I am sure I am not alone in this but I have a lot of questions about life, if I am honest almost all my questions are for God. It would be easy but hardly edifying or redemptive for me to write down all my questions for God, so I am taking a different approach to this blog/note. I am coming at this from a stand point where I have lots of questions that really seemed to be answered by one word…Grace.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
This is Paul explaining how God answered his tough question about the thorn in the flesh, and although we are exactly sure what the “thorn” was, looking at Paul’s track record (Philippians 3:1-9) for him to complain 3 times is something of significance; and yet God explains that His Grace is enough for anything.
There are so many times in my life where my heart is extremely frustrated with God, even angry because this isn’t the answer that I want…at times it doesn’t feel as though it is enough.
It breaks my heart to even write those words of honesty down, because as I sit at my desk and look at the cross I have hanging on my wall I am reminded of what it was that Jesus went through that I don’t consider ‘enough’. I don’t like that I can comprehend what is going on or it doesn’t make sense to me, so I get mad throw a temper tantrum and say to Jesus Christ, the risen son of God; “Thanks but what you did wasn’t quite enough for this problem.”
I understand that a lot of this is pride and foolishness; I understand that it is sinful to have this in my heart and yet I can’t stop myself from time after time, spiting in the face of grace and saying “I need more then that.”
See I hear and read many guys “just asking questions” and I hear my own questions being brought up by others as well, which if I am honest I get a sense of relief, kind of that “Whew, at least I am not the only one.”
But then I get scared that we are missing the point, that I am just like the Pharisees who, physically followed Jesus everywhere He went. They witnessed his miracles, the saw him die and rise again, in the flesh they were there! But didn’t KNOW Jesus, and were therefore dead. I don’t want to just follow Jesus around, I want to know him.
David was another on who asked many questions. Reading in the Psalms I am sure many of us can resonate with the cries to God. One of which we read in Psalm 22:1-2;
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.
But something I love about David’s heart is he always come back to the truth of who God is…his ‘Shepherd’.
Psalms 23 he writes;
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
We see again the reoccurring theme of questions from man, and answers from God that may not be what we desire, or how we would like them answered…but really who are we to question God and His love, mercy, grace, compassion, or sovereignty. As my great friend Tyson Liske put it one late night when we were hanging out; “How dare I question God’s faithfulness!”
My amazing wife and I went home back to Alberta for a visit last week and I asked my hero (aka my dad); “What is the point of all these questions?” He told me “It is to get people thinking…”
The conversation continued and my dad explained how this is a dangerous slope and we need to be careful that we aren’t just taking apart and not coming back to the bible for our answers.
But really I am not sure what we are supposed to be thinking about. I mean I do, but how is it edifying, how is it redeeming? We dismantle theology, doctrine, even the bible and truth…in the name of thinking?!?!
After years of questions it is my conviction that many of my burning questions have been answered, and usually they fall under either sin, or grace. It is now my conviction that the best way for me to know Jesus…it to stop asking and submit to God’s sovereignty. For me to let go of understanding and say thank you Jesus.
I know this won’t sit well with lots of people, and I will be the first to say “I COULD BE WRONG!” But man how cool it is when “The peace that transcends all understanding” sinks through the hard walls of my heart, which are built up with so many questions and I hear Him say “My grace is sufficient” and that truth, really does set me free…well I have no questions in those moments.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Celebrate with Obedience and Surrender
(I have to admit as I post this, my initial thought was; “Think of something cleverer to talk about…” like the message of the gospel isn’t enough. Or we have heard it enough times that we don’t need to be reminded of the life of Jesus, and it is because of this foolishness in my heart that I share this with you. It is because we so desperately need to be reminded of the saving grace of Jesus that I write knowing that nothing else I could say is as important as what Jesus said to us on the cross. Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Romans 6:6-7
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would not longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (ESV)
I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life over the past few weeks. I have spent mornings in silence, sitting in awe and wondering why would the creator of the universe care about me? Why would He save me? With all that is going on in the world, in our cities, in our family, in our own lives…why would he care for and love me?!? Why would he love you?!?
