AVOIDING SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23

With the economy the way it is today, so many people are experiencing the horror of financial bankruptcy. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever met so many people who have filed for bankruptcy as I’ve met over the past few years.

But there’s something that’s worse than financial bankruptcy, and that’s spiritual bankruptcy. That’s because the problem we have spiritually can’t be fixed in the court of law. We don’t have a system where some official can dissolve your debts. No, the problem of spiritual debt is much, much worse.

So what do we do? We’re in debt over our heads and we’re drowning. Well, more powerful than any creditor is the cross of Christ. Jesus saw the debt you owed because of your sin, paid it Himself through His death, and fills your account by giving you eternal life!

Yes, spiritual bankruptcy is detrimental, but the remedy – eternal life through faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection – is wonderful. So thank God today for sending Jesus to take your debt away, and givimg you the incredible gift of eternal life!

SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF SPIRITUAL BANKRUPTCY BY TRUSTING IN JESUS TO PAY YOUR DEBT AND GIVE YOU ETERNAL LIFE!

HUMILITY AT ITS BEST

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. - James 3:13

 

Though often overlooked, the Old Testament character Jonathan is one of the most remarkable men in the Bible. Being the oldest son of King Saul, he was the heir to the throne of Israel. He was an experienced soldier, distinguished for his courage in battle.  

 

The Old Testament character, David, was a shepherd boy . . . probably 15 years younger than Jonathan. Despite their differences, however, Jonathan and David formed a remarkable friendship, in part due to Jonathan’s humility.  

 

When David was anointed to succeed King Saul, Jonathan didn’t claim his right to the throne.  David wasn’t in line for this honor. He wasn’t the king’s son. Jonathan was. But Jonathan defended and protected David, the one taking his place. He even defended him against his own father. Saul repeatedly tried to kill David, but Jona¬than risked his life to protect and encourage his friend.  

 

Are you willing to give up your rights or position? Or do you dig in your heels and arrogantly proclaim your entitlement? Surrender what’s due you and see God’s grace unfold in ways you couldn’t imagine.  

 

“To be humble to superiors is duty, to equals courtesy, to inferiors nobleness.” -Ben Franklin (1706-1790)
 

AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK

"Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life." - Proverbs 4:23

Some people always look for a reason to be unhappy. They walk into a beautiful meadow, and pass all the flowers just to find the cow manure in the corner so they can complain! In my years of ministry, I’ve seen many people just like that. But if I had the choice, I’d definitely prefer to be with people who look for the positive.

I talk with pastors all the time whose churches are resisting them for no real reason. These pastors want to do some great things but they’re just crushed because of the pessimistic spirit of their church. And even outside the church in the workforce, people would much rather be behind an optimist than someone with a negative attitude. Optimistic teams are much more productive!

Look at today’s verse: “Keep your heart…” That means we’re to keep our mind, will, and emotions pointed in a positive direction so that even when setbacks occur, we know the victory will be ours. And when we do that, we’ll experience a flow of joy in our lives.

Keep your heart; don’t lose hope; stay optimistic. The victory is already yours. So live like it!

HAVE A POSITIVE OUTLOOK ON LIFE BECAUSE THE VICTORY IS ALREADY YOURS IN JESUS CHRIST!

SIGNS OF COMING PERSECUTION(THE ANTI-CHRIST)

"Come," they say, "let us destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel be remembered no more" (Ps 83:4).

God calls us to know the signs of the times. The final end time conflict will arise when nations of the world will come against Israel. The Bible is clear that Jesus will return to the physical place of Jerusalem to collect His bride, represented as all those who believe and trust in Jesus, the Messiah. "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready" (Rev 19:7). "I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband" (Rev 21:2).

Israel will always be a place of conflict in the world because Satan knows that this is the place Jesus must come back to in order to collect His bride. And when Jesus does that, it will be the end of Satan's influence on the earth through anti-Christ nations. But until Jesus returns, the land of Jerusalem will be in a tug of war among the nations.

There is a growing intolerance in the world for anyone who has a belief system in absolutes. Christians will be viewed as rigid, inflexible and intolerant of other faiths. There will be a season of political moderate philosophy among many nations and individuals. This moderate philosophy will even happen among Christians, Muslims, and political groups. This will open the door to the influence of the antichrist to come against any group believing in absolutes.

