8.11 GIGO

You may have heard this expression before. GIGO means “Garbage In – Garbage Out.” It mainly refers to computers (i.e., don’t blame the computer…if you put in bad programming, you’re going to get a bad result.), but it applies to our mental computers, as well. If you stock your brain full of garbage, be certain [...]

8.10 Guarding Your Mouth Gate

Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. (Proverbs 4:24)
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But among you there must not be [...]

8.9 Replace What You Remove

When you are in the moment of temptation, it’s not very effective to try to not think about what is tempting you. It’s like trying to not think of a purple elephant – you just can’t do it. You have to replace the thoughts with something godly.

There’s an old story about a man who had [...]

8.8 Deflection & Redirection

The technical term for shooing the birds is “deflection and redirection.”  God expects us to put up a fight.  We’re not helpless.  When our gates are attacked, we need to have a plan to turn back the Enemy.  God will meet us there.  Isaiah 28:6 says,
He (God) will be a spirit of justice to him [...]

8.7 Preventing Nest-Building

At times, it seems impossible to prevent our minds from thinking sexual thoughts. Anything can trigger them… an attractive woman, a billboard, a store window… even a harmless comment. I’m convinced that the Enemy plays a part. He whispers thoughts into our mind, and he points out sexual images to tempt us.

While you’ll never [...]

8.6 Pure vs. Impure

These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. (Nehemiah 7:64)

Verses 4-63 of chapter seven list the exiles who returned. The list ends with Nehemiah’s note that those who could not prove their family lineage were excluded from the priesthood as unclean. Some [...]

8.5 Gate-Keeping Rules

I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.” (Nehemiah 7:3)

Nehemiah created guidelines for [...]

8.4 Forbidden Fruit

Samson struggled with lust. You can read his story in Judges, chapters 3-16. His eyes were always getting him into trouble. First, he saw a Philistine woman and had to have her for his wife. He had no business marrying a Philistine, but she looked good to him – maybe because he wasn’t supposed to [...]

8.3 You Crave What You Consume

There’s another problem with packing our brains with sexual stimuli. We are training our appetite.

Our appetites are the result of our diet. If you eat lots of sugary foods, you will crave the sugar. If you drink lots of caffeinated beverages, you will crave the caffeine. But if you train yourself to eat healthy foods, [...]

8.2 The Trojan Horse

Homer and Virgil wrote about the famous battle between the Greeks and Trojans outside the gates of Troy. Interestingly enough, the war was started by Paris’ lust for another man’s wife. The Greeks’ siege lasted ten long and bloody years before they came up with the idea. It was simple but risky. Build a huge, [...]