There are eyes watching my eyes...

Last night my oldest son and I were talking and he shared with me that he had seen me earlier that day when we are at a party for someone we know. We both were sitting at a table and right next to us a young mother came and bent over to deal with her child. As she did this you could see right down her blouse.

I quickly turned my head away because I didn't want to see that and didn't think anything else of it. That is, until my son brought it up to me later that night. He told me that he saw me look away and he knew what I was turning my head away from. He told me that is why he turned his head away as well.

It makes me glad that I scored one right (finally). But I have to be constantly aware of the fact that if I become the guy that is always turning my head to notice a pretty female that my sons will become that same guy. If I am the guy that is always looking for those brief shots down a woman's blouse then my son's will also see my wandering eye.

My discussion with my son brought to mind the Scripture Job 31:1 and I need to remember the same thing it says and keep the same covenant myself with my own eyes. Where I look, my sons see it. What I look at, my sons look at too.

So this time I won! And if you are a dad and you have a son, you need to remember this. Train your eyes now! Because if you aren't training your own eyes you are training his regardless.

My Bible Journey (Proverbs 7)

I recently read Proverbs 7. This is a chapter with two simple messages.

1. Keeping God's Word in my heart is the smartest thing I can do to help me in my battle with any lustful thoughts (vss.1-5).

2. Giving in to lustful thoughts will only lead to destruction (vss. 6-27).

For many men (young and old alike) they see this as an un-winnable battle. To them, it is like they are put in a ring with a 450 pound Sumo Wrestler. And every single time they try to battle against this, the Sumo flattens them.

Honestly, they're right. That is what the struggle is like...make no mistake. But the way to fight a 450 pound Sumo is not when you are in the ring. You need to starve the Sumo before you ever get in the ring.

You need to watch your eyes. You need to recall Job's Covenant and try to abide by that same covenant.

So, to starve the Sumo, that means that when something comes on television you shouldn't see, you turn your head or turn the channel (or better yet, you turn it off).

That means that when you are on the internet and you "stumble" upon a web site you shouldn't see, you click out of there...better yet, you get some kind of Web Filter that will keep you from stumbling.

That means that while you are out on your own, you watch your eyes...what they see, where they look. You bounce them away when you realize you are looking at something that isn't yours.

When you have starved the Sumo for a number of days/weeks, you will find that the next time you are actually in the ring with him again, that he isn't 450 pounds anymore...he's lost weight. He still may clean your clock in this particular battle, but keep starving the Sumo!

You will find after time, that he isn't so big anymore. And when you are thrust into the ring with him, you can easily beat him. That's how you fight this battle.

It is a process of time and investment. Time spent avoiding and bouncing your eyes. Investment in God's Word and strengthening and renewing my covenant with Him.

That is a path for real victory and life change!

My Bible Journey (Proverbs 5)

I read Proverbs 5 recently. Wow! What a chapter!? This is a chapter written for every guy. But oddly enough it is a chapter set in the midst of a father speaking to his son.

You might think that a bit condescending. We men don't like to be treated like a child. We don't like to be told what we ought to do. But the reality is...more often than not, we act like a child.

We are selfish, vain, conceited, lust-gratifiers...and, in my opinion, speaking to men like children is absolutely appropriate...especially in respect of this issue of lust.

Me and my accountability partner speak of the issue of lust in terms of "being in the swamp." When we give into it...when we let our eyes wander or let the late-night remote haphazardly change channels...then it is like we dive off the end of a dock over a swamp.

The water on the surface may look appealing but it is very shallow. The water is on the surface of sticky, slimy, stinky mud. And once you are in that mud it is hard to wallow out of it. It grabs a hold of you and drags you down.

But there are other issues in the swamp as well. There are leaches that drain you. And you can't get them all off by yourself.

That's why once you get out of the swamp, you need to be hosed down and you need the help of someone else to pull off all the leaches.

Honestly, I've been in that swamp many times. I try to avoid it as much as I can, but every once in a while...like a foolish child...I will dive into the murky waters again thinking it might be different this time. It never is.

That's why I love the honesty of this chapter in Proverbs 5. And there is a very good message for a little child like myself in relation to the issue of lust. Verse 21 says that all I do is seen by the Lord. I need to always remember that.

And it is a very significant help to have an accountability partner...someone with whom you are completely honest with to share any struggles you may or may not be having.

Now I feel a need to convince you, like a child would, that this isn't a gigantic struggle in my life. I will say it isn't the battle it used to be. But it is something that I believe is a struggle for every man (child). And we need to heed the words of Proverbs 5 or we are always going to be stuck in the mud of the swamp, covered in leaches.