How can I guard against sexual lust when I am traveling on business? It is at these times--when I'm alone and in an unfamiliar city--that I find myself surrounded by pornographic magazines at airport newsstands and by X-rated movies on television in my hotel room. Can you give me some suggestions on ways I can resist the temptation to indulge in these readily available magazines and movies?

We are created in the image of God, so we are created to be in relationship with God and with each other. That means that the sexual relationship between a human couple is more than just the physical act that we see animals engage in.

As humans, we have the capacity to think, to verbalize and to have mental pictures or images. These mental images may include fantasies in which we picture sexual activities. It's not the fact that we have these images, but the content of these mental images that can cause us to violate God's standard for us.

The Bible teaches that we are not to lust after something that is not ours. It also teaches that what we put into our minds influences who we become. Jesus said that if a man even looks at a woman (other than his wife) with the intent to be with her sexually, he has committed adultery. We do not understand that to mean that a man will never find other women attractive. Rather, we are to limit how we respond to those natural attractions by controlling both our thoughts and our actions.

Yes, it's true that our world bombards us with sexual images. But it is our choice whether to pursue these images or resist them. We can choose not to turn on the X-rated movie in the hotel room. And we can choose not to look at the pornographic magazines at the airport newsstand. If a person doesn't have control over those behaviors, then he has a sexual addiction.

So how can we keep our mental life pure? First, we fill our sexual thoughts with creative pictures of sexual activity with our spouse. Then we keep our sexual relationship with our spouse alive. Further, we deliberately avoid the sexually explicit material of the newsstand or the television. Instead, we read healthy sexual material with our mate. And we make ourselves accountable to someone if we aren't able to control the situation by ourselves.

None of these things is easy. They all take discipline. But they are essential if we are to maintain a pure thought life and a healthy, fulfilling sex life with our mate.

For Further Exploration:
The Married Guy's Guide to Great Sex

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