People have a desire to be know by others. All of us have an appetite to be known, but the thing about an appetite is it can never fully and finally be satisfied. The more we feed it, the more we crave it. There is no amount of fame or success for your appetite to be satisfied. At what point do you say, “I am known enough.” This desire starts when we are young because we all wanted to be famous with our fathers. We see in our children that there is something in them that wants to be known for something and known by somebody. In ministry, we can get caught up on numbers ad what others think. We feel bad when attendance decreases. We might think self-conscious thoughts while we preach on stage. There is no amount of applause, there is no amount of being known that will fully satisfy you. Instead your appetite grows. 3 Laws of Applause What is exceptional the first time will be expected the next time. Exceptional becomes “expectional”. A lot of leaders become so enamored with being known. Applause is intoxicating, and intoxicated people don’t make very good decisions. Those most applauded for, feel most entitled to. Applause is addictive. If you get it once, you want it again. You may even be tempted to manufacture it. Amen? So how do we make sure that we don’t fall victim to the laws of applause? Let’s learn from John the Baptist. Mark 1:4-9 John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. John 3:25-30 Now a discussion arose between some of John’s disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven.  You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘ I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. ’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease. ” The whole country of Judea and all of Jerusalem came to see John the Baptist. Apparently, thousands and thousands of people showed up in that dry, dusty environment just to hear him. This is not an easy place to get to, but he attracted thousands. He is a phenomenon. He is known. But with all of this attention on him, he chooses to turn the attention from himself to Jesus. When John did this, he lost two disciples to Jesus. When people confronted John the Baptist about him losing his fame, John replied, “A person can only receive what is given to him.” John the Baptist knew when his time was up and was not going to try to manufacture what he had before. Surviving fame is remembering who it is from and who it is for. Your appetite for fame will never be satisfied by a number but a name – a who not a how. John the Baptist got it right.” catalystconference.com/atlanta

The stern warning to Ephesus is followed by an encouragement that is notoriously difficult to understand. It is this encouragement that provides us with a considerable amount of clarity about the matter of criticism itself. 6 But you do have this going for you: You hate what the Nicolaitans practice – practices I also hate. (Rev 2:6) The encouragement had to do with Christ’s affirmation that the believers in Ephesus do hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans. In order to understand what those deeds may have been we must see what John was asked to write to the congregation in another great Roman city in the Asia Minor – the City of Pergamum. We read in Rev. 2:13-15 “I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is… I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans.” ( Rev 2:13-15 ) In these verses we see the evil deeds of Balaam in teaching Balak to entice Israel to sin. The treachery concerned two things 1) eating foods sacrificed to idols and 2) engaging in acts that are sexually immoral ( Num 22-24 ). T hese things are somehow connected with the evil teachings of the Nicolaitans. Incidentally, the decision of the Jerusalem council as expressed in their letter to the Gentile followers of Jesus, while exempting the non-Jews from all kinds of burdens of observance obligatory to Jews, set forth a concrete set of food-related prohibitions for Gentiles as well. We read in Acts 15:28-29 , “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.” It is not hard to notice that out of four behaviors forbidden to Gentiles two had do to with Nicolaitans and Balam/Balak issues (eating food sacrificed to idols and sexual immorality). It is important to see that this combination of food and sex-related offenses was particularly important for the Jewish Apostles and elders to address in their letter to Gentile converts to the Jewish Christ. In other words, is it even conceivable that the Apostles would permit Gentile followers of Christ to commit murder, to steal or to be obsessed with the possessions of their neighbors?! The answer to this is of course not. This was not a comprehensive list. But these issues brought up at the Jerusalem Council (consuming food sacrificed to idols, blood, and illicit sex) seem to constitute central challenges that the Gentile followers of the Jewish Christ encountered in their daily lives in the Roman Empire. In the Roman world, the overwhelming majority of meat sold on the market was first offered/dedicated to one or another deity. The only exception to this was the Judean/Jewish isolation from the rest of the Roman population who had their own slaughter rules and privileges. Most Jews residing in the Roman Empire were a part of the network in which food was handled differently. The writings of the Apostle Paul to the nations (all the letters that Saul/Paul ever wrote that made into our New Testament) show clearly that these issues continued to plague the believers enough for him to address them in considerable detail (1 Cor.8-10). Judging from Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (that we mistakenly call the first Letter to the Corinthians – 1 Cor.5:9) some Gentile Christ-followers felt that they could continue to purchase and consume meat that had been sacrificed to a pagan deity. The Apostle Paul while agreeing with them that these gods (idols) are nothing, sides with the Jerusalem council in forbidding all the Gentile Christ-followers from eating food associated with Greco-Roman worship rituals in any way (1 Cor.8:1-13). Having considered this important issue, let us return to the discussion of the Nicolaitans. Who were the Nicolaitans and what is the origin of this word that first comes up in Rev. 2:6and then is repeated in Rev. 2:15? The main traditional attempt to understand the etymology of the word is often tied to diaconal appointee Nicolas in Acts 6:5 – “The proposal pleased the entire group, so they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a Gentile convert to Judaism from Antioch.” Presumably at some later stage Nicolas began to teach what was eventually defined as evil deeds of the Nicolaitans and the matter is quite obscure. However, there is another, often overlooked option, suggested many years ago by great Jewish Christian Hebraist John Lightfoot. It allows one to continue reading the Book of Revelation as thoroughly Jewish anti-Roman document. He suggested that perhaps deacon Nicolas was a wrong trail to follow. Instead Nicolaitans was a Hebraism (in this case something originally said in Hebrew but spelled with Greek letters). What did he have in mind? In Hebrew in order to say “we will eat” verb ???? (nokhal) would have been used. We read in Is.4:1, “And seven women shall take hold of one man in that day, saying, “We will eat (???????) our own bread and wear our own clothes, only let us be called by your name; take away our reproach. If this Hebrew word ???? (nokhal) is transferred into Greek it can be used as a term describing the “we will eat” people. In a sense that this was their motto, their sentiment – “we will eat” the food that others think is forbidden (food offered to pagan deities). Thus ??? ?????????? (ton nikolaton) “the Nicolaitans” as a group or teaching can originate from Hebrew ???? (nokhal) “we will eat” making a cohesive connection to the context of Balaam and Balak and incident in the book of Numbers referred to in Rev. 2:13-15. 7 The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, will permit him to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.’ (Rev 2:7) “The one who has an ear, let him hear” is also a Hebraism that is used also on a number of occasions in the Gospels by Jesus himself. For example, in parable of the seed falling on the good soil and producing various level of fruit (Mark 4:1-20). The basic meaning of this Hebraism is this: “if one is able to hear it, one must obey it.” In this case (Rev. 2:7) what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Christ-following congregations of the Asia Minor is so important that if one hears it, one must obey it. Besides the Hebraism there is a word play in Greek of this verse. The one who hears is “the one who overcomes” ?? ??????? (to nikoti) which is a form of the verb ????? (nikao) that means “to win, conquer, persevere and be victorious”. This suspiciously sounds very similar to the term we just encountered – ??????????? (nikolates) “a Nicolaitan”. If the motto of Nicolaitans is “we will eat” then as a pun this is exactly what God promises to the one who overcomes. If they forgo eating food sacrificed to idols they will eat of the Tree of Life and live. The writer of the Wisdom of Solomon compared the righteous people to the trees of life, as if each one of them is a tree. 1 Faithful is the Lord to them that love Him in truth, To them that endure His chastening, (2) To them that walk in the righteousness of His commandments, In the law which He commanded us that we might live. 2(5) The pious of the Lord shall live by it forever; The Paradise of the Lord, the trees of life, are His pious ones. 3(4) Their planting is rooted for ever. They shall not be plucked up all the days of heaven: (5) For the portion and the inheritance of God is Israel. ( Wisdom of Solomon 14:1-5 ) Almighty always keeps those he calls and chooses. He chastises them but always desires for them to prove themselves faithful, so that they may be with him forever, planted as the trees in the House of the Lord. This was a serious warning. www.eteacherbiblical.com . Used by permission.

Narrow-minded, judgmental Christians. That’s how many people view Christ-followers. Often we do not convey God’s love, mercy and compassion as we ought. However, Christianity is not simply a set of “shoulds.” Why is Christianity unique among all world religions? Many people say, “Essentially, all religions are alike, with only minor differences. They all reach ‘love your neighbor, be good, don’t steal, don’t kill, don’t cheat, be kind and make the world a better place.’ Take Christianity, for instance. Christ taught that we should follow the Golden Rule by being kind to our neighbors. “So I say religion is like choosing a car. There are lots of models and makes, but they’re all designed to get you where you want to go. Whether it’s Buddha, Mohammed, Moses, or Christ, they all teach the same thing, they all go the same place…” God created man and woman for intimate fellowship with Him and with each other, but they rejected His fellowship and chose to rebel (sin). Subsequently, all have sinned, but God had determined to restore us to Himself. The plan called for Jesus, God the Son, to become the God-man and die on the cross, suffering the penalty of sin on our behalf. The plan was carried out and God’s righteous justice was satisfied. Now God is able to bring us into loving fellowship with Himself as His forgiven children. That’s the gospel; God reaching down to us, offering us a permanent connection with Himself through Christ. Religion, by contrast, is man’s attempt to reach God, an attempt that always fails. Many challengers of Christianity ignore the fact that Christ is the basis for Christianity. For example: I discovered that Christianity is based on the life, character, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, instead of learning that Christ came to teach Christianity, I realized that Christ is Christianity. Most other religions are based on philosophical propositions or theological ideologies. Remove the founding prophet or guru, and the religion remains essentially intact. 1. Mohammed Remove Mohammed from Islam, and Islam remains. Mohammed, being simply the communicator of Allah’s will, is not critically important to Islam; but what he communication about Allah and his will is all-important to that religion. In Islam, then, the message is far more important than the founding messenger. The teachings count for more than the teacher! 2. Buddha Remove Buddha, and Buddhism remains. Buddhism rests mainly on Buddha’s teachings, which instruct the faithful to lead a tranquil life through attainment of a disciplined state of mind. Buddha, himself, is not essential to the quest. 3. Confucius Remove Confucius, and Confucianism remains. Confucianism teaches philosophical concepts about wise behavior. It is a religion in which the identity of Confucius, its founder, is inconsequential. 4. Christ (No Christ – No Christianity) Remove Christ, however, and Christianity crumbles. The identity of Jesus is crucial to Christianity. Without Christ, Christianity would cease to exist, for it rests upon His claims to be the eternal Son of God, a claim attested to by the resurrection. Personal faith in Christ establishes a relationship with God, thereby distinguishing Christianity from all other religions. As a university student, I was challenged by a group of Christians to investigate the truthfulness of Christianity. Not long after I met these Christians, I learned something that altered my outlook on Christianity. I asked one of the students, “Tell me, what changed your life?” She said, “Jesus Christ.” I never thought I’d hear that in the university. I said, “Don’t feed me that garbage; I’m fed up with religion.” She shot back, “Josh, I didn’t say religion; I said the person of Jesus Christ.” My heart was touched. Her reply pointed our something I’d never known before – Christianity is not a religion; it’s an intimate relationship which God is offering men and women through his Son, Jesus Christ. I longed to know that intimacy, unconditional love and forgiveness. For further study, read: Genesis 3:8; Mark 3:14; 1 Corinthians 1:9; Hebrews 4:15; Revelation 3:20 www.josh.org

Understanding the distinctive characteristics of your offspring because of their birth order can dramatically affect your parenting. Here is a concise description of unique birth order qualities. I hope you will see your children in a new way. First Born Newscasters and TV talk show hosts tend to be first born or only children. Prominent examples include: Walter Cronkite, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather, Ted Koppel, Oprah, Donahue, Geraldo, Arsenio Hall and Rush Limbaugh. Over half of U.S presidents were firstborns. Clearly, firstborns are natural leaders. They also tend to be reliable, conscientious and perfectionists who don’t like surprises. Although, firstborns are typically aggressive, many are also compliant people pleasers. They are model children who have a strong need for approval from anyone in charge. Only Children Only children are firstborns in triplicate. They are even more responsible and even bigger perfectionists. They usually get along better with people older than themselves. Middle Child These kids are the most difficult to pin down. They are guaranteed to be opposite of their older sibling, but that difference can manifest in a variety of ways. Middle children often feel like their older brother gets all the glory while their younger sister escapes all discipline. Because the middle child feels that the world pays him less attention, he tends to be secretive; he does not openly share his thoughts or feelings. Middle children may not feel they have a special place in the family so friends and peer groups become much more important. They can usually read people well, they are peacemakers who see all sides of a situation, they are independent and inventive. If a firstborn is a company’s CEO, the middle child is the entrepreneur. Last Born Babies of the family are social and outgoing, they are the most financially irresponsible of all birth orders. They just want to have a good time. Knowing that these kids love the limelight, it’s no surprise to discover that Billy Crystal, Goldie Hawn, Drew Carey, Jim Carey and Steve Martin are all lastborns. While lastborns may be charming, they also have the potential to be manipulative, spoiled or babied to the point of helplessness. The last born is the one who will probably still have a pet name although he’s 29 and has a masters degree. Exceptions? Some variables can affect the above