The Point of Purity Podcast

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leading to lasting victory over sexual addiction through a growing, vibrant, powerful relationship with Christ.

Episode #144 - "Kryptonite"   

Transcript

Whenever Superman is around a chunk of Kryptonite, he is robbed of the strength the sun provides him. Just like Superman, as Teknon Theos (a child of God) your power to stand firm against the enemy comes directly from the SON. The closer you are in your relationship to Jesus Christ, the greater your power.

Yet you too have a weakness. It’s your Kryptonite. 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 #144. In this episode we continue our journey through chapter 6 of my book entitled “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” This week’s episode is entitled “Kryptonite.”

I ask that you patiently bear with me over the next few minutes as I get a little nerdy and try to quickly review the whole Superman and Kryptonite thing for those of you who may be unfamiliar with the whole Superman storyline. You see, in the not-too-distant past, a horrible disaster happened that would forever alter the universe as we know it. Located only 50 light-years from earth (or approximately 300 trillion miles away) was a large planet called Krypton. The Kryptonians who lived on that planet were an advanced race of kind and amazing people. However, a little over 35 earth-years ago, a massive explosion at that planet’s core caused its total destruction. The planet Krypton and its people are no more.

Fortunately, that catastrophe was foreseen by a Kryptonian diplomat and scientist named Jor-El. Desperate to save his son, Jor-El created a spaceship big enough to hold his baby boy—sending him away from that world just before their planet blew to smithereens. How lucky for us! For that very boy became the superhero we know today as Superman. (Spoiler alert: just to be sure we’re clear, Superman is a fictitious character and not a real alien—sad fact, but true.)

However, as that space cradle rocketed toward Earth with little Kal-El tucked away safely inside, it pulled along with it various chunks of the now-dead planet Krypton. So, when Kal-El’s ship crash-landed just outside of Smallville, Kansas, those radioactive fragments—which would later be identified as Kryptonite—also landed, scattering randomly all over Earth.

As Kal-El (a.k.a. Clark Kent) grew up under the loving care of his adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, he discovered that he had been gifted with amazing superpowers. His great speed, the ability to fly as well as bend steel with his bare hands—along with the all the other remarkable things he could do—were possible only because of his close proximity to Earth’s yellow sun.

Then one day as he was flying to the rescue following a volcanic eruption, he encountered a piece of Kryptonite—a green, glowing rock which made him feel strange, fragile, and powerless. In that weakened condition he was completely vulnerable to the attacks of his enemies. You see, the poisonous radiation from that small piece of Superman’s past somehow blocked the powerful effects of Earth’s sun.

Whenever Superman is around a chunk of Kryptonite, he is robbed of the strength the sun provides him. Oh, that stupid Kryptonite. (Another spoiler alert: there are no actual pieces of Kryptonite lying around planet Earth, as there never was a literal planet called Krypton—hopefully you’re not too disappointed.)

OK. Thank you for allowing me this moment of science fiction. Here’s why I went into such detail. Just like Superman, as Teknon Theos (a child of God) your power to stand firm against the enemy and effectively live a life that honors and glorifies God comes directly from the SON. The closer you are in your relationship to Jesus Christ, the greater your power. (By the way: unlike Kal-El, you really are a Super Man and not a fictitious character—just thought you’d want to know.)

Yet (let’s be real here) you too have a weakness. Don’t deny it—you know it’s true. There is something that can take you down without any warning. It’s your “Kryptonite.” It’s that radioactive element of your past life (before Christ). It’s that temptation and sin you used to enjoy, that now constantly hounds you. It’s that habitual, self-centered action that so easily trips you. Maybe it’s a lustful thought, a lazy streak, a flare of anger or even a hint of pride. It could be a piece of triple chocolate cake or a can of beer; a cigarette or a desire to cut corners at work to save some money. The enemy knows what that is, and he skillfully uses it to his advantage. Whatever your Kryptonite may be, it’s a chunk from the planet of King Me. And it’s nasty. Oh, that stupid Kryptonite.

Before we can move any further in this episode, it is vitally important that we get this point. To know genuine victory in our battles against evil—to live lives that truly glorify our Heavenly Father—we must begin with the fact that even as Teknon Theos (sons of God), our natural, human tendency is to give in to temptation and choose to sin.

Believe me, I know. For years I focused all of my attention on changing outwardly. I tried to behave the way I thought I knew God wanted me to. I tried to live a life that impressed everyone around me with the things I knew about God and godliness. During that time in my life, I struggled with the constantly nagging feeling of defeat and failure. I repetitively cycled through playing with my Kryptonite, sinning, confessing, playing with my Kryptonite, sinning, confessing; over and over again. I can sit here before you today and honestly exclaim: No more! Once I finally faced my Kryptonite and identified it for what it was, I could develop a plan to stay far away from it. You can too!

