THE Answer to: "You're 16. You're A Pedophile. What Do You Do Now?"

So apparently I have an email subscription to this website called Medium Digest. I vaguely remember creating an account. It was either when I was searching the web looking for a blog site, or they were giving away a freebie if I signed up. (Who doesn't love freebies?!) Anyways, I checked my email this week and saw this text in the Subject: "You're 16. You're a Pedophile. You Don't Want to Hurt Anyone. What Do You Do Now?" It is an article about a young guy named Adam who is attracted to young boys and girls but does not want to act on his attraction and hurt anyone. He discovered there is nowhere for young people to go who struggle with this so he created a support group. That's the just of the article. I have pulled out some excerpts that I am going to give an answer to... well, The Answer to:

"The last time I saw Adam in person we found ourselves sitting, once again, in his car. We had been talking for a few hours and were about to finish up when I asked him what it feels like to be not only a pedophile, but something of a pioneer. He paused for a moment before answering. 'It's one part of what defines me. You know, a small part of the puzzle,' he said. 'Part of me is a pedophile but that's not all I am. I'm also, I think, a very decent person in a lot of other ways. I'm definitely a very caring person... I have hobbies, I have interests, I have studies, and things like that all put together define who I am."

When I first read that excerpt of the article, it angered me. I thought, "Pedophile is not your identity, just like homosexuality is not your identity or any other sin..." but then the Truth hit me:

SIN IS YOUR IDENTITY APART FROM CHRIST.

John 8:34 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.

I would like to amend the above statement from the article to read: "There is currently no mechanism in place for treating someone apart from Christ who has pedophilic urges and hasn't acted on them."

"Dr. Klaus Beier doesn't believe in sexual reconditioning. He leads the team behind Prevention Project Dunkelfeld, a therapeutic program based in Germany that targets potential offenders. He believes that minor attraction is a fixed part of someone's makeup, that it's "fate and not choice." His program is considered the global gold standard of preventive treatment, and its practitioners help adults manage their attraction to children rather than try to change it. "In my view, it's not the inclination that's a problem," he said. "And I wouldn't condemn the inclination, I'd condemn the behavior." The program consists of weekly therapy sessions for up to 12 months. They favor cognitive behavioral therapy, but also offer libido-reducing medication, otherwise known as chemical castration, if a patient needs to reduce his sexual drive in order to benefit from treatment."

My husband, Keith, along with many prominent pastors have spoken out in years passed that pedophilia would seem come under the umbrella of "mental disorders," namely m aking it a part of a person's genetic makeup.  The world said it would never happen, but clearly the tumbelweed has already started rolling. In a way, it is true that sin is in our makeup. We are all born into a sin nature (Psalm 51:5). We must call pedophilia, lying, homosexuality, gossip, adultery, etc in our lives SIN and realize our need for a Savior. Until then, our sin will define us, and we will have no way out. The answer here, then, is to master sin and no longer be a slave to it.

Genesis 4:7 - ... sin is crouching at your door, it desires to have you, but you must master it.

.. So how does one master sin, you may ask?

HOW TO MASTER SIN:

1. Acknowledge Your Sin

We know what sin is by what the Word of God calls sin. Anything that God calls sin, we should call sin in our own lives... and I mean literally CALL IT SIN. Do not keep silent!

Psalm 32:1-5 - How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit! When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.

I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

2. Realize You Need A Savior

It should be pretty clear at this point we cannot rid ourselves of sin.

Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 10:9 - If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 John 3:8 - The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.

3. Fear the Lord & Hate Your Sin

Psalm 36;1-4 - I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good. Eve on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.

4. Memorize God's Word & Live According to It

Psalm 119:9-11 - How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your Word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Adam, the only way you can master pedophilia is through Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:56-57 - The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.