descriptions. For instance, if there are several years between the first and second child, the second child will have some characteristics of a firstborn. Or, if the firstborn is a girl and the second a boy, the son will have some first-born characteristics because he is the family’s first male offspring. Sibling deaths, adoptions and blended families can also upset the traditional birth order. Children are all different and have to be parented in different ways. You need to parent kids differently depending on their birth order. Parenting The First Born Don’t Be an Improver: Your child already feels the need to be perfect in every way. “Improving” tasks your firstborn attempts on her own will only increase the pressure she places on herself. For instance, let’s say you ask your oldest son to make his bed. Being a firstborn he will, of course, seek your approval and want you to see the finished task. If you tell him it looks good but then proceed to fluff the pillow and straighten out wrinkles in the bedspread, you send the message that he could have done better. Take Two-On–One Time: “Firstborns respond better to adult company than children of any other birth order. Firstborns often feel that parents don’t pay much attention to them because they’re always concentrating on the younger ones in the family. Make a special effort to have the first born join you and your spouse in going out alone for a treat, or to run some kind of special errand. Don’t Pile On Responsibilities: Older children often feel as though they do much more work around the house than their younger siblings. Share the duties and errands as soon as young children are capable. And, stay away from making your first born the family’s instant baby sitter. Check with his schedule, just as you would an outside babysitter. Parenting The Middle Child Make Time To Listen: Remember that middle children tend to avoid sharing how they really feel. Although it’s important to set aside time to talk to all of your children, it’s particularly important to make this happen with the middle child because he is least likely to insist on his fair share of time. Allow Child to Make Decisions: Empower your middle child and make him feel special by allowing him to make choices such as who gets to bowl first or what the family will eat for dessert. This will help alleviate feelings of always being overshadowed by older and younger siblings. Update the Family Album: This may sound silly but it truly is important. There tend to be a billion photos of the firstborn and about six of the next child. To a child flipping through the family album, this is a sure sign that he’s not loved as much. Be sure to have photos of the middle child alone, not always paired with the older sibling. Parenting The Last Born Stick to the Rules: The saying “he gets away with murder” is based in reality. Statistics show the lastborn is least likely to be disciplined and the least likely to have to toe the mark the way the older children did. You can be sure your older children are watching you closely! Hand Out Responsibility: Lastborns often wind up with less to do around the house for two reasons. One, they are pros at ducking out of work. And two, they are so little and “helpless” that the rest of the family decides it’s easier to do the work themselves. You want to raise a confident, self-reliant child so don’t promote this helpless image. Applaud Accomplishments: Lastborns are well known for feeling that nothing they do is important. Make a big deal out of accomplishments (you may have seen two other kids learn to ride a bike but it’s the first time for your baby) and be sure he gets his fair share of “marquee time” on the refrigerator. Parents’ Birth Order We’ve been discussing children’s birth orders, but it’s important to realize that parenting style is also influenced by the parent’s own birth order. Parents subconsciously identify with the child who holds the spot in the family they occupied themselves. A lastborn dad might think his youngest antics are cute while mom sees them as irresponsible. Also, firstborns are perfectionists their whole lives. As parents, they may set standards that are difficult for a child to reach. This makes them frustrated and their children unhappy. Find the valuable resources Kevin Leman offers at www.drleman.com/store/.

If the church doesn’t read the signs of the times, we will be right where we evangelicals were after Roe v. Wade—caught flat-footed and unprepared. Thankfully, the Catholics were there to supply an ethical framework and a sense of justice until some evangelicals—such as Francis Schaeffer and Jerry Falwell—emerged to rally for the lives of the unborn and their mothers. So what should we do? Well, precisely what we should have done before and after Roe. We should recognize where the courts and the culture are, and we should work for justice. That means not simply assuming that most people agree with us on marriage. We must articulate, both in and out of the church, why marriage matters, and why its definition isn’t infinitely elastic. We must—like the pro-life movement has done—seek not only to engage our base, those who already agree with us, but to persuade others who don’t. That doesn’t mean less talk about marriage and sexuality but more—and not just in sound bytes and slogans but in a robust theology of why sexual complementarity and the one-flesh union are rooted in the mystery of the gospel (Eph. 5:22-33). We must—also like the pro-life movement—understand the importance of a Supreme Court that won’t will into existence constitutional planks by force of its own will. That requires a persuasive public witness, and a long-term as well as a short-term strategy. That means fighting—as we are doing—for the Court not to invalidate state definitions of marriage and for the culture to recognize that a state that can force people to participate in what they believe to be sin is a state that is too big for the common good. Above all, we must prepare people for what the future holds, when Christian beliefs about marriage and sexuality aren’t part of the cultural consensus but are seen to be strange and freakish and even subversive. If our people assume that everything goes back to normal with the right President and a quick constitutional amendment, they are not being equipped for a world that views evangelical Protestants and traditional Roman Catholics and Orthodox Jews and others as bigots or freaks. Jesus told us we would have hard times. He never promised us a prosperity gospel. He said we would face opposition, but he said he would be with us. If we are going to be faithful to his gospel, we must preach repentance—even when that repentance is culturally unwelcome. And we must preach that any sinner can be forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. That means courage and that means kindness. Sexual revolutionaries will hate the repentance. Buffoonish heretics, who want only to vent paranoia and rally their troops, will hate the kindness. So be it. Our churches must be ready to call out the revisionists who wish to do away with a Christian sexual ethic. And we must be ready to call out those who tell us that acknowledging the signs of the times is forbidden, and we should just keep doing what we’ve been doing. An issue this culturally powerful cannot be addressed by a halfway-gospel or by talk-radio sloganeering. The marriage revolution around us means we must do a better job articulating a theology of marriage to our people, as well as a theology of suffering and marginalization. It means we must do a better job articulating to those on the outside why children need both a Mom and a Dad, not just “parents,” and why marriage isn’t simply a matter of court decree. It means we must start teaching our children about marriage “from the beginning” as male and female when they’re in Sunday school. It means we may have to decide if and when the day will come in which we will refuse to sign the state’s marriage licenses. Long term the prospects for marriage are good. Sexual revolutions always disappoint, and God has designed marriage, biblically defined, to be resilient. But, short term, the culture of marriage is dark indeed. That’s why we have a gospel that is the power of God. This post originally appeared at Moore to the Point.