I mean lets face it none of us have a great track record, we are selfish, we love ourselves and long for ‘stuff’ more then life, well most seconds of our lives anyways. Our minds are generally sick and twisted; we treat people as a means to end rather then those that bear the image of God. I am convinced that we are by nature sinful (Rom. 5:12-13,18-19; Rom. 3:2…not to mention The Fall) and yet God still, being faithful in love and grace…loves us.
In fact God by his grace allows us to die to our sin, to become a new creation in Him, in Jesus Christ. I for one have experienced first hand this freeing work of the cross, it’s not a neat story that sounds good to say when things get bad…but the fact of the matter is; because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father in going to the cross, and in dying to myself and surrendering my life, my sin was nailed their with him. I no longer live in guilt and shame of a ‘man’ I once was, but I live as child of the most high God.
I would argue this should bring us to a place of celebration, as this freedom has been made readily available to us all.
1Timothy 1:14-16 says; “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life”
I really do try to celebrate the work of the cross in my life, but this morning as I was praying I realized that the best way for me to celebrate Jesus is through obedience and surrender. To remain faithful to scripture and in doing so surrendering my life to what ever it is that God would call me to do.
Now I don’t claim this as a new idea, or even my idea for that matter, but I do feel that I am experiencing true joy in being obedient and surrendering this life. I am seeing the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) come to fruition in my life…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
My heart does not long to celebrate God’s grace by celebrating me, or you…I want to find life in dying to me. I want to be sure that all signs of my life point “Yes, this is because of Jesus.”
I want to celebrate Jesus with obedience and surrender.
Romans 6:6-7
“We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would not longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (ESV)
I have had a lot of time to reflect on my life over the past few weeks. I have spent mornings in silence, sitting in awe and wondering why would the creator of the universe care about me? Why would He save me? With all that is going on in the world, in our cities, in our family, in our own lives…why would he care for and love me?!? Why would he love you?!?
I mean lets face it none of us have a great track record, we are selfish, we love ourselves and long for ‘stuff’ more then life, well most seconds of our lives anyways. Our minds are generally sick and twisted; we treat people as a means to end rather then those that bear the image of God. I am convinced that we are by nature sinful (Rom. 5:12-13,18-19; Rom. 3:2…not to mention The Fall) and yet God still, being faithful in love and grace…loves us.
In fact God by his grace allows us to die to our sin, to become a new creation in Him, in Jesus Christ. I for one have experienced first hand this freeing work of the cross, it’s not a neat story that sounds good to say when things get bad…but the fact of the matter is; because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father in going to the cross, and in dying to myself and surrendering my life, my sin was nailed their with him. I no longer live in guilt and shame of a ‘man’ I once was, but I live as child of the most high God.
I would argue this should bring us to a place of celebration, as this freedom has been made readily available to us all.
1Timothy 1:14-16 says; “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life”
I really do try to celebrate the work of the cross in my life, but this morning as I was praying I realized that the best way for me to celebrate Jesus is through obedience and surrender. To remain faithful to scripture and in doing so surrendering my life to what ever it is that God would call me to do.
Now I don’t claim this as a new idea, or even my idea for that matter, but I do feel that I am experiencing true joy in being obedient and surrendering this life. I am seeing the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) come to fruition in my life…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
My heart does not long to celebrate God’s grace by celebrating me, or you…I want to find life in dying to me. I want to be sure that all signs of my life point “Yes, this is because of Jesus.”
I want to celebrate Jesus with obedience and surrender.
Friday, May 22, 2009
To passionately pursue and embrace – Philippians 4:8
It is later Thursday evening and my body is exhausted but my mind and heart a very much awakened by a revelation of God.
As I write this I write with much conviction in my own heart of my lack of ‘passionate pursuit and embracing’. It is also my conviction that this is something that we need to do to find fulfillment in Christ Jesus, to whom all glory is due.
