Draw The Lines – On Pornography – Ravi Zacharias

Holy Love is Difficult…

From Lead Them Home: Bill Henson’s Ministry Journal:

 

Holy Love originates in the Vine from which pure and undefiled love flows into us (for us) and through us (for others). Tapping into it is referred to biblically as abiding in Christ. When we abide in Him, we live godly lives ourselves and reflect mercy to others – whether they live for God or not.

When we fail to abide in Him, we split love into binary exclusives missing the full character of God.

We twist love into a truth stream that hits others like a hammer – particularly those who fall short of our particular sensitivities about God’s truth. Like the disciples, we turn the Gospel into a sword. We use God to hurt others. We team up with others who do likewise. This is the Pharisee.

Or else we twist love into a mercy stream that transforms God’s grace into a license to live however we wish. We turn away from God’s boundaries in order to grant ourselves leniency with few limits. We use God to get our way. We join with others who do likewise. This is the Sinner.

The worst case scenario occurs when I opportunistically demand a truth stream for others while granting a mercy stream for myself. I harshly condemn others while ignoring God’s demands upon my life. Lest we blame the other, the conservative and liberal both make this mistake.

Holy Love crucifies self-determination destroying our right to live life our way. When we enter it, our flesh begs to be fed. Only then do we discover its’ true corruptible nature. When we previously let our flesh rule, it was impossible to see just how demanding it was. Now, we know! We fall short…

Recognizing how we turned God’s grace into a license to sin, we cry for mercy. Here, God’s grace becomes amazing not because He grants us our way but because we suddenly need a Savior. It can be hard to realize this, because we so often refuse to repent of the people and pleasures we cherish.

Whoever experiences this kind of repentance finds that Holy Love is not easy – it is difficult and costly! We can no longer control God’s will; nor withhold God’s love from others. Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. Branches never direct the vine, and they never prune one another.

Perry Noble: … things I wish I could say to every single male and female

http://www.perrynoble.com/blog/seven-things-i-wish-i-could-say-to-every-single-male

http://www.perrynoble.com/blog/11-things-i-wish-i-could-say-to-every-single-female

Biblical Courtship

1. Introduction: 

2. The parent’s responsibility at home:  

3. The child’s responsibility to the parent:

4. The when of Biblical Courtship:

5. God’s purpose for marriage:

Preventing online infidelity USAToday

“A husband and wife should be so transparent that any effort on the part of one to look at what the other is doing should never be considered off limits,”

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/kimkomando/story/2012-03-24/online-marriage-infidelity/53860492/1

Porn U Protecting Purity at College

http://www.covenanteyes.com/pureminds-articles/porn-u-protecting-purity-at-college/

Lecrae: Killa

Love this Lecrae song with great lyrics about the seductive power of vice:

Uh, I know it’s going to kill me but I just can’t let it go
And the taste so appealing got a grip upon my soul
These honey dip lies mesmerize me
Pride’s got its crooked fingers twisted all inside in me
Fools walk the path I’m on, never to be seen again
Sipping on seduction while we eating on some secret sin
(No one will ever know) says the whisper in my ear
And I know I should be over this, but I ain’t seeing clear
And I aint leaving here, unless somebody save me
Walking to my grave letting evilness enslave me
Evil looks so lovely covered in her lace of lies
And the silky smooth seduction just manipulates my mind
Her fabrical fabrication is fueling my fascination
While I’m intoxicated she starts her assassination
I’m losing all my honor and my years to the merciless
Giving all my life away but I’m just so immersed in this (killa)
Hook:
Baby this is innocent (Killa) it won’t even hurt a little bit (Killa)
I’m only here for your benefit (killa) I’m your every wish (Killa)
Come on and let me in (killa), baby this is innocent (Killa)
And it won’t even hurt a little bit (Killa) Close your eyes and let’s get lost tonight
(Killa) Would it be alright? You’ll see (killa)
Her feet go down to DEATH, so don’t let her consume you
Even though her heart is black, her exterior’s beautiful
She’ll take your life away, strip away your joy
Pretends that she gon build you up but she’s just gon destroy you
My friends fell low, when they was so high
Got me running scared of myself, no lie
And I know I’m gon die, I tried cold turkey
But when I’m feeling worthy, Satan’s sure trying to merk me
I’m doing myself dirty, flirting with whats perverted
I should follow the word but I guess I’d rather be murdered
Excuse me I mean martyred ’cause I’m killing myself
My sin conceived a baby, and we gon name it death, breath
(Gasps) -Taker, she take my breath away
Replaces it with poison and I’m so swept away
I need some bread today hope I wake up
Before they start my wake up somebody make me break up
I’m dating a (Killa)

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Pornography Corrupts us to the Core

Great table on afaithtoliveby, taken from The Porn Trap by Wendy Maltz, illustrating the damage that unhealthy sexuality causes:

Godly/Healthy Sexuality	Pornography/Unhealthy sexuality
Caring	Using
Sharing with someone	“Doing to” someone
Honoring	Shameful
Authentic	Deceitful
Enhancing your identity	Compromises your identity
Emotional bonding	Emotional separateness
Spiritual unity	Spiritual separateness
Morally saturated	Free of moral convention
Communication is essential	Communication is optional
Other-directed	Selfish, self-directed
Biblical boundaries	Has no limits
Involves all of the person	Is visual and genital
Naturally drives us toward intimacy	Unnaturally drives us toward compulsions
National drives toward sanctification	Unnaturally drives towards depravity
Matures into responsible habits	Escalates toward irresponsible risks
Nurtures the spouse	Hurts the partner
Is an expression of love	Is an expression of usefulness
Humanizes	Objectifies
Honors the image/imaging of God in you	Dishonors the image/imaging of God in you
Honors the image/imaging of God in spouse	Dishonors the image/imaging of God in another
Provides emotional, moral, psychological and relational clarity	Produces emotional, moral, psychological and relational confusion

No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Addiction

Review of Marnie Ferree’s No Stones: Women Redeemed from Sexual Addiction http://blog.christianitytoday.com/women/2010/04/female_sex_addict_not_an_oxymo.html

“For one, women sex addicts often face a double dose of shame because they believe they as women aren’t supposed to have sexual sin. And because the number of female addicts is relatively small (expert Patrick Carnes estimates 3 percent of the U.S. population, with male addicts composing 8 percent), few books and recovery groups are available. “I tell some of my colleagues, such as Mark Laaser, ‘you wrote a great book, but the pronouns are wrong,’ ” says Ferree.”

She mentions that sex addiction (both male and female) is an intimacy disorder: the search for “love, touch, affirmation, affection, and approval.”