According to researchers, the vast majority–a whopping 75-98 percent–of the illnesses that plague us today are a direct result of our thought life. What we think about truly affects us both physically and emotionally. In fact, fear alone triggers more than 1,400 known physical and chemical responses in our bodies, activating more than thirty different hormones! Today our culture is undergoing an epidemic of toxic thoughts that, left unchecked, create ideal conditions for illnesses. Remove bad thoughts and wire in new ones (Lamentations 3:23). This is called neurogenesis. You have been designed for deep, intellectual thought (Psalm 139:4). You are wired for love, and fear is a learned and not a natural response. (2 Timothy 1:7). You have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). You are made in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27). All of this knowledge will help you realize these truths: Happiness comes from within and success follows-not the other way around. You can learn how to learn and deepen your intellect. You can overcome learning issues. You can get the chaos in your mind under control. You don’t have to walk around in guilt and condemnation. If you wired those toxic thoughts in, you can wire them out. You don’t have to get stuck in bad habits; you can change them. You can overcome feelings of rejection and hurt. Forgiveness is not the battle that you think it is. You don’t have to worry about things that are out of your control. You are not a victim of the things you shouldn’t be doing. You don’t have to fear that if a condition runs in your family that you are going to get it (for example, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or depression). You can balance your over-thinking and over-analyzing mind. You can overcome and control depression and anxiety—some scientists re showing You can even control and overcome schizophrenia and OCD. You don’ have to keep digging into the past to get free from it. You can be happy and filled with peace regardless of your circumstances. Summary of: SWITCH ON YOUR BRAIN: THE KEY TO PEAK HAPPINESS, THINKING AND HEALTH. Order from Amazon today! Used by permission of the author.

Is she a collection of body parts? Is she made of plastic? Or is she a whole person with a soul, full of all the things that make a person human: strengths, weaknesses, quirks, fears, insecurities, anxieties, vulnerabilities, likes, dislikes, hopes, and dreams? The answer is obvious, yet it escapes so many men lost in our sex-and-skin-saturated culture. Whether by conscious choice or by years of overexposure that has conditioned an addiction, many men view women as objects to be consumed. This trap is so easy to fall in to, most men don’t even realize they are doing it. I know for most of my life, I didn’t. If you allowed yourself to be raised on soft-core pornography the way I did, your mind and body define attractiveness as body parts. You give a woman her worth based on her body parts and not much else. This is just as true for woman you see on a page or a screen as it is for women you see in real life. It’s easy to stare at a photo or movie of a nude woman and create the perfect fantasy with her. You know nothing else about her! The reality is, she’d likely have zero interest in you in real life and you likely would be quite turned off by a variety of things about her as well. But it’s not real life. It’s fantasy. But where do you live? You live in real life, not in fantasy. We all live in real life. So what happens when the way we view women is completely formed in fantasy then we get up from the computer to interact with women in real life? Problems ensue, and ensue quickly. The Stakes If you’re married, these ensuing problems are obvious. If there’s one thing marriage does, it shows the full humanity of a woman and the full humanity of a man. There’s a reason our marriage vows say “for better or worse” in them: marriage is guaranteed to bring with it the best sides of a person, as well as the worst. There is no hiding in marriage—which is the exact opposite of pornography and lust. So as a man, you know all of your wife’s flaws, you smell her breath in the morning, and you see her when she’s tired, stressed out, and without makeup. You see none of these things in pornography—or in the attractive woman you think is flirting with you at the receptionist counter. Fantasy then takes over and you assume this woman has none of these human imperfections. As fantasy crashes headfirst into reality, logical thought goes out the window and obsession and longing ensue—a recipe for disaster in a marriage. But the stakes aren’t any less if you’re single. Many single guys feel they have a license to lust since they aren’t married, as it doesn’t seem like they are harming anyone else. The sobering remedy to this line of thought is simple: if you’re conditioned to view women as objects meant for your consumption, how do you view my wife when she walks in the room? How do you view my daughters? What thoughts go through your head? Where do your eyes go? Exactly. If you are single and you feel this gives you the license to lust, please stay far away from me and my family. This mindset makes you an incredibly unsafe person to be around. As Christians, we are called to be in trusting, dignity-giving community with one another. The only way to do this is to be serious about the damage our pattern of objectifying women does to everyone around us. The Solution The solution to a mindset of objectification is to allow God to rewire the way our brains process the women we interact with. We obviously need to completely cut off the pornography as the “professor” who wired us to turn women into pieces of meat like this in the first place. But beyond the elimination of this force, we need to allow God’s healing and corrective touch to rebuild the way we were designed to view women. Every woman you lust over is someone’s daughter. Would you want someone lusting over your daughter the way you lust over women? Obviously not—because you view your daughter as a whole person, not as a collection of body parts. All of us, men and women, are created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). This is full humanity. God tells us that the very definition of sex is two of these full humans coming together as one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Anything less that the full merger of these two humans falls short of God’s design for sex. “Full” meaning all of someone: the good and the bad, and definitely not just their body parts. The reality is sex is not about body parts. It’s about trust, safety and commitment—things that are completely foreign to lust. God did not create women to be consumed, nor did he create you to consume them. So next time you see a cute girl, don’t dehumanize her by placing her sole value on her physical appearance. And don’t let lust dehumanize you by turning you into this kind of consuming monster. Sex and lust make lousy gods. Ask the only God with any real power to heal you and put you on the path to loving all of his image-bearing children the way he loves you, and the way he loves your daughters. www.covenanteyes.com . Guest author Noah Filipiak.

