problems. And best case, your marriage will suffer because she will sense your heart is not all hers, and worst case you will be in porn or adultery because you will think you have a right to have your needs met however you have to meet them.
However, I believe the bible says for us to no matter what we can rationalize, no matter how unfair it seems, no matter what we face, to not give into the lusts of the flesh. I have struggled when I was single, but I could just as easily struggle when married, if not more. The only time that I honestly didn’t struggle in this area was back when I was single, and I had the best and closest walk with JESUS Christ where I had 6 months of celibacy and there really wasn’t a desire.
And the only reason I didn’t go longer was because I got a hold of teachings like those above that justified sin and said if you aren’t lusting, enjoy! So the devil whispered in my ear that God was withholding from me and I was never going to get married, and what is the harm? And that is the voice of many so-called Christian leaders.
That is wicked, ear tickling theology and it will lead you down a path you don’t want to go because the FLESH CAN NEVER GET ENOUGH. The bible answer is to starve the flesh. You don’t put out a fire by pouring gasoline on it. The lust of your flesh is a fire. I know that is not the answer you want to hear, but you will hear from others who have a strong walk with God that it is possible to get victory.
Honestly, do you think Paul masturbated? Do you think JESUS did? Do you think 100 years ago men had this problem like today, especially Christian men? Or could today’s lust-driven go-and-do-what-pleases-you you-deserve-a-break-today mentality where we get our instruction from the Love Boat and NOT the LOVE BOOK (The bible) be more of what is driving our decisions?
1 Thessalonians Chapter 4
1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.
2 For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;
5 Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God:
Yes, no pun intended, masturbation has gotten out of hand.
If you listen to modern christianity and modern psychology, and your feelings, yes, there’s not much hope but to given in and indulge and not feel guilty.
IF you listen to the bible and God, soberly and honestly, you can see it is selfishness and hence it is sin. And you then can repent and get victory over it.
Psalm 16:11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
The world says instead, pleasures are in the palm of your hand.
Who is right? Jesus or the world?
IF we are being honest and crying out to JESUS, we will honestly see God never lies. Or lets us down.