A growing trend of anti-Semitism and persecution will emerge against Jews and committed Christians. Christians will be called to stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel. When this happens it will be one of the reasons Jews will believe in the Messiah.

There has been a season of peace for followers of Christ in the western, European and Asian world. But know that a season of persecution is to come. "However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name" (1 Peter 4:16-17).

Pray that you will be faithful.

WALKING WITH GOD

Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? - (Amos 3:3)

The idea when you are taking a walk with someone is to walk with that person. And in the Christian life, when we are walking with God, we should not be running ahead of Him. Nor should we be lagging behind. The idea is to walk with God.

And who sets the pace? God does. The prophet Amos asked, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). The Hebrew translation of this verse implies a meeting at a fixed place at a fixed time.

A friend of mine who is very prompt shared this saying with me, which he has been using in his family for years: “Early is on time. On time is late. And late is never acceptable.”

Can you imagine being late for an appointment with God? Every day, we have an appointment to keep with God, a time to start the day with His Word, to start the day with prayer. Every day, we have an opportunity to think of Him, to focus on Him, and to walk in harmony with Him. Are you walking in step with God today?

BEING SAVED: THE REAL TRUTH

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” ~ Matthew 7:21

I was meeting with a man one day in my office about a problem he was having in his marriage. I asked him some simple questions about his relationship with Jesus Christ, and I could tell he was clearly uncomfortable talking about spiritual matters. So I plainly asked him, “Are you a Christian?”

He shifted in his seat, thought for a while, and said, “I think I accepted Jesus when I was little, but I haven’t really thought much about Him since.” So I was able to give him some guidance, beginning by telling him what it meant to place his faith firmly in Christ.

That conversation could be repeated again and again with many people all over who identify themselves as Christians, but have never really become followers of Christ. They think walking the aisle at church camp or being baptized is what gets them in, never realizing that those who love Jesus will give Him much more than just lip service.

Maybe you resonate with that story today, having confessed Christ at one time but never really giving your life to Him. If so, it’s never too late to trust Him. Pray right now and surrender your life, trusting Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins, and enter into the joy of eternal life!

REAL FAITH IS MORE THAN JUST LIP SERVICE. TRUST CHRIST FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS TODAY AND GIVE YOUR LIFE TO HIM.

THE 'PORN' GENERATION

A while ago, a Christian couple we know caught their 14 year old son viewing porn on the family computer. Their response: to spank him, adding humiliation to shame. 

Recently, a father who discovered his son viewing porn wrote a letter that has been widely circulated on the internet. This dad took the “tolerant approach” going so far as to offer his son some “safe” porn sites.  

The responses above are extreme; both are damaging. The first will drive a boy into isolation and toward a secret addiction, while the other opens the door wide to sexual sin. 

How should parents respond when they catch their children viewing porn? 

First, we need to face reality. Today’s surveys show that:

• The average age of first exposure to porn is ten. Some statistics say younger. 
• 90% of eight to 16 year olds have viewed porn online.
• 80% of 15 to 17 year olds have view hard core porn.
• Four out of five 16 year olds regularly access porn online.

Part of the problem is that many in the church are still living in the ostrich position.  Leadership doesn’t address sexual sin from the pulpit, and it’s not discussed in youth groups. We avoid it in the home; “there won’t be a problem in my house.”  

Then Junior, who’s more tech savvy than Mom and Dad, learns about porn from his peers, many who have smart phones with unrestricted internet access. Or maybe he stumbles onto the cache of his father’s porn on the family PC. With statistics showing that 50-60% of Christian men viewing porn, it’s not uncommon.

Then one day the child makes a mistake and his parents find out. If Mom and Dad are grounded in reality the chances are higher that they respond with wisdom and care. If not, a train wreck of confusion, miscommunication, and isolation is minutes away.  

Following is an approach to take when addressing porn with your family. We’ll begin with steps for preparation.  

Be proactive.

A lot of what the church does today is reactive; we wait until the building is half burned to the ground instead working to protect against a fire. Your child should hear about sex from you first, not his peers. In our pornified culture this may mean as young as age 8, depending on the maturity of the child. This doesn’t mean you need to dump the whole sex- talk truck-load on an eight year old, but at least consider the Hansel and Gretel approach of steadily feeding them a few crumbs over time. You should also discuss the dangers of porn with your children and what to do if they’re exposed to it.  