To passionately pursue and embrace my sweet Jesus is all my heart longs to do and tonight as I lay awake next to the most beautiful person I know, my wife, God said to me;
“Tim, passionately pursue and embrace what I have given you.”
My mind races and tears begin to well up in my eyes as I realize how much God has given me.
Of course because my flesh can at times get the best of me I begin to think of the “stuff” God has richly blessed me with; job, place to live, cars etc…OH LORD FORGIVE MY SINFUL HEART!
But as I lay in quite, and listened…shhh, just listen…God continued to speak as I asked Him “Lord where do I begin?”
“Philippians 4:8” was the reply, which I felt could have woken up my wonderful wife as I heard it so clearly it could have been audible.
The passage reads; (ESV interpretation)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is TRUE, whatever is HONORABLE, whatever is JUST, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is COMMENDABLE, if there is any EXCELLENCE, if there is anything WORTHY OF PRAISE, think about such things.”
So I begin (because this will continue) to meditate and this is my conviction:
Oh God by your grace would you allow me the strength and courage to passionately pursue and embrace
Truth – because there is truth, we have the living, breathing, life giving word of God which is true! It is inerrant (meaning perfect and flawless) and I long to continue to passionately pursue and embrace truth.
Honor – Lord give me discernment to know when to repent of pride, but pursue honor for YOUR GLORY and my joy.
Justice – My great God of Justice break my heart for what breaks yours, may I not stand on the sidelines and witness injustice, but for your sake be a voice and a warrior that fights for justice.
Purity – Jesus in a world that is still a ‘perverted generation’ I want to passionately pursue Purity in my marriage, my words, my motive, my life.
Lovely – Lord may I appreciate and embrace all that is lovely in this world and in my life, you blessed us with a world which I play a part in destroying. God may I passionately pursue the cultivation of all that is lovely.
Commendable – God may I live a life that is commendable, and when people witness this they SEE YOU in my life.
Excellence – Jesus you don’t want my leftovers but you long to make and mold me into your image. This is a call to excellence, my God my flesh is far too weak to do this without you but I will passionately pursue and embrace my call to excellence in all I do, for you Kingdom’s sake.
Worthy of Praise – Jesus you are this, and only you are worthy of any praise, so I will passionately pursuer and embrace you my Jesus. You are my every thing; forgive me oh Jesus for the many times when I seek my own praise…YOU ARE WORTHY MY JESUS!
So this is again my heart, may you be challenged to passionately pursue and embrace all that God has given you.
With much love
-Tim
As I write this I write with much conviction in my own heart of my lack of ‘passionate pursuit and embracing’. It is also my conviction that this is something that we need to do to find fulfillment in Christ Jesus, to whom all glory is due.
To passionately pursue and embrace my sweet Jesus is all my heart longs to do and tonight as I lay awake next to the most beautiful person I know, my wife, God said to me;
“Tim, passionately pursue and embrace what I have given you.”
My mind races and tears begin to well up in my eyes as I realize how much God has given me.
Of course because my flesh can at times get the best of me I begin to think of the “stuff” God has richly blessed me with; job, place to live, cars etc…OH LORD FORGIVE MY SINFUL HEART!
But as I lay in quite, and listened…shhh, just listen…God continued to speak as I asked Him “Lord where do I begin?”
“Philippians 4:8” was the reply, which I felt could have woken up my wonderful wife as I heard it so clearly it could have been audible.
The passage reads; (ESV interpretation)
“Finally, brothers, whatever is TRUE, whatever is HONORABLE, whatever is JUST, whatever is PURE, whatever is LOVELY, whatever is COMMENDABLE, if there is any EXCELLENCE, if there is anything WORTHY OF PRAISE, think about such things.”
So I begin (because this will continue) to meditate and this is my conviction:
Oh God by your grace would you allow me the strength and courage to passionately pursue and embrace
Truth – because there is truth, we have the living, breathing, life giving word of God which is true! It is inerrant (meaning perfect and flawless) and I long to continue to passionately pursue and embrace truth.
