Hey , welcome to Doing Life with Ken and Tabitha . We are so pumped that you're tuning into this podcast . It has been designed for people just like you . We wanna do life with you , share our wins , our defeats , our ups and our downs , in hopes that you'll grow closer to God and to the people that you love in your life . Sit back and enjoy today's podcast . Hey , hey , hey . What's up everybody ? Hey everyone , we are back , ready for another episode of Doing Life with Ken and Tabitha .
Speaker 2Yes .
Speaker 1I am Ken , she's Tabitha . We are your hosts for today . We're actually always your host , and that's the way we like it . You know , when we first started this podcast , the way we were led was not to have a lot of guests , even though we do have some .
Speaker 1We just felt like , out of 24 years of marriage , there were so many things that we've done well and so many things that we have not done well , that there was a lot of juice in us just sharing our lives with people . And by the sounds of it , you might agree . We're getting so many letters , so many emails , so many phone calls and we just wanna say thank you .
Speaker 2But you know what ? And somebody wrote in and I wanna read what they have to say . This is short , sweet and simple , but they said they watched the video on renouncing pride . And this is their comment , bro , exclamation mark . Thank you for this word , listening to you from Zambia . Thank you for giving me hope . Short and simple , but God is doing his thing and we're able to be a blessing .
Speaker 1Is it Zambia or Zambia ?
Speaker 2I say Zambia .
Speaker 1It's probably . Well , you know where you are . So we just thank you so much for tuning in .
Speaker 1So we're not gonna stop there , baby , we're not gonna figure it out , praise God , but anyway . Thank you so much for tuning in today and for those of you all who are newer to our show , you can hit the subscribe button if you wanna be the first to get the content it releases every Thursday , 3 pm Eastern Standard Time . Our goal is so simple to help you grow closer to God and closer to the people that God has brought into your life , and so let's go .
Speaker 1Today's episode is entitled 10 keys to overcoming sexual temptation , and we kinda wanna lay some foundation quickly . Give me one moment .
Speaker 2Yes .
Speaker 1We wanna lay some foundation so that we can all know where we're going . Sexual sin is something that's super , super common right now , but it's very , very , very destructive . It was destructive in God's word . It's destructive in our lives . The scripture says something like about sexual immorality that every other sin is outside the body , but this one you sin against your own body . Don't know exactly what that means , but I do know this that we are the temple of God , earth and tabernacle . So you actually sin against the house of God with sexual immorality .
Speaker 2So with sexual sin are we talking to just unmarried people or married people like we are talking a lot of daddy in every body .
Speaker 1Okay , so , as a married couple which we are , God's given us certain parameters in his word in which we are to conduct our sexual lives in .
Speaker 1Outside of those parameters is what the Bible calls sin . So the call and the goal is sexual purity for married people , single people , old people , young people , no matter what nation you're in , if you are a follower of Jesus , the Bible calls us to sexual purity . But I kinda wanted to start just with sin and kinda lay a foundation and then we're gonna help you really avoid some things . I'm telling you .
Speaker 1I don't care who you are , what you've done , what you believe . You wanna listen to this content and then share it with other people , just so that we can get truth out , because truth will make us free . How would you define sin ?
Speaker 2I define sin as missing the mark .
Speaker 1Okay , so classical definition Classical yeah . Okay , and that's what sin is classically is missing the mark meaning that God has a mark right and then we don't hit the mark . So that's what we call sin Falling short . Yeah , so he has a standard , but we don't live up to his standard .
Speaker 1We create our own standard that sin when we say I don't wanna do it God's way , I wanna do it my way . That attitude of rebellion towards God is called sin , when we know that the Bible says this , but we would rather change his word than let his word change us . That's what the Bible calls sin . And what's the problem with sin ?
Speaker 2Sin leads to death .
Speaker 1Okay . So Romans , chapter six and 23 says that the wages of sin is death , and there are many people that are dying and they're calling , they're anointing and they're fellowship with God . They are dying on the inside because they have adapted a lifestyle of sin as the norm and it should not be the norm .
Speaker 2Yeah , when I think about people dying in their sin , I'm thinking about the lobster who's being boiled to death when it's . I think they're in the water . The water's not hot first , they're just chilling in the water , but slowly it gets higher and higher and higher in temperature . When then the lobster dies , Like you don't know that you're dying , but it's happening slowly .
Speaker 1The wages of sin is death , and I'm glad to say that because there's people who don't even believe that there is a thing called sin . They don't believe that the Bible gives you the outline for what is sin and not sin . You're already losing . If you don't believe that there's a devil , you don't believe that they're sin . You don't believe that God's word is God's word . You're actually already losing the battle before you even begun , and so it's Satan's job to make sin look fun .
Speaker 1And sometimes it is . It's his job to make sin look attractive , and sometimes it is it's his job to make sin look and even feel good , and sometimes it does . But sin is not our friend Cause . The wages or the cost of sin is death , all right . And so when we talk about temptation , so I guess Satan's goal , okay , is to get people to sin . For the unbeliever , it keeps you separated from God because of his holiness . But for those of you all who've given your heart to Jesus , sin does numerous things . It hinders your fellowship with God , it hinders the anointing on your life . It opens up a door to the demonic . Okay , you know sin is not your friend , right ? Okay , and so Satan's goal is to get you to sin , because sin leads you to death . But the tool I think the number one tool , especially for this podcast that he uses to cause us to sin is temptations . Okay , and so what is the greatest thing you've ever been tempted with ?
