The Point of Purity Podcast

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 Helping men and women find hope, help, healing, restoration and redemption
leading to lasting victory over sexual addiction through a growing, vibrant, powerful relationship with Christ.

Episode #140 - "Think, Think, ThinK"   

Transcript

Have you ever stood at a wishing well and, just for the fun of it, tossed in an old, dirty penny? Think of that well as your mind. What’s being tossed into it? What are other people tossing in there? What are you allowing to enter your mind every day? What are you allowing yourself to think about?

Welcome to the Point of Purity Podcast! I’m your host Steve Etner – author, National Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor ^TM and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry and this is Episode #140. In this episode we are going to talk about the importance of taking control of your thoughts because what you think will always become what you do. This week’s episode is entitled “Think!”

Now, I know he’s not a superhero, so in that sense he has no business being in a podcast series with Superman as our main character, but I like Winnie the Pooh—I always have. Winnie comes up with some of the most fanciful comments that just tickle my mental funny bone, probably because they hit so close to home. For example, here are some of the great Winnie-isms that make me chuckle:

• “People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day.”
• “I wasn’t going to eat it; I was just going to taste it.”
• “Could you spare a small smackerel? I feel rumbly in my tumbly.”
• And my most favorite: “Oh, bother.”

So why the nostalgic trip deep into the 100-Acre-Wood? Because of one of Pooh’s most endearing statements, whenever he’s gotten himself into a pickle and needs to figure a way out. He plops himself on the ground, crosses his arms across his chest, squeezes his eyes shut and wrinkles up his nose. Then, tapping himself on the side of his head he says, “Think, think, think.” Ever done that? I have. When you find yourself in a tough spot, what do you tend to “think, think, think” about?

Have you ever stood at a wishing well and, just for the fun of it, tossed in an old, dirty penny? Think of that well as your mind. What’s being tossed into it? What are other people tossing in there? What are you allowing to enter your mind every day? What are you allowing yourself to think about?

OK, I want to read a brief storyline from Chapter 4 of my book “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.”

And I quote: “Imagine you are living in a remote village where your only source of water is a single well just on the outskirts of town. The climate is hot, dry, and unfriendly. You have no other resource for water, so you desperately need that well. The nearest neighboring village is over one hundred miles away on foot through arid, dangerous wasteland—a trek you dare not take.

“Without the fresh water in your well, you and everyone in your village would surely die. Suddenly that well becomes extremely important, doesn’t it? The water it contains is now worth more than all the gold, silver and precious stones in the world combined.

“In addition, imagine that just outside of your village is your archenemy, intent on your total annihilation. The leader of that demonic army will stop at nothing to see you dead, or at the very least weak and sickly—totally unable to defend yourself, completely vulnerable to his every attack.

“Rarely does he try frontal assaults, as he knows you will stand firm, holding your ground, determined not to give him even an inch. However, by using guerilla warfare he effectively erodes your resistance. Again and again, he peppers you with ambushes, sabotage, mini-raids, petty annoyances and hit-and-run tactics.

“His goal: poison the well—that precious well from which you draw life. He knows it cannot be too much poison all at once, nor too powerful, otherwise you might detect it. No, he’s just going to add a drop tonight, and then another tiny drop in about a week or so. Maybe two drops the following week. Just enough to taint the water and make you sick.

Your enemy is coy, he’s subtle, and his methods are surprisingly simple. First, he walks up to you, dressed like one of your neighbors or co-workers, and engages you in idle conversation that goes nowhere, and yet seems to take your full attention. You talk about the weather, you discuss the latest movies, and you even talk about religion. As he tells you a joke that’s just a bit off-color, you don’t see him reach behind your back and drop a pellet of something evil into the well. A few moments later he abruptly ends the conversation with a friendly smile and walks away.

“On another day he saunters up to you in the form of a woman. Oh, not in an erotic way, but subtly provocative. He knows if he were to overdo it, you’d be suspicious. So, her top reveals just a slight amount of her cleavage; you barely catch a hint of her perfume. Her eyes seem to suck you right in, and her smile makes you melt. As you blush in her presence, fumbling for the right words to say, you never notice her tip a vial of some wicked concoction into your well. You don’t hear it hiss as it hits the water.

“Yet another time he comes up to you like an old friend, familiar and yet somehow not. He begins to tell you a story. You picture in your mind’s eye the action as he describes the chase; you feel the emotion as he tells of a love lost. You cringe at some of the strong language he uses, but you dismiss it as being part of the storyline. Enthralled in the exploits of the hero and the drama surrounding the heroine, you don’t even notice that he sat, rather comfortably, on the edge of the well. As his story focuses on a bedroom scene where the actors are romantically enjoying each other’s company, he lets slip from his grasp a pale, innocent-looking powder into the water.

“Day after day, week after week, he approaches you in various, ingeniously crafted disguises. Some of them you’ve become familiar with, even friendly. You never suspect anything is wrong. Yet, as you daily drink from that well, the poisoned water slowly begins to do its work.

“Your body starts to weaken—imperceptibly at first, but you feel more and more fatigued. Your vision becomes a bit blurred. Your response time slows. You become lethargic, melancholy, and can’t seem to make yourself care about things that once seemed important. Your thinking is a bit confused at times and you find your attention drawn away to other things. Your priorities have changed. You’ve forgotten why you are wearing that heavy, cumbersome armor. Fighting the battle just doesn’t seem as important anymore.

“As time progresses and you go through your daily routines, you find yourself looking forward to his visits. In fact, when you see him approaching, you lean your sword against the side of the well and greet him with a smile. Taking off your helmet and setting it on the ground next to your breastplate, you embrace him warmly. He’s become like an old friend, a glove that fits ever so comfortably. He hands you a chocolate-chip cookie, freshly baked, laced with more of his poison. You wash it down with a huge gulp of tainted well water. His task is nearly complete, his goal almost accomplished.” End quote. Again, that was a storyline from my book “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel” available on Amazon.com.

Think about what I just read to you. In that story we watched as the enemy repeatedly used skilled and proven tactics to achieve his devious goal. We know how vital that water supply is; and we understand the essential, vital importance of guarding that well at all costs. And yet we let down our guard.

You and I also have a well. That well contains something that directly affects our health—our spiritual health. You only have one well, and what comes out of it determines the quality and character of your life. We must guard that well at all costs. Proverbs 4:23 warns us that “above all else” we must “guard our heart.” Protect your mind. We must always and ever keep that which is in the well pure because our enemy’s mission is to taint that well and ruin our lives. Keep it safe. Don’t allow anything to enter it that would poison you.

The Apostle Paul put it this way in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” Peter reminds us to “be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) In other words, Satan wants to taint your well (mind). So, as we are warned in Proverbs 4:23, “above all else, guard your mind!” Be always alert, ever vigilant.

If your well is polluted, it WILL have a direct impact on your attitudes, behavior, and your speech—in other words, every aspect of your life. Your heart is the wellspring of life itself. Pollute the well and you pollute everything that comes out of it. So don’t taint the water!

OK. Let’s hit the pause button until next week’s episode as we continue our journey through my book “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about The Pure Man Ministry and how we minister to men across the globe who are struggling with sexual purity - be sure to visit our website to see the multitude of resources we’ve made available to you – you can find our website at ThePurityCoach.com.

If you are a faithful follower of this podcast, then you know that we’ve been taking a deep-dive look into this book I’ve written entitled “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.”

This book is a 12-week men’s Bible study that is a fun look at what it means to be God’s Man of Steel in a world that is Anti-God, Anti-Christ, and Anti-Bible. So, let me encourage you to go to Amazon.com. today and purchase your copy of “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.”

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