Overcoming Sexual impurity

The Bible makes four simple declarations about human sexuality:

1. God created our sexuality, and it is beautiful (see Gen. 1:26-28; 2:24-25).

2. Sex within the marriage covenant is holy and pure (see Heb. 13:4).

3. Sex outside the marriage covenant is sin (see 1 Cor. 6:9).

4. Sexual relations with the same sex is an abomination (see Lev. 18:22).

Many non-believers would probably reject these statements as trivial, outdated, homophobic, narrow-minded, judgmental, accusatory and discriminatory. Unfortunately, judging from their lifestyles, many Christians do too.

I'm not writing to non believers. I'm writing as a Christian to Christians from a Christian perspective.
God has given us plain and simple instructions throughout the Bible such as those found in Galatians 5:16: "Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (NKJV). We need to study the Bible and let the Word of God speak to us. We must be willing to hear and to repent of the sin that God reveals in our lives through His Word. After all, we serve a loving and gracious God who is waiting and willing to forgive us, sanctify us and restore us.

The strongman of immorality can and must be overcome in our lives and in our churches. There are specific things we can do to ensure his defeat.

 --->Flee temptation. If you are struggling to overcome sexual sin, it is your responsibility to flee temptation. Be wise. Avoid situations that would contribute to sexual arousal. For example, if you are dating, don't allow your date to sexually arouse you with kisses, touches or any other kind of stimulation.

If soft music turns you on, put on some hymns or a loud Kirk Franklin album. Play a marching band if you must!

More importantly, associate with those who have the same attitude about sexual purity that you do. I know it can be difficult to track them down, but there are saved brothers and sisters out there somewhere. Entreat the Holy Spirit to help you find them.

----->  Ask for help. If you need special help, seek out a Christian therapist or physician who is trained in handling the behavioral problems and addictions that have a stranglehold on your life. All healing comes from the Lord, but not everyone is able to get free from behavioral problems without assistance.

---->   Take the risks seriously. If you know what is right but are choosing to live in willful disobedience, I ask: Is it worth the risk? As a Christian participating in a sexually immoral lifestyle, you risk death from incurable, sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis and more. You risk losing your mate and your family because of your unfaithfulness. You risk losing your self-esteem and the respect of your peers and neighbors. You risk devastating your business or profession, especially if you are in ministry. Worst of all, you risk your fellowship with the Lord.

 ----> Make a commitment. It doesn't matter whether the behavior you're involved in is "trendy" or not. As a Christian, you are a "slave of righteousness," and your call is to crucify the lusts of the flesh. It is possible to live holy if you desire to do so. Commit yourself to staying before the Lord on a daily basis and avoiding anything that would contribute to your taste for immoral pleasures or gratification outside of marriage.
----> Stand up for holiness. To all believers and ministers of the gospel, I say: Wake up! We need to combine forces to lead a strong, faith-based, biblical attack on the scourge of sexual immorality that has become epidemic in our congregations.

It is time to stand up for Jesus. It is time to rebuild the walls of holiness and sexual purity in the church so that we are no longer a reproach to the world. In the words of Nehemiah 2:8: "Let us rise up and build!"

His Presence,Your victory

 " So the Lord said to Joshua: “Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?  Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff.  Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.  Get up, sanctify the people, and say, ‘sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, because thus says the Lord God of Israel: “There is an accursed thing in your midst, O Israel; you cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” (Joshua 7: 10- 13)

You see, the same Israel that conquered Jericho and her mighty men of valor was disgraced before the "few" people of Ai (Joshua 7:2-5) because sin was found among them.
In this race, God will only work wonders in a life that is His and His alone. A consecrated man is a victorious man any day, anytime. The presence of God precedes His wonders and you cannot command the presence of God when your life is not consecrated to God. (Psalm 24:4-5)
So today, put away from yourself that which impedes your relationship with God and ask Him to sanctify you. Jesus loves you

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.....Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, so our land will be filled with his glory.
Psalms 85:9 (NLT)

Lessons from Paul and Silas

I have read and listened to the story of Paul and Silas in the prison so much that it wearied me at some point whenever someone mentioned that scripture as the anchor scripture for their sermon because all I focused on was “the prayed and sang” (smiles)  .  During my quiet time this morning, I encountered this scripture again and here are the things I learnt:
1. You have authority over everything {including demons} in Jesus’ name and we are to exercise That Authority when need be.
This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. Acts 16:18 (NLT)
2. You will endure trials and tribulations for the sake of Christ ( it’s not optional)
 A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape.’’  Acts 16:22-23 (NLT)
3. You must Commune with God {in prayer and praise}at all times regardless of the circumstance and that is your surest bet out of every bad situation
 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.  Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!   Acts 16:25-26 (NLT)
4. Every miracle is an opportunity to preach Christ to the lost
 The jailer woke up to see the prison doors wide open. He assumed the prisoners had escaped, so he drew his sword to kill himself.  But Paul shouted to him, “Stop! Don’t kill yourself! We are all here!” .....he asked “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:27-30 (NLT)

Planning not Wishing

Hello,
I hope last month has been all that you hoped for. Did you achieve the set goals for the month? Did you even set goals? Have you taken into account your daily activities and figured out why that project failed?
I used to be like some people, giving excuses why I couldn’t get something done instead of taking responsibility and planning to make it work. Jesus said
“ For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish” Luke 14:28
For every dream to come to life, to achieve any goal; you must have a PLAN and be prepared to follow it through. You must sit down and count the cost.
 A friend of mine said planning is: knowing where you are, where you want to get to and how to get there from where you are. You must know what you want but even more, how to get it and what you must do to get it. The “HOW” is as important as the “WHAT”.
“  The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not HOW to go to the city. (Ecclesiastes 10:15)
Your goals must be written down, given timelines and activities mapped out towards its fulfilment. Then you take responsibility and do the work.
 Here’s a tip, ditch the huge, unrealistic plans, set out with the small ones and work your way up. Have a blessed month ahead.