Speaker 2You feel like I don't know , the greatest thing I've ever been tempted with , probably to , like I don't know , fight someone .
Speaker 2So , like you know , just to beat someone up you know , like to you know , to you know , I have a really rough background and so I come from a background of like abuse and there was a lot of fighting in our house , and so my greatest temptation was I'm going to put my hands around your neck and I'm going to strangle you until you don't have breath anymore . That was a temptation that , thank God . Thank you , jesus , I never actually did
.
Speaker 1I can't say what my greatest temptation is . I think over the years it changes depending upon what season of life you're in . I don't know if I have a consistent temptation . It will probably have to do with matters of the heart , like maybe a temptation to not believe you know , and I think people look at me who .
Speaker 1I actually have a gift of faith and anytime we do like those assessments , I'll always score high in faith . But people who score high in faith many times are tempted or attacked with high levels of worry or fear and we just discipline ourselves to be on this side . But it's the same thing . So God gifted it this way . Satan will love it to pervert it and go this way . So I would say maybe that I mean there's all kinds of temptations . Temptations to lie , sexual temptations .
Speaker 2Cheating .
Speaker 1Temptations ? Yeah , I don't even know .
Speaker 2Some of those little common ones we deal with are like sneaking . Like I deal with my kids like if you're going to sneak it , you know that's lying , cheating , stealing , like do things out in the open .
Speaker 1But let me define temptation very quickly . It is an enticement to sin . It is a lure to sin . It is like that urge to sin , like there's almost something I remember years ago , when I was in college , I had friends who my roommate smoked tons of weed and I don't know what people call it . What do you call it ? Do you call it weed ?
Speaker 2You probably do , because we're from the same era .
Speaker 1Some people call it refa , other people call it marijuana .
Speaker 1Some people call it Buddha , some people call it pot . It depends on you , know , you're demographic , all right , but anyway , let's just call it weed , because we us and I mean I'm talking about all the time , probably 95% of the time in my house somebody was rolling the blunt , somebody was bonging something , somebody was smoking a joint , but I was never a smoker Now . I was a drinker back in the day . Thank God , I've been delivered and free for over 20 years now . Now , you did it all . You did it all .
Speaker 2No , why do you always have to say that Because you did , you know and you was I mean , I didn't do it all . I didn't do crack , I didn't do cocaine , I didn't do molly , like I didn't do that .
Speaker 1But I'm just saying you was a drinker and a smoke Weed at one point . And I can probably count on one hand and cigarettes Right , but this is not about you . Well , that's a lie In high school I did more , but yeah , you're right , I did smoke . What did you do in high school ?
Speaker 2I smoked a lot of weed in high school .
Speaker 1Let it out , let the people know . I thought you was gonna say you snorted something too .
Speaker 2No , I did not . But if you did , just let it out . I mean , if I did , I did . But I'm saying Old things are passed away but you like to say that I did everything , and that's not true .
Speaker 1That ain't what I meant . I mean , I didn't mean literally everything , but what I'm saying is that you're different than me . I didn't smoke . One day I'm in the house , all of my friends are smoking . They respected me for not smoking and so they would puff , puff and pass , and they would pass around me . Oh , he don't smoke . But , for whatever reason , this day they had a lot of cigarettes on the table and I decided to pick up a cigarette . And when I picked that cigarette up , I had this enticement . I'm talking about this urge . I had this , won't ? There was like this hunger , like , oh , somebody give me a lighter , I'm going to smoke this thing for the first time . And that's what temptation is .
Speaker 1It is that urge that is enticement . Now , thank God , I came to my senses . I put the cigarette down . I'm 45 years old . I'm happy to say that I've never smoked anything , and what I was saying is that you can't say that . That's all I was saying . I didn't mean everything I mean you can't say what I said .
Speaker 2It's so funny the temptation and how it came , though , because it's outside of your character . Like you , I know you were an athlete all through high school . You took care of yourself in college , so I know your mentality . Like . Your mentality isn't like I'm about to put this in my body , but it was my environment .
Speaker 1And if you hang out in ungodly environments , those atmospheres suggest to you that you need to be a part of it , that's like with Lot , he pitched his tent towards Sodom and then he ended up in Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham had to come get him out of Sodom because he simply put his attention towards there , and so you got to be very careful . What environment and what atmosphere you're in Now ? I didn't know the things of God , so I'm like , okay , these are my friends . They smoking . I don't smoke . I don't understand spirits , I don't understand environments and atmospheres , and I was enticed , I was tempted to sin , and I thank God that I got out of the temptation .
Speaker 2It actually so it is possible to not give into the temptation .
Speaker 1Not only is it possible , it's necessary that we're gonna be tempted all over the place at all points .
Speaker 2Okay , there's nothing common to me Because we think of , like I said , my greatest temptation was not to kill someone . That's like far out , you know what I mean . Like that's way far out and it's like , oh , of course everybody wants to kill somebody , but we don't do it you know Cause you go and go to jail or get killed in the process yourself , but little things like smoking , it's like . Oh , it seems like that's harder to say no to .
