As a guy, why do we have all these desires if we’re not supposed to act on them?

When an army sends troops into battle, it first trains them. Otherwise, imagine the chaos. Imagine if soldiers were simply given tanks, and told to try their best. They would run over innocent people, accidentally shoot hospitals, and cause more harm than good. In the same way, our sexual urge has the power for both life and destruction, and every boy who wishes to become a man must learn to discipline his desires by using his interior strength. If he does not, he may leave a trail of damaged and discarded women in his wake.
So, consider these years of intense temptations as a preparation and training for the demands of real love. You may know that when the United States military selects its elite soldiers (Navy Seals, Green Berets, Army Rangers, etc…), it must sift through thousands of men in order to find the few who are capable of the completing the most grueling missions. So, the military subjects all applicants to torturous testing. For example, the Navy Seals face “hell week.” During the five-day period, the troops will burn between 5,000 to 7,000 calories per day. The candidates will swim for miles, run obstacle courses repeatedly, carry inflatable boats through frigid waters, etc… with about an hour of sleep per day. Broken bones and torn ligaments are not uncommon, and physicians examine the men at least once a day, to make certain that no lives are lost. Those who persevere to the end earn the title of Navy Seal, and are given great responsibilities to ensure our country’s safety.

One might feel that such testing is cruel or extreme, but we sleep in peace knowing that such soldiers exist. Over 1500 years ago the Athenian General Thucydides wrote, “We must remember that one man is much the same as another, and that he is best who is trained in the severest school.” Therefore, the military puts men into the fire in order to reveal their value. When these troops face the trauma of battle, it will be nothing new. They will have trained themselves for the hardships.

In a similar way, temptation is a test of love. Through fighting well, you prove your loyalties. If a man is unable to say no to temptations before marriage, what will give him the strength to resist them once he has a ring on his finger? So, realize that your urges can help train you in love and faithfulness. With purity and self-control (chastity), you’re able to rise above the urge of your hormones, the invitations on the Internet, the ridicule of your peers, the pressure of a date, or the enticement of an affair in marriage. With chastity, none of these things has control over you, and you are free to love. When a man controls his passions, he finds peace. But if he becomes dominated by them, he will not find happiness. You are not alone in the desires and temptations that you experience every day. Like any man, you have the strength to live however you desire. If you choose to be pure, you can accomplish it.