To Tell You The Truth

Sadly, many people (not just men any more) have become enslaved to their lust.  The fact that many articles and books are being written about the issue is testament to this sad reality. Many lives and families have been destroyed because of this stranglehold of sin.

Here are some good resources for anyone who struggles in this area of lust and purity.

But the best advice I can provide you is to take the first step and talk to your Pastor.  He is there to help you.  It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.  It’s the hard things of life that truly make a difference.

Michael Spencer, aka Internet Monk (iMonk) wrote a Gospel-Centered article called The Man in the Shadow of Adultery.

Joshua Harris also has a few articles relating to love and lust taken from his book Sex is not the Problem (Lust is).

• Fighting Internet Porn (aka Purity Download – Tip 1).
• Purity Download – Tip 2.
• Purity Download – Tip 3.
• Purity Download – Tip 4.  Too bad Joshua (and SGM) won’t provide this great book as a free download.

David Powlison from Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation has provided a free resource for pornography addiction – Breaking Pornography Addiction.

Mark Driscoll released a PDF book called Porn Again Christian.  You can download it here. Be warned, Mark takes no hostages as he addresses the topic.  It is a frank discussion.

Tim Challies wrote a book called Sexual Detox.  You can find out more here: http://www.cruciformpress.com/our-books/sexual-detox/

Closing the Window: Steps to Living Porn Free by Tim Chester

Eyes of Integrity: The Porn Pandemic and How It Affects You by Craig Gross

Captured by a better vision: Living porn-free by Tim Chester

You can read more here on escaping pornography.

If you know of other resources, please provide them.

Did you know, there are Scriptures which state that God hates the wicked? Not just their wicked thoughts and actions (which is true), but the wicked themselves (see Psalm 5:5, 11:5; Leviticus 20:23; Proverbs 6:16-19; Hosea 9:15) and God’s wrath is, even now, being poured out upon sinners (who are without Christ) (Rom 1; Eph 2:3).

God hates sin. He hates it! But sin cannot be punished outside of the person responsible for it. Can you put sin in Hell?

Sin is rebellion. It is rebellion in the heart. Sin occurs inside the heart and mind of people. Therefore, God must punish the sinner. Why? Because He is both Holy and Just and the person who sins offends God. God’s Holy and Just character will not allow Him to ignore this offense.

God has not ignored our offense.

How? Two words: The Cross.

While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:6). There is no way we can appease God. That is why God became one of us (John 1:1,14; Hebrews 2:17), to take our place and become sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21).

It is the cross where God’s Love (1 John 4:8), Hatred for sin and the sinner, Wrath against sin and the sinner (Psalm 5:5, 11:5; Leviticus 20:23; Proverbs 6:16-19; Hosea 9:15) meet.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This is good news! This is why Christians believe in Jesus. Jesus, the Righteous One, absorbed the full cup of God’s wrath so that we, the sinners, may receive grace.

And it is the cross that makes this possible.

I just read a statement that simply irks me: “Love is a decision – decide to love today.”

Really? And we know this for sure?

What drives me nuts about statements such as this is they are commands. If love is simply a decision, then I can love anybody at any time. Right? Right?

But can I truly love on demand? You are certainly a better person than I if you can love on demand. I can’t do it.

And this is where the Gospel steps in. John tells us “We love because he [God] first loved us” (John 4:19). And John couples this great truth with “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannott love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

And this is good news. I can only love when I see that I am as unloving as they come, yet God in Christ first loved me! And this is my motivation to love others. When I see that God has loved me and demonstrated this great love for me in Jesus on the cross, I can love others because the Spirit of love indwells me and loving others becomes a fruit of the Spirits Gospel-applying work in my life. (See Galatians 5).

And then I can love God and love others upon which all the commands hang.

I love detective shows. I’ve always been fascinated with the likes of Matlock, Perry Mason, and Columbo. The mystery, intrigue, and suspense they present are irresistable, at least to me. I have also come to love another detective show that has captured my attention, Monk. “Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub – pictured above) was once a rising star with the San Francisco Police Department, legendary for using unconventional methods and out-of-the-box thinking to solve some of the department’s most baffling cases. But after the tragic (and still unsolved) murder of his wife, a devastated Monk became obsessive-compulsive. Now plagued by various phobias, almost everything causes him angst: germs, heights, crowds – even milk. His condition eventually cost him his job, and continuously poses unique challenges as he goes about his daily life.” He is an unlikely hero. Think of Sherlock Holmes with the personality of Rain Man. He has an amazing ability because of his extraordinary attention to detail. Other detectives see what Monk sees, but they don’t see what he sees. Monk sees the world, an ugly world, like a child sees something for the first time.

Monk, in the second to last episode of Season 3 – “Mr. Monk and the Election”, says something that got me thinking. In this episode, Monk’s new assistant, Natalie, becomes a candidate in the upcoming school board election because her daughter’s school was about to be closed as a cost-cutting measure. Natalie’s frustrations with a jammed photocopier and other defective equipment bought at a police auction are dwarfed by fear for her life when a sniper fires into her campaign headquarters, further damaging the equipment and killing a security guard. The sniper also left a note demanding Natalie leave the election. Suspicion falls on Natalie’s opponent in the election, Harold Krenshaw, whom Monk knows as a fellow patient of Dr. Kroger’s (Monk’s therapist). Krenshaw also suffers from OCD but with slightly different characteristics.

In one scene, Monk and Captain Stottlemeyer are interrogating Krenshaw. Monk starts talking about Krenshaw to Stottlemeyer beforehand, “He has serious issues. He drives everyone he meets crazy.” In a scene soon after, Monk asks the question, “It’s not me, is it? Just tell me. Am I that guy? Am I that far gone?” Stottlemeyer then strokes Monk’s ego allowing him to think that he is, indeed, OK and reinforcing the idea that Krenshaw is the one who has the problems. Monk then says, “he will drive you crazy!” Monk also makes an interesting admission, “he wouldn’t have mis-spelled Natalie’s name because… because I wouldn’t…”