"You are not an animal. You are the glory of God. You are not a pervert. You are the glory of God. You are not an addict. You are the glory of God. You are not a victim. You are the glory of God. You are not a fool. You are the glory of God.
Psalm 51; Philippians 2:13
We live in a culture of hook up, shack up, break up. Men are marrying later and staying married shorter than ever. The average man is not a man but just a boy who can shave. Many Christian men are enslaved to pornographic lust and live in silent shame, which hinders their growth in Christ and service in ministry.
We are told that God’s men are the image and glory of God shining forth into a perverted and dark world. You need to memorize these words, “(I am) the image and glory of God.” The next time you are out hunting or camping and sitting around a fire, take a long stick and put one end of it in the fire. When that end gets hot and glowing red from glorying in the fire until its heat and light are transferred to it, take it out and look at it. Remind yourself that when the Bible says you are the glory of God, it means that you are like that stick and supposed to draw near to the pure and powerful God who is your Father and radiate His heat and light to the world.
Jesus, who radiated the Father’s glory perfectly, has made it possible for you to be the glory of God. Jesus your King, Warrior, and Lord hung upon His cross in your place to atone for all of your sins, including sexual perversion. If you repent of your sin, Jesus will forgive you for it and cleanse you from it, thereby taking away your guilt, shame, defeat, and filth (1 John 1:9; Zechariah 3:1–10).
As God’s man, you will then be able to rise above your lusts, but not by works or self-willed deprivation. Instead, God’s grace that alone saves you will also empower you to live life with Jesus and like Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-10; Proverbs 3:5-7). As Paul says in Titus 2:11–12, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.”
This grace enables us not merely to hide our sin, diminish our sin, justify our sin, or accept it as inevitable. Rather, God’s grace enables us to put to death our sin so that we live dead to sin and alive to Christ where we were previously alive to sin and dead to Christ (Romans 6; 8:1-16; 1 John 1:5-7,9; 2:1-2)."
(Previously shared on Facebook)
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Josh,
Thank you for sharing about sexual issues in the church. Porn is the silent killer of many godly men. Too many pastors and elders hide their addiction from shame. More people need to confront this issue and men/women in Christ need to hold their brothers and sisters accountable. We need to love each other enough to fight to keep each other pure! ♥
By the way, jail ministry has been an amazing blessing. I was allowed to lead last week for the first time and did an expository teaching on Rahab and the Lord's power to transform. His presence was so strong! It has been a life-changing experience for me.
Praying for you in your new relationship and appreciate your openness in sharing your journey.
Shalom ~ Lisa
I know this is a rough subject for men and women alike, but one, when addressed with the Word of God, can result, by grace, in deliverance and renewed devotion to Christ and life.
ReplyDeleteJosh, I just want to thank you again for coming out and talking about this. I have a fair amount of struggles with things of this nature and have often been very ashamed to mention them. If it weren't for people like you and friends of mine who aren't afraid to shine light on these things, I would feel so much more far gone than I do now. God bless you, Josh.
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