Speaker 1It's not just that I mean you can be tempted to . You're trying to be on a duquido but you're tempted to eat some sugar . You can be tempted to tell a little lie on your taxes or to fudge something . You can be tempted to , you know , somebody say how you doing and you say I'm doing good , knowing you ain't doing good . I mean there's all kinds of temptations , but this is what the scripture says . First Corinthians , 10 , 13 says no temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man common to man .
Speaker 1So there's no like new temptations . It's not like Satan has new tricks . The same thing he's been tempting people with is the same things over thousands of years . So I think some people feel like , well , this is just me . I don't believe I got this .
Speaker 2They feel so condemned , so shameful . It's just me , you know .
Speaker 1There's no new temptations out here , you know . But it says but God is faithful , who will not allow you to be attempted beyond what you're able , but with the temptation will also make a way of escape so that you can bear it what jumps out to you .
Speaker 2That there's a way of escape . I think just what you said is I think the trick of the enemy is to be like oh , I can't believe I thought about that , or I can't believe I feel like this , I can't believe I wanna do this , and we own it and put the ownership on ourselves . That's one thing . Sometimes it's thoughts of the enemy , but it's temptation , and with the temptation is the way of escape . I think that God has our back enough . He knows our thoughts , he knows what we're dealing with . But in all of that he gives us a way out , Like specifically designed for us in our situation , tailor made , like take the way out .
Speaker 1I like to say it like this look for the exit . You know now the exit's gonna cost you something . It might cost you a relationship well , I thought you loved me , but I love God more . It might cost you your reputation . People might talk bad about you now that you follow Jesus . But God will always make an exit and sometimes our sin blinds us to where we're looking down and we're not looking up , looking for the exit . But if you are in a sinful situation , look for the exit , go to the exit , get out of it , because there is a way of escape . Hebrews 4 and 15 , it says this , for we don't have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses , but we have one who has been tempted in every way , just as we are yet did not sin .
Speaker 1This is one of my favorite scriptures . Honestly , what jumps out to you ?
Speaker 2It just makes me so appreciate Jesus , because everything that I am tempted with he was tempted with , but he did not sin . I am able to overcome because Jesus overcame .
Speaker 1That's what I love about Christianity . Okay , now for those of you all who are not Christians listen . I've studied religions for the past 20 years . There's over 5,000 different religions , and all of the ones , pretty much , are men trying to get to God .
Speaker 1There's like some Zeus or some higher being , and we're trying to follow a moral conduct or a moral code . For the most part Now , there's some weird stuff out there that ain't got nothing to do with any of that , but for the most part , it's people trying to get to God
. Christianity is the only one that says you're not good enough to get to God , so God's gonna come down and get to you .
Speaker 1So God puts on flesh Jesus Emmanuel , who is God with us . He eats the food we eat . He drinks the water we drink . He breathes the air we breathe . God becomes a man , and so he knows what it's like to be you . He knows what it's like to be tempted . He knows what it's like to feel abandoned , rejected , betrayed , and that's why it man . We don't have a Zeus , we have a personal God . We have a God that knows what it's like to be humans . That's why he's so filled with love and grace and mercy because he walked this earth , but he did not sin .
Speaker 1That's who Jesus is to know him is to love him .
Speaker 2Amen .
Speaker 1Anything jump out to you with that .
Speaker 2Just , he did not sin . He did not sin , he had all of those temptations .
Speaker 1This is what jumps out to me ? That he was tempted in every point , every point . So Jesus was tempted to murder someone . Okay , so you're not alone . Jesus was tempted to lie , he was tempted to be jealous , he was tempted with gossip and murmur .
Speaker 2Suicidal thoughts .
Speaker 1He was tempted . He was tempted , so you are different than your temptation . So a lot of people , when they're tempted with something they feel like , their temptation is them . They actually own it as a part of their identity or part of their value or worth . Your temptation is not who you are .
Speaker 1So we are all gonna be tempted with something and what I do is I rebuke those temptations , I send those temptations back to hell , where they came from . Now , today we're talking about sexuality . Jesus was tempted at all points . So when you really study biblical sexuality and I understand , we live in a day and time where people are trying to twist God's word , make it say something that it doesn't to confirm and affirm certain lifestyles .
Speaker 1But if you look at Leviticus 18 , genesis , the Revelation , complete exegesis and hermeneutics of the word , you will see that under the banner of sexual immorality is bestiality , incest , fornication , adultery , homosexuality , lust of the heart , and you can also put pornography . Those are just seven . Okay , there might be more , all right . And so when the Bible says that Jesus was tempted at every point but did not sin , he was tempted with bestiality . Now , I know that's hard for us to imagine . It almost seems like heresy that our Lord and Savior , he was tempted at all points , y'all . He knows what it's like .
Speaker 2He was tempted Because he was all God , but still all man .
Speaker 1So it's amazing , like , okay , what animal did he look at ? And he was tempted . He didn't give into it because he didn't sin . But what was it ? Whose dog was it ? That was like you know , like what relative was around him that he had a like . I haven't been tempted at all points . I thank God for Jesus . He was tempted at all points . He was tempted with adultery . Like whose wife ? Was he checking , was he tempted to . You know what ?
Speaker 2I'm saying , not saying checking out , but he was tempted .
Speaker 1Look at her again . Yeah , what homosexual you know ? Was it Peter ? Was it Bartholomew ? Where did the temptation come from ? What was the lust here ? Was it Mary Magdalene ? I know , when she wiped my feet with her hair , that would have been tempting for me . I don't know where it came from , but I love this part .
