David begins Psalm 27 by declaring “The Lord, the Almighty, All-Powerful, Most Holy and Sovereign One who cares about me is my light and is the only one I choose to follow!” That simple statement declared to the world David’s willful, intentional, purposeful decision to daily turn his back on King Me and follow the only One who can show him how to navigate through life. What about you? Are you willing, are you able, are you ready to make that same declaration?
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
David begins Psalm 27 by declaring “The Lord, the Almighty, All-Powerful, Most Holy and Sovereign One who cares about me is my light and is the only one I choose to follow!” That simple statement declared to the world David’s willful, intentional, purposeful decision to daily turn his back on King Me and follow the only One who can show him how to navigate through life. What about you? Are you willing, are you able, are you ready to make that same declaration?
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at http://www.thepuritycoach.com
David begins Psalm 27 by declaring “The Lord, the Almighty, All-Powerful, Most Holy and Sovereign One who cares about me is my light and is the only one I choose to follow!” That simple statement declared to the world David’s willful, intentional, purposeful decision to daily turn his back on King Me and follow the only One who can show him how to navigate through life. What about you? Are you willing, are you able, are you ready to make that same declaration?
Welcome to The Point of Purity Podcast. I’m your host, Steve Etner author, National speaker, and Purity Coach for the Pure Man Ministry ... and this is episode #127 entitled “No Room for a Dark Room.”
Let me open this week’s podcast with one very simple yet extremely powerful Biblical truth. The Lord cares about YOU and He wants you to “cast all your anxieties on Him.” (1 Peter 5:7) So, I ask you, why are you carrying the heavy load of your sinful habits? Why are you trudging through life with the three-headed dragon of lust, porn, and masturbation clinging to your back? You are urged, you are challenged, you are commanded to “cast your burdens” upon The Lord. So why aren’t you doing just that?
We must never, ever lose sight of the fact that Jesus already took the load for you. After all, 1 Peter 2:24 tells us He bore ALL of our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live for what is right. Why then are you daily choosing to carry that burden? Why are you choosing to continue to live for what is wrong?
Isaiah 53:4-5 reminds us that Jesus “took up our pain and bore our suffering ... he was pierced for our transgressions.” Jesus already carried your load. He already paid the ultimate price for your sin – for your freedom from that sin! This is why He cares so much about your struggle with sexual temptation. This is why He cares so much about your battle against LuPoMas (the three-headed dragon called Lust, Porn, and Masturbation). This is why He cares about your sexual purity!
Jesus reminds us that God cares so much about you that “even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:7) The fact is, God cares about all the little things in your life. I submit that if God cares enough to keep a running tally of how many hairs are attached to your head each day, He certainly cares about your battle against the beast of sexual impurity.
Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26) Think about that. If God meets the needs of birds – who are not made in His image, who have no individual, volitional will to choose to worship Him or reject Him – how much more will He care for your needs?
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6)
Jesus said in Matthew 6:30, “If God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” This is precisely why David declares in Psalm 23:1 that “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
In light of this undeniable Biblical truth, don’t be apprehensive about surrendering your ability to fight the battle over to God. Don’t be hesitant to trust Him in the midst of your struggle. You are to daily lift up your soul to God and trust Him completely to work amazing things in your life! You will never regret that decision.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation.” (Psalm 27:1)
As we have seen again and again, over and over, throughout the majority of this podcast, when you choose King Me over God, “your iniquities (your sinful choices) have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2) In other words, when King Me is sitting on the throne of your heart, you have chosen to turn away from God’s pure and holy light toward sin’s evil and wicked darkness. You have chosen the way of the wicked. A way that “is like deep darkness; (you) do not know over what (you) stumble.” (Proverbs 4:19)
On the flip side, when you choose to daily (moment-by-moment) follow the Lordship and leadership of God in your life, you are also choosing to turn your back on the darkness of sin and instead walk in the light of God’s glorious presence.
You see, “A wise man’s heart inclines him to the right (toward God and the light), but a fool’s heart to the left (toward King Me and utter darkness)” (Ecclesiastes 10:2)
Here’s my point: when you choose to turn your back on King Me, you are choosing to walk in the light – God’s light. When you choose to walk in God’s light, you will not walk in darkness, you will not stumble, you will not fall, you will not sin! Oh, my friend, don’t let this truth slip by you without stopping long enough to notice it and truly comprehend it. When you keep your focus on God, walking in His light, you will not lust. When you choose to walk in God’s light you will not look at porn. When you keep God on the throne of your heart you will not masturbate, you will not commit adultery, you will not be involved in any sexual impurity. It just won’t happen! Why? Because you’re choosing to walk in God’s light and because of that choice you will not stumble, you will not fall.
David begins Psalm 27 by declaring “The Lord, the Almighty, All-Powerful, Most Holy and Sovereign One who cares about me is my light and is the only one I choose to follow!” That simple statement declared to the world David’s willful, intentional, purposeful decision to daily turn his back on King Me and follow the only One who can show him how to navigate through life. What about you? Are you willing, are you able, are you ready to make that same declaration?
“God IS light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5)
“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” (Ephesians 5:8)
Again, I ask, what about you? Are you boldly declaring, as David did, that the Lord is your light? Are you claiming to be a follower of Christ? Assuming your answer to be “yes!” I now ask this: as a Christian, are you choosing to still walk in darkness? By that I mean, are you still choosing to live for King Me? Remember, to choose King Me over God is to choose darkness over light. For the Christian, there must be no room for a dark room. No room for darkness at all. No spot in your life secretly reserved for King Me. If you claim to be a Christ-follower yet continue to live for King me – you’re a liar. You are not practicing the truth.
