Satan loves to get us to go after God’s will in ways God never intended. He knows that righteous goals achieved with unrighteous means are dishonoring to God. Adam and Eve desired to be like God, so they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a righteous goal – God did create man in His own image – but it was sought after in an unrighteous way. Abraham desired to be the father of many nations, as God had promised, but he failed to wait for God’s timing when he slept with Hagar. Moses wanted water for his people, but he struck the rock in his anger and angered the Lord. David sought to honor the Lord by bringing the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, but he tried to carry it on a cart rather than the shoulders of God’s priests. Peter… well, Peter’s three years with Jesus were full of examples.
There must be several dozen examples of this strategy of Satan’s from the pages of Scripture. If it worked so effectively on some of the most godly men in the Bible, you can bet Satan is still using it. In particular, he uses it to tempt us sexually. It works so well, because we want the pleasure of sex without the hard work and commitment required to make sex work in our marriages.
Sexual pleasure is from God. He created it and gave it to us as a gift. Within the confines of marriage, it is beautiful and right, but we’ve found all kinds of ways of getting the gift without the commitment God requires. Pornography and masturbation are two of those ways. God intended for us to get pleasure as we gave pleasure to our wives. He didn’t want us selfishly pleasuring ourselves.
A good friend of mine laughs about one of the first conversations he ever had with our pastor after being led to Christ. Our pastor had been talking with him about sexual purity, and he told my friend that pornography was wrong. That cut right into my friend’s lifestyle at the time. After a moment, he asked our pastor, “Is it still wrong if I watch it with my wife?”
The answer is “yes,” in case you were wondering. God gave you your wife. She’s exactly what you need, and she will be very exciting to you if commit to making her your only sexual outlet. Watching pornography and masturbating are ways to achieve God’s purposes (sexual arousal and release) in an ungodly way. God’s plan for your marriage works. Don’t take shortcuts.
When you accomplish God’s purposes in a way He didn’t intend, you suffer the consequences. Pornography and masturbation can lead to the need for greater and greater stimulation, reduced desire for your wife, difficulty controlling your private thought life and hairy palms (or so I’ve heard). Stay on the path that God set before you.
