My husband and I checked into the Marriott Hotel in Zurich, Switzerland but this story also happens where you live. This hotel has many amenities. It is situated on the Limmat River. In times past, all the great hotels of Zurich were usually located on Lake Zurich or on the Limmat. Strolling from the main entrance and turning to the right, you can eat at a charming restaurant and go swimming. A short walk to your left and you can head to the bohemian Niederdorf district, the Swiss National Museum or shop on the wonderful Bahnhofstrasse. Also, in close proximity to the hotel is a peep show. If you intend to walk to some of the aforementioned places you will more than likely walk past several large images which advertise the content of this business in rather graphic character.
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings."-1Peter5:8-9
Sex Shop in Zurich
I am sure that it is a strategic and wise business decision to be located so close to a hotel. After all, they could then tap into the constant market of lonely business men passing through the city! Satan, as the above bible verses remind us, is also always looking for an opportune moment to attack us. While my husband was at work, and I went about my daily activities, I saw women entering the peep show lobby. I assumed they worked there. I wondered what had happened in their lives to make this okay? I saw two thirty year old men who made it far too easy to pinpoint their destination a block or two away from the hotel. One man needed a shave very badly. The other was taking swigs from a bottle in a bag that I am guessing was an alcoholic beverage. I saw a well-dressed senior citizen enter one day. One man that I did not expect to enter the establishment was a twenty year old man with two canes. While disembarking from a nearby tram, his cane dropped and I offered my arm to him to assist him until he could get his cane back in his hand. He struggled mightily to transport himself. Every step seemed difficult and I wondered if a wheelchair might better meet his needs. Somehow his labored steps feverishly increased within close proximity to this den of iniquity, just like metal to a magnet.
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."-Philippians 4:8
The block where I saw a lot of activity
What is it that brings women to work here or men to gratify themselves here? Is it loneliness? Do they no longer have a moral compass telling them to head in another direction? Are they enslaved by drug or alcohol dependence, and is this just one more addiction? I posed this question to a women that I had met in Zurich. She told me that she personally knows of two marriages affected by the problem of pornography. It helped me to understand that this is not just an intellectual debate. Christians must take stock of the situation. We can and must resolve to help individuals and families deal with their sexual problems.
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it's roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; it's leaves are always green. It has not worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."-Jeremiah 17:7-8
Jerusalem Forest in Israel
Modern life offers us temptation on demand better than any society before it. Instant gratification for you, you, you. Just walking down the street from point A to point B may be like a battle zone for those trying to live godly lives. Immodest clothing and billboards, just to name a few of those battles. What about at home? There is television, movies, and internet stories gently and subtly telling you to do the wrong thing. Click on this, click on that, come on, it is so interesting! As Matthew 26:41 (above) tells us, we must pray to resist temptation and understand that our flesh is weak.
TIP NUMBER 1: PRAY AND FORM A PLAN. The bible verse above calls on us to pray to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He alone is the source of our strength and wisdom. Resisting temptation first and foremost will require that we cry out to the Lord with our struggles. Tell him what your personal temptations are and confess any mistakes that you have made. Be specific. All that sin needs to flourish is darkness. Trust in the Lord who is mighty to save. Next, draw up a battle plan. If you struggle with the immodesty of some summer clothing resolve to avert your eyes whenever possible and have a bible verse memorized to think of instead, such as the Philippians 4:8 verse. Write it down on your phone or an index card and pull it out of your pocket daily if necessary. Whatever it takes. Then begin to actually think some noble thoughts. Think of a babbling brook, a kitten, or Jesus' mercy. A "replacement thought" can go a long way to get us past that momentary thought or sight that comes our way. The new honorable thought might even get you moving in a positive new direction. Maybe you will remember to plan that hike to the brook, perhaps you will remember that you have a pile or extra blankets in the closet that could be donated to the local animal shelter or maybe if you take a moment you may realize it would hurt your wife to know that you are checking out other women.
TIP NUMBER 2 : FIND GODLY ACCOUNTABILITY. Proverbs 27:17-"Iron sharpens iron; so one man sharpens another." We need good and wise friendships. Sometimes our family and friendships are the biggest temptations that we have. Does Uncle Mike always have a dirty joke to tell at Thanksgiving? Do your co-workers conversations challenge you when you go out to lunch with them? It is time to have some victory in those situations and stand up for what is right. Maybe you should stop Uncle Mike before he tells that joke. Let him know that you love him but you don't like that type of humor. Tell your co-workers that you are leaving lunch early so that you can have a 10 minute prayer time to better prepare yourself for the afternoon schedule. If you know trouble starts after the third drink, why not leave after the first drink? All of these actions will help you stay on course but also show others alternatives to their behavior as well.
Do make time for godly interactions in your life. Time spent at weekday Church events can go a long way toward putting things in perspective. My husband and I have a weekly lunch with a friend from Church. It helps to start our week going on the right track. Take a moment during the week to make a telephone call or keep in touch by email with a Christian friend. Read my column every Wednesday during a coffee break. If you need a bit more ask your Pastor to find an accountability partner. Someone who will check-in with you on a regular basis and hold you accountable for your actions.
TIP NUMBER THREE : LEARN THE WORD OF GOD. Prayer and distraction only take you so far. The next step is understanding the creators plan for sexuality and for your life. The reason those men are going into sex clubs or those women think it is okay to work there is because they do not understand the covenant or fully committed love that God intended for us to have in our lives with Him and with one another. As we begin to read what the bible says about love, we can have a catharsis in our lives. Sometimes we learned bad relationship skills at home or in our community. Perhaps we had a traumatic event in our lives which blew us way off the course of true love and happiness. Were you betrayed and now lost hope that there is even the possibility of "real love?"
Believe me when I tell you that all this can be healed by God's Almighty hand and you can begin to chart a course of real happiness instead of counterfeit pleasures.
May God direct you and bless you this week in whatever struggles that you may have.
NEXT WEEK : WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DRESS MODESTLY?
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