A popular Nigerian pidgin saying goes thus, “body no be firewood”, signifying the fact that humans have emotions and hormones that won’t allow us the luxury of being insensitive as a log of wood.
However, unlike animals, who display uninhibited tendencies to satisfy their urges, we are expected to keep a tight leash on those urges and follow a moral code.
Most of us do this, which is why we can relate with this topic even though it seems to single out priests.
Priests are being singled out because, unlike us, they don’t have periods or circumstances that allow them to relieve their urges.
What do priests do when it gets too hard to control those urges?
How do they manage to keep themselves in line despite the odds that are stacked against them?
We will be considering all these in this article.
Interesting, right?
Come along, let’s find out more about how priests control their urges.
How Do Priests Control Their Urges?- 7 Interesting Ways
1. They identify the triggers
There are triggers for every urge we have.
The best way to control your urges is first to identify the triggers.
In the case of priests, that’s not so hard to track.
Just like in the biblical story of Adam, Eve, and the fruit, the fastest way to trigger people into doing what they are not supposed to do is by dangling the forbidden in front of them.
The continuous presence of the forbidden is enticing and can bring down a man.
For priests, the “forbidden” is women, but just like other men, priests are not triggered by all women.
There are some specific characteristics a priest may find attractive in females, which may differ from one another.
When they identify this trigger, they become more alert and conscious of themselves when they notice that ladies who fit this description are close to them.
2. They derive strength from their relationship with God
At the risk of this sounding like a Christian sermon, this is another important way many priests control their urges.
It’s not a mystery that the Bible promises a supply of strength to those who believe whenever they seem to be weak.
This is why the Apostle Paul quotes Jesus, who said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Being the first celibate Apostle, Paul would have known a lot about needing God’s strength in times of weakness.
It still applies to the world this many years after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
So many people, priests included, are continuously finding solace in their relationship with God.
In times when many priests feel they are weakening, they spend time in prayer and study.
This helps them come out refreshed.
I remember a time when I faced seduction of such great proportions that I was left shaking to my roots.
I rejected the advances of this attractive lady, and it took more than all I had in me to do it.
At the point of caving in, I cried for help from within. And it came.
Remember this the next time you face a choice that may destroy you!
3. They avoid watching porn
One of the most common ways of becoming a puppet of your sexual desires is by watching porn.
It fans the flames of your desires and gets them to the point that you just can’t help but attempt to cool your ardor by just doing it.
This is why many priests avoid watching porn or seeing any other sexually explicit materials.
This includes reading romance novels and erotica.
Avoiding this will reduce the urge to relieve sexual urges either by having sex itself or by masturbation.
4. Abstinence from drugs and alcohol
There is a link between substance addiction and sex addiction.
This is the reason why you will notice that places overflowing with alcohol and drugs also feature uninhibited sex between different people, some of them strangers.
It can even lead to rape when consent is not forthcoming.
Many priests avoid alcohol and drugs because of the way they can make you lose control of yourself and start acting based on purely primal instincts.
Alcohol intake isn’t prohibited in the Bible.
However, it is suggested that it should be done in moderation.
The book of Proverbs also speaks about the effects of wine on the drinker and how progressive intake makes you lose all forms of inhibitions.
Well, Priests live a life of inhibitions and restrictions.
They fulfill their roles by avoiding anything that makes a man lose control of himself.
5. Having meaningful friendships
There is something just great about purposeful friendships.
They fill you with a mindset that there is a meaning to the chaos in the world and help you find your way back when it seems like you are about to be drawn by the promise of liberty that chaos offers.
One of the things that helped me overcome many temptations in the past is my friends.
When you have friends who share similar mindsets, it solidifies your resolve to do the right thing and not waver.
I am grateful for intentional and meaningful friendships.
Meaningful friendships don’t just play that role alone, they also play the role of being a support system for you.
Many Priests have realized and harnessed the power of purposeful friendships in controlling their urges.
This is evident in how they embrace a communal lifestyle and abide together in the vicarage, and it helps them harness strength as a community.
Sometimes, when they feel like they are losing control, they just reach out to that one friend who understands and can talk them back to safety.
That’s the power of friendship, and you shouldn’t ever neglect to cultivate meaningful friendships.
They really do help!
6. Some Priests are asexual
This is rare, but it happens.
Some Priests are asexual or natural eunuchs, and this may have also encouraged them to make vows of celibacy and devotion to God in the first place.
In this case, such a Priest won’t have to fight sexual urges because it is a natural configuration, one that encourages the purity of the life he has chosen.
7. Engaging in projects
Activity helps take the mind off fulfilling sexual desires and focuses it on doing something worthwhile.
Inactivity fuels inappropriate thoughts.
This is one thing that many priests have realized.
You may have seen a priest who seems to be a whirlwind of activities.
He is like a human dynamo, moving from one project to the other, and you keep asking yourself if he ever gets time to rest.
You may call it passion, and I am not saying you are wrong, but there is something in activity that keeps sexual urges away.
Involving themselves in worthwhile projects like visiting orphanages, prisons, juvenile centers, and older people’s homes, as well as attending fundraising events and other social events dedicated to a worthy cause, helps in improving the control of their sexual urges.
Helping the poor and needy by providing the services they need is an excellent way for priests to spend their time.
Counseling the brokenhearted to the point of healing is a thing of great joy.
The smiles and appreciation on the faces of the people helped serve as a constant reminder that the vows of celibacy and sacrifices are not in vain.
One thing is sure: sexuality is a vital part of human nature, and priests, due to their sacred vows, have to constantly control their urges so they can remain faithful to their vows.