Speaker 1But the Bible says yet he did not sin . Yeah , so he was tempted at all points , not some points , not the points that y'all think is nice and friendly . I'm sorry , you know what I'm saying . He was tempted at all points , yet he did not sin . He wasn't showing us how to be God , he was all God and all man . Jesus was showing us how to be men and women filled with the spirit of God .
Speaker 1And when you have the power of the Holy Spirit , no matter what temptation you're in , he's always making a way of escape . He set the bar of holiness here . It's only our sin nature that wants to say well , I could never do that . That was Jesus . No , he's the first of the brethren . He came as an example , to show us where we could live and we could actually live a life without sin . He would never say go and sin no more to the woman caught in adultery if that wasn't a possibility , and so I just feel like we need to make holiness cool again , and God's word is God's word , and his word is truth , and truth will make us free and I don't get my philosophies from the world or social media people's opinions .
Speaker 1I go to the word of God and I love Jesus for that man . He did not sin , wow .
Speaker 2And I wonder , as you're reading that , like you talked about the woman who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair and then she anointed his feet with perfumed oil , Like what was the way of escape for him ? Like what did he do ? Like did he say you know , a lot of times for me , the way I escape temptation is through my words , because your words override your thoughts . So if I'm feeling like smacking somebody , oh , I bless you in the name of Jesus , Lord , let me just pray for this person right now . I pray that their day is better . I pray that whatever's bothering them right now , like I'll just go in , Cause that's my way of escape . I'm not gonna sit here and be mad at you .
Speaker 1I don't know . I work with beautiful people men and women , I mean there's nothing new under the sun . So if I feel like I'm in close contact with someone , I remind myself that , oh , that's either my sister or my daughter . I mean , there's just certain hacks that you have .
Speaker 2Like so .
Speaker 1I'm sure when she's wiping his feet he's looking at her like a spiritual daughter , you know , and so I have two daughters . I have to do something in my mind that's not on the table for me . I got one woman . Her name is Tabitha . When it comes to sexual things , she's the only one that's on the table . It's just like anything else you gotta give your flesh a level of discipline you just can't go for whatever you feel like going for . But I wanna go through these 10 points because somebody needs them today , do you ?
Speaker 2believe that Absolutely .
Speaker 1These are just 10 keys to help you overcome sexual temptation .
Speaker 2Let's go .
Speaker 1And we wanna help you today . I'm gonna give you some off-ramps . Number one you gotta recognize it for what it is Okay . And so if you are being tempted with someone or something that the Bible says that sexual immorality , you gotta say that's wrong . And the first thing is is that you have to be self-aware enough to say I'm being tempted here . Now let me do some things to crucify my temptation .
Speaker 2Yeah , I agree . If you don't think that it's wrong , well then you're probably gonna give into it and do it , but only what the word says wrong is wrong , whether we make it up . We can make it up and say it's right , but that doesn't make it right .
Speaker 1For me it's like don't sit around and be like well , that's just me . No , you gotta recognize it . That's temptation to lead you to sin , because sin produces death . Number two how to overcome sexual temptation is you gotta stop and consider the harvest that's attached to the sin .
Speaker 2Now I'm an investor .
Speaker 1I like to invest in real estate and then remodel a home with the hopes that we can sell it for more money later on . People invest in their 401k or in their stocks and things because they're doing something in the present for a future return . Now I just think , when it comes to sin , before you commit a sin , why don't you stop for a minute and think about how that's going to ruin your family , ruin your reputation ? What ?
Speaker 1disease you might get and what's going to happen to you . But you know what's wrong with people . It's in our heart that , oh , that ain't going to happen to me , oh , you know , we just we just we use some protection and you know , it's okay , god's going to forgive me and you allow your excuse to become a crutch instead of just no , sit for a minute and think about the wages of this sin is going to be death , yeah yeah .
Speaker 2And what's done in the dark comes to light . You know , the Bible says that , and so you might think , oh , nobody's going to find out , oh , it's going to be okay , oh , this is what everybody else does . Everybody else doesn't have the call that you have on your life . The devil isn't out to get everybody else . He's coming for you and what God wants to do through you . So we have to take it personal .
Speaker 1Number three you got to normalize temptation . You know it is not abnormal to be tempted .
Speaker 1It's not abnormal to be tempted with sexual sin . Matter of fact , we live in a fallen , broken world and there's sin all around us . We've all been born in sin , shaped in iniquity . We all have a fallen sin nature . So we are three parts in makeup , just like God is three Father , son , holy Spirit we've been made in this image and likeness . We are spirit , soul and body . I am a spirit , have a soul , live in a body . The spirit part of me is regenerated with Jesus . The soul part of me is being renewed and sanctified day by day . But the flesh part of me is not saved and never will be .
Speaker 1And this is what the Bible says . It says in your flesh , dwell of no good thing . It says if you live by the flesh , you'll die . So what do you do ? You have this war going on on the inside , when your spirit wants to do what's right and righteous , but your flesh man don't want to do what's wrong . So you have to starve your flesh , feed your spirit , starve your flesh , feed your spirit , and you have to normalize temptation .
Speaker 2I love that . Starve your flesh feed your spirit .
Speaker 1Have you ever had any same sex attractions before Temptations ?
Speaker 2I did .
Speaker 1How long ago was that ?
Speaker 2I don't know how long ago . No , all right .
