This was a question I had from a student at Setting Captives Free.  I thought it was so good I had to share it!

how do I glorify God in my purity? How does my purity bring him glory? Is it when I can tell others he helped me? Is it when I assist in God’s helping others? Or is it just being pure that gives him glory? I know how my freedom will benefit me, but how will my freedom benefit God? How can I do it for him when I don’t know what he gets from it? Perhaps if I knew what I’m doing for him by being free, it will be easier to stop focusing on what I get out of it.

(My answer) By showing He is of greater value than porn or any other thing my friend.  When I value my wife I show it by my waiting for her…she is of that value to me.  God is always about his worth because there is nothing greater.  So to wait on the Lord shows His Glory because it puts greater value on God, than another.  God is happy and  God  is pleasurable.  The way this is shown to the World is by His redeemed that find greater pleasure in Him.

I hope this helps…  This by the way is the message of the Bible.  God is greater than!

Matthew 10:37 (New King James Version)

37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

I pray that you pursue greater pleasure

Go to

www.settingcaptivesfree.com

(It’s free)

Oh, no!  The holiday’s are here!

The holiday’s are a very trying time for so many who are either trapped in the web of bondage to sexual immorality or those caught up in the sin of another, like a family.  The grief shared by a spouse of one in bondage is very painful and real.  With the holiday’s coming there can be thoughts of what is there to be Merry about?  Or why did God bring this into my life?

My prayer is that you look for God to get all the Glory for your actions from here on out!  No longer asking the why, but instead seeking how you can show Christ in your situation to a world that doesn’t know the value of Him and so Glorify His Name!

For those dealing with the struggle to sexual sin the holiday’s mean free time.  And free time is not good time for you.  Here are some practical things to do so that you do not stumble during this time.  They are all graces of God…gifts!  Seek it, as more precious than anything, for they are off the Happy God!

Amputation! Cut out any opportunity to get into a old sin.  Get the filter going on the PC, or only use it with your family around. Matthew 5:29-30

Accountability! Call your accountability partner daily through the holidays and at least leave a message telling how things are going.  Eccl 4:9-12

Fortify! Go to bed early!  Late nights are bad for us.  Be active on a house project or take the kids out often.  Also working out can help us not become lazy, but I suggest you be careful where you workout.  (I do it at the house)  Proverbs 26:14

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, due to the sin of a person sexual the damage done in the house can be absolutely devastating.  And when all is “Merry” around you, it can be quite hard to fake it, when family is around.  Can I suggest one thing?

Find your delight in HIM!  Jesus is your shield and your great reward! (Gen 15:1)  I love what Proverbs 16:20 says, “whoever trust in the Lord, happy is he.”  It does not say happy are you when you trust in your spouse, kids, job etc… but trust in Him!  Make Christ your pleasure today as Mary did who sat at His feet.  He makes you complete! (Col 2:10)

Make this holiday a time where you bath yourself in the beauty of holiness in Christ!  We suggest that you begin a new Bible study called “United Front.”  Just go to http://old.settingcaptivesfree.com/spouses/

It’s free!!!

By Beau J. Ouellette

For those that do not think the influence of the Porn industry has not permeated every area of life, please travel to L.A. and simply put it on the local news and watch.

My wife and I had this opportunity last week while in Newport Beach.  As I turned on the news our jaws dropped when we say the weather newscaster.  She was around 30 with absolutely no blemish to speak off, a body that is worked out often in the gym, and well…  I don’t no how to put this, but I think she had something pushing her top part up to her chin.  And of course, she was wearing a tight sweater.  Of course, I was not surprised in the slightest.  I grew up not too far away.

Some of the most common questions I get from brothers trying to get off of Porn is the constant battle in the mind as they cannot seem to get away from images that remind them of Porn.  They often say the stuggle happens when they see a woman dressed provocatively, and from my trip to L.A. I was reminded of such situations.

What I share with them though is that we need to first think through why they wear what they wear or do the things to their body that they do.

