Not the way to handle this topic at all.

I found this book in a thrift store and, as a Christian wife, mother and grandmother of men and boys, decided to read it. It is an excellent book - giving a Christian perspective on sexual purity. The book candidly discusses the male battle with sexual temptation and gives strategies with which to combat temptation. I wish I had read this book or one like it many years ago. Parts of the book are very candid and the perspective is decidedly Christian, which some will not agree with, but it does give a lot of weight to the argument for abstinence before marriage and sexual purity throughout life. I would recommend it not only for men, but for Christian wives, mothers and girl friends.

THE GOOD: This book is very practical, but I'm not entirely sure how to rate this book. For starters, the authors base their whole premise around the assumption that God will not help you, deliver you, or perform some sort of miracle to free you from the sins of sexual bondage.

THE BAD: Assuming that God will not help you, the authors conclude that it is up to us to do something about it; namely, by making a decision to:

1) quit stopping short of God's standards for us
2) and to stop lusting over women (or men!) with our eyes.

"If you are in bondage to masturbation, should you try to break free?" Yes! In order to do so, the authors lay out 4 requirements:

1) Decision to no longer stop short
2) having an accountability partner
3) having active relationship with God
4) and being aware of what affects sex drive

The authors then lay out what should be every man's "Battle plan":

1) defense with your eyes
2) defense with your mind
3) defense with your heart

The authors argue that our focus should ultimately be on:

1) getting closer to God
2) and integrating our sexuality into our Christian lives

Which I believe are attributes every Christian should wish to attain. However, I didn't like the book because it sounded too much like a piece of secular "self-help" literature, akin to a "do-it-yourself" attitude that can only be attained if you try hard and practice constantly.

I believe in God's standards for us, but I also believe God wants to help us attain those standards. In my opinion, the best way to avoid going down a path of sexual sin is to cherish your relationship with God, remain in prayer, and seek out friends and accountable partners who are willing to hold us responsible.

THE UGLY: This book talks about masturbation for almost the entire duration, and although I understand that it is targeted more towards teenagers and young adults, it would have been nice to have more examples of sexual sin involving the opposite sex (although I expect the original book target to adults to be easier to relate to in that regard).

None the less, sexual sin is still sexual sin regardless of which kind it is, and if you are looking for a do-it-yourself approach, I suspect the principles in this book are fairly universal and would hold up against most kinds of sin that are sexual in nature.

I give it 2 stars, simply for putting the pressure entirely on us to succeed, and for almost completely ignoring the power and willingness of God in this domain to help us, lift us, and make us grow.

This is one of those WOW!! I'm so glad I picked this book this year! My life is forever changed!! God answered all of my questions through this book! It cause you to read something and the close the book, lay it on your lap and meditate on what you have just read. The author shares his own life/story and he challenges and dares us to change our lives! I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend this book

Absolute horse shit.

Absolute horse shit.

The authors of this book seem to be trying too hard. In an attempt to relate to the reader by sharing their struggles - sometimes in graphic detail - they actually exacerbate the problem they claim to help solve.

It was my experience reading the book, and it's been the experience of several guys I know.

Beyond merely not recommending it, I would actually recommend people not read it.