Many are the victims [the adulteress] has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng (Proverbs 7:26).

No one wants to be a cliché.  I, for one, prefer to think that I'm highly unique -- that my struggles are enhanced by particularly extenuating circumstances that are specific to me, and me only.  Somehow, this makes me feel more noble, more special, more meaningful.  Yet even as I regularly succumb to these thought patterns, I simultaneously realize that such a view can actually become one of the most dangerous, most deadly thought patterns possible.  It's a form of isolation, spiritual attack, and allowance of Satan's divide-and-conquer tactics.  It's a way of developing hubris to the point that I really do become the cliché, the classic fool who falls to the classic blunders which have plagued mankind for millenia.

Sexuality is a prime example of these thought patterns.  Sometimes I can feel like I'm dealing with temptations that are so unique, so unprecedented, so individualized that no one else could ever relate to my struggles.  So I don't ever mention the temptations to anyone.  As a result, I become increasingly obsessed with my temptations to the point that they start to gain even more power over me.  And the pressure builds and builds until I find some way to release it -- either in sinful thought, sinful action... or healthy conversation with others who invariably prove to be highly understanding and able to offer support, encouragement, and accountability in the midst of the struggles.

The truth is that there's no such thing as something "so unique, so unprecedented, so individualized that no one else could ever relate."  Ecclesiastes 1:8-9 says, "All things are wearisome, more than one can say.  The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its full of hearing.  What has been will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun."  And 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."  Proverbs 5, 6, and 7 remind us that our sexual struggles are not new or different or distinct from what millions of other men and women have experienced.  So basically -- we're all going to end up as a part of some "mighty throng:"  either fellow strugglers and strivers... or fellow victims of "the adulteress."

To me, Proverbs 5-7 offers a clarion call to accountability and transparency.  I realize that it ma not always be easy to maintain this discipline -- but it's way better than trying to go it alone.