Honor – Lord give me discernment to know when to repent of pride, but pursue honor for YOUR GLORY and my joy.
Justice – My great God of Justice break my heart for what breaks yours, may I not stand on the sidelines and witness injustice, but for your sake be a voice and a warrior that fights for justice.
Purity – Jesus in a world that is still a ‘perverted generation’ I want to passionately pursue Purity in my marriage, my words, my motive, my life.
Lovely – Lord may I appreciate and embrace all that is lovely in this world and in my life, you blessed us with a world which I play a part in destroying. God may I passionately pursue the cultivation of all that is lovely.
Commendable – God may I live a life that is commendable, and when people witness this they SEE YOU in my life.
Excellence – Jesus you don’t want my leftovers but you long to make and mold me into your image. This is a call to excellence, my God my flesh is far too weak to do this without you but I will passionately pursue and embrace my call to excellence in all I do, for you Kingdom’s sake.
Worthy of Praise – Jesus you are this, and only you are worthy of any praise, so I will passionately pursuer and embrace you my Jesus. You are my every thing; forgive me oh Jesus for the many times when I seek my own praise…YOU ARE WORTHY MY JESUS!
So this is again my heart, may you be challenged to passionately pursue and embrace all that God has given you.
With much love
-Tim
Monday, October 20, 2008
Where did Jesus Go?
I really don't want this to come across as another cynical criticism of the church and its leaders or the members of the body. I just want it to be a way of thinking, a way of life, a voice that screams "Jesus, we need more Jesus!"
Where did Jesus Go?
I am finding and hearing more and more people long for more. We are bombarded with a culture that is “Me” driven and unfortunately this is over spilling into the church.
We have started coming to church looking for what the Church can do for us instead of what I can do to serve the church. (Read Philippians 2 if you don’t like what I just wrote)
I feel as thought preachers are being pressured to do more and come up with the new way of presenting the bible, but what’s funny is the bible has never changed. The bible has said the same words for thousands of years and they have always been life giving truths.
People want more new ways to view and receive the bible and what it says and yet it is clear that Jesus is “the way the truth and life”. Why are we pressuring our preaching pastors to try and find a new way to present what is such a message of truth and life…Jesus!
Jesus is and always will be the greatest story of truth in the bible. I guess my point is this we don’t need news ways of preaching we just need more Jesus Christ.
Where did Jesus Go?
I am finding and hearing more and more people long for more. We are bombarded with a culture that is “Me” driven and unfortunately this is over spilling into the church.
We have started coming to church looking for what the Church can do for us instead of what I can do to serve the church. (Read Philippians 2 if you don’t like what I just wrote)
I feel as thought preachers are being pressured to do more and come up with the new way of presenting the bible, but what’s funny is the bible has never changed. The bible has said the same words for thousands of years and they have always been life giving truths.
People want more new ways to view and receive the bible and what it says and yet it is clear that Jesus is “the way the truth and life”. Why are we pressuring our preaching pastors to try and find a new way to present what is such a message of truth and life…Jesus!
Jesus is and always will be the greatest story of truth in the bible. I guess my point is this we don’t need news ways of preaching we just need more Jesus Christ.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Mom told me te stove was hot...I didn't believe her!
I am sure many of us can relate to being told something, something to protect us from being hurt and in our own infinite wisdom we said; "Thanks but I don't need your help!"
I know in my life there have been many 'hot stove' moments where my parents or someone who cared would tell me to steer clear from where I headed. And sometimes I would listen, but more often then not I would touch that red hot burner in life and end up burnt.
I believe the bible is the best way to learn from being 'burnt' in life. Now I am sure some are reading this thinking; "yeah tell us something we don't know, the bible is good for us to read..." so my question is if we all know this book is so life giving how come we all have so many blisters and burns. How come we all carry around scars that we are so ashamed of, why does our pride still tell us to search throughout the world to find these answers, the bible is just to cliche and 'religious'
During Jesus time here on earth he had many disciples desert him. In John 6:60-65 it says;
"On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?" Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him." He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no on can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."