Speaker 1So what's that ? That is a temptation .
Speaker 2Not yesterday , maybe years , I don't know .
Speaker 1Oh , come on , that was last week . But here's the thing , and the reason I'm joking about that is because even if it was last week , there's nothing wrong with you or your character . You live in a fallen , broken world and media is going to suggest your flesh is going to pick up the antennas of your flesh . Just it wants whatever is ungodly
. So here's this war , and this is what people do . They take the bait .
Speaker 1It's kind of like fishing . You know out fishing , you're out there , and basically the job of a fisherman is to put some bait on the hook that the fish will be enticed towards and you kind of move that bait around a little bit . You move it around until that bait till that fish come up and grab hold of that thing . And so Satan's job is to tempt you with different things . Whether it be an adulterous affair , whether it be pornography , he's going to wiggle around a little same sex . He wants to see what bait you're going to take . And so just because you're tempted with something does not mean that's who you are . Right , we have to normalize that . Like people would think that's abnormal , like , oh , the woman of God had a same sex , temptation , temptation .
Speaker 2The man of .
Speaker 1God had a same sex temptation . Yet we live in a fallen , broken world . You are going to be tempted , but I'm not my temptation . I arrest that thought . I doubt a self daily and I build up my spirit , man .
Speaker 2That's so freeing to everyone listening , because you have to understand , jesus was not his temptation . Jesus was tempted at every point , yet he did not sin . We can be tempted with anything and everything , but that's not who we are . That doesn't mean that we have to sin . Right , and I think that that's where shame and guilt and people backslide , or people fall off , and they , you know , because they're just having thoughts .
Speaker 1Yes , it's the bait of the enemy . Oh , you are always that way . You know you're born that way . You know you got married just to push this down . But you know that you probably you're a man , you should like man . You're a woman , you should have never got married . You know somebody you work with is better . It's the lure , it's the temptation , it's the enticement .
Speaker 1He makes it look fun , but it's not . The wages of sin is death . And he's doing what ? If you don't take this bait ? He going to put it like when the fish ain't biting . For fishermen , they know you change the bait .
Speaker 1So , if you don't take the bait of fornication , he going to try to get you with adultery . If you don't take adultery , he going to try to get you with pornography . He's going to do whatever he can to lure you away from God . Because if it's hatred towards God and towards us , because we've been made in this image and likeness and I just need people to stand up against temptation , because if not , you will accept the fact . Well , that's just who I am . That ain't who you are . You was never created to be that way .
Speaker 2Exactly and it's part of the way that you stand up to temptation is just by speaking out and saying no . Jesus was tempted three times in the wilderness . Each time he spoke and said no . The word of God says this .
Speaker 2And so like you asked me if I had ever had a same-sex temptation . Yes , I had the temptation and immediately when I had the thought , I was just like okay , I thought about that . And then when I realized that's what I thought about , I rebuke that in the name of Jesus , like immediately out of my mouth . I just rebuke the temptation .
Speaker 1Sometimes I'm telling you I have some of the wildest thoughts coming to my mind , but I realized that my thoughts are not my thoughts all the time . And so , for whatever reason , satan has access to a realm of your soul . So maybe it's coming from your flesh , or maybe it's just coming from Satan himself . I mean , I can be on the beach , it's chilling , and I see somebody over next to me and they got their book , their backpack over there , their purse out , and I'll have this thought .
Speaker 2I thought you were going to talk about a woman , a naked woman .
Speaker 1No , I'll have this thought . They're in the ocean and they just left all their backpack and all their stuff . I could go . I should just go , steal their backpack real quick and walk off . Nobody would even know . I bet they got their wallet in there and I've never stole anything in my entire life but for some reason , that fallen flesh . Have you had those kind of thoughts , though ? Where I'm just sitting around I'm like , ooh , they left that out on the counter .
Speaker 2I could just take it . But I do have dumb thoughts . But that's funny .
Speaker 1But if you take that , Lord , if you take that bait . You'll walk around thinking you're a thief .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1But you have to , like you said , open up your mouth . I rebuke that in the name of Jesus . I am wholly acceptable unto God . That's my reasonable service . Made in this image and in this likeness , I send that sexual immorality back to hell , where it came from . I am who he says . I am Absolutely . Glory to God .
Number four , you got to know who you are in Christ . You know you are more than your carnal instincts .
Speaker 1Some people call them animal instincts . But you're more than that Like so just because you're tempted to do something . The sexual immorality does not mean who you are Like . It doesn't define my value , my worth . I find value and worth in what the word says I am .
Speaker 2Exactly . I just see the plan of the enemy in that . So it's just , you know , because there's , I think back to like when I was first , you know , learning the things of God and overcoming my thought life , cause this is , this is , these are , this is your thought life that we're talking about , and I learned that either there's there's thoughts Okay , it's either God's thought , your thought or the devil's . Which one is it , you know ? Do we have to deal with your own stinkin thinking you got to go back and renew your mind , like the word says or is that enemy throwing thoughts at you ? And we live in a time today where the enemy has set it up so well .
Speaker 1Who Music .
Speaker 2So well for you to be like oh , that's me , that's who I am , oh man , no , yeah . That's why we have to go to the word and know who God says we are Number five .
