Psalm 141:3-4

3 Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Do not incline my heart to any evil (NIV: Do not let my heart be drawn to evil)

To practice wicked works (NIV: so that I take part in wicked deeds)

With men who work iniquity; (NIV: along with those who are evildoers)

And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

The first part of this verse is a “must practice” for those of us who are not “quick to listen and slow to speak.”  However, the rest of this verse is critical to overcoming the throes of battling sexual sins. Notice that David goes directly to the source of deliverance from sin or it’s temptations. He cries out to God! David did not pray “If it is your will Lord, please take this sin away” or “I asked the Lord take this desire away, but God won’t do it”.

The difference between David’s prayer and the asking for God to do something because He can or should, is a matter of the heart!  David’s heart was to have righteous standing before his Holy God. Realizing that his heart was set on submission and obedience (Psalm 119:33-37).

David did not have a “frustration factor” toward God for not coming through at his moment of need. David sought to please the Lord, not have the Lord please Him by giving in to his demands. So many of us have a demand style of praying that does not foster a broken and contrite spirit.  A frustrated heart is not a yielded heart. David’s prayer was a surrendered prayer of willingness and pursuit of holiness. John Walvoord states “Moreover, he desired that God preserve his heart (i.e. his willful desires) from wicked allurements. Their delicacies refers to sensual luxuries procured by wicked activities (cf. Prov. 4:17).”    (Ross, A. P. (1985). Psalms. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 893). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

David sought God’s protection and offered to God a sacrificially willing spirt. He was willing to let go and let God take full control of his heart. He says to God, do not let my heart be drawn to anything evil. That is to not all himself to look favorably on wickedness or evil. Inferred in this plea is a surrendered heart that would hear and listen (with intent to obey) to God speaking to his heart.

If we are redeemed believers, without exception we know the voice of God, the Holy Spirit when He speaks to our heart “Don’t do that wicked deed.”

Paul states in 2 Corintians10:4 “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (2 Corinthians 10: 4-6). No two greater weapons can serve the person battling pornography than protection and sacrifice. God does the protection and we do the sacrificing.

1. Sacrifice your sinful nature for the protection of others as unto the Lord.

Your:

• Pride: Proverbs 16:5 Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; Though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way (evil behavior) And the perverse mouth (speech) I hate.”

• Anger: Proverbs 15: 18 A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a quiet man calms a quarrel.
• Pornography: Matthew 5:27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ ²⁸ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.^”
• Complacency: (Contented self-satisfaction /Apathy (lack of interest or concern): Revelation 3: 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth
• Sinful nature: Galatians 5 20-21 Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, ²¹ envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
• Idols: Colossians 3: 5-6Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, ⁷ in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.”
• Your will: Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.^”

2. Sacrifice all for the protection of others as a testimony of the Lord.

For:   Right standing before God as Protector of all that He’s entrusted in your    care!

• Job 1:8, 2:3: Blameless, upright, fear of God, shun evil and hang on to your integrity.
• John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends
• I John 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
• 1 Timothy 6:11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. ¹² Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

3. Sacrifice self for His divine plan and purpose (to glorify the Lord).

His: Glory, His Protection, His Way, His Truth, His Life, His Water, His Bread

(Psalm 91:4; John 14:6; John 4:13; John 6:41).

Divine Purpose: Ruth 2:12 The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.

John Walvoord:

• He used a figure of speech known as a zoomorphism, comparing part of God to some aspect of an animal. He said she had taken refuge under God’s wings, like a chick under the wings of its mother hen (cf. Pss. 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 91:4; Matt. 23:37). She was trusting in God’s protection. Soon Boaz would be used by God to answer his own prayer.^[1] 
• John 17: 20-25 I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.
• 1 Corinthians 11: 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is ⁴ Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head.
• Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

4. Application: How does this apply?

PROTECTION BEGINS AT THE CROSS OF SACRIFICE!

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• Ephesian 5: 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her.
• Luke 9:23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. ²⁴ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.^”
• Mark 10:21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
• Galatians 5:24-26 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

God has said “Cast your cares upon me for I care for you” (Psalm 85:52; 1 Peter 5:8).  The creed for the person who overcomes (sexual temptation, sexual struggles, or even sexual addictions) must be as follows: “I fight (Gal. 5:1, 16,17), I die (Gal. 5:24), I live (Gal. 5:25).  Such a person will take the bullet of self-sacrifice for the for the protection of family, friends, church and community! God, the Holy Spirit provides the protecting (John 14:26) while we are in Christ, we lovingly sacrifice!

^[1] Reed, J. W. (1985). Ruth. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 423). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.