Are they satisfied?  I mean really satisfied?  Or are they on a never-ending search seeking peace which they can only find from a spiritual awakening yet they are trying to fulfill it by a worldly means?

Those who have to compete constantly for approval show that they seek love yet they look to things that cannot give it.

It reminds me of where God’s people were at in Isaiah 55…

1 “Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

How sad!  I have been there.  I needed to have ear rings, a nose ring, the right cloths (especially shoes), hair that is white, no red!  You get the idea.  My heart was not fulfilled though someone might have found me attractive, my excitement only lasted for a time and then gone, it was.

Christ invites us to something far better…Greater joy!  Do you and I want it?

“Ask and you shall receive that your joy may be complete” John 16:24

So I let those struggling with the thoughts know that what they are looking at are broken cisterns that can hold no water.  (Jer 2:13)

When my mind looks at a women who is trying to impress I now feel sad for them, knowing that they are most likely not satisfied in their life, marriage, dating relationship, car, house, condo, yacht or whatever the L.A. lifestyle has to offer.

Moses, David, Abraham, Issac, Daniel, Solomon where extremely rich people, yet they chose something far better, better yet someone!

Let’s continue to look at the world through the lens of scripture and see it for what it is… Lost.

While driving home from work the other day I noticed the driver of the car in the lane next to me appeared to be a female. I think the long blonde hair gave it away. As I was pulling along side of her car, I was tempted to look over to see what she looked like. But instead I kept my eyes focused on the road and went on my way. You may be thinking, “that’s wonderful, Dave; what’s the big deal about that?”

You have to understand something about males and cars. I can’t speak for females, but guys, almost to a T, get their learner’s permit, learn to watch the road and be aware of their surroundings, and then get their license. Then when we are out on our own, we learn to look around and see who is in the car next to us. We look for girls. Men look. It is what we do. I’m not saying it is what we SHOULD do or that it is right, but it is what we do. And after awhile it becomes a habit. It may seem harmless enough for young single men, but at some point it should come to and end. Like by the time we get engaged would be a good time, and certainly by the time we are married. But old habits sometimes die hard. Sometimes they go away only to sneak back into our lives.

Over the past year or so God impressed on my heart that this was a part of my life that I needed to give up. I didn’t have a problem with that; I was embarrassed at myself that it was even an issue. But it was a bad habit that needed to be dealt with. Why? What’s so bad about looking? Well nothing in and of itself, and even if there is no lust involved, it sure does not honor my wife, whether or not she is beside me in the car.  But it would send the wrong signal to other men who may be watching me, and at the very least, the enemy does not need much to gain a foothold in our lives. For those of us who were in bondage to sexual immorality, does it make sense to open the door to him?

So I took this incident as a victory, and felt really good about honoring the Lord and honoring my wife. And then it dawned on me: I was free to look at that girl, but I was also free NOT to. I had the freedom to make that choice, and only because He set me free.  Before Jesus freed me from slavery to sin, I was just that: a slave to sin. I had no choice. I was a sinner; I was born a sinner and all I could do was sin. I could choose to not commit an act of sin, but I was never free from sin. I could never choose to be righteous or God-honoring.

Now that He has freed me, I am righteous. I am cleansed and forgiven. I am able to NOT sin; I can live life as a forgiven sinner, accepted and holy in His sight. Does that mean that before Christ saved me, I would not have been able to avert my eyes? No. We can still make decisions and do what is right, and we can do what is wrong. But I would never have been able to be anything but a sinner in the eyes of the Lord.

Am I saying that looking at women is sin? No, not necessarily. It really comes down to the condition of your heart. But it is a good illustration of the power we have to choose between sin or denying our selves and submitting to Him. We are free in Him, and we have the freedom to sin if we want to, but we are also free from sin!

