There is a deadly disease in churches today. It is a disease that is crippling the men of the church, it is bringing the church itself into chaos and disarray, and the church responds by sweeping everything under the rug.  The disease I am talking about is sexual impurity.

I have spoken about this before, but never with this fervent attitude.  We as men have to step up and say “NO MORE!!!”  The divorce rate inside the church is the same as outside the church.  7 out of 10 pastors who call in to Focus on the Family for help call for help with a sexual addiction.

The reason why this is such a devastating and painful attack on the church is nothing other than the church’s refusal to bring it out into the open.  The church as a body does not deal with this disease, and the men inside the church are not willing to take this head on.  Why not?  Do we want to continue to cradle these secret trysts with our fantasies in our hidden box, to be pulled out when we are looking for a “quick fix?”  Is it our pride and desire not to be found and unmasked for what we really are?

I think if we are going to move forward as a church, the body of Christians needs to be ready to make a stand against the constant barrage of attacks of sexual impurity.  When we see that church has become a more dangerous place than even the grocery stores with their smut, it is time to take action!  When we feel that we as men are not actively taking up our sword and shield to fight off this attack from the enemy, rather than sidling up with our hidden pet sins we should instead reexamine ourselves to discover our inner warrior.

“The LORD is a warrior.  The LORD is His Name.”

I have to confess, I am a sucker for romance movies.  Not goofy, dorky romance movies, but movies that have some backbone.  My wife and I watched Fireproof the other night at home.  Before I get into it, let me establish a few things at first.  First, Kirk Cameron has to be a pretty cool guy to have starred in the movie for free.  Second, the cinematography is somewhere between a low-budget film and a real Hollywood work.  Third, the acting is kind of wooden in a few places.  Finally, the voices are Southern.  I am immune to that, since I am Southern, but I just thought you should know.

Okay, here’s the deal.  Every married man on earth should have to watch this movie.  After watching it, I took the whole thing to heart and have really given myself to God fully in my marriage.  I think there is a reason why the divorce rate inside the church happens to be the same as the divorce rate outside of the church.  The reason is that we as men are not stepping up to the plate and getting rid of our pet sins:  lust, self-centeredness, immaturity, and the like.  We will not reflect God’s light as a church body until we are willing to give up the dark secrets that we as men continue to stubbornly hold onto.

Two challenges for any men that happen to read this:  One, rent or buy Fireproof, and then go get a copy of The Love Dare and take the dare.  Second, be open about your secret sins.  Tell your significant other, or anyone else to whom you can confess this.  The church needs to bring this out in the open so that we no longer allow Satan to have a foothold in our marriages and in our lives.

I am currently in the process of finding out exactly what I need to do in order to get a bill passed in my home state to create a family friendly shopping aisle at major department/grocery stores.  I feel that the longer we allow places like Wal-Mart, Target, Food Lion, Bi-Lo, and the like to continue shoving smut in our face on our way out the door, the longer we are also allowing one of many inroads into our hearts to poison our marriages.  If you are interested in helping me, please indicate so.  There is a reason why the book Every Man’s Battle was called that.  If we work together, we can help each other fight this hidden downfall and begin to turn the tide on sexual sins.