Even the disciples who hung out with Jesus in the flesh had a hard time following the teaching, but lets not forget "The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life". The bible speaks truth and breaths life into our bodies, minds and souls!
And even though we all walk around with our hands burnt from touching the hot burners of life, our Great God in His great mercy is healing all our brokenness!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Heroine or porn...they both kill
Heroine or Porn…It’s all the same.
There is a secret today, one that we like to keep in the dark and not let out because we are told, no we are lied to and told that if we tell someone we will be shamed. The way people view us will be skewed and we will be labeled as dirty. There is no hope for us and really what could telling someone do to help? We like the dark security we find in knowing that when life gets too tough we can run to the open arms of our loving, porn.
The porn industry is a 60 billion dollar industry, grossing more then professional hockey, basketball, or even baseball. It is an industry that exploits poisons and ruins lives and yet so many of us are buying into the lie that we can’t or should not talk about this, especially in the church.
Porn has a destructive like nature much like heroine or any other drug which we see killing people daily. I think we often look at those with addictions to drugs and alcohol and think “man I am glad I am not them…they are messed up!” but I am willing to go out on limb and say your ‘dirty little secret’ is just as destructive in you life as drugs in an addicts life.
We like to address the addictions that are more prevalent in our church, things like drugs and alcohol and we are so quick to feel sorry for and judge the broken home of those fallen to these horrible lies of the world. It is so easy to think “Wow, that is too bad they fell apart…I guess we saw it coming with the way he/she drank.” I think one of the most dangerous lies to believe is that because we look at porn we aren’t hurting anyone else, or this is most defiantly not as destructive as being an addict. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 says; “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 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.”
Ted Bundy, a serial killer who was put to death by electric chair in 1989 was a man whom raped and killed over 30 women. He is viewed and seen as a sick psycho path whom was unstable and crazy. Often times we assume that a man like Ted Bundy must have been abused or neglected as a child, because in our mind, no one person who had a loving home and good parents would be capable of such horrendous acts. I recently saw an interview with him and Dr. James Dobson just hours before he was to be executed and he is quoted as saying; “Listen I am no social scientist and I have not done a survey and I don’t pretend to know what John Q citizen thinks about this. But I have lived in prison for long time now, and I have met men that have motivated to commit violence just like me, and without exception every one of them was deeply involved in pornography, without question without exception deeply influence and consumed by an addiction to pornography.”
This interview can be seen on www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAHgJFPcOvY and I would encourage anyone who reads this to watch and learn from one whom had to learn a lesson the hardest way.
Our bodies are design to ‘long’ for something more then ourselves I believe this to be true. I can totally understand how we fall time and time again and get discouraged and frustrated almost to a point of hopelessness. But what we need to understand is that the longing we do have is for Christ. We need to understand that God created us for a relationship with him he longs to be with us as much as our minds, bodies and souls long for him or ‘something more’. Psalms 63:1 says; “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water…(vs3) Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you…(vs7) Because you are my help I will sing in the shadow of your wing…(vs9-10) They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth/ They will be given over to the sword and become food for the jackals.” we as children of light need to rejoice and proclaim our freedom in Christ.
He will avenge and is here to save his children but we must fight to live. He has thrown us the life raft we must now fight to get in and stay on board. It won’t be easy and the storms of life are fierce but in him we are able to do all things.
The reality is there are millions of victims in our world, cities, schools and dare I say church, victims that have fallen and given into the temptation of porn. It is so easily accessible and our world presents it as something that is glorified and great…what a lie! There is no glory in porn in fact many the women in porn are victims of abuse and feel worthless and dirty. There is often abuse they have endured since childhood and live lives of coping, they live lives that affirm in their mind the lies they believe about themselves that the only thing they are good for is objects. It is ignorant when people believe that the women in the shoots are enjoying themselves being enslaved in such an “animalistic” life as Mark Driscoll once described it.
