Far away from God
- Thread starter 4Given
- Start date
Greetings 4Given,
May I encourage you that no matter where we go, He is there... and continues to love us. The notion of straying can sometimes be something we imagine... or worse still are led to believe... as if the Lord can not reach that far... or that we must depend on own good works.
I welcome you to PM me if you would like, or perhaps you might like to share more here?
May you know the unfailing and eternal love of the Saviour, who did not spend His life for you so it could then be lost again, but rather....
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14
Bless you ....><>
Br. Bear
<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>
O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Psalm 139:1-17
May I encourage you that no matter where we go, He is there... and continues to love us. The notion of straying can sometimes be something we imagine... or worse still are led to believe... as if the Lord can not reach that far... or that we must depend on own good works.
I welcome you to PM me if you would like, or perhaps you might like to share more here?
May you know the unfailing and eternal love of the Saviour, who did not spend His life for you so it could then be lost again, but rather....
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13-14
Bless you ....><>
Br. Bear
<To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.>
O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Psalm 139:1-17
Pocahontas
Member
- Joined
- Aug 21, 2008
- Messages
- 28
reply to far away from God
There is no way a person could turn their back on God so much that he would give up on them. He knows you and knows your heart. People may turn their back on God, but he is always there waiting for us to come back to Him.
God Bless
Poca
There is no way a person could turn their back on God so much that he would give up on them. He knows you and knows your heart. People may turn their back on God, but he is always there waiting for us to come back to Him.
God Bless
Poca
- Joined
- Jun 19, 2008
- Messages
- 5,740
Dear 4Given
The words you have recieved from Br.Bear and Pocahonta's are true
Once you are saved you are saved for eternity...it is not dependent upon how you feel...even though satan can make you feel pretty despondant and full of despair.
Take comfort in these verses brother
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms Isaiah 40:11
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:31
Commit your feelings into the hands of the Lord. Trust in His promises. Remember that He who was able to save you from your sins is just as mighty to keep you.
I drifted far, far away from the Lord....yet He was always there with me...He is there with you too brother...just place everything into His care.
I will be praying for you.
Your sister in Jesus
Julia
The Lord...shall preserve thy soul....From this time forth and even for evermore. Psalm 121: 7,8
The words you have recieved from Br.Bear and Pocahonta's are true
Once you are saved you are saved for eternity...it is not dependent upon how you feel...even though satan can make you feel pretty despondant and full of despair.
Take comfort in these verses brother
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms Isaiah 40:11
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. John 10:31
Commit your feelings into the hands of the Lord. Trust in His promises. Remember that He who was able to save you from your sins is just as mighty to keep you.
I drifted far, far away from the Lord....yet He was always there with me...He is there with you too brother...just place everything into His care.
I will be praying for you.
Your sister in Jesus
Julia
The Lord...shall preserve thy soul....From this time forth and even for evermore. Psalm 121: 7,8
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2004
- Messages
- 17,078
In agreement.
Hebrews 13:4-6
4 Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2004
- Messages
- 17,078
Freedom from Sexual Sin
Lies about sex sin, addiction and freedom
Lies are the foundation of the temptations we face in sex addiction. The devil is a master liar. Jesus explained, "He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" ( John 8:44 NIV).
People were first exposed to Satan's lies in the Garden of Eden. Satan suggested to Eve that God was keeping back good things from her. As Eve started to doubt God, she lusted for the fruit and sinned. In the same way, Satan tempts us using combinations of things we desire and lies. If he can get us to doubt God's goodness through lies, then we're more likely to sin.
An example of the common sexual temptation:
Satan often tries to convince people that restricting sex to marriage is outdated and impractical. He tells people (singles & teens, especially) that God is unfairly withholding sex from them. He tells them that there will be little or no consequences for having sex outside of marriage and/or looking at pornography. The result is that many people doubt God's good plan for sex and give in to fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography or many other bad alternatives. Afterwards, these people discover that the consequences are real and often much worse than they thought.
