Video #11 - No Power? Plug In!

Do you ever get mad at yourself for repeating the same sin over and over again?  Have you ever said to yourself, “I can’t believe I just did that”?

• Do you realize that is a form of pride? 
• What we are really saying is, “I can’t believe that a wonderful person like me would ever do such a sinful thing!” 

Do you really believe that YOU can deal with this sin on your own?  Paul says in Philippians 4:13, that it’s only through Christ that we can do all things.  It is only through Christ that we can win this war against sexual impurity. 

2 Peter 1:3 tells us that it is

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.”

Only God possesses the power to provide you with everything you need to be victorious and live a life that consistently glorifies Him.  When you and I try to fight this on our own we are denying the amazing power God has provided and claiming that ours is greater.  Is it any wonder that we mess up?

In and of ourselves, we are incapable of living sexually pure lives.  The only way we can be (and stay) on the victory side is when God Himself, who has that power, lives His life through us.  And that only happens when we consistently yield ourselves completely to Him (Rom. 6:12-14).  This is why David declared in Psa. 119:9  that the only way to keep your heart pure was to live your life in complete obedience to God’s word at all times .

So the next time you’re tempted to look at porn, to lust after another person, the next time you want to masturbate - remember  ...  God’s divine power has already given you everything you need to be a sexually pure, godly man.    You already have exactly what you need to win the battle!  You don’t have to manufacture it or go searching for it.  It’s already within you in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Don’t lose sight of the fact that this power to be godly comes as we grow in our knowledge of God – as we focus our mind on Him.  When the focus is off of King Me and on God, our actions will no longer be about ME but about God.  We are to always “be on (our) guard so that (we) are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men … but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). 

The way out of the impurity trap is to know God deeply and personally.  There is no other path to true change.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, other changes we do on our own might make life a little easier for the moment, but we are still ensnared in the same dark kingdom where self is sitting high on the throne.

So, your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to know God in such a way that you will find him far greater and more important to you than whatever else you love.

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About Steve Etner
Steve Etner is a National Men’s Speaker, Author and Purity Coach (www.thepuritycoach.com). He has authored many books, including “Extreme Mind Makeover: How to Transform Sinful Habits into God-Pleasing Patterns of Life”; “The Pure Man’s Devotional Guide: A Biblical Toolbox for Purity”; and “Are You A Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” 

Steve’s conferences, seminars and retreats focus on what God has to say about the way we think and the impact it has on our behavior. By teaching men how to live in moral purity by equipping them with Biblical answers, Steve’s goal is for men to have a re-ignited passion for Jesus and learn how to prepare their minds to successfully overcome their temptations and thus live pure lives for Christ.