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A
Loud Roar
The scriptures warn that our
“adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he
may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Sadly, the devil is alive and roaring
quite loudly these days -- yet people are inviting him in to their
lives, allowing him to devour their minds, their families, and their
souls. The devil has several ways of doing this, of course, but one of
these we particularly want to address. It has overtaken our nation. It
is overtaking many Christians. It is pornography.
A Few Telling Statistics:
* At $13.3 billion, the 2006 revenues of the sex
and porn industry in the U.S. were larger than the
NFL, NBA, and Major
League Baseball combined. More than 11,000 porn movies were
produced last year, more
than 20 times the mainstream movie production.
* The No. 1 search term at search engines on the Internet is the word,
“sex.”
* 40 million U.S. adults regularly visit porn websites.
* 77% of online visitors to porn websites are male. Their
average age is 41. 46% are married.
* 55% of all the movie rentals in hotels in 2005 were
pornographic.
* 38% of adults believe it is ‘morally acceptable’ to look
at pictures of nudity or explicit sexual
behavior (BARNA Group,
Nov. 2003).
* 34% of female readers of Today’s Christian Woman’s
online newsletter admitted to intentionally
accessing Internet porn
in a recent poll.
* In March, 2002 Rick Warren’s Pastors.com website
conducted a survey on porn use of 1351
‘pastors’: 54% had viewed
Internet pornography within the past year, 30% within the past 30
days.
Is This Sin Destroying You?
If you are one who views pornographic material, it is!...
It is destroying your mind. The sexual relationship between a man
and a woman in marriage is an “honorable” thing (Hebrews 13:4),
but pornography completely distorts and defiles one’s thoughts about the
opposite gender, the marriage relationship, and his or her own self.
Like all other sins, the viewing of pornography is addictive. It grips
the mind of the viewer.
It is destroying your family. Try as one might to deny it,
viewing pornography will change how he or she treats their spouse and
their children. Abusing one’s own mind with this filth will lead to
child and spousal abuse, emotional if not physical.
It is destroying YOU! Viewing pornography many times leads to
further sins, to fornication, adultery, even homosexuality. But even if
it doesn’t it is still wrong and will lead to hell! Jesus said, “whoever
looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her
in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).
“Flee Sexual Immorality!”
As evidenced by the statistics mentioned above, this sin is
widespread. And with Internet access (and faster download times)
becoming less expensive and more common, and with satellite television
systems offering more sexually explicit movies, its spread is doubtless
to broaden.
If you are one who has watched pornographic material recently,
make a commitment now to God, yourself, and your family that you will
never do so again.
If you wonder if you are addicted to this sin, you probably are.
Do whatever it takes to remove temptation from your path. Seek the
“way of escape” (1 Corinthians 10:13). If you have to, get rid of
your computer and your television. Sound too drastic? Jesus said,
“And if your hand makes you sin, cut if off. It is better for you to
enter into life maimed, than having two hands, to go to hell...”
(Mark 9:43). The best way sometimes to remove habitual sinful acts from
one’s life is to remove the source of temptation.
Of course, you’ll have to admit to yourself that this is a
problem before you’ll take these or other drastic measures. You’ll have
to wake up to the problem. Too many have reached a stage of denial. Some
have digressed to the delusion stage ("It keeps our marriage exciting"),
or they are playing the blame game (“My wife doesn’t love me like she
ought to,” “My work is too stressful,” etc.). Is this you? WAKE UP!
Confess your sin to the Father and repent -- and ask Him for
help, for strength and resolve, for purity of thoughts, and for
forgiveness. But act, and act now!
A Lion In The House?
How many of us would allow a literal lion in our own homes? Then
why would we allow Satan to come in through this terrible vice? It’s not
as though he were quietly walking about. Folks, he’s roaring, and
roaring loudly! Look at those statistics again. People, homes, and
churches are dropping like flies because of this sin, and we’ll be among
them if we think we can ‘dabble’ in it.
“Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth:
fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire... Because of these
things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience...”
(Colossians 3:5,6).
--Mike Noble
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