Destroy the lies with truth:
The power of lies is broken by truth. Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). As Jesus said, we need to be familiar with his word, which is recorded in the Bible. Spending time in Bible study during our daily quiet time is therefore critical for success on the battlefield of temptations. It takes study and memory work to know the applicable Bible verses for the different temptations we may face in sex addiction. (see our Sword of the Spirit page for more info)
As you read the following lies, ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize lies you may have believed. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). We've attempted to answer each lie with truth from the Bible.
<table class="style1" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="7"> <tbody><tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">Lie</td> <td valign="top">Truth</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"I'll never get free of sex addiction"
</td> <td valign="top">Jesus died on the cross so we CAN get free of whatever sin struggle we are involved in. The Holy Spirit, who raised Christ from the dead, gives life to our mortal body so we can live in freedom (Romans 8:11,13). Life through Jesus Christ brings spiritual renewal and a new nature that enables us to walk in purity, just as Jesus did (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter how bad we may have sinned, we can still come to Jesus and receive forgiveness and cleansing. Jesus' blood covers all our sins. Hebrews 6:17-20 affirms that we have hope in Jesus, who is the anchor of our soul. See our verses on hope also.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Pornography helps my marriage sex life"</td> <td valign="top"> Pornography destroys a marriage's sex life through lust. Though it may bring a short-term pleasure, it harms your marriage by supplanting love-inspired affection with lustful gratification. It’s only a matter of time before things deteriorate. Lust naturally craves more and more, so you'll find yourself looking for more exciting outlets when your spouse is unable to keep up.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">" I can't live without my porn" (and/or sex sin)
</td> <td valign="top">The enemy wants us to believe that we cannot survive and enjoy life without a diet of sin. The truth is that sinful living produces spiritual and ultimately physical death. True life begins with living according to God’s Spirit, and making no provision for sin’s fulfillment (Romans 13:14 , John 6:63). We CAN live without sin! When we obey God with our sex life, we will experience peace and are best able to reap the fruits of a healthy marriage (current or future). Sex is not a right given to every person, but rather, it is a gift from God to every person who marries. For those who have not married, the challenge is to trust God and wait on Him for His provision for life, marriage and sex. (See singles and sex pages)
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God won't accept me because I keep falling to temptation"
</td> <td valign="top">Satan specializes in condemnation and despair. Once he entices us to sin, he condemns us for sinning, telling us we'll never be free. He tells us we'll never be able to please God. Jesus died so that we have peace with God. God is not angry with us for sinning, and he longs for us to accept Jesus' sacrifice and live in the reality of the new life he prepared for us. Jesus bore all of God's wrath due to us for our sin (Isaiah 53:4-12; Isaiah 54:10). God will not reject us when we approach him for help.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God made me this way"</td> <td valign="top">God doesn't make mistakes. He created us good, but we are corrupted from birth by the sinful nature we inherit from Adam (Romans 5:12). We can become enslaved to sin when we obey sin's desires (Romans 6:16). When enslaved, it's easy to blame our bondage on God. When we do this, it seems to free us from the responsibility for our sin. But, God is not to blame - we are! Steps to gaining freedom begin with taking responsibility for our sin by confessing it to God (see Freedom Journey).</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top"> "Forbidden sex is more enjoyable"
</td> <td valign="top">Forbidden sex enslaves us to lust. For a time, our forays into the forbidden may deliver pleasure, but soon we'll want more risk, more exposure, more thrill, etc., and we'll go deeper into depravity. Our own actions can bring a type of curse upon ourselves, such that we are unable to enjoy the good things God has given us. Romans 1:20-32 describes what can happen when we follow the path of depravity. Those who wait on God for their sexual needs will enjoy lasting pleasure and contentment (Psalm 36:7-9; John 4:14). God's provision meets our needs (Philippians 4:19). </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"All sex is good"</td> <td valign="top">God gave us some very specific guidance on what kind of sex is acceptable. God restricts sex to marriage between one man and one woman (Mark 10:6-9, Genesis 2:24). Any sexual activity outside of this context is sin, which has consequences that in some cases have lifelong effects (see consequences). God also gave us specific guidance on nakedness, telling us not to reveal our sexual organs to any person other than our spouse (Habakkuk 2:14-16, Isaiah 57:8, Ezekiel 23:18). Pornography exploits nakedness, and it makes God furious! (Ezekiel 23:18). </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"The Bible teaches that sex is dirty" </td> <td valign="top">Sex is good! The Bible teaches that God created sex as a wonderful gift to be enjoyed between a man and woman in marriage. He intended it to be an intimate expression of love exclusively between a husband and wife. Consider what the Bible says about this kind of sex:"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer--may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?" Proverbs 5:18-20 NIV
