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earth by your great power and outstretched arm.
Nothing is too hard for you."
Jeremiah 32
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Standing in support of Israel, Jews, and believers in all the nations, in the name of Jesus (Yeshua). Sharing biblical truth, encouragement, news and prophecy.
Showing posts with label porn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label porn. Show all posts
Saturday, June 16, 2018
One wrong click changed her life forever. - Faithwire
Friday, October 20, 2017
GOD Has a Serious PROBLEM - Power, Pope, Pastor Joseph Prince, Pride & Porn - Steve Cioccolanti & Discover Ministries
GOD Has a Serious PROBLEM
- Power, Pope, Pastor Joseph Prince, Pride & Porn
Steve Cioccolanti & Discover Ministries
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
7 Lies Christians Believe About Sex - Frank Powell HELLO CHRISTIAN
June 19, 20177 Lies Christians Believe About Sex
Jun 19, 2017 by Frank Powell
Things aren’t always as they seem. Take Prince Hans in the movie Frozen, for example. That fool pretends to be a charming, stand-up guy. And when Anna needs him most, Prince Hans pulls an Okie-Doke on her, leaving her for dead. What a jerk.
I seriously think I threw my couch pillow at the tv the first time I saw it. My wife then stared at me with a look like, “Did you really just throw a pillow at the tv over a cartoon movie?”
I was slightly embarrassed. But I don’t regret my actions.
Hollywood has built an industry on the “Prince Hans Principle” (yeah, I just made that up). Movies will paint a character one way, then drop the bombshell. But let’s be honest. Hollywood doesn’t hold the rights to this principle. Unfortunately, things aren’t always as they seem in the real world either. This is true of people, political and social ideas, and everything in between.
If you grew up in Christian culture, the “Prince Hans Principle” applies to many things, but it especially applies to sex. I remember the first time someone told me sex was a gift from God. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to slap them for insulting God or cry because they might actually be right. In the days and weeks that followed, I started to realize sex was a gift from God.
And it changed everything.
You see, I always thought sex was from Satan. Christians just borrowed it for pro-creation or something. But the more I talked to other people and studied Scripture, the more I realized things weren’t as they seem.
Today, I see sex as a beautiful, powerful gift from God. But getting to this point wasn’t easy. And I still have baggage from the years of lies I had to destroy. Some (or maybe most) of these lies I acquired from my Christian culture. Others I picked up from Hollywood, friends, etc.
Regardless, here are 7 lies Christians believe about sex.
1.) Sex is dirty, nasty, and only useful for pro-creation.
So, what if I told you sex is a gift from God? I know. That destroys the foundation of your understanding of sex. But it’s true. Sex isn’t dirty and nasty. And its purpose isn’t solely to keep the world populated.
But, for most Christians, sex is like that annoying family member. You know the one. God didn’t bless him (or her) with qualities like self-awareness. But he has a double portion of obnoxiousness. You dread family gatherings because the annoying family member will be there. But it’s your family. So, what choice do you have?
Sex and Christians have a similar relationship. We seem to tolerate sex because it is necessary to carry on the family name. But aside from that, it has no real purpose. So, we just deal with it. Because, well, we have to.
What if Christians embraced sex as a gift from God? What if the church viewed sex as a gift to be enjoyed by two people within the covenant bond of marriage? What if the church encouraged married people to explore sex? What if the church taught and discipled single people to see sex as a form of enjoyment and pleasure instead of the annoying family member no one wants to be around?
We might just build anticipation and excitement around God’s design for sex. Maybe single people would want to know more about this gift. And maybe they would share their current sexual struggles because they want to enjoy God’s gift…God’s way.
2.) Casual sex is fun and innocent. Everyone else is doing it.
So, golf is fun. White water rafting is fun. Sex is …fun? Is that how far sex has fallen in our culture?
Well done, Satan. Let’s give him a hand, guys. He has taken a mysterious, private, and extremely powerful gift and turned it into something…fun? Something like golf and white water rafting. Something recreational. Really?
Don’t get me wrong. Sex is fun. But it’s more than a recreational activity. Much more.
And while our schools give condoms to sixth graders, the church does little to raise expectations around sex. It’s almost as though Christians believe it’s better to hand out condoms than teach abstinence.
Look, it’s not a stretch to say marriage in our country is falling apart (at least partly) because sex has lost its mystery. Sex is nothing more than a recreational activity. It’s fun.
