At the 2025  NWCC Men’s Conference, I spoke on five ways to successfully fight sexual temptation. I offer them in a summary form here.

Form Holy Habits Through Scripture (Psa 119:9-11)

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Ps 119:9–11)

Evangelist Dwight L. Moody famously said, “The Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.” The Scriptures may not always keep us from sin in a way that is obvious or explicit, verses knifing through a dark deceit like a flash of light in a moment of temptation. But what is ultimately needed to conquer sin is that our heart and desires are transformed. That’s what Scripture does–sometimes quickly, but often slow and surely. Want to conquer sin? Read the Bible. Every. Single. Day.

Strengthen New Affections to Drive Out Old Ones (Php 3:7-14)

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Php 3:7–8)

Paul pushed out the old things he valued (self-righteousness, for instance) through the surpassing and ever increasing worth of knowing Christ and of gaining Him. The Puritan Thomas Chalmers spoke of this as the expulsive power of a new affection. Or as the even more ancient adage went, you have to drive out old nails with new ones. Especially through meditation on Scripture in which we savor the goodness of Christ and His promises, He becomes far more precious to our souls and this drives out lesser (and sinful) desires. There is simply no longer any use or place for this dusty, dingy, and debased things in light of the treasures that are greater than gold or silver.

Heed God’s Dire Warnings (Heb 10:26-29)

“For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the law of Moses dies without mercy on the evidence of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb 10:26–31)

God gives us such fearful warnings not because the saint can lose his salvation, but because by these warnings God causes the true saint to persevere. They are true warnings. We know we have come to believe because we continue to believe in Christ and repent of our sins. If one who claims faith in Christ goes on to sin with impunity, he should expect to be thrown into the outer darkness with the rest of the wicked for eternity. Fear isn’t the best motivator, but it can be an effective one.

Bring Sin Into the Light (Eph 5:7-14)

“Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”” (Eph 5:7–14)

Sin thrives in the darkness. It is like a purulent wound hidden away under a dressing or garment that no one looks at. Or like a part of a house that is filthy with grime but in a dark corner into which a light never shines. The first thing to do with sin is to confess it out loud–to mark it yourself, in order to remove the self-deceit that attends all sin. Secondly, we must confess to the Lord, and once more look to Christ  for grace and forgiveness. God promises to cleanse and forgive (1 Jn 1:9). Lastly, for persevering struggles and sins, we ought to confess our sins to others (Jas 5:16). In most cases, the best method is to rely upon two or three mature believers that can pray for you and counsel you.

Busyness with Productive Labour (2 Sam 11:1-2)

“In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.” (2 Sa 11:1–2)