Every day is filled with spiritual warfare. The enemy is whispering his evil lies into your mind, trying to draw you off the path of purity, the path that God wants you to walk. This is why you and I must daily cry out, “Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 143:8b)
Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. This is Episode #110, and in this week’s episode we discover from Scripture the importance of doing things God’s Way!
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
Every day is filled with spiritual warfare. The enemy is whispering his evil lies into your mind, trying to draw you off the path of purity, the path that God wants you to walk. This is why you and I must daily cry out, “Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 143:8b)
Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. This is Episode #110, and in this week’s episode we discover from Scripture the importance of doing things God’s Way!
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
Every day is filled with spiritual warfare. Every day you are wrestling against a powerful foe. Every day that foe is whispering his evil lies into your mind, trying to draw you off the path of purity, the path that God wants you to walk.
This is why you and I must daily cry out, “If I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you.” (Exodus 33:13) “Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 143:8b)
Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. I’m your host Steve Etner, Author, National Speaker, and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry. This is Episode #110, and in this week’s episode we discover from Scripture the importance of doing things God’s Way!
There was a popular song in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s that went something like this: “And now, the end is near; and so I face the final curtain. My friend, I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full. I’ve traveled each and every highway; and more, much more than this, I did it my way.”
Galatians 6:3 warns us that “if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Proverbs 14:12 says, “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 12:15 declares that “the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
Now, I know I cannot speak for you, but for me – I want to be considered a wise man. Let me repeat what I said in today’s opener. Every day is filled with spiritual warfare. Every day you are wrestling against a powerful foe. Every day that foe is whispering his evil lies into your mind, trying to draw you off the path of purity, the path that God wants you to walk. Every day he’s trying to convince you to do life your way.
This is why you and I must daily cry out, “If I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you.” (Exodus 33:13) “Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 143:8b)
Why is it so important that we ask God daily to show us His ways? What’s wrong with occasionally doing life my own way? That question almost sounds ludicrous when you think about it. Almost. The fact is, we often think that way, even if we don’t actually verbalize it.
It frequently looks something like this: “Why do I have to give God all of my sexual desires and passions? What’s wrong with occasionally doing things my own way. As long as I’m not committing some great and horrible sin like adultery or murder (like good ol’ King David did), why can’t I enjoy a little lust and self-gratification every once in a while?
God’s answer is quite clear. “There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.” (Proverbs 15:10) That verse bears repeating. “There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.” Solomon warns us that “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” (Proverbs 14:12)
Consider this: any way that is ultimately my way will always be the wrong way. Take a moment and read that again. Any way that is ultimately my way will always be the wrong way. “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (Psalm 119:9)
This is precisely why, through The Pure Man Ministry, each of our coaching sessions, every episode of our podcast, each and every lesson in our online academy, and every one of my books is predominantly focused upon Scripture. I don’t want you trying to learn 12 Steps, or 8 Keys, or 5 Principles to Purity. I don’t want you thinking that there is some greater, more effective method out there for fighting the beast of sexual temptation and experiencing genuine heart-change other than filling your mind with the Word of God and daily choosing to walk in obedience to the God of the Word. There isn’t.
Please don’t misunderstand. There are some excellent programs available. The right support group can be awesome and helpful. But if the program, if the group, if the counseling does not have God’s Word and God’s way as its fundamental foundation it is more than likely placing the emphasis upon you and your ability to live pure rather than God’s power and divine equipping enabling you to be pure.
God says to us, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” (Psalm 32:8) And we are commanded to “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)
Remember, the issue isn’t the beast. The problem isn’t the porn. The monster isn’t the masturbation. That’s not what we need to change. It’s your heart–your worship disorder. God’s Spirit through God’s Word reveals God’s will in your life. You keep your way pure by daily reading, studying, meditating upon, and applying God’s Holy Word to your heart, your mind, your daily choices, and behaviors.
Deuteronomy 11:28 says that you will be cursed by God “if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.” I believe I am fairly safe in saying that you would rather not be cursed by God. Correct? To avoid that, you must daily choose to dethrone King Me. You must not turn aside from God’s way to go after another god–to go after that which will pleasure King Me.
(Proverbs 15:10) “There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way; whoever hates reproof will die.”