This terrible industry also does a fantastic job of absolutely destroying and ruining what sex and marriage are to be, created by God. We are to love our spouses and when we are selfish and look online or ‘get our fix’ from anyone or anything other then our spouse we not only spit in the face of the convenant we made before God, but we create an intense insecurity in someone we love. Someone we promise to love and put before ourselves we scream at them “YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!” I don’t say this to scare or manipulate or anything like that, but I feel that we need to bring light into this dark place and truth must reign and we must know that we are not only affecting ourselves but it hurts those we love and eats away at our very soul depleting us as individuals and as an army of the True Living God!
There is a need for a generation to rise up and be a pure generation free from the slavery of porn. This is darkness and needs to be brought to light; 1 John 1:6-7 says; “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
This is what is so scary about a life of one that occasionally looks at or is completely and utterly addicted to porn is the isolation that comes with it. It becomes a dark place where we hide our shame and run to the computer, magazines, late night TV to fill our ‘void’ instead of allowing the living, breathing and loving God be all we need in this life.
I don’t write this on a self righteous level but as one who has struggled but by the grace of God has experienced freedom from my chains. I now have wonderful fellowship and live in the light daily being desperately intentional about dying to myself and my desires as I am still human, I still have the ability to be selfish and indulge in what the world tells me will fulfill and be what I need to ‘get by’, instead of the truth that I don’t need to just ‘get by’ but can live life to the fullest in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23 tells us; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” but then later on in chapter 12:1-2 Paul not just suggests to us but creates a sense of urgency to surrender our bodies to the work of Christ; “Therefore I URGE you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” We have an opportunity to worship the creator of the universe using our bodies and being a warrior the kingdom and not a slave to the world. This is battle that we are entrenched in, daily, hourly, every minuet of every day we need to be suited up in the armor of God (Eph 6:10-17) putting in on with authenticity and sincerity in our surrender to Christ Jesus.
If anyone tells this battle is easy they are a liar, but I will tell you it is worth it! Freedom is possible and it is here, Galatians 5:1 says “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” now go my friends, live free, stand up for yourself, your spouse, our God. We have victory in the cross and the time to claim it is now, we can never be ‘ready’, but in Christ Jesus we are so powerfully able!
There is a secret today, one that we like to keep in the dark and not let out because we are told, no we are lied to and told that if we tell someone we will be shamed. The way people view us will be skewed and we will be labeled as dirty. There is no hope for us and really what could telling someone do to help? We like the dark security we find in knowing that when life gets too tough we can run to the open arms of our loving, porn.
The porn industry is a 60 billion dollar industry, grossing more then professional hockey, basketball, or even baseball. It is an industry that exploits poisons and ruins lives and yet so many of us are buying into the lie that we can’t or should not talk about this, especially in the church.
Porn has a destructive like nature much like heroine or any other drug which we see killing people daily. I think we often look at those with addictions to drugs and alcohol and think “man I am glad I am not them…they are messed up!” but I am willing to go out on limb and say your ‘dirty little secret’ is just as destructive in you life as drugs in an addicts life.
We like to address the addictions that are more prevalent in our church, things like drugs and alcohol and we are so quick to feel sorry for and judge the broken home of those fallen to these horrible lies of the world. It is so easy to think “Wow, that is too bad they fell apart…I guess we saw it coming with the way he/she drank.” I think one of the most dangerous lies to believe is that because we look at porn we aren’t hurting anyone else, or this is most defiantly not as destructive as being an addict. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 says; “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 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.”
Ted Bundy, a serial killer who was put to death by electric chair in 1989 was a man whom raped and killed over 30 women. He is viewed and seen as a sick psycho path whom was unstable and crazy. Often times we assume that a man like Ted Bundy must have been abused or neglected as a child, because in our mind, no one person who had a loving home and good parents would be capable of such horrendous acts. I recently saw an interview with him and Dr. James Dobson just hours before he was to be executed and he is quoted as saying; “Listen I am no social scientist and I have not done a survey and I don’t pretend to know what John Q citizen thinks about this. But I have lived in prison for long time now, and I have met men that have motivated to commit violence just like me, and without exception every one of them was deeply involved in pornography, without question without exception deeply influence and consumed by an addiction to pornography.”
