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A great way to remember scripture: Recipe: RWSSP (READ it. WRITE it, SING it, SAY it, PRAY it) Choose the desired memory scripture and practice each of these five techniques with it several times. It works!

Regarding the porn problem: We deal with soft porn every day & people don't think twice about it. I deal with it a work with a woman that dresses so seductive & provocative that is sickening & grieves my spirit so. I don't watch programs on TV anymore like I used to - got revelation as to what should go in my ear & eye gates also (Desperate Housewives & movies on Demand). I choose not to watch Basic Instincts 2 just the other day & also violent movies too - I'm getting more radical in my pursuit of holiness & keeping myself from defilement.

Here is an excerpt from a great book & explains why I feel the way I do about soft porn preceeding hard/hard core porn. You let a little yeast in & it will take over:

An excerpt from Sex and the Supremacy of Christ by John Piper/Justin Taylor:

Many varieties of flirtation, self-display, foreplay, & entertainment don’t necessarily “go all the way” to orgasm: dressing to attract & tease the lust of others, looking voyeuristically, suggestive remarks, crude humor, erotic kissing, petting, & the like. All these actions suggest an intention toward immoral sexual intercourse, whether the intention is consummated or not. Such behaviors (whether occurring in daily life or portrayed on film or page) cross the line of love. Whether or not our cultural context views such things as acceptable, or even as entertaining, they are evils. Love considers the true welfare of others in “the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:12 &13, NASB).

12For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

In reading almost half way through the book I bought for my son, "Every Single Man's Battle," I have read something men or women for that matter should be doing - bouncing our eyes/the way we look at others (men or women).

I'm going today to the Christian bookstore in town & getting "Every Young Man's Battle" for my nephew so he can get a grip on it while he is young & in the throws of hormonal changes.

jan

I have found a good site for learning Bible verses, and enjoy it very much. I got to the actual verse-learning programme in a round-about way (hopeless on the computer!), try www.memoryverses.org, the Scripture Memory System (or Connection), and a man called Stephen Simpson runs it. You can choose provided verses, or put your own choices into it. There are various very helpful ways of learning by repetition, by testing yourself in stages, and good information on memorising Scripture.

INTERNET PORNOGRAPHY (OR JUST PLAIN LUST)
[A bit long - but perhaps there is some info that might help someone in the area of "Lust"]

People that know my testimony from earlier in the year know I have an addictive personality. Everything I did "pre-salvation" was done to excess and for my pleasure.

God has performed miracles in my life simply removing most of my addictions in life - before, during, and after my "salvation prayer". Gambling, drinking, cursing, smoking, gorging on food, and others. I say it is a miracle because they were removed by Him - not by my choice. I simply have no desire to participate in these activities. I did not have to go thru counselling, withdrawls, relapses, etc. - the desire was simply removed in these areas.

I say this, because God did not remove my greatest weakness - Lust. It was primarily manifested in internet surfing - hardcore, softcore, chat rooms, etc. This weakness God left for me to work out through Him.

A year after accepting Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I still struggled with "Lust". Still occasionally dropped back into the same old areas of internet. Oh, it was better, not as often, I could rationalize that I was "getting better" in this area - but it was just a rationalization.

After a conversation with a "brother" I became convicted and signed up for "covenanteyes.com". This is not a filter - it just grades and reports every internet site I visit while on-line. The reports go to my accountability partner and my pastor. It worked for me - I have not visited a "bad" site in over 15 months. The biggest complaint I get now is: the covenant eyes report is VERY long - I do a lot of research along with some reading of the news:)

Yes, if you are computer savvy you can get around it. Yes, you can go to the library or office and get around it. Yes, it just eliminated one outlet of my lust. But the reason I think it works for me is - I repented, wanted to change, wanted to please God, and prayed about it. If you are just looking for something to keep you compliant, a report card, and not motivated by true repentance - it may not work for you.

As Jan said there are other areas all around us that are a concern, and it is not just a young man's battle :) I do not watch much TV and only been to a movie theater twice in last two years. satan is not stupid - he knows "Lust" is my greatest weakness. I eliminated internet as a problem, but I constantly get visual stimulation, sometimes offers from women, and constant memories of my past in the "lust" area.

Jan, bouncing eyes is something I learned early on. Also, for me bouncing my eyes and saying softly - "a child of God" under my breath when seeing a woman helps. Praying and saying memorized Scripture passages help - but it is really Andrew that I owe a debt of thanks to in this area.

When I got on my knees and presented (one time) myself to God as a living sacrifice,(Rom12:1-2), the change in me really kicked in. Now I simply lift my eyes when tested in the area of "Lust", and yield myself to him asking for access and power of the Holy Spirit. It is amazing when I do this how the images, thoughts, or test(s) become laughable.

[NOTE: When I fail, and I do, it is because I forget to go to God, or it all happens so fast. But God forgives and I go on, and much of the problem is under control.]

