Philippians 3:19 – Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things.
1 Thess. 4:3-7 – For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness.
God created the pleasure path for His glory and our good. We were made to enjoy God and all that God provided for us to enjoy in this world.
The problem with idols is that they lie. Their deception is that sin can satisfy. In reality the addict is never satisfied, which presses him or her into deeper levels of addiction.
Only God—life with God, obedience to God, and freedom through God—can satisfy. Practically speaking, this is why God wants us to practice chastity before marriage and fidelity in marriage; so that we will have only one neural pathway toward enjoying intimacy with our spouse alone.
This is also why God calls us to fill ourselves with the Spirit rather than getting drunk, because drunkenness invites unholy “spirits.” Likewise, we shouldn’t allow our stomach to become our god, thereby eating ourselves to obesity, disease, and death.
The good news is that we can build new pathways. When you are angry, rather than raging, you can carve out a new path into God’s presence through worship and prayer. When you are scared and anxious, you can spend time in God’s Word rather than drinking too much to calm your nerves.
When you are feeling intimate, you can lovingly build a complete and healthy relationship with your spouse rather than running into sexual sin. Over time you can build momentum so that your brain, body, and soul more naturally and quickly take the path toward God’s presence.
To order the new book from Pastor Mark & Grace Driscoll “Win Your War”, visit: https://amzn.to/2YuhoDn.
For the entire eight-week “Win Your War” sermon series from Pastor Mark, visit www.markdriscoll.org or the Mark Driscoll Ministries app.