This interview can be seen on www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAHgJFPcOvY and I would encourage anyone who reads this to watch and learn from one whom had to learn a lesson the hardest way.
Our bodies are design to ‘long’ for something more then ourselves I believe this to be true. I can totally understand how we fall time and time again and get discouraged and frustrated almost to a point of hopelessness. But what we need to understand is that the longing we do have is for Christ. We need to understand that God created us for a relationship with him he longs to be with us as much as our minds, bodies and souls long for him or ‘something more’. Psalms 63:1 says; “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you in a dry and weary land where there is no water…(vs3) Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you…(vs7) Because you are my help I will sing in the shadow of your wing…(vs9-10) They who seek my life will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth/ They will be given over to the sword and become food for the jackals.” we as children of light need to rejoice and proclaim our freedom in Christ.
He will avenge and is here to save his children but we must fight to live. He has thrown us the life raft we must now fight to get in and stay on board. It won’t be easy and the storms of life are fierce but in him we are able to do all things.
The reality is there are millions of victims in our world, cities, schools and dare I say church, victims that have fallen and given into the temptation of porn. It is so easily accessible and our world presents it as something that is glorified and great…what a lie! There is no glory in porn in fact many the women in porn are victims of abuse and feel worthless and dirty. There is often abuse they have endured since childhood and live lives of coping, they live lives that affirm in their mind the lies they believe about themselves that the only thing they are good for is objects. It is ignorant when people believe that the women in the shoots are enjoying themselves being enslaved in such an “animalistic” life as Mark Driscoll once described it.
This terrible industry also does a fantastic job of absolutely destroying and ruining what sex and marriage are to be, created by God. We are to love our spouses and when we are selfish and look online or ‘get our fix’ from anyone or anything other then our spouse we not only spit in the face of the convenant we made before God, but we create an intense insecurity in someone we love. Someone we promise to love and put before ourselves we scream at them “YOU ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!” I don’t say this to scare or manipulate or anything like that, but I feel that we need to bring light into this dark place and truth must reign and we must know that we are not only affecting ourselves but it hurts those we love and eats away at our very soul depleting us as individuals and as an army of the True Living God!
There is a need for a generation to rise up and be a pure generation free from the slavery of porn. This is darkness and needs to be brought to light; 1 John 1:6-7 says; “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”
This is what is so scary about a life of one that occasionally looks at or is completely and utterly addicted to porn is the isolation that comes with it. It becomes a dark place where we hide our shame and run to the computer, magazines, late night TV to fill our ‘void’ instead of allowing the living, breathing and loving God be all we need in this life.
I don’t write this on a self righteous level but as one who has struggled but by the grace of God has experienced freedom from my chains. I now have wonderful fellowship and live in the light daily being desperately intentional about dying to myself and my desires as I am still human, I still have the ability to be selfish and indulge in what the world tells me will fulfill and be what I need to ‘get by’, instead of the truth that I don’t need to just ‘get by’ but can live life to the fullest in Christ Jesus.
Romans 3:23 tells us; “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” but then later on in chapter 12:1-2 Paul not just suggests to us but creates a sense of urgency to surrender our bodies to the work of Christ; “Therefore I URGE you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer you bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” We have an opportunity to worship the creator of the universe using our bodies and being a warrior the kingdom and not a slave to the world. This is battle that we are entrenched in, daily, hourly, every minuet of every day we need to be suited up in the armor of God (Eph 6:10-17) putting in on with authenticity and sincerity in our surrender to Christ Jesus.
If anyone tells this battle is easy they are a liar, but I will tell you it is worth it! Freedom is possible and it is here, Galatians 5:1 says “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” now go my friends, live free, stand up for yourself, your spouse, our God. We have victory in the cross and the time to claim it is now, we can never be ‘ready’, but in Christ Jesus we are so powerfully able!
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