As Paul said in Romans7:18, "For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out." (NIV) I have no power in this area of "Lust", but through God "all things are possible". The key is : "through God". When we are pleasing to Him, believe in Him, taking Him at His word and acting on His word - God acts, He provides, and why not, as we are His children. What parent would not lovingly provide for his children if the above was the child's attitude. How much more so God?

If Andrew had not asked that question back in Romans regarding the abundance of the Holy Spirit - perhaps I might have glossed over Rom12:1-2. I pray that if you are struggling in your life with serving the Lord (in any area), that you take a moment and go back and meditate on those verses.

Ecclesiastes

An older Christian friend after "worship" yesterday challenged me to look at Ecclesiastes from a different standpoint. Frankly, I thought he was "off-base", but I thought about his comments a lot last night.

Sure, Solomon examines life and death from all the lifestyles and disciplines of man in the first nine chapters:

Sciences, Hedonism, fatalism-existentialism-egotism, egotism-capitalism, religion, materialism, stoicism, common-sense view of life, and the value judgments of the world (ex. Ben Franklin)

And all is vanity, emptiness, purposeless. And IT IS when God is left out of the equation.

It is interesting though, that there are 32 references to God in the first nine chapters - not including the section on temple worship and vows. Yes, most of the references seem to indicate that God is there, but in the end - life under the sun is meaningless. But I wonder????

In Job, there were many spiritual truths dropped throughout the text of the speeches of Job and his friends. The dots were not connected, yet the "truths" were there.

Solomon may put a negative spin on these references - yet they are still there. Is this why the book is included in the Bible? That despite the foolishness of Solomon's examinations - God is still there. God will always be there. God gives, God controls, God is in charge, God is eternal, God is in heaven, God will judge, etc.

Despite what any world view says about life - God is HERE and He is in control. In the midst of both believers and unbelievers. Even in a book that is from the human view - uninspired - there is inspiration. From a book that has a thesis statement - "Everything is Meaningless" there are nuggets of truth that indicate it is NOT meaningless. God cannot be shut out.

-What a heavy burden God has laid on men! (1:13)
-This too, I see, is from the hand of God (2:24)
-To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness,..(2:26)
-to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(2:26)
-the burden God has laid on men(3:10)
-He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; (3:11)
-what God has done from beginning to end.(3:11)
-this is the gift of God(3:13)
-everything God does will endure forever(3:14)
-God does it so that men will revere him.(3:14)
- God will call the past to account(3:15)
-God will bring to judgment
both the righteous and the wicked(3:17)
-God tests them so that they may see (3:18)
-God is in heaven and you are on earth (5:2)
-Therefore stand in awe of God.(5:7)
-days of life God has given him(5:18)
-this is a gift of God(5:19)
-God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart(5:20)
-God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor(6:2)
-God does not enable him to enjoy them(6:2)
-Consider what God has done(7:13)
-God has made the one as well as the other(7:14)
-The man who fears God will avoid all extremes (7:18)
-The man who pleases God will escape her(7:26)
-God made mankind upright(7:29)
-it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God (8:12)
-the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them(8:13)
-all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.(8:15)
- then I saw all that God has done(8:17)
- what they do are in God's hands(9:1)
-for it is now that God favors what you do.(9:7)
-God has given you under the sun(9:9)

From the same guy that wrote: ECCLESIASTES: THE INSPIRED BOOK OF ERROR
http://www.pbc.org/library/files/html/0221.html

seven years later wrote a series of commentaries that included this thought regarding Ecc6:2

[The key to all of this is in the words, "God does not give him power to enjoy." That lesson is pounded home to our hearts over and over again throughout this book. Enjoyment does not reside in increased possessions, it is a gift which God must give. If he withholds it, no amount of effort is going to extract enjoyment from things. That is a difficult lesson for some to learn. We are constantly bombarded with alluring pictures in catalogs and in commercials that shout at us the opposite message. Enjoyment, however, is a gift of God.

The question that immediately comes to mind is, Why would God withhold enjoyment? Why would he not give the power to enjoy if he gives the ability to have? The answer to that question is given in this book, and it is especially clearly stated in Chapter 2, Verses 25-26, where the Searcher says,

... for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the man who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; {Eccl 2:25-26a RSV}

"To the man who pleases him." Again, I am afraid many people read that as though it means that some level of religious performance, some standard of morality, like joining a church or coming to meetings, is what pleases God. We must understand that the Scriptures never say that. Faith is what pleases God, believing him, taking him at his word and acting upon that word. This is what pleases God: obedience based upon faith. To such a man or woman God gives the gift of enjoying whatever he or she has. How little or how much it may be, is a gift poured out and taken from his hand. That is why gratitude, to be grateful for what you get, is the most important element of our lives.]

http://www.pbc.org/library/series/3767

2Cor7:10-11

Titus came to Paul with good news. The Corinthians had received Paul's letter's and had acted on them in a positive fashion.

Paul had been saddened, yet firm.