As a parent, have you ever had the feeling society is working against you in raising your children – particularly in regard to sexual matters? If you have, you might just be right. Let me begin by setting the stage with information from the 2014 National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Survey which no doubt supports your desire for the very best for your children. The survey found: · Tremendous support among young adults (18 to 24-year-olds) for waiting longer to have sex. · Virginity is widely accepted and respected among young men and women, including those who have already had sex. · Pressure to have sex is common, but the pressure comes more from within than from others. · Many young adults want the media to show more and varied portrayals of those not having sex and they want the media to improve the way they portray young adults’ sex lives. The survey also found: · Most teenagers have not had sex. · Most sexually active teens wish they had waited. · Most young adults think it would help teenagers wait longer if they knew most of their peers are virgins. Note: All Aim For Success abstinence programs conclude with the following statement… MOST TEENAGERS HAVE NOT HAD SEX! BUT NOW . . . The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is encouraging pediatricians across the county and anyone else who will listen, to consider LARC as America’s first line of defense against teen pregnancy. If AAP has its way, the use of birth control pills and condoms for reducing teen pregnancies will soon be a thing of the past. So what is LARC ? It stands for Long-Acting Reversible Contraception which includes IUDs and Implants . Both provide a high degree of protection from pregnancy for up to three to ten years. Ironically, up until recently, IUDs were not considered safe for teenage girls, but now they are being touted as: Easy and Invisible Nothing to Remember Freedom for Girls Get It and Forget It Never Interrupt the Heat of Passion Again! In the September 24, 2014 issue of Pediatrics, AAP provided pediatricians with an eight page policy statement, Contraception for Adolescents, as a means to promote LARC and an instruction manual on how to talk to teenage patients about protecting themselves while having sex. The following is the information on avoiding sexual activity: “Counseling about abstinence and postponement of sexual intercourse is an important aspect of adolescent sexual health care. Abstinence is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy and STIs and is an important part of contraceptive counseling. Adolescents should be encouraged to delay sexual onset until they are ready.” The remainder of the eight page policy is devoted to instructing pediatricians about the various forms of contraception along with details on how to work around those pesky parents who might interfere with their Child’s Confidentiality Rights . (Note: The policy states, “In the setting of contraception and sexual health care, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) believes that policies supporting adolescent consent and protecting adolescent confidentiality are in the best interests of adolescents.”) This approach might be beneficial in lowering teen pregnancies in those teens with no parental involvement or support. But let’s face it, in your home where you are trying daily to help your children learn to make good decisions and build strong character in order to achieve the most from their lives, the ability to go behind your back under Child Confidentiality Rights and provide a message contrary to your values is anything but helpful. However, for those whose ultimate goal is to prevent teen pregnancy, this must seem like the long awaited silver bullet. But here’s a question to consider: With the Nothing to Remember mentality and the ability to circumvent parental involvement in issues pertaining to sexual health – what are the odds of a teenage girl returning to the doctor every year to get tested for STIs? Considering about half of the 20 million new STIs in America each year are contracted by 15 to 24 year olds and the fact that teenage girls are far more susceptible to STIs than anyone else, shouldn’t there be serious concerns about an upcoming rise in the teen STI epidemic? It’s also important to remember the only way to prevent STIs is for two people to remain faithfully committed to each other for life. However, the terms – “marriage”, “lifetime partner” or even “long-term relationship” are not a part the AAP’s policy. They do, however, explain that latex condoms reduce STI transmission. But then they go on to state, “Condoms require commitment at every sex act which tends to drop off over time.” If the concern of STIs is included in the equation of IUDs, and IUDs provide no protection against STIs, then the silver bullet is looking rather tarnished. The American College of Pediatricians (ACP) – not to be confused with AAP – weighed in on the controversy with the following statement: “Even when contraception is used, early sexual debut has been associated with negative consequences including multiple sexual partners, sexually transmitted infections, increased likelihood of psychological injury (feelings of regret, depression, suicidal attempts), greater substance abuse, and lower academic achievement. Delaying sexual activity, ideally until marriage, has been associated with improved emotional and physical health, higher achievement and a more stable marriage.” Dr. Den Trumbull, president of the American College of Pediatricians, went on to state, “Our primary message to adolescent patients must not be contraception, but rather the tremendous physical, psychological and even future marital benefits in delaying all sexual activity until after marriage. Anything less is a compromise.” We at Aim For Success believe your children consist of far more than a body filled with raging hormones. They have a brain, abilities and the potential for a bright future. They also have the ability to develop self-control, self-respect and self-discipline. The AAPs mentality of “not having sex until you’re ready” is nothing more than allowing hormones to dictate the outcome of your child’s life and hoping for the best. Aim For Success is committed to empowering teenagers to build strong character and to save themselves for one lifetime partner inside marriage. This lifestyle provides freedom from pregnancy before marriage, STIs and painful memories. It also paves the way for the freedom to enjoy fulfilled dreams and goals. All parents would be wise to have a conversation