I know that sometimes it feels like you will die if you don’t give in to the lust that is burning within. I know there are times where you are convinced that life will come to an end if you don’t look at porn and masturbate. You can’t concentrate. You can’t sleep. You can’t function. I understand that you think “just one more time” and it will all be better. “Just one more time and then I’ll get serious about dealing with this beast once-and-for-all.”
I know because I’ve been there. For over 30 years of my life, I lived for “just one more time.” I convinced myself that after this “one last time, after this one more lustful look, one more pornographic image, one more enticing glance, one more act of masturbation” THEN I would finally be free from the beast and finally able to fight it and win.
That is your sinful flesh talking to you. It is your sinful passions screaming in your ear “please me! Satisfy me! Surrender to me and I’ll make you feel good. I’ll ease your stress and relieve your boredom and I’ll remove your frustration.” Don’t listen to it. Don’t let yourself cave under the pressure. Cry out to God “show me your way” and then when He does (because He will), you must choose to walk in it no matter the cost.
Joshua 22:5 gives this command: “Only be very careful to observe the commandment ... to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.”
Isaiah 48:17 says, “This is what the Lord says–your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea’.” (NIV’84)
Can you hear the ache in God’s heart for you? Can you hear His discouragement, not with you but with your sinful, King Me choices? “If only you had paid attention to my commands!” Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) And the Apostle John writes “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3)
Ok, so where exactly do I find God’s commands? The answer: God’s Word. God’s promise to you is that when you choose to walk the way God has laid out for you in His word, “your peace (will be) like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea.”
Here’s the exciting thing: You can choose right now to lift up your soul to your Heavenly Father. You can choose right now to surrender your sexual desires and passions over to your Creator and choose right now to fully trust that He not only knows what’s best for you but has “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV’84) “There is hope for your future, declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 31:17).
You can be free! You can be pure! All you have to do is lift up your soul to God (Psalm 25:1), trust fully in Him (Psalm 25:2), dethrone King Me and set your focus on the Lordship and leadership of God in your life daily (Psalm 25:3); and continuously ask Him to show you His ways – then walk in it (Psalm 25:4-5)! When you do that, you will experience blessings in your life like none you could ever imagine, guaranteed.
As we choose daily to lift up our soul to God and fully trust Him, we must also cry “Show me your ways, O Lord!” (Psalm 25:4) Think about this: inherent within the request to “show me your ways,” is a willingness to go the way God shows you. Don’t ask Him to show you His way if you are not willing and ready to make the necessary sacrifices and adjustments in your life to actually go the way He shows you.
Jeremiah 6:16 says, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Deuteronomy 5:33 commands, “You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go will with you.” And in Psalm 1:1-2 David writes, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
OK, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode as we look forward to continuing this study.
If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about our ministry, be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com
One of those resources is a book I’ve written entitled “Are You a Super Man? How to Become God’s Man of Steel.” It’s available on Amazon.com, and if you’re a man looking for a 12-week men’s Bible study that you can do with your accountability partner(s) or with your men’s small group (or even by yourself) this book is a must do. “Are You a Super Man of God? Becoming God’s Man of Steel” is a fun look at what it means to be God’s Man of Steel in a world that is Anti-God, Anti-Christ, and Anti-Bible. As Christian men we try to be the Super Man of God that others want, need, even expect us to be. We do fairly well most of the time at presenting the “spiritual man of steel” persona to those around us, yet inwardly we know we are far from being the godly man we want to be.
As a Super Man of God your strength, your ability to effectively live a life that honors and glorifies God, comes directly from the SON. The closer you are in relationship to Jesus Christ, the greater your power to resist the archenemy of your soul (the devil) and watch him flee from you (James 4:7).
Yet, truth-be-told, you also have a weakness. It’s your Kryptonite, that radioactive element of your life before Christ that your spiritual archenemy uses to his advantage. The fact is, when you play around with your Kryptonite, it weakens your will and ability to stand firm and fight the fight of faith.
In this 12-week men’s Bible study you will learn how to identify your Kryptonite, steer clear of it, find your super-spiritual strength as you daily draw closer to the SON, and be the man of steel God has called and equipped you to be. So, let me encourage you to go to Amazon.com today and purchase your copy of “Are You a Super Man of God?”
And if you have not yet subscribed to this Point of Purity Podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!
So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.