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24

I have a 15-year-old teenage son.  He is much, much different from me.  He loves to be home hanging out with his family.  He is a teenager of the modern world…the TECH world.  He has played video games since a little boy.  First it was Crash Bandicoot on the Playstation, then super Mario on the game cube and now it’s X-BOX live!

He looks like a tech nerd with head gear on and a funny looking mic, like a Disney pop star would have on.  It’s funny for me to see, for it is much different from my Southern Cal teenage life.  This is his world.  He talks to his friends through X-Box live, watches them play their games and even joins in to do group gaming!  Incredible.  He doesn;t need to leave his house to get with his friends and go play cowboys and indians!!!  It’s a different world.

But one part of this X-Box tech that troubles me is the opportunity for porn to get in.  I haven’;t seen it yet, but the potential is overwhelming.  Just as V.O.D. is a 2 billion dollar business in the world, just think if the porn industry will make their material available over X-Box live networks!  Today you can get your NETFLIX subscription from X-Box live so that your X-Box cousul controls all the movies you rent through Netflix!  See how it can happen.  A company like New Fontier Media that distributes porn can partner with Microsoft X-Box and BAM…porn on your gaming council.  The new Playstation are now linked to playing Blue Ray Disks and boast their great movie tech, just think when all you need to do is boot up your gaming consul, click the movie link, go to porn and there you go!  You can even talk to your friends while you watch!?

Technology can be really cool!  But be on guard parents!  Porn will try and find a way!

Safe Eyes for your internet is a start!!!

And check your kids X-Box setting for parental controls.

1st Peter 5:8  “Be Alert!”

Not sure if Pastor Piper has ever been extremely tempted in this area, but to some extent we all are in many ways, and in common area’s.  For some eating is a issue, others sexual immorality, and still others, drugs or alcohol.

But remember those other sin’s..ones even Paul talked about in Romans 7, Coveting or how about jealousies or the one no Pastor would like to admit too, Pride.

I finished reading a little book about the famous preacher D.L. Moody out of Chicago.  He was a big eater and became quite overweight.  Yet though he sinned by digging food quite a bit, the Lord used him for His Glory…go figure, God uses the non-perfect, but who are being made perfect, for we are complete IN Him.

Oh, thank the Lord for his life changing grace and what it teaches us.  (Titus 2:11-12)

A N T H E M

By Beau J. Ouellette

Ever wonder why porn addiction in constantly growing?  Well my blog for today is to give you a insight to the amazing distribution of the porn industry (movies here) to all American homes through a company called, NEW FRONTIER MEDIA based in Boulder Co.

As Internet porn gets most of the media attention, do you realize that every TV in the United States has porn piped in, ready to view through V.O.D. channels? (Video On Demand)  This is not my boast, but of N.F.M. themselves.  Here is a quote from their website;

“The Transactional TV segment distributes branded adult television programming to cable and satellite television companies. Content is distributed to nearly every television household in the United States. Pay-per-view and video-on-demand programming competes well with other forms of entertainment because it is offered conveniently in the comfort of user’s homes, is high quality, and at a reasonable price point. Retail customers pay as much as $14.99 for one of our features. This compares with an average of $3.99 for big Hollywood releases. The Transactional TV segment operates a 12,000 square foot digital broadcast center in Boulder, Colorado that includes a vast content library comprising over 10,000 hours of digital content.”I thought this quote to be quite informative.  This company makes it’s money from porn. As we order it on our V.O.D. you can see at a quite high price compared to the average Hollywood video, we are benefiting N.F.M. and it’s constituents.   The company’s boast is that it has a huge building that holds over 10,000 hours of porn content!  That’s just what we need!!! (joking)

I pray for this company’s owners.  I don’t believe they know not what they do.  Many, I’m sure, invest in a growing, cutting edge company like this without even knowing it.  I have a I.R.A….I wonder if some of that gets put into a company like this?

But what keeps a company like this going is me, us, you, etc….  Yes, we have laws that make porn available to all, but do we have to buy it, watch it and then come back again and again?  Cable, V.O.D. is a approximate 2 billion dollar a year revenue.  This is not going away, it’s too big!  But for us Christians let’s go after something more pleasurable.