When sex is removed from this context and/or exploited through pornography or other means, it becomes an addictive and destructive practice. See our sex page for more info.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Pornography doesn't hurt anyone"</td> <td valign="top">Porn damages the viewer. Proverbs 6:27 says: "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?" The implied answer is "No." Lusting after people with our eyes and thoughts is equivalent to committing the sin with them (Matthew 5:28). Porn trains us to practice lust and live in a fantasy world of evil thoughts. As a result, we burn with insatiable lust that drives us to seek gratification. The memories resulting from our porn activities can last a lifetime and damage our ability to enjoy sex in our marriage. Pornography also can lead us down the destructive path of perversion. Pedophilia, homosexuality, rape and abuse are just a few of the many possible activities that porn promotes. Porn damages the viewer's family. For example, your children could be tormented by any evil spirits that are tormenting you, or they may simply get hooked on porn when they stumble across your porn stash of computer files or magazines. Your spouse could be devastated if he/she discovers you've been committing "mental adultery" through porn. He/she may have difficulty ever trusting you again when they discover your secret life. It could take years for you to re-learn how to love your spouse and eliminate the stranglehold lust has on you. You may have to relearn how to have sex in a loving way, since you have become tuned for lust through porn.
See How porn works and Why Porn is bad for more info.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Getting married will stop my pornography addiction"
</td> <td valign="top">Marriage can make porn addiction worse, and porn addiction ruins a marriage's sex life! There are several reasons for this, but one of the key reasons is that porn addicts have sexually tuned themselves to respond to lust by porn pictures and masturbation. Married sex, by design, is to be built on love. Lust and love are total opposites! See our pages on lust and lust vs. love. The porn addict should break his addiction before getting married.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Lust is the same as love"</td> <td valign="top">Lust is the exact opposite of love. See our pages lust vs. love and lust for explanations.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"There is nothing wrong with lust"</td> <td valign="top">Lust is sin (Matthew 5:28). Lust is very harmful and is often the starting point for many other kinds of evil. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us that lust will actually prevent God's love from being in us! If we lack God's love, we are vulnerable to being filled with every other form of evil. Romans 1:20-32 gives us an example of what happened when Roman Christians followed lust. They were filled with every form of evil (29-30). See our page on lust for more info.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Masturbation is harmless and healthy"</td> <td valign="top">Masturbation is addictive and gives lust a foothold to control our minds. It also destroys our marriage sex life by sexually tuning us to ourselves. Masturbation teaches us nothing about loving our spouse and giving to him/her during sex. It's all about satisfying our own selfish desires. (see masturbation page)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God is unfair and unloving to restrict sex to marriage."
</td> <td valign="top">God is holy, which means perfect in goodness and righteousness. God also loves us very much. He proved his love for us by sacrificing Jesus for our sins (see God's Love). God restricted sex to marriage to protect us from the many sorrows that come with sexual sin. Sex sin brings spiritual confusion, perversion, bondage, addiction, destruction of families and a host of other possible side effects (see sex sin consequences). Sex is so powerful that it can only be safely contained in a loving marriage where there is lifelong commitment, trust and intimacy. Once we extract sex from that context, it becomes unstable and easily converts to a lustful endeavor.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Lots of sex brings satisfaction and fulfillment"</td> <td valign="top">Lasting fulfillment comes from knowing God. When we follow God, He satisfies us with good things that bring lasting fulfillment (see Psalm 103:2-5, Psalm 107:9, Psalm 145:16, Psalm 36:7-9, John 4:14). Indulging in sexual sin yields lust which is a continual desire for more. Lust is a total lack of fulfillment (see lust).</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Pre-marital sex is OK as long as you're planning to marry the person" or
"Sex is Ok as long as you are committed to one another in a monogamous relationship."
