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Sexual Temptation: Establishing Guardrails and Winning the Battle
Newly revised and updated! This booklet provides clear, preventive guidelines we can follow to avoid immorality.
The guardrails on the road of purity stand between us and destruction.
In a world that makes sex an idol, we are fooling ourselves if we think immorality's lure will have no effect on us. It is possible with God's help to live sexually pure lives. But what we lack, and desperately need, is a deeper understanding of our vulnerability, and clear, preventive guidelines we can follow to avoid immorality.
The guardrails on the road of purity stand between us and destruction.
In a world that makes sex an idol, we are fooling ourselves if we think immorality's lure will have no effect on us. It is possible with God's help to live sexually pure lives. But what we lack, and desperately need, is a deeper understanding of our vulnerability, and clear, preventive guidelines we can follow to avoid immorality.
47 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
19 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Randy Alcorn
222 books1,592 followersRandy Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.
"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."
Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.
Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.
Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.
Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.
Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org
"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."
Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.
Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.
Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.
Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.
Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 30, 2014
Practical, helpful, and biblical. Great information for a short read on sexual purity.
September 18, 2022
A lot of this I disagree with fundamentally, especially the brief part where it touched on a youth minister and treated it as if him sleeping with an 18 year old under his ward was a problem of adultery more than of abuse, as well as mentioning homosexuality as if it were a vice. While I don't agree with several of the other stances, these were the big red flags for me.
The advice seems good and positive, but with ethically shaky foundations like the above I could never recommend it. Some other things I might disagree mildly about (eg internet pornography), but for others I feel like despite the author's wholesome and uncritical tone they are effectively encouraging gay people to remain closeted and repress their sexuality out of a sense of propriety.
However, it definitely won me back to a small degree with Appendix A, where it talked about how "sexual involvement with one who has come to seek emotional help or spiritual guidance should not only be considered fornication or adultery - it should be considered sexual abuse." It makes sure how to emphasise the abuse of authority, make a comment about how ministers doing this are predators not victims, and properly apportion blame. "There is a disturbing tendency in the church to blame the adulterous relationship of a male leader on the woman he becomes involved with. She is often automatically regarded as the seductress[...] On the contrary, although they are both guilty, it is the partner in the position of authority that is most to blame."
The book also opens with candid commentary on the problem of these abuses within the church, although like I say I feel that it elevates "fornication" to as high a problem as some of the more severe issues present - most glaringly obvious when the author speaks to the aforementioned 18-year-old who has by this point slept with two of her youth pastors.
I picked it up because I thought the title was funny, but I feel like parts of this were surprisingly positive, but built on foundations with which I disagree to such an extent that I can't help but object. However, I think that there are redeemable kernels here?
The advice seems good and positive, but with ethically shaky foundations like the above I could never recommend it. Some other things I might disagree mildly about (eg internet pornography), but for others I feel like despite the author's wholesome and uncritical tone they are effectively encouraging gay people to remain closeted and repress their sexuality out of a sense of propriety.
However, it definitely won me back to a small degree with Appendix A, where it talked about how "sexual involvement with one who has come to seek emotional help or spiritual guidance should not only be considered fornication or adultery - it should be considered sexual abuse." It makes sure how to emphasise the abuse of authority, make a comment about how ministers doing this are predators not victims, and properly apportion blame. "There is a disturbing tendency in the church to blame the adulterous relationship of a male leader on the woman he becomes involved with. She is often automatically regarded as the seductress[...] On the contrary, although they are both guilty, it is the partner in the position of authority that is most to blame."
The book also opens with candid commentary on the problem of these abuses within the church, although like I say I feel that it elevates "fornication" to as high a problem as some of the more severe issues present - most glaringly obvious when the author speaks to the aforementioned 18-year-old who has by this point slept with two of her youth pastors.
I picked it up because I thought the title was funny, but I feel like parts of this were surprisingly positive, but built on foundations with which I disagree to such an extent that I can't help but object. However, I think that there are redeemable kernels here?
October 29, 2016
Great book!
For those struggling in this area, this is a must read! If you' re not, read it anyways. Great read.
For those struggling in this area, this is a must read! If you' re not, read it anyways. Great read.
February 3, 2019
GUARD RAILS
Great insights and practical steps to proactively defeat sexual temptations. Good reference back to Bible basics and accountability from my Brothers.
Great insights and practical steps to proactively defeat sexual temptations. Good reference back to Bible basics and accountability from my Brothers.
June 15, 2012
This is one small but FANTASTIC book! Randy offers key, practical insights on how to develop the inner and outer life that can sustain the force of sexual temptation in our culture today. The advice he offers are lessons that have been given to him over time, after he saw many of his friends and colleagues fall no doubt. But the hope is that our God is willing to restore EVERYTHING to those who can bring him their shame and continue to seek his face!
Amazing book. There's absolutely no reason everyone in ministry should not have read this book by now. It took me about an hour to read and I don't read fast. Protect your relationship with the Lord, protect your purity, protect your ministry. Read it today!
Amazing book. There's absolutely no reason everyone in ministry should not have read this book by now. It took me about an hour to read and I don't read fast. Protect your relationship with the Lord, protect your purity, protect your ministry. Read it today!
March 13, 2013
Short and to the point. I love the opening, and Alcorn has a loving and nonjudgmental attitude as he writes. He explains many critical points as to why Christians are targets moreso than others on sexual temptation, and ways for us to overcome it. Looking forward to reading more of his work.
May 7, 2012
Great short book on sexual temptation. Great discussion of the effects of sexual sin on the life of the believer especially the life of the pastor. Helpful resources
December 16, 2014
This a great little book.
February 9, 2013
Nice book, well wrtten.
February 26, 2013
Every man needs to read this book, especially men in ministry. It is a short but powerful read.
August 11, 2015
Very practical book and a must read for Pastors, Lay Pastors, Deacons and men of God.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews