Reasons to avoid sexual immorality

[Man of Steel]

10 Reasons to Avoid Sexual Immorality
MARCH 3, 2014 BY PETER KROL

http://www.knowableword.com/2014/03/03/10-reasons-to-avoid-sexual-immorality/

Easy sex will keep you from being wise.

To make this point, Solomon lists ten consequences of sexual immorality in Proverbs 6:24-35. Before reading my list, I urge you to read the passage yourself and see how many consequences you can observe. Perhaps making your own list will help you to remember these things when you face temptation.

1. You’ll participate in evil

To preserve you from the evil woman,
from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. (Prov 6:24, ESV)

Immorality is evil, and temptation is an invitation to do evil. But wisdom preserves the wise from evil. When you believe the smooth and deceitful promises of immorality, you choose guilt by association: You are now evil as well.

2. Your desire will take you captive

Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes. (Prov 6:25)

Victor Casale (2012), Creative Commons
Victor Casale (2012), Creative Commons
It was for freedom that Christ has set you free, but immorality seeks to enslave you. Capitulation will become easier and easier. Resistance will become more and more difficult. Far better for you to rid your heart of these fantasies while you can.

3. You’ll lose everything

For the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life. (Prov 6:26)

The cost begins low: only a loaf of bread. But with diminishing returns, you’ll need to give more and more until your very life is forfeit. Immorality hooks you while it’s cheap. A glance here, a touch there. But before you know it, you can’t sleep without sexual release. You simply can’t keep your hands off, and you’ll lose everything in the process.

4. Your punishment is inevitable

Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished. (Prov 6:27-29)

You can’t tinker with immorality and hope to escape. You may be able to cover it up for a time, but you will eventually be found out. God sees everything, and he is a consuming fire.

5. You can’t repay what you’ve stolen

People do not despise a thief if he steals
to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,
but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;
he will give all the goods of his house…
[A jealous husband] will accept no compensation;
he will refuse though you multiply gifts. (Prov 6:30-31, 35)

The point is not to justify theft, but to condemn sexual immorality. People can understand a thief’s motives, though they still make him repay what he stole. How much less will they understand you when they find you out?

Perhaps you rob your present or future spouse of your best love and attention. Maybe you steal someone’s innocence. Or perhaps you continue supporting the horrific porn industry, which destroys young women and holds them captive. Pictures are never harmless; we must not lie to ourselves.

6. You’ll lack sense

He who commits adultery lacks sense. (Prov 6:32a)

There goes wisdom and, along with it, life and peace and satisfaction and joy.

7. You’ll destroy yourself

He who does it destroys himself. (Prov 6:32b)

We do it because it feels good. But, like an alcoholic who destroys his liver, or a smoker who disregards his lungs, we kill ourselves with good feelings. Easy sex is all about self-gratification, but Jesus said that he who loves himself loses himself. Wisdom pierces these feelings to find the truth.

8. You’ll create your own wounds

He will get wounds… (Prov 6:33)

It’s like touching a hot stove. Or using credit cards to spend money you don’t have. Or picking a scab. Or playing hopscotch on the interstate. You’ll hurt for it later, and you’ll have brought the hurt on yourself.

9. You’ll find dishonor and disgrace

He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away. (Prov 6:33)

You set yourself up for constant reproach and a bad name. You’ll always be that guy who ran off with the girl and ruined a good thing (family, ministry, career, etc.).

10. You’ll lose every time

For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge. (Prov 6:34)

Sexual immorality rightly infuriates. Jealous husbands will not spare on the day of revenge.

But what if your immorality doesn’t involve seducing a married person? Then there’s no jealousy to fear, right? “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom 12:19). Remember that God, the Great Husband, has a special place in his heart for those with no human protectors. Can you watch your back when it comes to him?

If, like me, you have already failed in the sexual realm, take heart and remember there’s always hope in Christ. He provides a way out. This list is not to consign you forever to guilt and punishment, but to warn you from future folly.

[avxo]

Easy sex will keep you from being wise.

What does sex have to do with wisdom?

3. You’ll lose everything

For the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,
but a married woman hunts down a precious life. (Prov 6:26)

The cost begins low: only a loaf of bread. But with diminishing returns, you’ll need to give more and more until your very life is forfeit. Immorality hooks you while it’s cheap. A glance here, a touch there. But before you know it, you can’t sleep without sexual release. You simply can’t keep your hands off, and you’ll lose everything in the process.

