Guarding Your Mind

Growing up, baseball was my sport.

Countless hours were spent either on a field, in a batting cage or simply playing in the yard. Early on the lesson that the best offense is a good defense really began to take root. I found myself loving that side of the game and was able to see firsthand how defense, or the lack thereof, could make or break a team.

Upon reflecting further about the temptations that are seemingly at every corner it makes sense that spending time talking about enhancing our defensive strategy could be of value. A powerful, yet often overlooked item to embrace is the idea of creating strong boundaries. Perhaps the notion of restriction is why this is abandoned or at least not utilized to the degree that it could be. If you want to see a grown man turn into a toddler just tell him what he can’t do and sit back and watch. Usually, we will go out of our way to ensure autonomy and flexibility are present however in the context of battling pornography having healthy boundaries is non-negotiable.

There’s no foolproof list of boundaries that guarantees victory, yet having no boundaries at all is a guaranteed path to failure. The key lies in determining which boundaries make the most sense for your situation.

A thought-provoking and admittedly difficult question to ask yourself is: If I were attacking me, where would I target?

Understanding the answer to that question begins to unlock ideas on where defenses should be constructed. For some guys that may mean installing accountability software on their electronic devices as a necessary step. For others, it may be more situationally focused where avoiding triggering, or risky scenarios has to be taken into account. The bottom line is that whatever the areas of weaknesses are for you and your situation, action must be taken to close off potential points of entry for evil.

Taking us back to the baseball field for a minute, suppose that all I did was focus on being the best defensive player possible. While that would make it hard for the opponents to score it also never would allow me to put runs on the board either. This also rings true in the fight against pornography. At some point, we have to stop playing defense and pick up a bat and put some runs on the board.

There is no better offensive weapon than the Word of God. Paul shows us that the sword of the Spirit is part of our daily armor in the battle against evil and when it comes to pornography if we miss the opportunity to unleash the greatest offensive weapon we have against the power of its grip then it would be the equivalent of going to the battleline and leaving your weapon at home.

My encouragement to you is to consider how Jesus battled Satan directly in Matthew 4. There He was, nose to nose with evil and all He had to do was say the word and Satan would have been destroyed, yet instead He gave us a model with three simple words “It is written”. Having a slew of “It is written” in our lives is crucial when it comes to any battle against evil, especially one as demonic as pornography.

Remember this - defense keeps the enemy at bay, but offense reclaims lost ground and advances God’s kingdom in your life. Strengthen your boundaries, wield the Sword of the Spirit, and stand firm in the power of His Word.

Questions to Consider

1. What unhealthy or impure thoughts do you struggle to control?
2. What positive influences (Scripture, music, friends) can help redirect your thoughts?