Set God’s standard for sex. 

God made sex for marriage only between one man and one woman. It’s nothing to be ashamed of; the Lord addresses it candidly throughout the Bible. Anything outside of marital sex is sin, can destroy your child’s life when he grows up, and will hurt those he loves. Discuss this plainly with him. 

Plan ahead

Long before your children are of the age where porn will be an issue, safeguards should be set in the home. This could be as radical as doing away with the TV, or not having cable. Every computer should have a porn blocking solution installed. 

When appropriate, share your story.

As your child matures, consider discussing your past struggles with lust or porn.  This will open new doors in your relationship, show your kids you’re human, and cut the lust-monster down to size when they see that God has made you an overcomer. An appropriate age for such a disclosure might be the teen years, should you decide to go through with it. 

When you discover your child has been exposed to porn (I say when because the odds are heavily stacked that it will)... 

Don’t freak out. 

You want your child to feel safe with you so they feel free to discuss anything. If you condemn or shame them, they’ll shove sex into their “never discuss with Mom and Dad” closet, increasing the risk of retreat into the secret fantasy world of porn addiction. Isolation breeds lust; it’s critical that the doors of communication are kept wide open. 

Maintain a kind, compassionate tone. 

If you need to, take some time and calm your emotions before sitting down with your child. Talking it out with your spouse can help. Pray. Don’t go at it with a full head of steam. 

Remember the goal…

…which is to help, guide, and walk with your kids in their journey through adolescence.  Many children will be confused—and terrified of what your response might be. Think of how you’d want your parents to react if you got caught viewing porn, and how a grace-centered approach would help. 

Focus on listening.

Talking too much up front can start things off on the wrong foot; especially if you’re lecture-prone. Start by asking questions. Calmly ask how they were first exposed to porn and how long it’s been going on. Ask how it makes them feel… especially if there’s shame afterwards. Ask if they’ve stimulated themselves. You want your son or daughter to feel heard and accepted; this will have the effect of releasing them from the burden of shame and fear.  Their answers may lead to more questions; play that out. You may discover that they hate what they’ve seen and are relieved to be able to open up with you, which will open the door for your input on how to deal with the problem. 

Without going into lecture-mode, remind them of the truth of God’s plan for sex.

You might point out that the actors and actresses in porn hate what they’re doing and many of them are drunk or on drugs when they’re “acting.” Help your child to see the lie behind the fantasy and discuss the fact that sin never satisfies. 

Put them at ease. 

They’ve not committed the unpardonable sin; if they were inadvertently exposed to porn they haven’t sinned at all. Re-emphasize your love for them. If they’ve been viewing porn for an extended period of time, help them to understand that Jesus died for and will forgive them; the slate will be wiped clean, along with all the guilt and shame. 

Pray with them. 

Lead your child in prayer, asking God to cleanse them of everything they’ve been exposed to. Confess sin with them. Bringing the Lord into your conversation may be one of the most poignant moments of your time together. If your child prefers, you can say the words and they can repeat them. Thank the Lord for His forgiveness immediately after confessing any sin so they get a sense of closure.  

Make an action plan with them. 

Ask your child for suggestions for an action plan so they can resist temptation in the future. This will help them take ownership for their actions and give them a sense of working with you, instead of “My parents are coming down on me.” They could also pleasantly surprise you with some ideas you hadn’t thought of. 

Here are the basics: 

1. Cut off the stumbling blocks (Matthew 5). Assuming they’ve been viewing porn on a PC or their phone, get an ap/software solution that will prevent this. If video games, movies, or a friend is the problem, take action, even if it means throwing away treasured items and/or severing a relationship. 

2. Set up a time when they will be accountable to you; perhaps once every week or two (James 5:16). Help them understand that isolation is a silent killer when it comes to lust, and this isn’t a “check up on you to see if you’ve been bad” time. Accountability is a key strategy in the battle. 

3. Pray for them daily, and encourage them to do the same. There’s a spiritual battle going on, and the enemy is sure to hit them with temptation again. I also suggest that you pray together after each of your accountability times. 

Finding out that your child is viewing porn isn’t the end of the world; God is bigger than the problem. If a parent responds with grace and truth they can nip the problem in the bud, strengthen the relationship, and model how the church should respond when someone is caught in sin. 

Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.

Galatians 6:1