</td> <td valign="top">Whether you are engaged to be married or are thinking that you will eventually get married, the fact is that you are not yet married. The Bible is clear about sex outside of marriage being sin (1 Corinthians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19; Hebrews 13:4; Colossians 3:5, Deuteronomy 22:13-28). The consequences of pre-marital sex will include damaged intimacy in your future marriage. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God doesn't care about what I do with my body"</td> <td valign="top">God is deeply concerned with what we do with our bodies, because our bodies are literally temples for his Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 describes this special function of our bodies and how we are called to honor God by not defiling our bodies with sexual sin in particular. Sexual sin unites us spiritually with whatever we're having sex with (physically or mentally). Since God's Spirit lives in us as Christians, we dishonor our bodies and defile God's temple through our sexual sin. Keeping our bodies from sexual sin is a spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-2).</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"My addiction disqualifies me from Christian ministry"</td> <td valign="top">All people have sinned and have fallen short of God's holy standard (Romans 3:23). Every minister of the Gospel has sinned at one point or another. Sex addiction does not disqualify you from being in ministry. Granted, if your ministry is causing you to fall to temptation, you should step back for a time until you have broken the bondage with God's help. Your victory over it will likely open up doors for you to help other people looking for the path to freedom. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"I've committed the unforgivable sin"</td> <td valign="top">See our Unforgivable Sin page</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Your body is not good enough to be sexually successful" </td> <td valign="top">This lie is championed by vendors of enlargement products, breast implants and sex drugs. While there may be legitimate needs for some of these products, too often people feel sexually inferior because they don't have the "perfect" physical setup as seen on TV or elsewhere. The enemy's goal is to get us to doubt that God created us with the capacity and the ability to naturally enjoy sexual union with our spouse. The enemy wants us to sabotage our enjoyment of sex by inspiring fear of failure and/or rejection from the opposite sex. This kind of performance orientation is of course promoted by pornography's typical themes like "size matters," and other nonsense. When considering sex, we can trust God that he has given us all we need to enjoy sex with our spouse. We also can ask him to help us overcome any fears we may have about sex, such that we can enjoy the full experience of sex (spiritually, emotionally and physically). </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"The women in porn are having as much fun as it seems"</td> <td valign="top">Visit Shelley Lubben Former Porn Actress at www.shelleylubben.com to learn what life as a porn actress is all about. (Don't worry - this is a safe site!)</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Article from: porn-free.org
Lies about sex sin, addiction and freedom
Lies are the foundation of the temptations we face in sex addiction. The devil is a master liar. Jesus explained, "He [Satan] was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" ( John 8:44 NIV).
People were first exposed to Satan's lies in the Garden of Eden. Satan suggested to Eve that God was keeping back good things from her. As Eve started to doubt God, she lusted for the fruit and sinned. In the same way, Satan tempts us using combinations of things we desire and lies. If he can get us to doubt God's goodness through lies, then we're more likely to sin.
An example of the common sexual temptation:
Satan often tries to convince people that restricting sex to marriage is outdated and impractical. He tells people (singles & teens, especially) that God is unfairly withholding sex from them. He tells them that there will be little or no consequences for having sex outside of marriage and/or looking at pornography. The result is that many people doubt God's good plan for sex and give in to fornication, adultery, homosexuality, pornography or many other bad alternatives. Afterwards, these people discover that the consequences are real and often much worse than they thought.
Destroy the lies with truth:
The power of lies is broken by truth. Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). As Jesus said, we need to be familiar with his word, which is recorded in the Bible. Spending time in Bible study during our daily quiet time is therefore critical for success on the battlefield of temptations. It takes study and memory work to know the applicable Bible verses for the different temptations we may face in sex addiction. (see our Sword of the Spirit page for more info)
As you read the following lies, ask the Holy Spirit to help you recognize lies you may have believed. Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). We've attempted to answer each lie with truth from the Bible.
