Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Run Away

“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” – 1 Corinthians 5:18-20
The internet is a powerful tool.  It has enormous value for the user to gather information and communicate with others beyond their immediate friends and family.  The ability to type on a keyboard, press the enter key and immediately people all around the world have access to that information, has dramatically increased the use of social media sites and messaging sites.  The internet has been deemed the “Information Superhighway” for this very reason.  From the chatroom, to picture sharing, to online dating, to messaging, to online purchases, to gaming, to research, to news and weather; the internet’s main purpose is to share information between users.  Sometimes this information is innocent and perfectly fine for public consumption; but many times it is destructive and intended to soften the moral standards provided in God’s word.

Research has shown that in 1997, there were just over 14 million pornographic web pages on the internet.  Keep in mind that the internet at that time was truly less than 3 years old; as a pervasive communications medium.  By 2006, that number had grown to over 420 million, and I’m sure it didn’t stop there.  “Sex” continues to be the number one search term on the internet today, and a simple Google search will return over 2 billion pages from the web.  This bombardment of information in all forms including: video, photos, audio and written; has consumed the world’s interest.  The average age of internet exposure to pornography was 11 in 2006 and the belief is that it is under 10 today.  Our children are being influenced by a worldwide communication medium that has no moral compass at all.

The tolerance of today’s society has been broadly influenced by a plethora of information.  The simple fact that the data exists in such a pervasive manner has made it common place, acceptable and tolerated on a global basis.  The moral compass that has guided this world for the last 2000 years is the only demonstration of a truth in today’s world so filled with lies.  God’s word is clear on these matters, yet the world views continue to be on the opposite side of the fence.  Matters of abortion, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, incest and affairs have always been areas of strong debate between the world’s view and the biblical view.  In the medium of the internet, music, movies and always on reality TV we are told that these acts and choices in life are perfectly normal and acceptable.  Our moral compass is tilted towards accepting these because it is pushed in front of us without the lens of a higher moral code.  When it comes down to it, God is the only one who can judge us on our actions and He will one day. 

Our choice has to be to turn it off and walk away.  The tempting becomes interesting, the interest becomes habit, the habit becomes addiction and the addiction leads to death (spiritually speaking).  The natural inclination is to tolerate these areas of our life and tell ourselves we are strong enough to resist or just test the waters.  The truth of the matter is we’re not.  Alone we are not strong enough to resist the temptations of Satan.  Make no mistake, this is Satan at work in this world and you are his target. 

Understand though, that you have the Holy Spirit (God) within you.  Just as Soloman’s temple held the Ark of the Covenant, your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  The sexually sinful actions are actually a desecration to God’s temple – your body.  What you watch, what you do, where you go, who you talk to and what you are lusting for is having a dramatic affect on your relationship with the Holy Spirit.  God cannot tolerate sin, in any shape or form.  This is not an area of uncertainty in His eyes.  It is as different as black and white, and we must chose daily and hourly to remain on the side of purity in His eyes.  If you need to eliminate the internet, television and sources of pornography and temptation, than do it.  At least use the filters that are provided on all search engines to eliminate the exposure from your eyes and heart.  Take this sin to the Lord in prayer today and everyday if necessary to strengthen your resolve in dealing with the temptations that abound.  If there are relationships that are tempting you to sin, then back away and slow down, or break it off if necessary. 

I realize these seem to be dramatic steps and recommendations, but this is not child’s play.  We are combating against Satan on every front and this one – Sexual Immorality – is one where I’m afraid he has a stronghold on many of us.  God’s grace, forgiveness and loving arms are open for us to repent from this stronghold and let Him fight this battle for us.
Prayer:
Almighty God
,
You have created each of us uniquely to bring You glory and to serve You with all of our heart.  Thank You for loving us, even in our filth.  Thank You for giving us the strength to overcome temptations and strongholds in our life.  Today Lord, I offer up my sins before You.  Wash me clean and renew my spirit to focus on Your righteousness.  Help me battle against the strongholds in my life, to overcome them through Your grace and redemption.  In Your name we pray – Amen
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