A lot of us are able to enjoy casual sex without becoming addicted and unable to keep our hands off, and end up losing everything in the process. Sounds like Peter Krol is the one with the problem. Maybe he could try to to masturbate a bit?

4. Your punishment is inevitable

Can a man carry fire next to his chest
and his clothes not be burned?
Or can one walk on hot coals
and his feet not be scorched?
So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
none who touches her will go unpunished. (Prov 6:27-29)

Can a man carry fire next to his chest and have his clothes not burn? You betcha! You ignore King David and put on a JEW2 and you can carry a flame until the second coming, no problem.
Can one walk on hot coals and have his feet not be scorched? Of course! People firewalk all the time.

8. You’ll create your own wounds

He will get wounds… (Prov 6:33)

It’s like touching a hot stove. Or using credit cards to spend money you don’t have. Or picking a scab. Or playing hopscotch on the interstate. You’ll hurt for it later, and you’ll have brought the hurt on yourself.

Casual sex is like misusing credit cards and paying 20% interest? I guess if you're the one getting fucked... but this seems like a warning to men and the man is supposed to do the fucking, no?

9. You’ll find dishonor and disgrace

He will get wounds and dishonor,
and his disgrace will not be wiped away. (Prov 6:33)

You set yourself up for constant reproach and a bad name. You’ll always be that guy who ran off with the girl and ruined a good thing (family, ministry, career, etc.).

Peter Krol will always be the guy that wrote the silly article comparing casual sex to scab picking... it's like you can't win!

10. You’ll lose every time

For jealousy makes a man furious,
and he will not spare when he takes revenge. (Prov 6:34)

Sexual immorality rightly infuriates. Jealous husbands will not spare on the day of revenge.

But what if your immorality doesn’t involve seducing a married person? Then there’s no jealousy to fear, right? “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom 12:19). Remember that God, the Great Husband, has a special place in his heart for those with no human protectors. Can you watch your back when it comes to him?

To whom is he a husband? If it's more than one woman then he's a bigamist, which apparently is a big no no. And if you throw in at least a man in the mix, then double rainbow man, double rainbow!

If, like me, you have already failed in the sexual realm, take heart and remember there’s always hope in Christ.

I don't take advice from failures.

He provides a way out. This list is not to consign you forever to guilt and punishment, but to warn you from future folly.

My sarcasm meter exploded when parsing these two sentences... damn you Peter Krol, damn you to hell!

[tbombz]

My professor had us read this short paper as part of one of our studies last week and I thought it would make a good contribution to this thread.





5 Moral Fences

What one pastor does to protect himself from himself
for Christ and for others.

By Dr. James MacDonald


Fact: Some kids like to play "near the edge of the cliff," and some kids don't. I always
did! I thrilled to stand near the point of no return and feel the rush of staring danger in
the face but not backing down. Whether the "edge" was rock jumping into a cool mountain
lake or "bumper jumping," moving cars for a lazy slide down a slippery winter street,
the potential of peril invigorated me.
That was then and this is now! "When I became a man I put away childish things." (I
Cor. 13:11)

I was a pastor in seminary when the moral failures of the late '80's hit the news and they
scared me. In addition to the newsworthy blowouts, I was hearing a shocking number
of similar tragedies from my own circle of pastor/friends. I remember one Sunday night
in 1987 when I cried all the way to church. I was terrified as I asked over and over,
"How does this happen? Could this happen to me? How can I protect myself and my
growing little family from the devastation a moral failure would cause? How can I be
sure my actions will remain pure when men better and stronger than me were falling like
flies?"

As I thought and prayed it through it occurred to me that ministers who fell morally must
have disregarded the final warning signals. I knew they didn't go from spirit-filled to
stepping off the cliff in one day. I knew they must have crashed some social barriers
before their slippage became sexual. I remember wondering where the line was and
how I could make sure I never crossed it. I knew I had to make my decisions early and
my standards public so that others would know when I was "playing near the edge." I
was determined that, by God's grace, I would not take the plunge. In fact, I wanted to
stay as far away from the edge of the cliff as I could, so I decided to set up some
boundaries of behavior.