“For you are all children of light, children of the day. (You) are not of the night or of the darkness.” (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
“You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” (1 Peter 2:9)
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Let me repeat that. Jesus clearly states that He IS “the light of the world.” When you choose to follow Christ, when you daily choose to deny self and take up your cross; when you choose daily to turn your back on King Me and worship and serve only God – the promise Jesus gives in John 8:12 is that you will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life.
Watch this now: When you walk in darkness, choosing to give in to sexual temptation (or any temptation for that matter); when you allow the beast of sexual impurity to thrive in your heart – you are not following Jesus; instead, you’re letting King Me call the shots. Oh, you may be a Christian, but in that moment as you willingly choose to give in to your temptation, you are not a Christ-follower, you can’t be because at that moment you are a King Me worshipper. You’re an idolator. As we saw in a previous episode, in Matthew 6:24, it’s not possible to serve two masters at the same time. Either you will love the one and hate the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other; you cannot serve both.
We are to always “be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” (Philippians 2:15) So, I challenge you to think about this: when you are living for King Me, when you are choosing to walk in darkness, it is impossible for you to “shine as lights in the world.” When you are dark, you cannot be light. It just cannot be done.
As a Christian, you are to “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) How are you doing with that? When you are choosing to live for King me, you are choosing to walk in darkness. Thus you are also choosing to no longer let your light shine before others, you are not being a godly testimony. Ouch!
The only way shining for Christ will consistently happen in your life is when you faithfully choose to “not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14) The answer? None. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch. The big goose egg. You see, “bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) Sexual sin is bad company my friend. You cannot, you must not play around with it, ever. Don’t even entertain the thought (see Romans 13:14).
Even “just a little” lust, and “just a little” porn and masturbation “just this once” has an impact on your Christian walk, and a powerful influence on your ability (or inability as it were) to shine for Christ. This is why God’s word warns, “A little leaven leavens the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9; 1 Corinthians 5:6) In other words, Even a little sexual impurity is still sexual impurity.
The only way to get your shine on, the only way to let your light shine before others is for you to be in the light yourself; daily walking in the light as He is in the light. In other words, turn your back on King Me, turn away from the darkness and focus completely, focus entirely, focus unreservedly upon God. Always God. (Matthew 24:4)
“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” (Psalm 34:5 NIV’84)
Remember, only God is light. In Him there is no darkness. To let His light shine through you, you must be in continuous fellowship with the Light – God Himself. “Those who look to him are radiant” You cannot radiate God’s glory when you are worshiping King Me. When you are choosing to stay in the dark, you have no light from which to draw from to radiate. You must be constantly and consistently “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of (your) faith.” (Hebrews 12:2) You must be looking to He who is “the light of the world” (John 8:12)
Take a moment here and think with me about the moon. The reason we are able to look up into the cloudless night sky and see the moon is not because that huge hunk of space rock has the ability to shine on its own. It is impossible for the moon to generate its own light. It is powerless. To be seen by others, it must first “see” the sun. It has to be “looking” directly into the sun. The moon reflects, it radiates the light it receives from the sun. A full moon means there is nothing standing between it and the sun, blocking the ability of the moon to reflect the light it sees.
When you see only part of the moon, it is because the Earth is coming between the moon and the sun, casting a “shadow” thereby hindering the moon’s ability to fully reflect the sun. The more of the Earth in the way, the less of the moon you see. In the same way, as we saw a moment ago, “Those who look to him (the Son) are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.” (Psalm 34:5 addition mine)
Are you radiating the glory of God? The only way that’s possible is if you are refusing to let the world get between you and God. You are daily choosing to dethrone King Me and let God have His rightful place as the only Lord and Leader of EVERY part of your life!
OK, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode. If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry, and more specifically how we can help you live in freedom from sexual sin, 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.
Now before I close out this episode, I WANT TO REMIND YOU OF SOME VERY, VERY EXCITING NEWS. After nearly 11 years of testing, I am excited to announce the release of my newest book “The Point of Purity” Workbook! Available now on Amazon, this workbook is the accumulation and culmination of 10+ years of coaching, mentoring, and counseling men in the area of sexual addiction and purity.
“The Point of Purity” Workbook is a 12-week journey through Scripture to help you discover the point of purity. Why should I be pure? What’s the point? What's wrong with a little "forbidden pleasure" from time to time? You will also learn how to get to the point of purity - living daily in freedom and victory over temptation.
Written in such a way that you can do this on your own or with an accountability partner or small group its purpose is to walk you through Scripture discovering from God’s Word how you can be free. Each week you are equipped with powerful tools from The Bible that will help you not only BE free, but LIVE free. You will learn how to effectively change your thought process when faced with temptation (not just sexual temptation, but actually any and all temptation). You will discover how to submit yourself to God, standing firmly against the temptation and successfully resist it every time.
You see, the real problem we struggle with is not sexual temptation. The real problem is a worship disorder. Who is sitting on the throne of your heart? Whom are you worshiping and why? “The Point of Purity” Workbook is a 12-week deep dive into Scripture to help answer this all-important question and discover how to dethrone King Me, allowing God to be Lord and leader of every part of your life. So be sure to visit Amazon.com today and get your copy of “The Point of Purity Workbook!”
And if you have not yet subscribed to this 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, National 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.