<table class="style1" style="width: 100%;" cellpadding="7"> <tbody><tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">Lie</td> <td valign="top">Truth</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"I'll never get free of sex addiction"
</td> <td valign="top">Jesus died on the cross so we CAN get free of whatever sin struggle we are involved in. The Holy Spirit, who raised Christ from the dead, gives life to our mortal body so we can live in freedom (Romans 8:11,13). Life through Jesus Christ brings spiritual renewal and a new nature that enables us to walk in purity, just as Jesus did (2 Corinthians 5:17). No matter how bad we may have sinned, we can still come to Jesus and receive forgiveness and cleansing. Jesus' blood covers all our sins. Hebrews 6:17-20 affirms that we have hope in Jesus, who is the anchor of our soul. See our verses on hope also.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Pornography helps my marriage sex life"</td> <td valign="top"> Pornography destroys a marriage's sex life through lust. Though it may bring a short-term pleasure, it harms your marriage by supplanting love-inspired affection with lustful gratification. It’s only a matter of time before things deteriorate. Lust naturally craves more and more, so you'll find yourself looking for more exciting outlets when your spouse is unable to keep up.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">" I can't live without my porn" (and/or sex sin)
</td> <td valign="top">The enemy wants us to believe that we cannot survive and enjoy life without a diet of sin. The truth is that sinful living produces spiritual and ultimately physical death. True life begins with living according to God’s Spirit, and making no provision for sin’s fulfillment (Romans 13:14 , John 6:63). We CAN live without sin! When we obey God with our sex life, we will experience peace and are best able to reap the fruits of a healthy marriage (current or future). Sex is not a right given to every person, but rather, it is a gift from God to every person who marries. For those who have not married, the challenge is to trust God and wait on Him for His provision for life, marriage and sex. (See singles and sex pages)
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God won't accept me because I keep falling to temptation"
</td> <td valign="top">Satan specializes in condemnation and despair. Once he entices us to sin, he condemns us for sinning, telling us we'll never be free. He tells us we'll never be able to please God. Jesus died so that we have peace with God. God is not angry with us for sinning, and he longs for us to accept Jesus' sacrifice and live in the reality of the new life he prepared for us. Jesus bore all of God's wrath due to us for our sin (Isaiah 53:4-12; Isaiah 54:10). God will not reject us when we approach him for help.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God made me this way"</td> <td valign="top">God doesn't make mistakes. He created us good, but we are corrupted from birth by the sinful nature we inherit from Adam (Romans 5:12). We can become enslaved to sin when we obey sin's desires (Romans 6:16). When enslaved, it's easy to blame our bondage on God. When we do this, it seems to free us from the responsibility for our sin. But, God is not to blame - we are! Steps to gaining freedom begin with taking responsibility for our sin by confessing it to God (see Freedom Journey).</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top"> "Forbidden sex is more enjoyable"
</td> <td valign="top">Forbidden sex enslaves us to lust. For a time, our forays into the forbidden may deliver pleasure, but soon we'll want more risk, more exposure, more thrill, etc., and we'll go deeper into depravity. Our own actions can bring a type of curse upon ourselves, such that we are unable to enjoy the good things God has given us. Romans 1:20-32 describes what can happen when we follow the path of depravity. Those who wait on God for their sexual needs will enjoy lasting pleasure and contentment (Psalm 36:7-9; John 4:14). God's provision meets our needs (Philippians 4:19). </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"All sex is good"</td> <td valign="top">God gave us some very specific guidance on what kind of sex is acceptable. God restricts sex to marriage between one man and one woman (Mark 10:6-9, Genesis 2:24). Any sexual activity outside of this context is sin, which has consequences that in some cases have lifelong effects (see consequences). God also gave us specific guidance on nakedness, telling us not to reveal our sexual organs to any person other than our spouse (Habakkuk 2:14-16, Isaiah 57:8, Ezekiel 23:18). Pornography exploits nakedness, and it makes God furious! (Ezekiel 23:18). </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"The Bible teaches that sex is dirty" </td> <td valign="top">Sex is good! The Bible teaches that God created sex as a wonderful gift to be enjoyed between a man and woman in marriage. He intended it to be an intimate expression of love exclusively between a husband and wife. Consider what the Bible says about this kind of sex:"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer--may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress? Why embrace the bosom of another man's wife?" Proverbs 5:18-20 NIV