I called them moral fences. The idea was to set up some standards of conduct that if
never broken would make it impossible for me to fail morally. I remembered back to my
days as a bible college student and thinking how strange it was that our college president
would not give my (young, beautiful) fiancée a ride to our church almost two hours
away when he came to speak. With that in mind, I began to form my list of moral
fences.


1) I will not, under any circumstances, ride alone in a car with a female other
than my wife or an immediate family member.
No lifts home for a church secretary, no baby sitters driven home late at night, no teen
girls in my student ministry, more recently no playmates of my daughters, no exceptions.
 One day I wasted two and a half hours in the American Tire store waiting for my car to
be done while my secretary, only minutes away, could have picked me up so easily.
Recently while speaking out of town, I had to explain to my pastor friend why it "would
not work out for his wife to drive me and meet him over there." It has been awkward at
times but the benefits are obvious. How many pastors commit adultery with someone
they never ride alone in a car with? OK some, but read on.


2) I do not counsel women in a closed room or more than once.
Judging by the stories we all hear it seems like the majority of ministry infidelity begins
through a counseling relationship. No matter what the issue, counseling is a very intimate
activity. When the subject matter itself becomes intimate, counseling the opposite
sex is like playing with fire. When our church was smaller keeping this standard meant
that some women had to seek counsel elsewhere and two or three left our church over
my "fence." I was hurt at first but I think it blessed my wife. As pastors we are supposed
to be training others to do ministry, not hoarding it for ourselves. (Eph. 4:11-13) I
have always felt that my time was better spent training a team of men and women to do
the lighter counseling and then referring those with more complex issues to biblical
counseling centers outside our church. When I cannot avoid a second session with a
woman in our church, I have my wife or another pastor sit in with me. Pretty hard to
commit adultery with someone you never spend time alone with.


3) I do not stay alone in a hotel over night.
I did my doctoral thesis on increasing the incidents of self-disclosure of sin among men.
I have heard more confessions of addiction to various forms of sexual sin than any one
pastor should ever have to hear, and it has changed me. It has left me deeply persuaded
that, "there but for the grace of God, (and some moral fences) go I." I know
myself too well. Lengthy, unaccountable hours with manifold temptations available and
affordable is a recipe for failure. Romans 13:14 instructs us that we are to "make no
provision for the flesh." You think I sound weak? I am! And when I forget that weakness,
I cease to know God's strength. (I Cor. 12:10) When I travel, I travel with someone.
When that is impossible, I stay with a friend. When that is impossible, I do not go.
Period! Early in my ministry that meant there were things I missed out on, more recently
our Elders have agreed to help fund a travel partner for me. If an outside ministry opportunity
is deemed worthwhile, and the ministry cannot afford a second airfare, our
church pays for me to take another pastor or elder, or best of all, my wife.


4) I speak often and publicly of my affection for my wife, when she is present
and when she is not.
No one likes to play the hypocrite any more than they have to. Marriages that are failing
often become silent in public before they become loudly negative. Pastors who resist or
refuse to publicly affirm and appreciate the significant role of a supportive spouse may
be revealing a private deterioration of that relationship. I have close friends who consistently
monitor the way I lead, refer to, and interact with my wife in social and ministry
contexts. It was Bill McCartney who taught that the countenance of a wife is the best
indicator of marital strength. I know some men in our church feel the heat because I am
so publicly wild about my wife of sixteen years, too bad!


5) Compliment the character or the conduct - not the coiffure or the clothing.
I am still working on this one. As our church has grown, and I know a much smaller
percentage of the people who attend here, I have seen the power of a compliment become
a problem. As pastors we love people and want to be an encouragement. Formerly,
if I noticed that Shelly had a new dress or Susan had changed her hair, I would
compliment her on that. I felt it was harmless and if it seemed to meet a need and I
meant it sincerely I thought, "no harm done." More recently I have observed that this
seemingly innocent gesture can have far more impact than I ever intended and potentially
meet a legitimate need that I have no business meeting. Apart from family friendships,
I have been trying to restrict my compliments to character and conduct. I get to
use my gift of encouragement but I focus on the things God is doing in a person's life
and not the externals that can be easily misunderstood.