with your children’s health care provider to make sure your family values are not being compromised when the doctor closes the door and leaves you sitting outside. So with all this said, do me a big favor – keep reminding your teenagers of the previously mentioned survey that found: · Tremendous support among young adults (18 to 24-year-olds) for waiting longer to have sex. · Virginity is widely accepted and respected among young men and women, including those who have already had sex. · Pressure to have sex is common, but the pressure comes more from within than from others. · Many young adults want the media to show more and varied portrayals of those not having sex and they want the media to improve the way they portray young adults’ sex lives. The survey also found: · Most teenagers have not had sex. · Most sexually active teens wish they had waited. · Most young adults think it would help teenagers wait longer if they knew most of their peers are virgins. And don’t forget – All Aim For Success abstinence programs conclude with: MOST TEENAGERS HAVE NOT HAD SEX! References: http://thenationalcampaign.org/sites/default/files/resource-primary-download/virgin-territory-final.pdf http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/09/24/peds.2014-2299.full.pdf+html http://www.acpeds.org/promoting-the-myth-of-safe-sex

I would like to introduce David Jenkins, Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries as a guest author of this powerful article. Read his insightful thoughts: Recently a new survey commissioned by a nonprofit organization called Proven Men Ministries and conducted by the Barna Group took a national representative sample of 388 self-identified Christian adult men. The statistics are alarming and paint a picture of the serious problem that is addiction to pornography. The statistics for Christian men between 18 and 30 years old are particularly striking: 77% look at pornography at least monthly 36% view pornography on a daily basis 32% admit being addicted to pornography (and another 12% think they may be) The statistics for middle-aged Christian men (ages 31 to 49) are no less disturbing: 77% looked at pornography while at work in the past three months 64% view pornography at least monthly 18% admit being addicted to pornography (and another 8% think they may be) Even married Christian men are falling prey to pornography and extramarital sexual affairs at alarming rates: 55% look at pornography at least monthly 35% had an extramarital sexual affair while married These statistics are alarming; in fact they can be downright discouraging. The porn addict lives in a world where they go through a cycle of feeling sorry for what they did, but never coming to see the horror and complete depravity of what they have done. The statistics, as I stated earlier, paint a disturbing picture. They demonstrate that we need to help porn addicts understand the seriousness of their sin, the nature of true biblical repentance, and turning away from sexual sin to Jesus Christ. 6 Ingredients of Repentance The great Puritan author, Thomas Watson, once said there are six ingredients for true repentance. 1. The first is sight of sin, whereby a person comes to himself (Luke 15:17) and clearly views his lifestyle as sinful. If we fail to see our own sin, we rarely, if ever, are motivated to repent. 2. The second ingredient for true repentance is sorrow for sin (Psalm 38:18). We need to feel the nails of the cross in our souls as we sin. Repentance includes both godly grief and holy agony (2 Corinthians 7:10). The fruit of repentance is revealed in genuine, anguishing sorrow over the offense itself, not just the consequences of it. Sorrow for sin is seen in the ongoing righteous actions it produces. True repentance lingers in the soul and not just on the lips. 3. The third ingredient is confession of sin. The humble sinner voluntarily passes judgment on himself as he sincerely admits to the specific sins of his heart. We must not relent of our confession until all of it is freely and fully admitted. We must pluck up any hidden root of sin within us. “Beware lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous and bitter fruit” (Deuteronomy 28:19). 4. The fourth ingredient for true repentance is shame for sin. The color of repentance is blushing red. Repentance causes a holy bashfulness. Ezra 9:6 says, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift my face to you, my God, for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.” The repenting prodigal was so ashamed of his sin that he did not feel he deserved to be a son anymore (Luke 15:21). Sin makes us shamefully naked and deformed in God’s eyes and puts Christ to shame, the One who took the scorn of the cross on Himself. 5. The fifth ingredient in repentance is hatred of sin. We must hate our sin to the core. We hate sin more deeply when we love Jesus more fully. Repentance begins in the love of God and ends in the hatred of sin. True repentance loathes sin. 6. Finally, the sixth ingredient of repentance is the turning away from sin and returning to the Lord with all your heart (Joel 2:12). This turning from sin implies a notable change, “performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Acts 26:20). “Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols and turn away your faces from all your abominations” (Ezekiel 14:6). We are called to turn away from all our abominations, not just the obvious ones or the ones that create friction in others. The goal of repentance is not to manufacture peace among others with perfunctory repentance, but rather to turn to God wholly and completely. This repentance most importantly is not just a turning away from sin. It also necessarily involves a turning in “repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Here is the joy that is found in repentance. “It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance” (Romans 2:4). We rejoice that Christ has done so much for us and continues to do for us. By understanding the seriousness of sin and biblical repentance, we can come to understand that there is hope and freedom for the captives. Jesus came to set the captives free. While we live in a world that is full of bad news, in the midst of the bad news of our sin there is hope and healing from sexual sin. Look to Jesus—He is the cure for sexual brokenness. Jesus is in the business of setting the captives free through His finished work. No matter your sexual history, Jesus alone can make you pure again. Turn to Him, and trust in Him. He is all you need.

