Series: THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM (Part One)
(Dear Man Of God/Sirs/Mas,
if you know someone who is battling this monster called sexual sin or pornography, kindly consider forwarding this message to him or her.)
1. Sin and Its Effects
He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities – Isaiah 53:5
It was love that sent Jesus to the cross. It was “THE JOY set before Him” that kept Jesus on the cross. But it was our sins that necessitated the cross.
Why couldn’t Jesus simply come to earth and preach and call for repentance and then go back into heaven? Why was it not good enough for Him to live a perfect life and then return to His Father in heaven? It was because sins, before a holy and just and good God, require punishment.
Because God is just, He will not allow us to go free without punishing our sins. That would be like a judge letting a convicted serial killer back onto the streets.
Because God is good, He will avenge every one of the countless wrongs in the world. He will not allow victims of violence and deceit to be victims for ever.
Most importantly, because God is God He will not allow His holy character and position to be ignored and violated without consequence. Therefore, our sins must be paid for.
The great beauty and tragedy of the cross is that there the perfect Jesus received the wounds for our transgressions, there He was bruised because of our sins. He chose to take our place and receive our punishment.
How can we dare to willfully sin any more, knowing that precisely those sins were what caused the great wounds of our great Savior?
The Liteman’s Desk:
Friend, have you ever known The Lord? Have you once tasted His Joy, His Truth and Power? His Grace & Mercy? Being Spirit filled once?
If yes, then you cannot afford to succumb to despondency.
Have you ever enjoyed the grace of speaking under the inspiration of The Holy Ghost? Or uttering praise under His glorious anointed Presence?
If your answer is Yes! then face it man, there is no other experience in this world that can be compared to these!
You cannot give up now!
Hear wise counsel:
I know you can’t seem to feel Him again. I know when you pray, you seem to hit a wall. I know you can’t put words together without condemning thoughts again. I am aware that you have become ever so fearful now.
You question yourself –
“is it worth it again?” ” is God listening to you again?” “was the original and former experience ever real, in the first place?” “Am I not just wasting my time trying to get God back into my life?”
The pain of enduring His present chastising, The Spirit’s ‘seeming’ anger at you, and the apparent feeling of emptiness CANNOT be compared to the looming blackness of eternal doom awaiting those who frustrate His Grace!
You are aware of the truth that “To whom much is given, much is expected”.
Perhaps, i should refer you to Luke 10: 12 – 15 & 16
12 But I say unto you, that it shall be MORE TOLERABLE in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
13 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14 But it shall be MORE TOLERABLE for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
Remedy:
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need. Hebrews 4:16.
[quoting from portions of BRO. LEE GRADY’s recent write-up on “THE PORN EPIDEMIC”]
“It´s not enough to whisper a quiet prayer under your breath. To
break free from a life-controlling habit as powerful as porn, you
must talk to someone else. And you should do it sooner, not later.”
“A huge percentage of men in church have given up trying to resist temptation”.
“If you are one of those men (or women) who wears a fake smile
when you go to church, pretending to be an “overcomer” when you
really are a prisoner of lust, then please consider taking these
radical steps.
1. SPILL YOUR GUTS. The first step toward repentance is honesty,
and it must be brutal. To repent means to turn 180 degrees, so
this decision cannot be half-hearted. It´s not enough to whisper a
quiet prayer under your breath. To break free from a life-controlling
habit as powerful as porn, you must talk to someone else. And
you should do it sooner, not later.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for
one another so that you may be healed” (NASB). I have prayed
with many guys about their porn addictions, and they have testified
that the power of their sin broke the moment they admitted it. Sit
down with someone (preferably a more mature Christian you know
and trust) and put all your cards on the table. If you humble yourself,
God will give you grace to change.
2. GET RUTHLESS. Sin is deceitful. It loves to make up excuses such
as, “No one knows about your habit, so it´s not hurting anyone,” “I
deserve this little treat” or “I can play with fire and not get burned.”
Don´t believe the lies. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of soup,
and many men today forfeit their relationship with God by
compromising with porn.
You can´t break free from sexual sin by slowly backing away from
it or taming it like a pet. The Bible tells us to “flee” from immorality
(2 Tim. 2:22). You must lay the axe to the root of your problem.
Cut off all access to porn. Say goodbye and slam the door in its
face. And if you can´t stop looking at it on your phone or computer,
get rid of your phone and computer.
3. Keep NO SECRETS. Guys addicted to porn struggle with constant
shame. They can´t enjoy prayer or worship because they feel
condemned. They can´t share their faith with others because they
feel like hypocrites. And many Christian men are so full of guilt
they turn to alcohol or drugs to numb their pain.
It´s not enough to confess your sin to a brother once. You must
stay in relationship with people who love you enough to confront
you. Find one or two accountability partners and make a covenant
with them to live transparently. And don´t wait until you fall to call
for counsel. Contact them whenever you feel tempted. Send up
a flare and ask for help before it´s too late.
4. REFOCUS your life on others. Lust is ultimately about self-
gratification. When a young man gets hooked on porn, he can´t
grow up emotionally. This is why some adult men in their 50s and
60s act like 13-year-olds when it comes to sex. They are stuck
in perpetual puberty.
You will never break free from the bondage of sexual sin simply by
gritting your teeth and trying to forget the images you saw in
magazines or videos. You must totally redirect your energies toward
serving others: your spouse, your children, your church and the
needy people around you. Throw yourself into selfless ministry and
starve your illegal urges.
5. STAY FILLED with the Spirit. None of these previous steps are
possible without the Holy Spirit, who is our promised Helper (see
John 14:16). Self-help is not the answer. Ask the Spirit to fill your
life with His refining fire. He will go to the root of your unholy desires,
burn up your lust and give you supernatural ability to resist temptation.
Lee Grady.
Urgent prayer request:
Please pray for the owners of DBN TV NETWORK. Particularly, the President of the organisation, Mr Osa Sunny Adun. This is the only TV station that had, since the inception of the TV Ministry of Bro Toks on Photizo Ministry platform, stuck out her neck to air our program without censoring it’s contents! They have risked even their license by standing with the damning and bare truths from God’s Word we reveal regularly in the days of “REFRESHING TIMES” and lately of “MOMENTS OF REFRESHING with Pastor Toks”.
The destructive freak stormy rain that hit Lagos in February knocked out their transmission antenna and in the process destroyed other neighboring properties. They have been out of air since then!
By implication, MOR, had been out of air as well. Pray for quick financial intervention and favor with men.
Prayerfully put together by
THE LITEMAN, Bro. Toks Oshokoya
PHOTIZO MINISTRIES, LAGOS, NIGERIA
Somebody we love need this, please pass on!