The number 40 in Hebrew culture represents a radical change or improvement. The earth was flooded for 40 days, the Exodus was 40 years, along with other events that in the bible. But the one that I found most interesting was that Jesus was tempted in the desert for 40 days.
Jesus’ temptation intrigued me in terms of the number 40. He showed that it can take 40 days to overcome temptation. And that to overcome temptation Jesus used bible verses to defeat the temptations thrown at him by the devil.
Like most guys I struggled big time with sexual sin. My times of greatest temptations and failings was when I was dating. The enemy knew how to attack me. This is where the number 40 became important in my Christian walk. My partner and I decided that we had to overcome sexual urges and ‘failings’ by following God’s plan for our lives. To strengthen us we both read the bible each day and committed to remaining pure. It wasn’t easy and the greatest temptations were on Saturdays (possibly because Church is on Sunday?) We put in place barriers to stop us from being alone physically. We made a decision to stay pure for 40 days.
It was difficult. We struggled to maintain our purity. But we used our bible readings, prayers and determination to do what is right to maintain our decision to live as God wants us to.
Overtime our strength and faith deepened. The temptations became easier to overcome. By day 30 we knew we were beginning to enter into a new phase of our Christian walk. By day 40 we were different people. We knew we were living how God created us to live.
It doesn’t matter if your addiction is pornography or sex outside of marriage. The 40 day rule will help you overcome your desires and addiction.
I can honestly advocate that if you want to overcome your addiction it will be possible to conquer it. Focus on winning a 40-day battle. Live knowing that God is on your side. Read your bible daily and pray daily. You will win the battle. Acknowledge that it will be full of temptations and struggles. But victory is yours. Feel free to contact us if you are battling with sexual sin. We provide a free confidential service.
By JS