Cleaning; it’s the upkeep side of life. It’s the irritating drudgery that’s always following us around with broom in hand. Cleaning is the voracious vacuum that’s never satisfied, the frantic feather duster that spews more dust than it captures, and the less than palatable reality that things don’t clean themselves. Cleaning is dirt management. The imagery is one of a collection of plastic buckets, dripping mops, obnoxiously scented cleaning supplies, deteriorating sponges of assorted colors, latex gloves and sweat. Who has time to clean? Much less, who wants to clean? The definition of cleaning in the Encarta Dictionary reads “the activity of making things clean, usually in a domestic or commercial environment.” It seems that even the definition of cleaning is redundant. Sadly, cleaning tends to carry a negative connotation to it. It’s just one of those things that we tend to grimace about when we’ve got to do it, or even think about doing it. It’s not on our top ten list of the most engaging things to do. There’s an old African Proverb that says, “When making a fire people like to join you, when cleaning the ashes you are often alone.” There are two sides to most of life; doing something and then cleaning up after we’ve done it. Most of us like the first part of that, but not the second because that involves cleaning. Cleaning seems oddly self-defeating as well. We clean things knowing full well that we’re going to have to clean again. It’s not like there’s anything of real permanence to what we’re doing. Cleaning is not an effort that we can complete and feel some sustaining pride in what we’ve done because what we’ve done we’re going to have to do all over again in just the same way we just did it. There is no conclusion to the process of cleaning. What’s frustrating is that you can’t eliminate dirt; you can only move it to someplace else. Therefore, we never come to a point where it’s done forever and ever. If you think about it further, cleaning as an action is not about obtaining something. It has nothing to do with the further acquisition of anything, nor does it have anything to do with the improvement or advancement of something. Cleaning adds nothing to our lives except cleanliness, and that’s only temporary anyway. In terms of resources or assets or improvements, it gains us none at all. Rather, cleaning is energy and time that we have to put into maintaining what we already have, which adds absolutely nothing to what we already have. Cleaning in and of itself is an acknowledgement that nothing’s permanent and that everything requires maintenance. The acquisition of something doesn’t insure the continuation of that thing. Cleaning clearly lets us know that. We can buy it, barter it, order it, build it, swap it, charge it, win it, and even steal it, but we’re going to have to clean it. Such is the dusty and dirty reality of life. Our Lives Too often our lives are all about the acquisition of things, but not much about the maintenance of them. In reference to ourselves personally, we have been bred with a fairly fierce mentality of acquisition, whether that’s the acquisition of education, licenses, certificates, knowledge, expertise, wisdom, maturity, social acumen, spiritual depth or whatever it might be. It might be about vigorously cultivating our gifts, talents, and natural abilities. Such goals are certainly healthy, admirable and of great value. But in the obtaining and cultivating, do we ever do any cleaning? Do we ever even come close to realizing that things just don’t perpetuate themselves? Does it dawn on us that if we don’t clean, what we’ve amassed can be diminished by the accumulation of filth? Rationalizing Not Cleaning An unknown author wrote, “Law of Window Cleaning: It’s on the other side.” We don’t do a whole lot of personal cleaning because we like to think “it’s on the other side.” We’re all about acquisition and growth, but not much about personal cleaning; about going through the various rooms, crawl spaces, nooks and crannies of our lives, getting on our knees and doing some serious spring cleaning regardless of what time of year it is. That’s not our focus because it’s not our preference. Cleaning is a distant sidebar to a much larger agenda. It’s really not all that imperative. Dust never killed anyone, and who knows, a little dirt might be good for the soul. A few cobwebs aren’t going to rot anything, and a handful of dust bunnies aren’t going to do anything either other than roll around a little. Besides, if there’s really all that much dirt, it’s “on the other side” anyway. So why clean? Seeing dirt “on the other side” is really more about preferring to ignore the dirt in our lives. Cleaning is about dirt. If it weren’t for dirt, we wouldn’t clean. Dirt is as much a reality of our lives as are the things that we amass. In our own lives we prefer to ignore the dirt. We ignore it because it demands that we do something about it. But more than that, we appear to ignore dirt because we want to believe that we’re above dirt. We want to believe that dirt doesn’t collect in our lives; that we’ve outgrown the whole dirt thing and that dirt is the stuff everyone else deals with. We’re clean. We’re good people. We aren’t prone to those kinds of mistakes. We’re ethical. We don’t have any dirt, and if we do it’s just a scant bit of it at best. When we make that assumption and live in that manner we set ourselves up to dramatically let ourselves down. Yet exactly what kind of dirt are we talking about? What are our cobwebs really? And those dust bunnies, what are they? Our Dirt We all have dirt, and probably lots of it. Some of our dirt is shameful and some of its outright embarrassing. Maybe some of our dirt is immoral, unethical and possibly illegal. Maybe our dirt is choice that we made to short-sheet an employer, short-circuit a relationship or short-change a friend. It’s possible that our dirt is a layered collection of lies, distortions and rationalizations that we rigorously fabricated in order to dump our dirt on someone else. Maybe our dirt has been carted along with us for years and years because we could never bring ourselves to deal with it. It’s possible that our dirt is a betrayal or an abandonment of someone or something. Maybe it’s a blatant rejection, or a wound that we intentionally inflicted. Or it might be that our dirt is brand-spanking new; therefore we’ve either rushed in our panic to hide it, or we have no idea what to do with it so we walk around in it. It might be that our dirt isn’t even something that we’ve done yet, but something that we plan to do. Maybe our dirt isn’t about an action at all. Maybe it’s about an attitude, about hating someone, or being jealous, or wishing ill for someone, or harboring a spirit of resentment. Maybe it’s our unwillingness to forgive, or let go, or let the past be the past. Our dirt can be a whole bunch of different things, but its dirt. Accountability – Saying “Yes, I Have Dirt” Who wants to admit that they’re dirty? More than that, who wants to admit how dirty their dirt really is? The hard truth is that some of our dirt is pathetic, putrid, rancid and raunchy. We’ve covered in some pretty reeking and outright foul stuff. Denying it doesn’t remove it, and in no way does denial sweeten it. Placing blame and rationalizing and justifying doesn’t change the reality of our dirt any more than cleaning with a dirty rag somehow makes us clean. As my father was fond of saying, “you can’t put perfume on a pig.” If we want to rid ourselves of dirt, we must admit to it . . . all of it. Honesty – A Necessity for a Complete Cleaning If we want a full cleaning, we can’t do that in isolation, although we’d like to. Cleaning is a corporate activity. If we want an iridescently deep cleaning we can only scrub out the deepest dirt with the scouring pad of a repentant attitude. That means we confess our dirt to those we harmed. We confess the wrongs, the behaviors, the choices, the attitudes, the selfishness, the intent to harm, the greed . . . we fess up and we confess it. That’s the scouring pad. Then we get on our hands and knees and we take the detergent of honesty and accountability and we clean. When we do that we will live with lightness, vigor and a freedom that we could not have imagined. Cleaning Requires Maturity We have a whole lot of people who walk around seeing themselves as shiny clean. We have this spit and polish attitude about ourselves. Yet, we’re all dirty. Being dirty doesn’t mean that we have to stay dirty. Being dirty doesn’t mean that we’re dirty people. It simply means that we’re all fallen and that we all make mistakes. Bad choices are made in this world, and we make our fair share of them. Being accountable to our dirt and then rigorously cleaning it up allows the vibrancy and richness of our humanity to shine through and shine out. It maximizes who we are rather than forcing us to live a minimized life. It allows for a transparency where we can intersect others and be intersected. And in the end, it just feels plain good. So, how about a deep clean? © Craig Lounsbrough, M.Div., Licensed Professional Counselor Used by permission.

