✝️ Fight Back: Finding Victory in the Battle for Sexual Integrity

Good morning, my brothers! This week we’re dealing with an issue that most (all) men, even Christian guys, struggle with: sexual sin. It’s been called “Every Man’s Battle.” But we are not defenseless and we are not victims. God has given us powerful weapons to fight - and WIN - this battle. If you know of other men who might benefit from growing in this topic, please forward this issue to them. Let’s lean in and win this battle together. Let’s go!

This week’s manly topics (5-min read):

⚔️ DISCIPLINE God designed men with a powerful sex drive and a visual orientation … very useful for building and protecting families. As is his method of operation, Satan tricks us into mutating these gifts into curses. This week, we learn how we can fight back.
📰  NEWS Lift heavy things to keep your bones from breaking? Deprive yourself food to feel better? Life is full of paradoxes. Let’s explore two of them.
👉 OFFER Internet (and soul) protection service Covenant Eyes offers MTM subscribers a complimentary month of service. See details below lead article.

DISCIPLINE
Fight Back: Finding Victory in the Battle for Sexual Integrity

I can still remember the night. I was in the 6th grade, and a bunch of us were staying at our friend David’s house, doing what 6th-grade boys do—playing games, messing around, and joking with each other.

And then it happened. At about 8 p.m., he had a big surprise that would change my life forever.

David reached under one of the cabinets and brought out a Playboy magazine. It was his older brother’s. For the first time, 12-year-old Will was staring at a naked woman on a magazine page. It was like a jolt of electricity went through my body.

My buddies and I fought to hold the magazine and flip through its pages. It was captivating and intoxicating, and it started a battle against lust and sexual sin that continues to rage.

And I know I’m not alone. Many of you reading this right now battle with lust, pornography, and infidelity. It has caused great pain in your relationships, paralyzed you with shame, and made you feel unworthy of God’s love.

The Battlefield Has Changed

When I was young, sexual sin was at least outwardly taboo. Temptation wasn’t served up everywhere; it was confined to a few magazines. Today, it's omnipresent: billboards, television, and just a click away on our smartphones. Sexual sin has been normalized in our culture.

And our enemy takes pleasure in this. It’s part of his plan to divert Christ-following men from God's best, to discourage us through shame, damage our relationships, and hinder our impact for God’s kingdom. Satan has attempted to twist what God created for good, as he always does.

God’s Design for Sexuality

First, we need to remember that sex, as God designed it, is wonderful. It was part of God’s perfect creation with great purpose when celebrated as intended.

God created sex to be enjoyed in marriage. It represents the oneness in spirit and body between husband and wife. Sex, as God designed it, is an incredible expression of love, joy, and oneness that should be frequently enjoyed in marriage, as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 7:2-5.

The Real Consequences of Sexual Sin

Jesus emphasized the seriousness of lust:

This reveals that lust begins in the heart and mind, not just in actions.

For men today, sexual sin has devastating consequences:

Spiritually: It distances us from God, becomes a form of idolatry by placing our desires ahead of God's will, and diminishes our desire for genuine intimacy with Jesus.

Relationally: It leads to unfair expectations of our wives, dehumanizes women, and breaks the oneness God designed for marriage.

Personally: It quenches the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives, leaves us with paralyzing shame, and distorts our understanding of God's love and grace.

Many of us find ourselves in the place Paul described:

The Path to Victory

Here's the truth: You and I are no longer slaves to sexual sin. We are dead to it as Christ-followers (Romans 6). Through Jesus, we have been given a Helper and powerful weapons to fight—and win—this battle.

Our Arsenal Against Sexual Sin

1. The Holy Spirit

• His leadership is key—fighting in our own strength guarantees failure

• We have God's power living inside us

• Start each day by surrendering your heart, mind, eyes, and actions to Him

2. Biblical Examples

• FLEE like Joseph, who ran from Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:11-12)

• PROTECT your eyes like Job, who made a covenant not to look lustfully (Job 31:1)

• PURSUE intimacy with Christ like Paul, who knew Jesus was enough (Philippians 3:8-11)

3. Scripture

• Memorize key verses: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

• Use God's Word as your sword (Ephesians 6:17)

• Hide Scripture in your heart to fight temptation (Psalm 119:9-11)

4. Brotherhood

• Find one trusted brother to confess to and seek accountability

• Remember that isolation feeds temptation—connection breaks its power

• Be honest about your struggles and victories

5. Practical Tools

• Install filtering software like Covenant Eyes on your devices

• Read resources like Every Man’s Battle (updated 2020 edition)

• Visit NewLife.com for podcasts, conferences, workshops, and counselor referrals

• Consider counseling if the struggle feels overwhelming

Falling Forward

Even with all these weapons, we will stumble. The difference is how we respond when we fail. God's grace is greater than our sin. When we fall, we:

1. Confess immediately to God and a trusted brother

2. Receive forgiveness rather than wallowing in shame

3. Learn from the failure (What triggered it? How can I prepare better?)

4. Get back up and continue the fight

Remember, our identity isn’t defined by our failures but by Christ’s victory. We are sons of God, declared righteous and being transformed.

The Call to Stand Together

Men, it’s time to come out of the shadows, work past the shame, own our sexual sin … and fight back. In the power of the Holy Spirit. For the glory of God. To bless our wives and children. To be available for the victorious life God has planned for us.

As members of the MTM fraternity, let's stand together in prayer this week. Though we don't have a formal way to share personal requests yet, our God knows exactly what each brother is facing. Let's commit to praying daily for one another—that we would experience freedom from sexual sin and walk in the fullness of our identity in Christ.

The battle is real, but so is our brotherhood. And more importantly, so is our God.

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THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB 📣 

Training
“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

• We’ve all heard stories about an elderly relative who falls, fractures a pelvic bone and then passes shortly after. Just because frailty is associated with aging DOES NOT mean it has to be. Resistance training not only keeps muscle strong, it keeps bone strong, too. To stimulate bone growth, you need exercises that create “high-frequency strains”—those rapid, dynamic movements that send growth signals to bone cells. The most effective approach: twice weekly perform 2-3 sets of 8-12 repetitions, starting with lighter weights and gradually increasing each week. Focus on exercises that target hip and spine muscles like weighted lunges, squats, and deadlifts. Technique is far more important than weight when starting—ensuring strength and flexibility gains without injury. Invest in bone health today to maintain your independence tomorrow. Courtesy Endocrinology and Metabolism

Nutrition
“… your bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 6:19

• New research hints three-day fasting recharges body and mind. A 2024 Nature Metabolism study found day three flips you to fat-burning ketones, sparking cellular cleanup and cutting inflammation—gold for aging men. Mentally? Ketones might ramp up brain-growth factors which boost mood and make for clearer days, with animal data hinting at less fog past 48 hours. While we wait for additional research to verify, the trends say it’s real—better insulin, energy, focus. Try it: water-only, three days, ease in and out. Report back with your results.

Reading
“Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21

• When you next buy a book, do yourself a favor and buy a printed version. A 2018 study examined 171,055 participants and found paper reading outperforms digital reading by a country mile. The effect is strongest when reading non-fiction and when time is limited. Surprisingly, the digital disadvantage has actually increased since 2000—suggesting our increased screen time is making us less adept at deep digital reading, not more. They're not just nostalgic; good, old-fashioned paper books are neurologically superior to digital and audio. Courtesy Educational Research Review