Becoming Whole Why Sexual Temptation Hits at Christmas (and What You Can Do About It!)
As the garland and the lights and the holiday specials and the festivities ramp up, where are you?
If you’re feeling temptation take over, you’re not alone.
There’s a lot more of just about everything during the holidays. Let’s try to recapture what Jesus has given us. Together, we’ll name 5 things that can distract us from Immanuel.
And, we’ll unpack 5 ways to recenter our focus back on our Savior’s birth.
Highlights:
FACING TEMPTATIONS
1. Busyness Increases
Sexual sin is offering you an answer to your pain, discomfort, faulty views of yourself and others at a deeper level.
The answers though, are not truly satisfying.
2. Expectations Increases
Images of happy people, loving families, wealthy displays and spreads of food lead us to feel more expectations.
We’ll also feel increased inadequacy, inferiority, futility in our lives.
When the comparison game is squashing you, the message of pornography is “you are enough.”
3. Family Dysfunction Increases
Whether you’re spending more time with family of origin/extended family or you’re alone because you have no family; the loneliness and brokenness increase.
Sexual sin offers a false sense of intimacy, a sense of belonging and a false sense of connection.
4. Habits Increase
Your brain and body may remember this time of year as the time when you binge on porn more.
5. Spiritual Warfare Increases
Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation of the Word of God. Our temptation wants to distract us from the true meaning of Christmas.
FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS
1. Fight for Peace - The Peace which Jesus has given you, which surpasses all understanding, which He gives not as the world gives. Fight to maintain that peace.
2. Slow Down - Your breathing, eating, walking, working, slow it all down. Slow down in defiance of the spiritual warfare.
3. Simplify your Christmas - Clear away and make room for you to be at peace. Does it look like simplifying your calendar? Not putting up all the decorations?
4. Connect with people who love you - In the midst of the holidays, make time to be with the people who love you most (including people from your recovery community).
5. Create New Traditions - Be intentional and creative about nurturing yourself well to cultivate and commemorate walking with Jesus. Find an Advent devotional to work through, schedule time to serve the poor, write a letter of thanks to someone who has meant a lot to you.
If you have a sexual fall this Christmas, don’t spend time beating yourself up. Instead, turn to the One who came for you, confess what you’ve done, acknowledge it was wrong and then walk in peace with Him.
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Free Resources to help you on your journey to Becoming Whole
👉Men's Overcoming Lust & Temptation Devotional
👉Women 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Women overcoming unwanted sexual Behavior)
👉Compass 21-Day Prayer Journal & Devotional - (Wives who are or have been impacted by partner betrayal)