Not long ago, someone asked me the following question: “Can you give me some advice on how to handle criticism? I don’t think I’m doing a good job with it. Thanks.” Anyone who is making an impact is going to draw fire. It’s written in the bloodstream of the universe. An oft-repeated platitude is, “If you’re flying over the target, you’re going to catch flack.” Or as Elbert Hubbart stated, “To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” If you are someone who is putting (or will one day put) your hand to the plow of God’s work, you will invite criticism. And the more valuable your contribution is to the kingdom of God, the more severe the criticism will be. Just take a look at the long list of specific (and surprising) criticisms that were leveled at both Jesus and Paul during their lifetime. In answer to the above question, here’s what I believe the Lord has taught me about handling criticism. In short, there are three kinds of critics and each should be responded to differently. 1. The Supporters. These are people who love you and support what you are doing. Any criticism they bring your way is constructive. It is designed to make you a better person. Supporters want you to succeed and they are cheering for you and your work. For instance, if you’re a writer, a supporter may point out a typographical or grammatical error. They may also draw your attention to a factual error (perhaps you got a historical date wrong, for instance). Your Response to Supporters. Welcome their criticisms. They are doing you a great service by pointing out your blind spots and oversights. Always thank them for taking the time to draw your attention to such things. Sometimes it’s not easy for them to do so. 2. The Objectors. Objectors are people who have a genuine disagreement with you about something. They aren’t your enemy. Consequently, they aren’t contentious, mean-spirited, and they don’t misrepresent you or your work. None of us can claim immaculate perception; therefore, you could be wrong. So be thankful for these people. Your Response to Objectors. Be open to the objectors because they may be right in their disagreement. Give them an ear and investigate what they are saying. It may turn out that their objection is accurate and they have done you a service by correcting your thinking on something. On the other hand, by analyzing their argument, they may confirm that you are correct. I’ve found that in most cases when I have engaged an objector and we talked through the apparent disagreement, we discovered that we really didn’t disagree. (See So You Think You Disagree? 4 Reasons Why You May Not.) 3. The Trolls. Trolls are people who are set on your destruction. They are governed by hatred, usually rooted in envy or jealousy. Oftentimes, trolls will first deliberately misrepresent you. But if that doesn’t work, they will resort to personal attacks and character assassination. Trolls are dishonest and traffic in manufacturing lies, spinning the truth, and distorting facts. They do not receive correction from anyone, and they lose credibility quickly. Only the gullible and those who also operate by hatred and envy agree with and support them. Trolls usually attack those they don’t know personally. Another common characteristic is that they repeatedly lift themselves up while tearing others down. They are inflicted with an inflated ego that has never gone to the cross. For this reason they are toxic to others. Your Response to Trolls. All social media experts say the same thing: Don’t feed the trolls; ignore them. If you engage a troll and try to correct him/her, it will be in vain. In fact, it’s counterproductive because it simply makes them appear more credible and draws attention to their dishonest statements. The experts point out that trolls don’t dignify a response. They are being deliberately dishonest so there’s no use in trying to correct them. The wisest course of action is to ignore them. As Proverbs 26:4 says, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly or you will be like him yourself.” Eventually, trolls always end up dying on their own swords. Each of the three kinds of critics can be Christians (trolls are often professing Christians, sometimes claiming their Christianity quite loudly). When it comes to criticism, it’s important to remember that all things that come into your life – good or evil — have first passed through God’s hands (Romans 8:28ff.) So be thankful to the Lord for criticism. Receive the constructive kind with a spirit of gratefulness and ignore that which is rooted in falsehood, taking the high road as did your Lord when He was under attack: “When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” (1 Peter 2:23) frankviola.org . Used by permission.

RESOLVING HYPOCRISY: Most of us are unaware of how hypocrisy controls our lives. Here is a list of symptoms that will identify areas you need to address in your integrity in relationships toward others, toward God and in your morality. Neil Anderson, president of Freedom in Christ Ministries, has provided this powerful, helpful tool. LIST each way, either in the past or present, that you have pretended outwardly something that is not true inwardly. . HYPOCRISY TOWARD OTHERS Pretending to obey parents while being inwardly rebellious. Criticizing other’s failures when my spiritual problems are similar. Pretending to care for others while being bitter, resentful and angry. Saying one thing with my lips outwardly, but thinking differently in my heart. Saying I love someone when, in reality, I really hate them. Only telling the things about myself that I want others to know, instead of what is true. Being afraid of what others would think if they knew what I was like on the inside. Projecting myself as having it all together (no problems) out of fear of rejection from others. Dishonesty in sharing my weaknesses with others for fear of being rejected. Lying about things that happen, to cover up what I do. Lying to gain the acceptance of others. Identifying the problems that others have but not seeing my own. Matthew 7:5 Asking others to do things I am unwilling to do (i.e. clean house, wash dishes, etc…). HYPOCRISY TOWARD GOD Pretending to be close to God, when not desiring or enjoying a relationship with Him. Practicing religious activity to be seen and praised by men. Matthew 6:2,5,16 Pretending to be excited about fellowship with other believers, when in reality only wanting to impress them with my spirituality. Giving money to gain the praise of men. Matthew 6:2 Praying to impress others with my spirituality. Mathew 6:5 Fasting to impress others with my spirituality. Matthew 6:16 Pretending to be excited about service for the Lord, when merely doing it out of obligation. Pretending to live a holy life, but inwardly wishing I didn’t have to. Pretending to be a spiritual person when I’m really not. Saying I love God, but not obeying what He commands in His Word. Luke 6:46 Saying I have an intimate relationship with God, but seldom seeking Him in prayer. Obeying God because of a fear of what others will think of me. Making spiritual decisions based on other’s expectations of me. MORAL HYPOCRISY Pretending to have pure moral thoughts while yielding to lustful thoughts. Telling my spouse I am morally pure when being unfaithful in desires, thoughts or actions. Once you have allowed the Holy Spirit to convict you of hypocrisy, pray this prayer to be freed from Satan’s foothold in this area of your life. “Lord, I acknowledge and renounce my hypocrisy as evidenced through my evaluation listed above. I thank you for your forgiveness for my hypocrisy and choose to respond with openness, truthfulness and honesty from my heart.” Re-printed from FREEDOM IN CHRIST MINISTRIES, Dr. Neil Anderson, founder. Used by permission.