This is an in-your-face, no-punches-pulled, right-on-target message. Watch it, think about it, and share your thoughts in the comment below…
Don’t Get Left Behind
March 22, 2011 — Craig T. Owens
This post is especially for the men (but, ladies, feel free to read along too).
No, I’m not talking here about the series of Left Behind books that tell a story about people who may miss out on the rapture of the Church. I’m talking about you leaving the protection of your friends and being exposed to a serious defeat.
Most times when I am counseling men who have given in to a temptation, or those who are battling the same old perplexing problems, I find a common theme. It’s not something new—it’s been around a long, long time.
Take this for example:
In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites.
You probably know the rest of this sad story: David cannot contain his lust for Bathsheba (another man’s wife) so he seduces her, sleeps with her, gets her pregnant, and then kills her husband to try to cover it up. But look where it all started: David was alone. When he normally would have been with his brothers-in-arms, he stayed behind.
I’m a big believer in accountability, so I’ve written before about a brother who makes sure I stay on the straight-and-narrow. What about you? Are you trying to stay pure all by yourself? Are you battling temptations on your own?
Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)
Don’t try to go into battle all by yourself. If David—a man after God’s own heart—couldn’t win on his own, what makes you think you can?
Imagine Attending 86 Funerals A Day
May 24, 2010 — Craig T. Owens
Right after the Israelites came out of Egypt, God told Moses to count everyone (not coincidentally, this is recorded in the book of Numbers… get it?).
I’m sure you know the story well of the ten scouts who by their negative report turned everyone against Moses. They all believed that they couldn’t go into the Promised Land because of the big giants. So God said everyone in that generation (except Joshua and Caleb) would die before they entered the Promised Land.
Fast forward 38 years and God has Moses count the people again (can you guess where this is recorded in the Bible?). If you compare the two lists, you will see that 1.2 million Israelites had died.
Let that sink in: 1.2 million dead in 38 years.
That’s 31,579 funerals per year.
Or 86 funerals per day.
Talk about mixed emotions! With every funeral the younger Israelites attended, they were sad for their loss but they also knew they were one step closer to getting out of the desert and into the Promised Land.
Every day they heard about deaths—86 of them every day.
What did these deaths remind them of? Maybe these two thoughts:
- Sin causes death.
- I’m just as capable of sinning as they were.
Every death should have been a reminder to them to stay as close to God as possible.
Every day I hear about divorce. This should be my reminder to cherish my wife every day.
Every day I hear about a pastor’s moral failing. This should be my reminder to pursue holiness passionately every day.
Every day I hear about pornography addictions. This should be my reminder to take every precaution I can every day.
When the Israelites heard about 86 deaths every day, they had to do something positive with that.
When I hear about divorce and sin and addiction, I cannot just shake my head and say, ‘Tisk, tisk,” but I must do something positive with it.
I must use every “death” as a reminder to move closer to God.
The Importance Of Purity
December 4, 2009 — Craig T. Owens
Yesterday I read the Family Resource Council’s report about the devastating effects of pornography. Some highlights (or should I say “lowlights”?):
- Married men who are involved in pornography feel less satisfied with their conjugal relations and less emotionally attached to their wives.
- Pornography use is a pathway to infidelity and divorce and is frequently a major factor in these family disasters.
- Pornography viewing leads to a loss of interest in good family relations.
- Pornography is addictive.
- Men who view pornography regularly have a higher tolerance for abnormal sexuality, including rape, sexual aggression, and sexual promiscuity.
- Prolonged consumption of pornography by men produces stronger notions of women as commodities or as “sex objects.”
- Child-sex offenders are more likely to view pornography regularly or to be involved in its distribution.
This is the reason my wife and I stress purity so highly with our children. Betsy is going through Every Young Woman’s Battle with our daughter, and I’m using Every Young Man’s Battle with our sons.
There are only two battles that Scripture consistently warns us to flee from: idolatry and sexual promiscuity. We cannot stress purity enough, and it’s never too early (or too late) to talk to your kids about this.
Hey, parents, don’t let their peers have the loudest voice in your kids’ ears about sexual standards. You help them set godly standards. And do it now.
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