Meanwhile, God says sex binds two people together physically, emotionally, and spiritually. There’s nothing simple about that. Until sex is seen as a powerful expression of covenant love, wrapped in mystery and complexity, marriages will continue to fall apart.
3.) It’s okay to have sex if I am in love.
In 10th grade, my U. S. History teacher said something I will never forget. “Love is not something you fall in and out of. Love isn’t primarily a feeling. It’s primarily a decision.”
Now, if you are wondering how love and U. S. History are connected, I wonder the same thing. But don’t derail my point.
At the time, I thought my teacher was ignorant. After all, as a 10th grader I had fallen in love several times. But now I see that I was never in love. I was infatuated.
Sex isn’t for two people who are “in love.” Sex is for two people who are married. Two people committed to one another for the duration of their earthly lives. If you and your “boo” are madly in love, get married. If you can’t get married because you are 15, trust God’s eternal plan for sex is better than your present one.
Sex outside of God’s design will always be a source of brokenness because it’s for people who are married, not people who are “in love.”
4.) If I remain pure before marriage, God will reward me with great sex.
Yeah, I thought this before I was married. And it’s not that the statement was made explicitly. But somehow I concluded it. And I have talked to other Christians who concluded the same thing. So, there must be something in the church water.
I am going to be real. Five years of marriage has taught me that sex is hard work. Yes, it’s pleasurable. But if you believe angels are going to sing, “Hallelujah!” while fireworks cascade around you the first time you have sex, prepare for disappointment.
So, why save yourself for marriage? Because it throws out any chance for comparison or emotional residue. It frees you and your current (or future) spouse to explore sex without baggage.
That’s worth the wait. I promise.
5.) If I have sex before marriage, I am tainted forever.
The church has implicitly (and explicitly) taught this for decades. And it’s not true. Yes, it is God’s desire for every man and woman to enter marriage without a sexual past. But it’s also God’s nature to take even the worst scenario and make it beautiful.
So, if you made mistakes sexually, God can and will forgive you. If you are a victim of sexual abuse, God can and will heal you. Don’t believe the lies you hear. You can still be used by God. You can still have a marriage that flourishes, and you can still enjoy sex with your current (or future) spouse.
But you must let go of shame and trust God’s power to completely forgive you.
6.) If I think about sex, I am wrong.
God created you with sexual desires. And he doesn’t expect you to suppress them. He expects you to control them. And, again, the church’s failure to address sex gives Satan an open door.
I will be the first to say lust is sin . Jesus makes it cut and dry (Matt. 5:28-29). But almost every teaching I hear on lust begins and ends like this:
“Lust is wrong. Don’t do it. Let’s pray.”
What the church needs to do is differentiate between lust and sexual desire. Lust is desiring something that is not yours. Lust is looking at another human being more as a piece of meat than a creation of God.
Sexual desire, however, is natural and healthy. It must be controlled. Of course. But it’s natural. So, don’t suppress your sexual desires. If you do, don’t expect to turn them on when you get married. At the same time, don’t give in to your sexual desires. Pray for self-control. Have an accountability group. Talk to someone you know and trust. But don’t give in.
7.) Having sex is a more significant sin than porn, masturbation, or lust.
This was my attitude as a teenager and young adult. I knew sex was wrong. And I thought that having sex outside of marriage would result in God turning me into a gnome or something.
So, how might a teenager afraid of becoming a gnome keep himself from having sex? Use other means to “release” what I thought was uncontrollable sexual desire.
“What’s the problem, Frank? That sounds like a great idea?”
Yeah, except it’s not.
Going back to Jesus, he says, “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matt 12:34). What is Jesus really saying here? Your external actions are just an overflow of your heart’s desires.
So, having sex is simply an outpouring of a heart and mind filled with lust and impure thoughts. There is no distinction between adultery (having sex) and porn, masturbation, or lust (other means). What matters is the condition of your heart.
The goal for Christian purity isn’t physical abstinence as much as it is a heart free from impurity and lust.
_______________
Sex is a beautiful gift God gives to married couples. The church must create space for healthy discussions about sex. This will be awkward, yes. But until Christians understand the mystery and power of sex, we will continue to be plagued by skewed expectations and broken lives.
This article was written by Frank Powell and originally appeared at his blog. Find it here.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Sex (Part 1 of 2) - the Evil Side - Now Think On This by Steve Martin
Sex
(Part 1 of 2)
(Part 1 of 2)
- The Evil Side
Now Think On This
Steve Martin
“And just as they did not see fit to
acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those
things which are not proper…” (Romans 1:28, NASU)
This Now
Think On This message has a simple title: Sex.
