It's Time to Choose

In Philippians 4:19 the Apostle Paul declares, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Only God can give you what you are seeking. Only God will give you what you are needing. Only God truly satisfies you. You cannot do this without Him.
 
Learn more about the ministry of The Purity Coach at  http://www.thepuritycoach.com

Transcript

In Philippians 4:19 the Apostle Paul declares, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Only God can give you what you are seeking. Only God will give you what you are needing. Only God truly satisfies you. You cannot do this without Him.

Welcome to a very special Point of Purity Podcast. This is our 200th episode! For nearly four years now we have been bringing you a powerful weekly study filled to the brim with the all the tools from Scripture you will ever need to build a lasting life of Biblical purity and godliness. I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #200 entitled “It’s Time to Choose.”

OK. So before we dive into this week’s episode, I have a question for you. Can you believe Thanksgiving ’24 is nearly upon us? As I sit here in my office recording this our 200th episode, I can’t help but be thankful for those of you who have been faithfully praying for this ministry. Because of those who are supporting us faithfully we are seeing God’s message of hope, healing, and restoration bearing great fruit. Let me share with you some of the “tangible” things we’ve seen (and are seeing) this year.

I had the honor of speaking at 11 different conferences and 1 church in 2024. Speaking with men, taking them into God’s Word and challenging their hearts for Christ. I am already booked for 6 conferences in ’25! I’ve shared with you on previous episodes that my primary ministry is coaching / mentoring men literally all across the globe who are struggling with sexual sin and addiction. So far, here in 2024, I have already logged nearly 400 hours of coaching and mentoring and have seen 15 men recently graduate from our Point of Purity Program with flying colors! I am hearing reports of former graduates who have started a “Point of Purity Program” in their own churches, taking men through my Point of Purity Workbook and my book “Extreme Mind Makeover.” I’m so excited to see and hear of other men leading other men into a deeper relationship with God through our Point of Purity Program.

So far this year our website (ThePurityCoach.com) has seen nearly 62, unique visits! This weekly Point of Purity Podcast is continuing to grow. For this year alone the podcast has had nearly 12,000 downloads! “The Point of Purity Podcast” is currently being listened to in 103 countries and territories, praise the Lord!

This year our App has had over 18,800 interactions (and nearly 660,000 impressions since its launch in 2015). Because of both the app and the podcasts, we are seeing God taking this ministry globally. 

Our YouTube Channel is starting to gain some momentum. Every week when I record the audio version of our podcast, I’ve also begun recording a video version as well. Although the numbers are small right now (so far nearly 1,500 views), this facet of the ministry is growing (now being seen in 5 countries).

As exciting and impressive as these numbers are, what matters most to me is the fact that hearts and lives are being impacted for God!

As a result of this growth, there are some financial needs that we are facing. I’ll talk briefly about that at the end of this episode.

Would you please join us in prayer over these things? We know God has, is, and will continue to “supply all our needs in Christ” so all we ask is that you pray with us that God will move in the hearts of His people to support this ministry not only in much needed prayer, but financially as well. Would you also pray about becoming a financial partner with us in this much-needed ministry? I’ll share with you how you can give your tax-deductible donation a little bit later in this episode.

But for now, let’s dive right in to our Bible Study.

For the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn his face from you if you return to him. (2 Chronicles 30:9b NIV’84)

Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. (Joel 2:13 NLT)

James 4:7 says: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (ESV) Question: Are you choosing daily to submit to God? Are you choosing to plant your feet firmly on the solid rock of Christ and set yourself against the devil? Choose daily (moment-by-moment) to resist temptation. Refuse to give the enemy of your soul any ground to stand on. When he pushes, you push back harder. When he feeds you his deceitful lies, you shove God’s truth down his throat.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. (1 Peter 5:8-9a NLT)

In Ephesians 4:27 we are commanded to “give no opportunity to the devil.” Do not miss that: no opportunity! Submit yourself to God, resist the enemy. We are to “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11 NASB’95).

God is giving you yet another powerful promise. Willingly choose, daily choose to place yourself under His authority, allow Him to be Lord and leader over all your life; then, upon His perfect and supreme authority alone you can resist the devil. Through God’s power alone the devil must flee from you. The enemy of your soul has to go!

No matter how long you have been fighting or giving in to your sinful habits, no matter how defeated you may feel, you can live in victory and freedom. Your sin can be wiped out and you can experience “times of refreshing.”

People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. (Proverbs 28:13 NLT)

The question is not whether you want to be in this war or not. Everyone is in it. Either you are defeated by the devil and thus you are following the whims and wishes of the enemy like cattle being let to the slaughter, or you are daily choosing to dethrone King Me, submit to God “resist[ing] him, firm in your faith!” (1 Peter 5:9).

There is no neutral zone. You either triumph “by the blood of the Lamb and the word of [your] testimony” (Revelation 12:11 ESV), or you will be enslaved by Satan.

As I’ve said many times over on this podcast, with every choice there is a consequence.

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it. (Genesis 4:7 NIV’84)

God begins the verse by saying “if.” “If you do what is right” and “If you do not do what is right.” That little word, “if,” indicates a conscious choice on your part, with a guaranteed result based upon whichever choice you make. Choose to do what is right and you will be accepted and blessed. Choose to do what is wrong and you will suffer the ramifications and penalty of your sinful, selfish, King Me centered choice.

In this text, God is telling Cain—and us—it is entirely up to you. You can choose to do what is right (worship God) or you can choose to do what is wrong (worship a false god). When you are facing the temptation to worship King Me, I want this verse to remind you that you have a choice. You always have a choice. No one is forcing you to give in to your fleshly desires.