When sex is removed from this context and/or exploited through pornography or other means, it becomes an addictive and destructive practice. See our sex page for more info.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Pornography doesn't hurt anyone"</td> <td valign="top">Porn damages the viewer. Proverbs 6:27 says: "Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?" The implied answer is "No." Lusting after people with our eyes and thoughts is equivalent to committing the sin with them (Matthew 5:28). Porn trains us to practice lust and live in a fantasy world of evil thoughts. As a result, we burn with insatiable lust that drives us to seek gratification. The memories resulting from our porn activities can last a lifetime and damage our ability to enjoy sex in our marriage. Pornography also can lead us down the destructive path of perversion. Pedophilia, homosexuality, rape and abuse are just a few of the many possible activities that porn promotes. Porn damages the viewer's family. For example, your children could be tormented by any evil spirits that are tormenting you, or they may simply get hooked on porn when they stumble across your porn stash of computer files or magazines. Your spouse could be devastated if he/she discovers you've been committing "mental adultery" through porn. He/she may have difficulty ever trusting you again when they discover your secret life. It could take years for you to re-learn how to love your spouse and eliminate the stranglehold lust has on you. You may have to relearn how to have sex in a loving way, since you have become tuned for lust through porn.
See How porn works and Why Porn is bad for more info.
</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Getting married will stop my pornography addiction"
</td> <td valign="top">Marriage can make porn addiction worse, and porn addiction ruins a marriage's sex life! There are several reasons for this, but one of the key reasons is that porn addicts have sexually tuned themselves to respond to lust by porn pictures and masturbation. Married sex, by design, is to be built on love. Lust and love are total opposites! See our pages on lust and lust vs. love. The porn addict should break his addiction before getting married.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Lust is the same as love"</td> <td valign="top">Lust is the exact opposite of love. See our pages lust vs. love and lust for explanations.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"There is nothing wrong with lust"</td> <td valign="top">Lust is sin (Matthew 5:28). Lust is very harmful and is often the starting point for many other kinds of evil. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us that lust will actually prevent God's love from being in us! If we lack God's love, we are vulnerable to being filled with every other form of evil. Romans 1:20-32 gives us an example of what happened when Roman Christians followed lust. They were filled with every form of evil (29-30). See our page on lust for more info.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Masturbation is harmless and healthy"</td> <td valign="top">Masturbation is addictive and gives lust a foothold to control our minds. It also destroys our marriage sex life by sexually tuning us to ourselves. Masturbation teaches us nothing about loving our spouse and giving to him/her during sex. It's all about satisfying our own selfish desires. (see masturbation page)</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God is unfair and unloving to restrict sex to marriage."
</td> <td valign="top">God is holy, which means perfect in goodness and righteousness. God also loves us very much. He proved his love for us by sacrificing Jesus for our sins (see God's Love). God restricted sex to marriage to protect us from the many sorrows that come with sexual sin. Sex sin brings spiritual confusion, perversion, bondage, addiction, destruction of families and a host of other possible side effects (see sex sin consequences). Sex is so powerful that it can only be safely contained in a loving marriage where there is lifelong commitment, trust and intimacy. Once we extract sex from that context, it becomes unstable and easily converts to a lustful endeavor.</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Lots of sex brings satisfaction and fulfillment"</td> <td valign="top">Lasting fulfillment comes from knowing God. When we follow God, He satisfies us with good things that bring lasting fulfillment (see Psalm 103:2-5, Psalm 107:9, Psalm 145:16, Psalm 36:7-9, John 4:14). Indulging in sexual sin yields lust which is a continual desire for more. Lust is a total lack of fulfillment (see lust).</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Pre-marital sex is OK as long as you're planning to marry the person" or
"Sex is Ok as long as you are committed to one another in a monogamous relationship."