Why so simple? Because
the basics of life for sex are not complicated. Thus the simple title. (Please notice though that there will be at
least two parts to this message, being this is obviously Part 1.)
As you read, I want
you to know that I do not adhere to PC (political correctness). You’ll find none
here. Nor will there be any confusion present. There is nothing more clear and
direct than what we are to know about sex.
You believe God. He
tells it like it is. It is definitely not rocket science. He has no intent to
lead us astray or make it hard to understand Him.
You don’t believe God?
Then I suggest you go read something else, because you lost it right out of the
starting gate.
If you don’t believe something
that has been proven over, and over, and over again to be the truth, then you
will go on living the deceptive lie that has swallowed men and women to the
point where they believe anything about anything. How much more deception can
there be? Especially when it comes to sex.
One look at the
results where we have finally arrived, in our free societies, and you know that
there is not much left at all to be deceived about.
So what are we made to
think is ‘normal” sex today? With full exposure in all its forms, we are being
taught (notice how the hot water has been rapidly heating up, and yet the frogs
inside the soon to be boiling pot on the stove have no clue) – that all is OK.
I’m OK. You’re OK.
It is all around us – the
late-night, though ever earlier - TV reality and drama programs; movies that
used to be rated XXX when I was a teenager, now get an “R” rating, and even some
PG-13 shows are pushing the line further across the “don’t go there” marker
passed decades ago.
Cute looking books with
nice covers are available in almost every book store, family-themed included (except
in the few remaining Christian ones that have not shut down yet for lack of
support) teaching our kindergartners that it is normal for “Mommy and Mommy to love
each other” and “Daddy and Daddy teach us the way to go, to walk there on.” Their
new gospel has replaced the most common sense one, given to us by the Creator of
sex Himself.
Talk about common
sense, or lack of it? Even my Dad knew that I knew, when he handed me the
plumbing pipes, as I helped him in my middle school years, that the “male end goes
into the female end" of the pipe, when joining together to get a good fit. Or connecting the garden hose to the faucet. Didn't take much of a brain to figure that out.
Don’t dare allow any
of the “righteous ones” to speak out against that though, for that would be judgmental. And we each shouldn’t judge one another or how we want
to live.
“Love that is love” is always right, right? Simply put – “No it is
not.”
Out-of-marriage sex –
starting as early as possible, with anyone, and then going on even after
leaving your wife or husband, after 30 years, to just play around. Now you are
free?
Marriage? Millennials don’t
know what that word is? “I don’t need to be committed to one person. What
happens if we don’t love each other, or even like one another, after a year or
more of living together? Then I won’t have to go through a nasty divorce like
my parents did when I was eight.”
If unwanted life happens to happen, we can get rid of "it" tomorrow. It's just tissue. We'll go to Planned Parenthood, for they have the way to keep my body my body.
If unwanted life happens to happen, we can get rid of "it" tomorrow. It's just tissue. We'll go to Planned Parenthood, for they have the way to keep my body my body.
Or Liam will marry William,
and Emma will partner with Olivia, and if we all want to live together, no
problem. You can even be Bruce tonight and become Katrina tomorrow night! (Or
is he/she another name? Can’t keep up with it.)
What fun it will be!
Until at least when the inner emotional pain, sexual diseases and other unnatural
results, result.
How crazy has it
gotten?!
And then there is the astronomically
expanding quantity of easily accessible, 24/7 Internet, affecting all levels of
society.
Just today I saw this
article published by a leading Christian news organization, CHARISMANEWS, where incidentally I get
most of my accurate, up-to-date-good news.
“Research has shown that early summer brings a peak in porn
searches on the internet. While the reason for this is unclear, with 68 percent
of men in the church viewing pornography on a regular basis, it is likely that
these men are being exposed to more triggers in the summer months. As the
weather warms up, people dress in Summer clothing.
For someone who struggles with pornography, this can act as a subconscious trigger that leads them into a downward spiral to going online and acting out. Some other possible explanations are that people have more time on their hands or are around family, which could bring up childhood triggers.” (Source: “Porn Use Skyrockets with Onset of Summer” 6/6/2017 KINGDOM WORKS CHARISMANEWS. Full article and further material below.)