Speaker 1you got to guard your gates . And so many times Satan's after your heart , not your pump pump blood heart , your spirit , yeah , and the scripture says guard your heart above all else , for out of it flows the issues of life . And the way that you guard your heart partially is by guarding your ear gate and your eye gate .
Speaker 1What you hear will affect your heart . What you see will affect your heart . Mm , hmm , sensuality and sexual immorality . Your heart's gonna go that way because that is a seed that's sown okay . And so years ago with I Kissed a Girl and I Liked it . It was a seed sown into pop culture that was leading people through a harvest of something , because what goes in the ear affects the heart . The same with eyes . It doesn't matter if it's gang bang music , it doesn't matter if it's heavy metal music , it doesn't matter what movies , what you watch on Netflix . You are being desensitized little by little by little , to think that God's way is wrong . But your way is right and you have to guard your gates .
Speaker 2Yeah , we have to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and you know what we do and what we don't do . When we're sitting in movie theaters I like to exercise and sometimes when I'm running I'll play like 90s , our old school R&B , hip hop , and it's just like I'll have on like a biggie song back in the day , a puffy , not p-diddy puffy or , like you know , ll Cool J , and I'll be running and listening to the music like , oh , my goodness , like I'm singing along , like , oh , I can't say that , am I listening to this ? And then I started like , okay , skip , skip , skip . Now all of a sudden I can't listen to any music because it's all just so polluted with stuff that's gonna speak to my heart and I don't want that kind of fruit , you know , and so , anyway , I want those C's being planted in my heart . But you have to be careful about what you're listening to .
Speaker 1I just feel like people aren't as disciplined with what they watch and see . I mean even you . To be honest with me , you like Bridgerton in movies like that .
Speaker 2You're right , however , and you say that a lot , that I like Bridgerton , and you're right . However , I do fast forward through the sex scenes . Just because I don't want to watch the set . I don't wanna put that in .
Speaker 1Here's the deal . I never like trying to give somebody else my convictions , like , if you wanna watch Bridgerton , that's fine . If you don't have any convictions , however , there's a lot of people out there saying , well , I just don't have a problem with it , and they're just gonna doing whatever . I just heard there's a prophet that I love . His name is Jim LaFoum , and he was having a conversation with Chris Hodges on a podcast and he was talking about how , when the world sears your conscience to where you're like , well , I just don't have a conviction , I can watch this , it doesn't bother me . That's the problem . It doesn't bother you . That actually is the problem . You know what I'm saying . It doesn't bother you .
Speaker 1Like sexuality , sexual immorality , to commercial , the whole commercial . It doesn't bother you . So if it doesn't bother you , that's actually what we're saying the problem is . So I'm not here to make anybody feel bad , but I am here for us to be more aware . And he was talking about exfoliation . You know how women they go to and I know you do this and I do this too , because you know I like to be rubbed on .
Speaker 2Come on , baby .
Speaker 1At the spa but you go and get a pedicure and they exfoliate the bottom of your feet . As a woman , most women know that they take off the dead skin , and so he was talking about how you know when he goes outside he can't walk with shoes off because his feet are very sensitive , like mine , are Like you'll never like , like you can go outside and the kids . I'd be like go put your shoes on you out here , walking on all these rocks and stuff , but my feet are too sensitive and that's really how we want our conscience to be .
Speaker 2We want our no listen .
Speaker 1We want our conscience to be the fact to where it's so sensitive towards God and it's so sensitive towards ungodliness and worldliness and sin to where it bothers me . If you're not bothered by some stuff , that's actually the problem . You can sit there and watch fornication , adultery , incest , murder and mayhem and you're not bothered by it . There's a problem with your sense . Your conscience might have been seen . And so all I'm saying is like , let us just consider what it takes to guard our heart . I gotta move on , but I think that's real good .
Speaker 2It's good yeah .
Speaker 1Number six is place healthy parameters and boundaries around you .
Speaker 1If you wanna overcome sexual temptation , you have to put healthy boundaries and parameters around you , and so for me there's just certain places that I don't go in , certain things that I don't do . I was just talking to my psychologist and he was telling me and I was just asking him a question like cause he's 73 , I think , and he's counseled many pastors that have fallen , and so I'm smart enough to say what would you tell a young pastor to prevent him from messing stuff up ? And he says he needs boundaries and parameters , and that's not a law , those are safety nets , so you don't fall into nonsense . And he was telling me about how a pastor wouldn't even go out to lunch with another woman or somebody to the opposite sex . He wouldn't be alone in a car , he would make other people ride with him .
Speaker 1And people say , oh , it doesn't take all of that . No , it probably takes more than that . Now , maybe that's not your thing , maybe your thing is not opposite sex , maybe it's same sex . But you need to know what your flesh likes and you have to be willing to put guardrails and parameters to protect the anointing and the calling that is on your life . So I'm walking in something and I know my listeners are walking in something . I mean a calling the power of God and you gotta guard your life .
Speaker 2Wow , that's so good . I mean because you have to guard your life in all areas . I think for me , sex isn't one of the things that I might not be the one that I can ride in the car with a man . It might not be my temptation , but they're like alcohol . That would be a temptation for me . I've set up my life to keep me out of scenes where there's alcohol . I'm not having a whole lot of dinners with people drinking alcohol because I know my temptation and that might not be a temptation for you ever and it might be okay for you , but for me I've set parameters around myself . We have to do the same thing with our sexuality .