</td> <td valign="top">Whether you are engaged to be married or are thinking that you will eventually get married, the fact is that you are not yet married. The Bible is clear about sex outside of marriage being sin (1 Corinthians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 12:21, Galatians 5:19; Hebrews 13:4; Colossians 3:5, Deuteronomy 22:13-28). The consequences of pre-marital sex will include damaged intimacy in your future marriage. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"God doesn't care about what I do with my body"</td> <td valign="top">God is deeply concerned with what we do with our bodies, because our bodies are literally temples for his Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 describes this special function of our bodies and how we are called to honor God by not defiling our bodies with sexual sin in particular. Sexual sin unites us spiritually with whatever we're having sex with (physically or mentally). Since God's Spirit lives in us as Christians, we dishonor our bodies and defile God's temple through our sexual sin. Keeping our bodies from sexual sin is a spiritual act of worship (Romans 12:1-2).</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"My addiction disqualifies me from Christian ministry"</td> <td valign="top">All people have sinned and have fallen short of God's holy standard (Romans 3:23). Every minister of the Gospel has sinned at one point or another. Sex addiction does not disqualify you from being in ministry. Granted, if your ministry is causing you to fall to temptation, you should step back for a time until you have broken the bondage with God's help. Your victory over it will likely open up doors for you to help other people looking for the path to freedom. </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"I've committed the unforgivable sin"</td> <td valign="top">See our Unforgivable Sin page</td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"Your body is not good enough to be sexually successful" </td> <td valign="top">This lie is championed by vendors of enlargement products, breast implants and sex drugs. While there may be legitimate needs for some of these products, too often people feel sexually inferior because they don't have the "perfect" physical setup as seen on TV or elsewhere. The enemy's goal is to get us to doubt that God created us with the capacity and the ability to naturally enjoy sexual union with our spouse. The enemy wants us to sabotage our enjoyment of sex by inspiring fear of failure and/or rejection from the opposite sex. This kind of performance orientation is of course promoted by pornography's typical themes like "size matters," and other nonsense. When considering sex, we can trust God that he has given us all we need to enjoy sex with our spouse. We also can ask him to help us overcome any fears we may have about sex, such that we can enjoy the full experience of sex (spiritually, emotionally and physically). </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="width: 225px;" valign="top">"The women in porn are having as much fun as it seems"</td> <td valign="top">Visit Shelley Lubben Former Porn Actress at www.shelleylubben.com to learn what life as a porn actress is all about. (Don't worry - this is a safe site!)</td> </tr> </tbody></table>
Article from: porn-free.org
SpiritLedEd
Member
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- Aug 14, 2005
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- 5,315
Study Luke 15:11-24, the story of The Prodigal Son. One of the most famous parables in Scripture, this story is an awesome description of our Heavenly Father's love. When you study it, see yourself as the prodigal and God as the father. I guarantee that the answer to your question is contained in that story.
SLE
ChloeBelle
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- Apr 7, 2008
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I am so thankful for these responses and for Chad's thread on Christian or Catholic?. I've been searching for a church. The other day at work, I was calling a church and asking about they're doctrine. I believe in once saved always saved and this church had a different doctrine. One of my co-workers overheard my conversation and began to question me. He's a catholic and began to tell me that I what I believed was wrong. When I tried to give verses to support my belief (I don't have them memorized but I do know who said them and can paraphrase), he totally cut me off & would not hear my side of the arguement. Then the guy that sits behind me started to put in his 2 cents as well. I felt like I was being attacked. He even had the gall to say that different churches will take one verse and build a denomination on it and sent me an e-mail supporting w/ verses supporting his belief. Apparently it takes at least 3 verses totally out of context to be right. I couldn't even understand how he thought they applied.
I'm overly emotional and take medication for it. I was really hurt and started crying and was so embarrassed. I wasn't hurt because they challenged my belief. I was hurt because they commented on a private conversation that was none of their business. I would never say anything offensive about the catholic church at work, because I know it would offend him.
I'm overly emotional and take medication for it. I was really hurt and started crying and was so embarrassed. I wasn't hurt because they challenged my belief. I was hurt because they commented on a private conversation that was none of their business. I would never say anything offensive about the catholic church at work, because I know it would offend him.