For someone who struggles with pornography, this can act as a subconscious trigger that leads them into a downward spiral to going online and acting out. Some other possible explanations are that people have more time on their hands or are around family, which could bring up childhood triggers.” (Source: “Porn Use Skyrockets with Onset of Summer” 6/6/2017 KINGDOM WORKS CHARISMANEWS. Full article and further material below.)
Sex trafficking and
prostitution has hit all the major (and minor) cities of the USA and throughout
the entire world. Young girls, some just barely over the age of 12, with the
average age being 13 in America, are lured into giving their bodies even to older,
much older perverted men. CBN News had a report on their 700 Club, with Pat
Robertson, this week of a woman who described her horrible years trapped in the
evil, sinful destruction of young lives. Most “clients” didn’t even care that
she was 13 when the horrible abuse in sexual perversion began with her.
Thus in our
sex-crazed, unstoppable, uncontrollable access to anything, we have convinced
ourselves that this is now OK, that the Bible is totally outdated and obsolete,
and we have found the freedom, the better way, for our enlightened cultures.
No more laws. No more
commandments. No more legalistic rules to hold us down. Yes, freedom is fully
ours! And if we want to change it next week, we’ll just go right ahead.
Majority rules! We’ll just get our lawmakers and judges to do it, or we will
vote them out (if elected) or have them removed!
No one has been left
unaffected, unless you have lived on a deserted, middle-of-the-Pacific island
for the past 20 years.
There you have it. Part 1. Come back in a day
or so for my next message.
There is good news.
There is good news.
Now think on this,
Steve Martin
Founder
Love For His People,
Inc.
You can now read Part II here: Sex (Part 2) - The Beautiful Side
P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share
this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can
easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve
We are blessed when
the ministry receives gifts to support the families that we do, primarily for
those living in Israel, Pakistan, Northern Ireland and India, and the hurting
ones here in the USA. You also can share out of the abundance you have been
given.
Love For His People,
Inc. is a charitable,
not-for-profit USA humanitarian organization started in 2010 to share the love
of the Father in the nations.
If these messages
minister to you, please consider sending a charitable gift of $10-$25 today, and
maybe each month, to help us bless families we know in Israel, whom we
consistently help through our humanitarian ministry. Your tax deductible
contributions receive a receipt for each donation. Fed. ID #27-1633858.
Click here for
safe ONLINE GIFT GIVING THROUGH OUR WEBSITE using major credit cards: Love
For His People.
If you don't have a PayPal account you can also use your credit card or bank
account (where available).
Contribution checks
can be sent to:
Love For His People,
Inc. P.O. Box414 Pineville, NC 28134
Todah rabah! (Hebrew
– Thank you very much.)
Please share Now
Think On This with your friends.
Email: loveforhispeople@gmail.com
martinlighthouse@gmail.com
Facebook pages: Steve
Martin and Love For His People
Twitter: martinlighthous,
LovingHisPeople
Now Think On This - In
the Year of our Lord 06.06.17 - #291 – “Sex (Part 1 of 2) - The Evil Side” – Tuesday, 3:00 pm
All previous editions
of Now Think On This can be found on this
Blog, and on the website: Now
Think On This
Again, I would be most
grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. You
can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve
6/6/2017 KINGDOM WORKS
Charisma News
With
pornography use reaching its height during summer months, churches are being
called to provide a program to disciple their men on sexual integrity.
Research
has shown that early summer brings a peak in porn searches on the internet.
While the reason for this is unclear, with 68 percent of men in the church
viewing pornography on a regular basis, it is likely that these men are being
exposed to more triggers in the summer months. As the weather warms up, people
dress in Summer clothing. For someone who struggles with pornography, this can
act as a subconscious trigger that leads them into a downward spiral to going
online and acting out. Some other possible explanations are that people have
more time on their hands or are around family, which could bring up childhood
triggers.
We
live in a free society where we don't dictate what people wear, but there are
thousands of men in desperate need of accountability and discipleship so that
they can respond to these triggers in a healthy way.
In
1 Corinthians 10:13, Paul says: "No temptation has taken you except what
is common to man. God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted
above what you can endure, but will with the temptation also make a way to
escape, that you may be able to bear it."
If
you've ever struggled in this area, you've probably been looking for that way
out and wondering, Why haven't I found it yet?
Over
400,000 men in over 60 countries have started their journey to freedom through
the Conquer Series, a six-DVD cinematic study.
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