Speaker 1That's so good . Number seven is you gotta speak the word of God over it . I mean , I think we need to get back to memorizing scripture . So if you have a financial problem , study the Bible about finances . If you have a marriage problem , study the Bible about love and unity and marriage . If you have a problem in your sexual life , study what the Bible says about it . Too many people are making up instead of go to the word of God , and I think that when we get back to speaking God's word for he watches over his word- to perform it , memorizing scripture again it's our sword of the spirit .
Speaker 1The devil would love this generation to put down their Bibles . Because you put down the one offensive weapon , you got the sword of the spirit . I know , oh , it's been changed , it's been written by . Listen . I don't care if it's written by King James , king Tut , lebron James , I don't give a care .
Speaker 1I believe it's all inspired by God , genesis , the Revelation . God knows how to get us a word without contradiction and error , and we see the dead being raised still today , blinded eyes being opened by the word , for he watches over his word . Jesus was the word made flesh , and so he loves to try to take that sword . Number eight is you gotta cast down thoughts , and so every thought that you have doesn't mean it needs to be meditated on .
Speaker 1Second Corinthians 10 , five says bring every thought into the obedience of Christ . So if I have a thought about another woman , or I rebuke that in the name of Jesus .
Speaker 1If I have a thought about another man , I rebuke that in the name of Jesus . Have I have a thought on my computer ? Well , ooh , you see what's her profile ? Ooh , they're soft things that lead you to hard things , and some people start here with just looking at bikinis and then they over into pornography , because your flesh doesn't have governors on it . It just wants more and more and more and more and more . So the bait that he's throwing is it starts off with a little thing to see if you're gonna take it , and so you have to cast down thoughts . Words override thoughts If you're being bombarded with thoughts temptation .
Speaker 1I rebuke that in the name of Jesus , I should live and not die . I am who God's called me to be . I'm the head , not the tail . Greater is he that lives on the inside of me and it keeps coming . Keep confessing a word , you know . And so number nine is submit to God , resist the devil and he'll flee . So to me it's submit and resist when it comes to temptation , submit to God , resist , submit , resist .
Speaker 1And I think we need to get back to just resisting temptation Like I ain't fault , I ain't doing , I ain't going there , I don't care , I'm not doing it . Like even with people with gossip , they come up telling you some well and they try to code it in Well , this person needs prayer , but you're actually slandering that person . Okay , no , stop right there . I don't want to hear that . No , please don't , please don't you know , because I'm resisting it .
Speaker 1Yeah , I think the resistance comes in , because sometimes resistance can be hard when it comes to peer pressure and what other people think , and so if I say no to this sin , you know what is everybody else going to say , and I think that can be hard at times , but we have to resist temptation , um , resist the devil , I mean especially if you're in a relationship with somebody and you're talking about maybe being married one day , and the guy or the girl is like but you know , we're going to get married one day , and so , man , I mean , and it's almost like they're trying to paint the picture that if you don't have sex with them , you really don't love them or like them and you're filling this temptation to do it with someone who really cares for and you really care for them . You got to resist that . You got to resist it . You can't love anybody more than you love .
Speaker 2God and you better question somebody who's willing to team up with the , team up with the enemy .
Speaker 1Yeah .
Speaker 2To take you down a path that you don't want to go down .
Last but not least is number 10 . You got to fill your heart and mind with more of Jesus . You know Galatians 5 and 16 , it says walk in the spirit and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh . And many times , when it comes to the lust of the flesh , sexual immorality is what we're talking about today . We hear a podcast like this and we say that's it for the next six months . I'm not sleeping with so and so , I'm not going around so and so and I ain't doing you know what , and we kind of set our willpower .
Speaker 2Well , now you're going to see them at the grocery store , they're going to call you on the phone , they're going to text you . I mean all kinds of stuff and all kinds of temptation is going to come up for that precious seed which has been sown in your heart .
Speaker 1And so what do you do ? You can't just go out with your willpower and say I'm not going to do this any longer . You have to now fill yourself up with more of Jesus . See , the way that you get out of the flesh is not by getting out of the flesh , it's actually by walking in the spirit .
Speaker 1So , if you walk by the spirit , you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh . It's actually opposite focuses One , you're going to hear this and say I'm not doing this and I'm not doing that , and there are some things you need to stop doing . There are some relationships that are leading you to sin that you need to go and adjust and cut off today . But the focus is not what you're going to stop doing . The focus should be on what you're going to start doing and if I can start giving more attention to spiritual things , if I can start walking in the spirit , if I can start filling my mind , my ears and my heart up with the gospel , if I can make it what me singing towards God .
Speaker 1Can I put Godly relationships in my life ? Can I look into Godly podcasts ? Can I ? What happened to old school ? I remember when I first got filled with the Holy Spirit , I had this collection of CDs which was music and like back in the day you had a collection , like I'm talking , like hundreds and maybe even thousands of dollars worth of CDs and when I got filled with the Holy Spirit and rededicated my life to Jesus , I threw them all away . And it's not that people have to go and maybe throw all their music away . But maybe you do . Maybe there is a season where you need to disconnect from the secular so that you can really learn that which is sacred .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1Many times we have so much leaven and a lump because , oh , I ain't got to do all that because I'm under grace , and that's true , but you still haven't had a season of disconnect long enough for you to walk under grace in a powerful way , and I just feel like that was one of the best things that I did for about two , three years .
