On June 28, 1914, a Serbian terrorist shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. The assassination gave hardliners in Austria-Hungary the pretext they needed to declare war against Serbia. Which led Russia to declare war against Austria-Hungary. And Germany to declare war against Russia. And France and Great Britain to declare war on Germany and Austria-Hungary.
The assassination of Archduke Ferdinand started a chain of events that took the lives of 16 million soldiers and civilians. All of the death, destruction and heartache of WW I can be traced back to that pull of a trigger in a side street in Sarajevo, Bosnia.
Are you a Christian man struggling with sexual sin? You will never conquer your sin until you conquer your triggers. After all, sexual sin isn’t an act as much as a process that ends in an act. The act is always preceded by a process, and that process is always preceded by a trigger. That trigger is usually something (or, to be more exact, usually someone) you see.
For Christian men, sexual sin usually starts with the eyes. Men are aroused sexually by what they see. The apparatus of the so-called Adult Industry (pornographic movies, adult magazines, hookup apps, porn websites, strip clubs and more) is built to give men a visual experience that enflames their lust. Adultery, sex outside of marriage, masturbation and other sexual sins always have a cause, and that cause is commonly something suggestive that a man sees.
A famous figure from Old Testament times who understood this dynamic is Job. He was so attuned to the progression of sexual sin that he did something to protect himself against it. Here’s how he describes his action:
“I have made a covenant with my eyes. Why then should I look upon a young woman?”
Job 31:1
A covenant is a solemn, binding agreement that defines the relationship between two individuals. There are blessings if both people keep the covenant, and penalties if one person breaks the covenant. Job made a covenant with the part of his body that he knew would lead him to sin. He knew that the sin of lust started with his eyes, so he made a solemn agreement with his eyes not to even look upon a young woman. He couldn’t lust if he didn’t look.
Notice two things about Job. First, he knew what would trigger him—young women. Second, he knew how he would be triggered—by his eyes. For you to gain victory over your habitual sexual sin, you must do the same. You must identify the movie genres, social media platforms, magazines, streaming channels, people, venues, books, websites, TV shows, catalogs that arrive in the mail, sporting events, storefronts, smartphone apps, neighborhoods, video games, commercials, billboards and other people, places and things that trigger your lust. Then you must make a covenant with your eyes to not look at them. Ever.
The way to win the war against sexual sin is to win the battle with your eyes. And the proven, biblical way to win that battle is to never pull the trigger. Make a covenant with your eyes today. And keep it.
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