In some ways I believe we have to be tougher than King David. Before you write me off as having lost my mind, hear me out first. Yes, we have all read the great life story of the king who is called a man after God’s own heart. We know about the key of David and the sure mercies of David. Many of you are thinking that you could never even come close to being like David as far as toughness goes. When you think about him living in a cave, faking insanity, running from Saul, dropping Goliath like a bag of dirty laundry, kicking Philistine butt all over the land and instilling the fear of God in all foes, it is hard to imagine that modern day Christian men have to be tougher than David in any aspect of life. But it’s true. Think about something.
We all know the story of his affair with Bathsheba and subsequent results. And I do not want to throw David under the bus because I have also made serious sin based choices in the past just like that one. But here is David walking on the roof and he spots a nude Bathsheba bathing. After the lust was finished he had done the deed. It is a great example of what happens to God’s men if they don’t control their thought life. But in that respect we have it significantly tougher than David. He was exposed to one lust based temptation and he fell. We are exposed to dozens of them daily.
If David had access to “Girls Gone Wild” on a regular basis, would he have made more bad decisions? If every time David was at the beach he was exposed to ladies in thong bikinis, would he have been strong? If every market place was filled with scantily clad girls, or every road adorned with billboards of sexy ladies advertising products nobody needs, could he have defeated the visual onslaught?
My good friend Scott is pissed. He is finally getting to the point of anger where sex and lust is concerned. Men can’t watch any television without being mentally attacked with “sex sells” type of images. We can’t go to a movie that is any good without having the plot interjected with hook-ups, adultery, or gratuitous nudity. We can’t even watch a sporting event without close ups of cheerleaders or “wardrobe malfunctions”. Scott is a warrior for God. And he is mad because he realizes that we are at war, and the battleground is the mind. Our enemy knows that we are sexual men who are visually stimulated. And he is the master at throwing that bait out to fish for those who are having a weak moment.
If David had the Internet, would he have clicked on a picture of Bathsheba, and then called a number to order her services? We do, more then Christian men are willing to admit.
A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event.
Maybe we are not so unlike King David. This might be why he spent most of the Psalms crying out for the salvation and deliverance of God.David, despite his faults is known as a victor and a king forever. And we also have been called kings and priests of our God, just like our brother David.
Be strong my brothers! God knows who we are…and where we are. He knows out thoughts and struggles. He brings the secret things to light, whether they are good or evil. And our God is for us!