Setting up the "fence" in public.
The fence is useless if I can take it down any time my sinful heart desires. To make it
work those around me must know what I have committed to myself to and be willing to
confront me if they see a fence broken down. To inform the congregation I periodically
weave the fence into a sermon every couple of years. My most recent example was a
message entitled "Meeting God in Moral Failure." When the message came to the "how
to prevent" part, I simply downloaded the five moral fences to everyone. At the staff
level we require a more detailed list of moral fences. From pastors to ministry leaders,
to custodians and bookstore staff, every paid staff member is regularly held accountable
for this moral code. A former singles pastor found it very difficult not to have lunch alone
with women in his ministry, and often "forgot." That is, until we told him we would "forget"
to pay him if he "forgot" again. Remember, this is not legalism. Legalism is when
we judge another's spirituality based on manmade rules. We are not judging anyone's
heart for the Lord, we are simply reasoning together as to how we can be faithful to our
commitment to Christ.


Above Reproach? Blameless?
Both Timothy and Titus instruct us that those who serve us leaders in Christ's church
must be above reproach or blameless. That is to say, our conduct must be such that it
would be difficult, even for those who oppose our ministry, to bring an accusation
against us. Many a pastor has had their ministry destroyed over spurious accusations,
things that could not be proven false, though they were. I believe our congregation is
comforted in knowing that our ministry team is seeking to protect themselves and the
church from the pain of ministry moral failure. By examining the behaviors that sometimes
lead to moral problems and avoiding them we are embracing the wisdom of Proverbs
4:26 which instructs us to "ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established."
Of course we must not think that the standards in and of themselves are in
any way righteous, they are not. They are only in place as a protection against potentially
overwhelming temptation. As I write this article, personal immorality is the furthest
thing from my mind.


Last summer, we drove through some very high, single-lane mountain passes on a family
vacation. The road was narrow and the drop off was immense. I was very careful! I
hugged the mountain and drove very slowly. I kept my eyes on the road and refused to
look down, but I am still glad the guard rail was there.
Leadership Journal, Summer 1999

[avxo]

What a sad, pathetic, little man this Dr. James MacDonald is... For all his grandiose proclamations that he loves his wife, he's not even able to trust himself to be in close proximity to a fully clothed female during everyday life in situations completely devoid of any sexual tension without having a chaperon around to keep him in check.

[B_B_C]

Holy scriptures seem to be a wonderful hiding place for those unable or unwilling to accept their god given sexuality and sexual capacity

[nzmusclemonster]

The masturbation is strong in this thread.

[Man of Steel]

What does sex have to do with wisdom?


A lot of us are able to enjoy casual sex without becoming addicted and unable to keep our hands off, and end up losing everything in the process. Sounds like Peter Krol is the one with the problem. Maybe he could try to to masturbate a bit?


Can a man carry fire next to his chest and have his clothes not burn? You betcha! You ignore King David and put on a JEW2 and you can carry a flame until the second coming, no problem.
Can one walk on hot coals and have his feet not be scorched? Of course! People firewalk all the time.


Casual sex is like misusing credit cards and paying 20% interest? I guess if you're the one getting fucked... but this seems like a warning to men and the man is supposed to do the fucking, no?


Peter Krol will always be the guy that wrote the silly article comparing casual sex to scab picking... it's like you can't win!


To whom is he a husband? If it's more than one woman then he's a bigamist, which apparently is a big no no. And if you throw in at least a man in the mix, then double rainbow man, double rainbow!


I don't take advice from failures.


My sarcasm meter exploded when parsing these two sentences... damn you Peter Krol, damn you to hell!

The stain of sin still exists because of sexual immorality despite worldly justification for engaging in "harmless", adulterous behavior....sin is sin.

[B_B_C]

[urlhttp://www.ldolphin.org/mormon.html][/url]
Steps In Overcoming Masturbation*
Anonymous author but attributed to Mark E. Petersen
Council of the 12 Apostles
(of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)

NOTE: This article is quoted as a reference in a much longer and more detailed discussion Masturbation and the Bible. Please see the full article for much more information on this subject.
Be assured that you can be cured of your difficulty. Many have been, both male and female, and you can be also if you determine that it must be so.

This determination is the first step. That is where we begin. You must decide that you will end this practice, and when you make that decision, the problem will be greatly reduced at once.