"Paul is willing to endure the personal pain of rebuking saints who are giving in to sin." - Bob Deffingbaugh

And Paul rejoices and forgives when news of repentance is received.

"...he is ready and willing to receive them back into fellowship when they repent of their sin." - ibid.

2Cor7:10-11 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter." NIV

There are three Greek words for repentance - Paul uses "metanoia", is used of true repentance, a change of mind and purpose and life, to which remission of sin is promised. - see footnote 50 at Bob's commentary.
http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=1229#P1052_417915

Wordly sorry can lead to "wallowing in it" or striking out at the world (or people involved).

"Worldly sorrow does not regret having sinned, because it offends a holy and righteous God. The one who sorrows wrongly is not sorry because of their sin, but because of the suffering their sin causes them. Worldly sorrow regrets having to “pay the fiddler” for the wrong they have done." - Bob Deffingbaugh

"godly sorrow" leads to a change of mind - repentance - and a desire to get right with God. To take steps, as the Corinthians did, to get back on the "sanctification" path returning to a pleasing state in God's eyes.

It may not be perfect, there may be much more to work on, but the Corinthians are back on the right path. This brings Paul joy.

Here is a tough question posed by Chuck Missler (and others)to Christians: How spiritual are you? (Pause) How much do you "hate sin"?

Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18

It’s nice to come across my motivation from going through the Bible this year in our readings, “Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don't fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?” (7:13).

Being that we are reading from this book that looks at the world through man’s eyes and not God’s this is a good little wake-up call to keep me on track. What I think about God, what anyone else things about God and how He does things really does not matter as we found out in the Book of Job. It’s all about God.

Solomon looks at death outside of the knowledge of a resurrection. Although his father, David, had a revelation of a life other than what is lived upon the earth and resurrection (Psalm 69) it seems because Solomon couldn’t use the wisdom given to him to reason it out, he couldn’t see past the flesh. Revelation, not explanation, is the key to living a vibrant life of faith. You don’t come to Christ by explanation you come to Him by Revelation.

II Corinthians 7:8-16
Godly sorrow: I’m truly sorry and repentant for what I’ve done and whatever the consequences of my actions, I am willing to face.

Worldly sorrow: I’m sorry that I got caught and why should I have to be punished or make restitution because after all I said I was sorry.

Godly sorrow leads to a changed life, worldly sorry recognizes the wrong done only because it was found out and they cannot talk their way out of it. Worldly sorry fails to accept responsibility for their wrong; it was Mr. or Ms Somebody’s fault. Godly sorrow says, I did it and I accept full responsibility for my actions whatever that may be.

Psalm 48:1-14

3 God himself is in Jerusalem's towers.
He reveals himself as her defender.

The Lord will be my High Tower and my Defender just like He is, was Jerusalem defense.

Proverbs 22:17-19

The thirty sayings of the Wise, hmmm, I need to study these thirty sayings ‘cause I’m in bad need of Wisdom.

Two suggestions:

The Navigators have produced a solid, biblically balanced scripture memory discipline called The New topical Memory system, available from Navpress

as well, the book When Good Men Are Tempted by Bil Perkins is a very useful book and gracious book in helping men out of 'the snare of lustful temptation.'

This is the first time I have posted a comment, but wanted to share something with you. My husband has been a pastor for almost 45 years, & we've heard many different teachings in regard to "Where the Dinosaurs came from". Recently we made a trip to the "Creation Museum" near Cinn. Oh. This museum is one of the best I have ever attended, and I am a museum advocate. Everything presented was scripturally based. It has just been open a short time, yet thousands of people have already gone thru'. One thing that impressed me was a simple statement. "We know that all life was created by God, it has also been proven that dinosaurs did exit, therefore God must have created them when He created all the other animals". Job 41 refers to "leviathan", could this be a dragon, or form of a
dinosaur? He's scaled, fire comes from his mouth etc. It causes you to think and dig a little deeper in the word doesn't it.
I can't tell you how much I enjoy the Bible Study, especially all the extra info. that you send with it. May God continue to Bless Your Ministry.

I have some memorized, but not their location, and I probably paraphrase most....having said that here is the one God gave me to remember lately: "For I have not given you a spirit of fear, but one of power, love and a sound mind." AMEN! He always gives me a scripture to cope whenever I am battling something. I pray and woship you Lord, I am yours. Amen and Amen.

just wanted to say that the blog is a blessing to my life, and reading it refreshes my soul..and fills it with feeling God's love and Gods grace.
you are very close to God in your life, and this draws the people who read your blog closer to God as well..thanks and wish you many many years of blog writing and bible reading

I am in a very serious relationship with the most wonderful man I've ever known, except my Lord and Savior Jesus Chist. He is struggling with a generational curse of porn addiction. He is a born again Christian and I feel that God wants me to help him with this. I found all of this very helpful and I sent it to him, with the prayers that he won't get angry with me, for trying to help him. If any of you have any comments or advice, I would greatly appreciate it!

Thank You and God Bless

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