One of the things I like about your posts Justin is that I need to have a bible handy to look up the verses you reference so that I can follow what you are saying (heheehe).

I am in agreement that we have to wrestle with spiritual forces as well as the forces at work in our bodies that incline us to sinful practice.

I can accept myself as a boylover and be content in my orientation AND still need to exercise self-control and fight against temptaion. I think this is the same battle for every Christian.

As Paul puts it in the 1 Cor 9 passage, "I beat my body and make it my slave, lest when I've preached to others, I myself become disqualified".

But, I think that our battle as Christians is not one where we seek to GAIN a victory, but one in which we EMBRACE the victory alreay won for us by Jesus. We begin, loved, accepted, forgiven, equiped and filled with the Holy Spirit and then we go on to walking and growing in the Spirit.

Blessings
Cat.