But it must be more than a hope or a wish, more than knowing that it is good for you. It must be actually a decision. If you truly make up your mind that you will be cured, then you will have the strength to resist any tendencies which you may have and any temptations which may come to you. After you have made this decision, then observe the following specific guidelines.

A Guide to Self-Control

    Never touch the intimate parts of your body except during normal toilet processes. Avoid being alone as much as possible. Find good company and stay in this good company.

    If you are associated with other persons having this same problem, you must break off their friendship. Never associate with other people having the same weakness. Don't suppose that two of you will quit together, you never will. You must get away from people of that kind. Just to be in their presence will keep your problem foremost in your mind. The problem must be taken out of your mind for that is where it really exists. Your mind must be on other and more wholesome things.

    When you bathe, do not admire yourself in a mirror. Never stay in the bath more than five or six minutes -- just long enough to bathe and dry and dress and then get out of the bathroom into a room where you will have some member of your family present.

    When in bed, if that is where you have your problem for the most part, dress yourself for the night so securely that you cannot easily touch your vital parts, and so that it would be difficult and time consuming for you to remove those clothes. By the time you started to remove protective clothing you would have sufficiently controlled your thinking that the temptation would leave you.

    If the temptation seems overpowering while you are in bed, get out of bed and go into the kitchen and fix yourself a snack, even if it is in the middle of the night, and even if you are not hungry, and despite your fears of gaining weight. The purpose behind this suggestion is that you get your mind on something else. You are the subject of your thoughts, so to speak.

    Never read pornographic material. Never read about your problem. Keep it out of mind. Remember -- "First a thought, then an act." The thought pattern must be changed. You must not allow this problem to remain in your mind. When you accomplish that, you soon will be free of the act.

    Put wholesome thoughts into your mind at all times. Read good books -- Church books -- Scriptures -- Sermons of the Brethren. Make a daily habit of reading at least one chapter of Scripture, preferably from one of the four Gospels in the New Testament, or the Book of Mormon. The four Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, Luke and John -- above anything else in the Bible can be helpful because of their uplifting qualities.

    Pray. But when you pray, don't pray about this problem, for that will tend to keep it in your mind more than ever. Pray for faith, pray for understanding of the Scriptures, pray for the Missionaries, the General Authorities, your friends, your families, but keep the problem out of your mind by not mentioning it ever -- not in conversation with others, not in your prayers. keep it out of your mind!

The attitude of a person toward his problem has an effect on how easy it is to overcome. It is essential that a firm commitment be made to control the habit. As a person understands his reasons for the behavior, and is sensitive to the conditions or situations that may trigger a desire for the act, he develops the power to control it.

We are taught that our bodies are temples of God, and are to be clean so that the Holy Ghost may dwell within us. Masturbation is a sinful habit that robs one of the Spirit and creates guilt and emotional stress. It is not physically harmful unless practiced in the extreme. It is a habit that is totally self-centered, and secretive, and in no way expresses the proper use of the procreative power given to man to fulfill eternal purposes. It therefore separates a person from God and defeats the gospel plan.

This self-gratifying activity will cause one to lose his self-respect and feel guilty and depressed, which can in the extreme lead to further sinning. As a person feels spiritually unclean, he loses his interest in prayer, his testimony becomes weak, and missionary work and other Church callings become burdensome, offering no joy and limited success.

To help in planning an effective program to overcome the problem a brief explanation is given of how the reproductive organs in a young man function.

The testes in your body are continually producing hundreds of millions of reproductive cells call spermatozoa. These are moved up a tube called the vas deferens to a place called the ampulla where they are mixed with fluids from two membranous pouches called seminal vesicles and the prostate gland. The resultant fluid is called semen. When the seminal vesicles are full a signal is sent to the central nervous system indicating they are ready to be emptied. The rate at which the filling takes place varies greatly from one person to another, depending on such things as diet, exercise, state of health, etc. For some it may be several times a week, for others twice a month and for others, hardly ever.

It is normal for the vesicles to be emptied occasionally at night during sleep. This is called a wet dream. The impulses that cause the emptying come from the central nervous system. Often an erotic dream is experienced at the same time, and is a part of this normal process. If a young man has consistently masturbated instead of letting nature take its course, the reproductive system is operating at a more rapid pace, trying to keep up with the loss of semen. When he stops the habit, the body will continue to produce at this increased rate, for an indefinite period of time, creating sexual tensions and pressure. These are not harmful and are to be endured until the normal central nervous system pathway of release is once again established.

