This is a subject that people don’t like to talk about. It’s an uncomfortable subject. I thought about skipping it, but with all my heart, I believe that God wants me to speak out on it.
We live in a world where sex is used to sell everything: toothpaste, shampoo, etc. It’s easy to just think this is harmless, but it’s not. It harms us. This article may be more directed towards men; as I will have to speak from a man’s perspective. A Christian leader recently said sexual addictions are tougher to get freed from than crack. The reason he gave is that the pleasure center of the brain is
affected so strongly. God made men and women as sexual beings; so a loving intimate relationship is his plan. The misuse and cheapening of it is not. I heard a statistic, that more money is spent on pornography, than any major
sports. I found that hard to believe, but apparently it is true. Satan, knows how and where to hit us and how to twist it. He is a master at this. Remember the Garden of Eden; not much has changed since then.
So what is my problem with Victoria’s Secret? I have no problem with them as a company. I think a wife wearing (I
hate this word, but I guess I’ll have to use it) sexy lingerie for her husband is just fine. I think the clothes being on manikins, is alright, too. I just have a problem with super models wearing them on TV or anywhere. It isn’t appropriate, modest, or necessary. We have just accepted a lower standard.
What is wrong with a super model wearing underwear in public? Well along with the modesty issue, I think it also creates another issue. It produces lust in men, and sets an unrealistic standard for women. I read somewhere, that the average super model is 5 feet 11inches tall and weighs 117 lbs. The average American woman is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs145 lbs. You do the math. If a man starts looking at this or something like it, and begins to desire it; it then becomes his ideal. If his wife doesn’t measure up; then he is dissatisfied with her. And let me say this she shouldn’t have to. Jesus said that if a man lusts after a woman in his heart then he has already committed adultery.
“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
(Matthew 5:28New King James Version (NKJV)
So what is the big deal everyone looks? I have heard men say this whole life. It’s ok to look, right? Wrong! The problem is that person isn’t your wife or husband. One of my professors at North Central University, in Minneapolis, MN,
where I went to Bible School, Don Meyer, said “you don’t go off for a hamburger when you have steak out home. If you lust after other women, your wife will become a hamburger, and these other women will be steaks. I challenge you to love your husband or wife unconditionally; to prize them as a treasure. This will keep your love and marriage fresh. Looking at other women will deplete your love and make your marriage dissatisfying. Remember, this is a heart matter, that produces action, and then the action then corrupts your heart. It’s a vicious cycle.
I was not always victorious in this area. I came to a
place in my life where I wanted to honor God with all my heart, and also honor my wife totally and learn to treasure her with all my heart. God can help us to love with all of our hearts. I put a sign in my heart and mind and asked God to help me, and whenever I see a very attractive woman, this sign pops up in my mind: NOT INTERESTED. I have something and someone better at home. These are not just words, they are from my heart. I found that watching TV can be a problem. I mainly watch shows like: Little House on the Prairie, the Walton's, Andy Griffith, Old Classic Movies, History Channel, Hallmark Movies, and NFL Football. One of my favorite Bible teachers said, “Even if you find a good, clean TV program, the commercials will kill you.”
DVR’s are great, because you can skip all the commercials. When I am watching NFL football, and the cheerleaders who are clothing challenged show up, I turn my head until they are gone. You might think this is silly, but it works.
Now when I am praying about something or someone to be healed, Victoria Secret models don’t pop up into my head. I can always focus on the important matter at hand. For what I am praying for this can be life or death for someone. I take my mind very seriously. I'm not letting anyone rent space in it.
I will be addressing this on my Website this week. So be looking for it. It will be on the teaching page called “So How Do I Get Free from any addiction or bondage?