October 1
“Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:7-10)
Back on August 20, 21, and 22, I recommended that those of you caught in sins of immorality, lust, or pornography write out your thoughts as to “Why?” “Why am I doing the things I am doing?” “Why am I attracted to this thing?” “Why does this seem to have such a strong grip on me?” and similar such questions. Thinking through the circumstances and reasons, as best as we can determine them, for our attraction to immoral behavior that God detests can help us formulate effective plans for overcoming.
Did you do this exercise? What did you come up with? Did you gain insights that might help you develop strategies for overcoming? If for example you say that you view pornography because you are bored or because you feel lonely, what can you do to help ensure that you minimize the opportunity for boredom and loneliness? You could join a ministry of some kind, or join a club, or start a hospitality ministry and invite friends over, or go to the gym, or pick up a new hobby, or start a Bible study, or start a business, or any number of things that can help a lonely or bored heart not be lonely or bored. Ultimately and ideally we must learn to connect with the Lord and love spending time with Him, letting Him fill the lonely and bored heart, but these activities can help address a part of the root problem and enable us to minister to others and use our time more productively.
Or if you say that you view pornography because you are hooked on the excitement and rush that it gives you, what would be your remedy for that? What could you do or think about that would give you an even greater “rush” and excitement, one that leaves no guilt or shame, and would have eternal rewards? Believe it or not, being filled with the Spirit and ministering to others in the Spirit can give such a “rush,” with lasting benefits in this life as well as eternal rewards! And having a clear conscience before God, 24/7, is much more gratifying long term than regretful sins of the flesh. For those of you who have taken calculus, think in terms of “integrating the area under the curve,” (for those of you who have not had calculus, “integrating” is another way of calculating the sum total of area under a line or a curve, and in this illustration the area under the curve represents the total overall benefit we gain from obedience to God) and you will find that God’s delights are great AND long lasting. Compare the area under a curve that is a brief blip up followed by a deep chasm in negative territory that lasts a long, long time. It is just a series of blips followed by downward movement lower, lower, lower. This curve represents sin.
Integrating this curve of sin gives an enormously negative value. The small blip of fleshly pleasure is more than negated and countered by the long lasting problems and regret and shame it brings. Now imagine what the curve of obedience looks like: longer lasting upward blips up that don’t go back to the base line but continue to drift upward over time, followed by more and more upward blips and continued upward movement. At times, there are huge upward spikes of euphoria and joy. Integrating this curve gives an enormously positive value. Which curve do you want to describe you?
ASSIGNMENT: If you haven’t finished analyzing your “Why’s,” please do so. Then brainstorm and think of at least 12 things that you can do to meet your basic needs and desires without debasing yourself with immorality and pornography and lust. Prioritize these in order of those you think will be most helpful to you. Begin asking the Lord to meet your basic needs and free you from immoral thoughts and behaviors. Formulate a plan to put into practice at least three of the things on your list.