During this period of control several things can be done to make the process easier and more effective.

As one meets with his Priesthood Leader, a program for overcoming masturbation can be implemented using some of the suggestions which follow. Remember it is essential that a regular report program be agreed on, so progress can be recognized and failures understood and eliminated.
Suggestions

    Pray daily, ask for the gifts of the Spirit, that which will strengthen you against temptation. Pray fervently and out lout when the temptations are the strongest.

    Follow a program of vigorous daily exercise. The exercises reduce emotional tension and depression and are absolutely basic to the solution of this problem. Double your physical activity when you feel stress increasing.

    When the temptation to masturbate is strong, yell STOP to those thoughts as loudly as you can in your mind and then recite a prechosen Scripture or sing an inspirational hymn. It is important to turn your thoughts away from the selfish need to indulge.

    Set goals of abstinence, begin with a day, then a week, month, year and finally commit to never doing it again. Until you commit yourself to _never again_ you will always be open to temptation.

    Change in behavior and attitude is most easily achieved through a changed self-image. Spend time every day imagining yourself strong and in control, easily overcoming tempting situations.

    Begin to work daily on a self-improvement program. Relate this plan to improving your Church service, to improving your relationships with your family, God and others. Strive to enhance your strengths and talents.

    Be outgoing and friendly. Force yourself to be with others and learn to enjoy working and talking to them. Use principles of developing friendships found in books such as How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

    Be aware of situations that depress you or that cause you to feel lonely, bored, frustrated or discouraged. These emotional states can trigger the desire to masturbate as a way of escape. Plan in advance to counter these low periods through various activities, such as reading a book, visiting a friend, doing something athletic, etc.

    Make a pocket calendar for a month on a small card. Carry it with you, but show it to no one. If you have a lapse of self control, color the day black. Your goal will be to have no black days. The calendar becomes a strong visual reminder of self control and should be looked at when you are tempted to add another black day. Keep your calendar up until you have at least three clear months.

    A careful study will indicate you have had the problem at certain times and under certain conditions. Try and recall, in detail, what your particular times and conditions were. Now that you understand how it happens, plan to break the pattern through counter activities.

    In the field of psychotherapy there is a very effective technique called aversion therapy. When we associate or think of something very distasteful with something which has been pleasurable, but undesirable, the distasteful thought and feeling will begin to cancel out that which was pleasurable. If you associate something very distasteful with your loss of self-control it will help you to stop the act. For example, if you are tempted to masturbate, think of having to bathe in a tub of worms, and eating several of them as you do the act.

    During your toileting and shower activities leave the bathroom door or shower curtain partly open, to discourage being alone in total privacy. Take cool brief showers.

    Arise immediately in the mornings. Do not lie in bed awake, no matter what time of day it is. Get up and do something. Start each day with an enthusiastic activity.

    Keep your bladder empty. Refrain from drinking large amounts of fluids before retiring.

    Reduce the amount of spices and condiments in your food. Eat as lightly as possible at night.

    Wear pajamas that are difficult to open, yet loose and not binding.

    Avoid people, situations, pictures or reading materials that might create sexual excitement.
    It is sometimes helpful to have a physical object to use in overcoming this problem. A Book of Mormon, firmly held in hand, even in bed at night has proven helpful in extreme cases.

    In very severe cases it may be necessary to tie a hand to the bed frame with a tie in order that the habit of masturbating in a semi-sleep condition can be broken. This can also be accomplished by wearing several layers of clothing which would be difficult to remove while half asleep.

    Set up a reward system for your successes. It does not have to be a big reward. A quarter in a receptacle each time you overcome or reach a goal. Spend it on something which delights you and will be a continuing reminder of your progress.

    Do not let yourself return to any past habit or attitude patterns which were part of your problem. Satan never gives up. Be calmly and confidently on guard. Keep a positive mental attitude. You can win this fight! The joy and strength you will feel when you do will give your whole life a radiant and spiritual glow of satisfaction and fulfillment.

[avxo]

The stain of sin still exists because of sexual immorality despite worldly justification for engaging in "harmless", adulterous behavior....sin is sin.

The hallmark of Chrisianity is to make everything a sin but to offer salvation to any comer. Brilliant marketing strategy.