“You satisfy from the fullness of your house and you give us drink from the river of Your Pleasures!”  Psalm 36:8

By: Karen Adams

When a spouse hears that their loved one is involved in sexual sin, many confusing and conflicting feelings start to surface. Once this happens, chaos usually erupts, overflowing with anger, hate, fear,despair etc. These sinful emotions want to take hold of and wreck havoc in our mind and destroy our spirit.  To fight this successfully we need the Lord! We need a batttle plan. We need to be ready to fight any and every dart that the evil one throws our way.

Know that God is with you, holding you, loving you and equipping you to win this battle. It is a spiritual battle and the battle belongs to the Lord!

Here is your battle plan:

1) God understands!   “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit” Psalm 147:5                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

He knows exactly what you are going through and cares about you so much!

2) Nothing is too hard for God!    “Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.” Genesis 18:14                                                                                                       

We may think that our situations are hopeless, yet with Jesus, they are hopeful!

3) Trust in Him!    “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea….” Psalm 46:1-2   

God will not leave us or forsake us. He will be with us through every step of our journey.

4) Battle Plan!   “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. James 4:7                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

As long as we focus on Jesus the devil cannot invade our thoughts and cause despair.

5) Break out of anger!    “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. James 1:19-20                                                                                                                                                                                            

Any worldly emotion can bring sin into our lives and detract from righteousness in the Lord.

6) Quiet amid chaos!    “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

When everything around you seems insurmountable, (“be still”: the Hebrew word for this probably means “enough!” ) don’t surrender to the chaos, say enough! and pray and surrender to Jesus!

7) Lean on the Lord!    “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

The Lord knows what is best for us and will continue to work everything for good for those who love Him.

8) Meet all your needs!    “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

God won’t meet you halfway, He will hold you the WHOLE way and give you everything you need.

9) Transformed!    “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–His good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

We are children of God we do not react to situations the way the world does; we act by the way it will glorify Jesus.

10) Panic Attacks!    “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God , which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Our most powerful weapon against any situation, circumstance or feeling is prayer!

11) Peace from God!    “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me–put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

And, the most important thing to remember is God loves us, He is in control and through His grace we can obtain peace and victory to conquer this battle and all others throughout our life!

“Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; His love endures forever”. Psalm 118:1

By : Beau Ouellette

I was given a call by my partners in Running Light MInistries last night, letting me know about the up-coming Porn industry exlusive that would be aired this weekend (July 20). I actually did not want to watch it, but then my wife told me she recorded it for me to see if there were any new things that would contribute to my research on the influencce of porn worldwide.

I confess I watched it in fast forward most of the time. It’s amazing how the news media just get’s done talking with a man that has been addicted to porn for years, his life ruined, only to then show a famous porn star pole dancing in nothing?! It points to a importanat point.

“For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.”

The carnal man, and in this case MSNBC, does not understnad what they do. It seems obvious to me that showing porn, while getting done interviewing a man that has been in bondage to porn only contruibutes to …more showing of porn..(that’s what there doing)

But to those that are not thinking of the things of God they are blinded to the contradiction of it all.

The other interesting note I thought about while watching it, was that the Porn industry is no longer taboo at all. It was justified in the news piece by it’s lack of critical questions to those women that were involved in the business side of the industry. I got the take the interview was as interviewing any fourtune 500 company. How are they going to survive in the economy? What is the internet doing to impoact the industry? How are the employee’s comensated?

Instead you saw how “normal” the once marginal is. Women in Porn have kids, nice houses, business savy staff and marketing teams.

Let’s pray for these people in the industry. For the men and women that are involved in it. They do not know the Lord and His pleasure. I was once blind but now I see and I believe the Lord is reaching out to these as well. They are simply looking for water from the wrong well. (John 4)

“He who comes to me will never be thirsty again”
Jesus