One of the powerful lies the enemy of your soul whispers in your ear is, “I have no choice. I just can’t help myself. I have to give in to my temptations! After all, I’m only human. God will understand.”

Those thoughts are lies directly from the pit of hell – the very lair of the master liar himself. Jesus says of Satan, “He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44 NLT). Yes, you are only human, and yes, God understands, but you do have a choice. You always have a choice, and through Christ you can help yourself (Philippians 4:13). You do not have to sin.

Please listen to me closely. Every time you think you have no choice—every time you feel you have to give in to your temptations or you will burst—I want you to quote Genesis 4:7 and remember, you can choose to do what is right, or you can choose to do what is wrong. The choice is yours.

You have heard me share this truth before, and you’ll hear it again in the future. You do what you do because, in your heart, you want what you want. To change your outward behavior, you must first change your inner being—your heart.

OK. So, I have a great question I want you to ask yourself. “What is it I like so much, or want so badly, that I am willing to sin to have it or to keep it?” Let me repeat, listen closely. “What is it you like so much, or want so badly, that you are willing to sin to have it or to keep it?” Although you choose to worship King Me because you like how it makes you feel, there is also something deeper and more profound happening. There is something you like or want so much that you are choosing to sin to have it or keep it.

Why do you want what King Me pretends to offer instead of what God promises to provide? To answer that, let’s look again at this statement, “You do what you do because, in your heart, you want what you want.” You choose to give in to your sinful temptations because, in your heart, you believe that is what will bring you the thing you think you want. You believe the thing you desire so deeply is what is in your best interest, and you are convinced that sinning is the only, or the easiest, way to obtain it. 

Let’s add one more point to our statement to bring some clarification. “You do what you do because, in your heart, you want what you want. You want what you want because you believe what you believe.” 

It all starts with your worship. Whom you choose to worship determines what you choose to think about. What you choose to think about determines what you choose to say and do. What you choose to say and do determines the consequences that result.

You choose to sin because in your heart you want something you are convinced that giving in to your temptation will provide. Again, the choice is always yours. You do what you do because, in your heart, you want what you want. You want what you want because you believe what you believe. You choose to sin because King Me wants to “feel good” and you believe giving up and giving in is the only way.

Every time you give in to each and every temptation, you are declaring your choice to believe God cannot or will not meet your current “need”—at least, not in a way that you feel will truly satisfy and fulfill you—so you are choosing to commit idolatry by worshiping King Me, and in some way acting out. There is something you like so much or want so badly that you are willing to sin (to turn your back on God) just so you can have it or keep it.

Consider for a moment the personal pronoun “I.” I want. I need. I desire. I long for. I deserve. I must have. I cannot live without. I, I, I. When King Me is sitting on the throne of your heart, all your thoughts, words, and actions will be for the benefit of King Me. When you are thinking about how to satisfy King Me, you will eventually make sinful choices that are in favor of self and opposed to God. Your King Me choices will always be focused on pleasing yourself instead of glorifying God. Glorifying God should always be your number one goal, your driving purpose in life.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (I Corinthians 10:31 ESV)

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:17 NASB’95)

So we make it our goal to please him. (2 Corinthians 5:9 NIV’84)

Now I have a question for you. According to these verses I just quoted, what percentage of your life must be to the glory of God? OK. Let me ask you this: Up to this point in time, what percentage of your life has consistently glorified God? Based upon your response to that question: What needs to change so that your answer is “one hundred percent of my life is committed and dedicated to glorifying God”? How do you plan to make this change? Talk with your accountability partner(s) about this.

Let me repeat one more time: You do what you do because, in your heart, you want what you want. You want what you want because you believe what you believe. At the core of all you do is what you believe deep in your heart.

OK, we’re going to hit the pause button here until next week’s episode as we look forward to continuing this study.

In the meantime, if you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry (what we do to help men across the globe find freedom and victory over 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

And as I mentioned at the top of this episode, as we are nearing the end of 2024 and anticipating 2025, we are looking at our financial needs in order to continue our ministry well into the future. For those of you listening who may not be familiar with The Pure Man Ministry, let me take just a quick moment to tell you what we do.

You see, we do a whole lot more here at The Pure Man Ministry than just producing a weekly podcast. We have a free APP entitled “My Purity Coach.” This app is chocked full of powerful tools to help you in your walk of purity. You’ll find tons of Scripture. Audio and video lessons from the Bible.

If you’re a subscriber to this podcast, then you’ve heard me talk about our “Point of Purity Program” – a 12 week, 1-on-1, Bible-Centered coaching program taking you deep into Scripture to teach you how to develop a lifelong strategic plan for sexual purity. I’ve also talked on this podcast about the various books I have written which are all available on Amazon.

We are a faith-based, donor-supported ministry, and as such all of this (and so much more) is only made possible by our team of ministry partners who give financially to this ministry. 

Without compromise our purpose is to take you into the Word of God to show you how to have a continuous, progressive relationship with Jesus that is real and personal. To that end we need ongoing financial assistance from partners like you who are committed to providing help, hope, and healing for men and women across the globe win their personal battle against the beast of sexual impurity. 

I am personally inviting you to join this ministry as we impact our world by equipping and training men and women how-to live-in purity, godliness, and integrity. Every gift given to The Pure Man Ministry – no matter the size – is tax deductible.

To give your tax deductible gift to this ministry today, simply go to ThePurityCoach.com and click on the Donate button in the upper right corner. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for partnering with us!

And if you haven’t subscribed to this podcast yet, 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, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach Steve Etner for The Pure Man Ministry reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.