Speaker 2Yeah .
Speaker 1I basically didn't watch any certain movies or listen to any certain music that doesn't make me God's favorite or nothing like that , and there ain't nothing we got to do . But I'm telling you what it helped me walk in the spirit because I replaced all of that stuff that was doing me absolutely no good . I replaced it with listening to the Word of God , listening to the preach Word of God , more time in devotion , more time , and I walked in the spirit . And then all of a sudden I looked up and some of the temptation had gone . It wasn't even tempted no longer , because I was so filled up with Jesus .
Speaker 1Absolutely , and I just felt like everybody owes themselves a season where they can be so overflowing with Jesus . The temptation is a joke .
Speaker 2That's so good . There are so many times in life , still today , and I don't even listen to secular music like that or watch certain movies or whatever . But something will happen and a song will come up from like the fifth grade , like the eighth grade , and I'm like , oh my gosh , it just comes up in me and I'm like , eh , or a movie , or I haven't watched a horror movie in years , but I could be like outside and it's dark and all of a sudden I see Freddie Krueger , like what that was years ago . You know what I mean . But I just say that because that's what was sown into me , that's what I put in my heart .
Speaker 2Now the principles are , you know , they don't change . You know , god created the principles like what we sow in our heart . Well , the devil knows that too . And so , anyway , we have to , on purpose , put good things in our heart , and out of the heart flows the . What is it ? All ? The heart flows issues of life . And so when things happen in life now , instead of Freddie Krueger popping up , I need the word of .
Speaker 2God I need these songs of God .
Speaker 1I mean whatever genre you like .
Speaker 2Oh , I did that . Anyway , whatever genre you like country , rap , rock and roll there are , there is Christian music for it , and when you start pouring the word of God in , I mean I go to sleep at night . Last night I went to sleep listening to the word of God on healing because I was having a little issue . So last night I went listening to the word of God so that even in my sleep in my dreams I'm sowing the word of God in my life .
Speaker 2So when I wake up in the morning , I'm healed by the stripes of stripes of Jesus . I thank you . That's what I want pouring out of my mouth , and so we can be intentional with that .
Speaker 1Yeah , yeah , I would even say this there are some people that just need to get out of the neutral zone , you know .
Speaker 1I'm thinking about someone who's very close to us and don't listen to a lot of Christian stuff , but they listen to a lot of just not bad music , just like maybe , disney music , cartoon stuff , other like certain , and that's like the neutral zone and that's cool , like , okay , my music isn't that bad , but is it good , is it anointed , is it kingdom , is it building , is it shifting the atmosphere ? And I think sometimes we can hang out in the neutral zone because we don't like Christian music , or it's not this or it's not that . That's bananas . You need to find somebody that builds you up Absolutely and that you like and make investments into your spirit , and so , hey , this has been really rich . I hope that you guys have gotten something out of today .
Speaker 1We did a whole series in our church called Sex God's Way . If you want to jump over to the Alive Church YouTube page , I think you can find a link in our show notes . It was actually nine weeks I know some of you all are newer to our podcast and we said some things that are counterculture . This is what we believe Children of the kingdom should be counterculture . The way to destruction is broad , but the way to the kingdom of God is very narrow . And so it's not to be narrow , it's not to be judgmental , but it is to walk in truth . For years I live the life of sexual immorality . I protect it by sexual immorality . I cherish my sexual immorality , but , thank God , I gave my heart over to the Lordship of Jesus . Now it's not about what I want , but what he wants from me , and he knows me . He knows you better than you know yourself .
Speaker 1So , I realize what we've shared with you today . For some of you all who are newer , we kind of prolong some foundation that we've already laid . But I would encourage you don't get off of this , don't give up on it . Go back to sex God's way , look at the foundation , look at the word of God with a pure heart . And this is what I know that there are some of you all who've been living in sexual immorality that's been looking for the off ramp , and your off ramp is here . It's not even what people say . You know in your heart , you know in your spirit , just like I did many years ago , that how you've been living is not according to God's word and His will . And when you do it God's way , you're going to be blessed because of it and we're going to be here to pray for you , journey with you and help you as we do life together . Thank you so much for tuning in to our episodes today . If you enjoyed this episode , please make sure that you're right over view , email us . We'd love to hear your testimonies . They encourage us .
Speaker 1We have a season of giving that's coming up in our church . You know Thanksgiving is coming up and we want to say happy Thanksgiving to everybody . But also we're going into December , which is our month of generosity . We actually start the first Sunday of December with a thing in our church called Super Sunday , where we ask the people of our church just to pray and ask God , god , what would you have me to give to end the year in faith , to believe God for something and more in the next year ? And we would love for you to consider the same If this podcast , this content , has been good to you .
Speaker 1Our only desire is to be able to reach more people and change more lives , and your gift and your donation would help us do that . If you would like to give in this month of giving , I know we have Giving Tuesday coming up after Black Friday . We got Super Sunday coming up . I'm talking about all of December . Just let the Lord use you . I think there's a link in the show notes . You can go to myalivechurchorg , look for the giving button . The giving button , anything you give nothing too big , nothing too small will simply help us change more lives .
Speaker 1Amen and we love you for it Until next week . Thank you for tuning in . We'll drop new content on Thursday . Make sure you subscribe so you can be the first to grab hold of it . We love you , guys , and we're here for you and praying for you . We'll see you next time , peace .