passionate love 2...

This week, I got to speak on purity to begin our passionate love series. I love thinking about how the gospel transforms our lives, our thinking, our relationships, and everything else about us. One of the greatest areas i saw growth in throughout my college years was in the area of purity.

Many surveys today say that there is no distinction between Christians and non-Christians in the area of sexual purity. Our habits of sexual immorality and viewing pornography are no different than those who don't know Jesus Christ. I pray that this will not be the case with Volunteers for Christ, but that our love of the gospel will transform our lives to love purity and to obey God in "absolute purity".

Here are some resources that I mentioned that will help you along the way. If you have given yourself to lust and immorality, it doesn't change overnight. It takes discpline, dependence on God, and a lot of preaching the gospel to yourself to remember that you are forgiven of all sins and that Jesus Christ has freed you from the power of sin. I hope these resources help you love him more and help you find your satisfaction in Him and Him alone.

The first resource is "The Purity Principle" by Randy Alcorn. I had several quotes from this book in my message and would highly recommend it. Mr. Alcorn does a great job of showing impurity for what it really is....STUPID. Impurity is detrimental to our lives and to our walk with God. My favorite quote: "Purity is always smart, impurity is always stupid." Now that's a language I can understand.

The second resource is "Not Even a Hint" by Joshua Harris. A great, practical help in fighting lust in our lives. Lust is often the doorway which opens us up to many more sins. Not that lust isn't that bad. Jesus said in Matthew 5 that whoever looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. When I hear that, it motivates me to put lust to death. I can think of no better resource than this book in doing that (for both men and women).

Finally, if you struggle with pornography, particularly on the internet, there are two resources I am aware of that may be helpful. They are both accountability programs which e-mail friends of yours if you view any questionable websites. Even if you don't struggle with this, it might not be a bad idea to start using these. Here are the links.

Covenant Eyes
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