Psalms 101:3
"I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar."
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Last Sunday when Jake and I were by ourselves (the girls were at Liberty), we spent a nice day doing chores, reading, eating, and just hanging out. At one point, the conversation turned to browsing the web and I reminded Jake that we need to be careful what we come across on the internet and that we have a monitor on our home network, so be careful. This reminded me of today's psalm that has been an important life verse for me. When the kids were little and we had a family computer in the study, I even printed this verse out and pasted it on the computer monitor.
So today's message might be a little edgy, but it is an important topic both outside and even more importantly inside the church. So many lives have been ruined through missteps on the road to sexual purity. And especially for men, the first wrong turn on that road is usually made with the eyes. I attended a great men's group study many years ago and the book that we studied was called "Every Man's Battle". The key turning point in the book is a chapter called "Victory with your Eyes" and it emphasizes how important it is to keep our eyes from impure things. This is the first step on the way to victory in our minds and ultimately victory in our hearts. If you care about protecting your heart, you need to fortify your first line of defense at your eyes.
I think the problem is especially acute today with our young people because impure things are so easily available through the internet. We have to be constantly on guard for pictures and links popping up that entice us to look at or read things that are off the pathway to purity. Even our pastor has shared in the past that he was addicted to sexual material and only through the grace and strength of Christ was he freed from this bondage. If our greatest leaders who are dedicated to God and in his word every day can fall, how much more careful should we be? We need to be on-guard and avoid temptations and when confronted we need to flee like Joseph with Potiphar's wife!
Psalm 101 is a psalm from David where he is explaining how he will love, serve, and praise the Lord. To worship and fellowship with the Lord, David says he will strive to be blameless and live a life of integrity through: protecting his eyes, not associating with dishonest people, avoiding perverse ideas, not tolerating people who slander/lie/deceive, and seeking out people who are faithful and above reproach.
My prayer for us today is that we would be convicted by this message and God's word and that we would pray that God would give us his strength to overcome. We can only find true victory in and through Jesus. And even if we have fallen badly in the past (just as David did), we can make a fresh start now and be made whole and pure through his cleansing blood. Praise God for his power and forgiveness!
...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!
Previous Bible Trivia: I heard from Nancy and my mom that they had read and enjoyed the book - thanks for the replies! And Kay identified the verse and message I was looking for. It was Phil 4:11-13 and key closing message was "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Bible Trivia: For today's trivia, try to find a Proverb that also talks about the wisdom of being careful with your eyes, so that you will guard your heart. Hint: My NIV Chapter heading is titled "Get Wisdom at Any Cost" and the key verse on the eyes is verse 25. There are only 31 Chapters - happy searching!
"I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar."
----------------------------------
Last Sunday when Jake and I were by ourselves (the girls were at Liberty), we spent a nice day doing chores, reading, eating, and just hanging out. At one point, the conversation turned to browsing the web and I reminded Jake that we need to be careful what we come across on the internet and that we have a monitor on our home network, so be careful. This reminded me of today's psalm that has been an important life verse for me. When the kids were little and we had a family computer in the study, I even printed this verse out and pasted it on the computer monitor.
So today's message might be a little edgy, but it is an important topic both outside and even more importantly inside the church. So many lives have been ruined through missteps on the road to sexual purity. And especially for men, the first wrong turn on that road is usually made with the eyes. I attended a great men's group study many years ago and the book that we studied was called "Every Man's Battle". The key turning point in the book is a chapter called "Victory with your Eyes" and it emphasizes how important it is to keep our eyes from impure things. This is the first step on the way to victory in our minds and ultimately victory in our hearts. If you care about protecting your heart, you need to fortify your first line of defense at your eyes.
I think the problem is especially acute today with our young people because impure things are so easily available through the internet. We have to be constantly on guard for pictures and links popping up that entice us to look at or read things that are off the pathway to purity. Even our pastor has shared in the past that he was addicted to sexual material and only through the grace and strength of Christ was he freed from this bondage. If our greatest leaders who are dedicated to God and in his word every day can fall, how much more careful should we be? We need to be on-guard and avoid temptations and when confronted we need to flee like Joseph with Potiphar's wife!
Psalm 101 is a psalm from David where he is explaining how he will love, serve, and praise the Lord. To worship and fellowship with the Lord, David says he will strive to be blameless and live a life of integrity through: protecting his eyes, not associating with dishonest people, avoiding perverse ideas, not tolerating people who slander/lie/deceive, and seeking out people who are faithful and above reproach.
My prayer for us today is that we would be convicted by this message and God's word and that we would pray that God would give us his strength to overcome. We can only find true victory in and through Jesus. And even if we have fallen badly in the past (just as David did), we can make a fresh start now and be made whole and pure through his cleansing blood. Praise God for his power and forgiveness!
...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!
Previous Bible Trivia: I heard from Nancy and my mom that they had read and enjoyed the book - thanks for the replies! And Kay identified the verse and message I was looking for. It was Phil 4:11-13 and key closing message was "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".
Bible Trivia: For today's trivia, try to find a Proverb that also talks about the wisdom of being careful with your eyes, so that you will guard your heart. Hint: My NIV Chapter heading is titled "Get Wisdom at Any Cost" and the key verse on the eyes is verse 25. There are only 31 Chapters - happy searching!
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