For the next couple of episodes, we are going to talk about our Kryptonite. You see, as long as King Me is sitting on the throne of our hearts, everything we think, say, and do will be for the benefit of King Me! That’s our Kryptonite. That’s the one thing that constantly gets between us and the SON. That is the poisonous radiation that drains us of our supernatural ability to stand against the attacks of the archenemy of our soul. King Me needs to be dethroned and deposed. He needs to come off the throne of your heart finally and for good!

So, I challenge you to stop right here, right now, and pray. Ask God to help you identify your Kryptonite. Ask Him to reveal to you the areas of your life where King Me has taken over. Then ask Him to help you be His Man of Steel as you face down the enemy. Remember, through Christ you can live a consistent godly life! You can learn how to walk in true victory and stay far away from that nasty ol’ Kryptonite!

Let me shift gears for a moment here and read to you a short story from Chapter 6 of my book “Are You a Super Man? Becoming God’s Man of Steel.” And I quote:

“Dateline: Egypt, Genesis 8. This is Ammon Ra reporting for station WEGPT, standing here on the banks of what used to be the beautiful Nile.

“The nation of Egypt is still trying to recover from a plague of Biblical proportion that occurred seven days ago. The Hebrew rebel Moses and his detestable brother Aaron have claimed that their God is responsible for the deplorable condition of the water across the land. As of this report, although efforts are underway to dig deep underground, no sources of fresh water can be found anywhere. The wells are filled with blood, as is the Nile and all its tributaries. This has of course had serious repercussions on our grocery stores as all produce, meat and dairy products have been impacted due to a lack of clean water. Although the stench resulting from blood and rotting fish has become unbearable, Pharaoh’s administration assures us that all will be back to normal soon.

“Wait just a moment please ... This just out! A new plague seems to have been unleashed upon our glorious nation. Just moments ago, the two Hebrew insurgents known as Moses and Aaron were seen once again standing by the Nile, arms outstretched over the water, calling upon their God. Suddenly an incalculable mass of frogs erupted from its waters. This station, along with all of our affiliates, is being inundated with reports of similar occurrences happening nationwide. As you can see from these live shots on your screen, the frogs have begun to literally cover the land. Everywhere you look, as far as the eye can see, there is nothing but a heaving mass of frogs.

“Umm, hold on … Unbelievable! Osiris, pan your camera to the left. Ladies and Gentlemen, as you can see, Pharaoh is giving some sort of instructions to his Magi. Now they are approaching the edge of the Nile. Yes, yes, it looks like they are going to perform some type of ritual. Something is happening. I can see movement on the banks. Osiris, can you zoom in? Oh no! There is now another wave—no, wait a moment, not another wave but a whole new invasion of frogs. I don’t know if you can see this on your screen; I wouldn’t have thought this possible, but there are frogs climbing on top of the frogs already here and they continue to move inland. By Ramses, I can’t believe my eyes! Folks, we now have a blanket of frogs on top of a blanket of frogs!

“I don’t know if you can hear me at the station; I can barely hear myself over the insufferable noise these frogs are making, but we have to get to higher ground. This is Ammon Ra reporting on the banks of the desecrated Nile for WEGPT.

“A little later, back in the palace, Pharaoh was in a foul mood. Sitting on his throne, he stared at the frog-covered floor. His servants hurried around, futilely trying to remove the frogs from the throne room. Barely hearing the announcement that Moses and Aaron had arrived over the sounds of constant croaking, Pharaoh straightened, attempting to look as regal as he could. With frogs sitting on his lap, his shoulders, and even a large one nestled inside the crown on top of his head, he watched his nemesis walk into the room.

“Slowly Moses made his way toward the throne, gently nudging frogs out of the way with the end of his staff, until finally he stood silently before Pharaoh. For agonizing moments they stared at each other, a contest of wills flashing between their eyes. All that could be heard in the throne room was the incessant croaking of the frogs. Finally, Pharaoh spoke.

“’Alright, Moses, you win. I can’t fight you on this one. Go, ask your God to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to your God.’

“As Moses stood before Pharaoh, he couldn’t stop the smile from creeping across his face. Finally, the Israelites could be free from this tyrant and would be allowed to leave Egypt to go serve Elohim! Clearing his throat, Moses bowed his head before Pharaoh in acknowledgement of his offer, then said, ‘I am so glad to hear you admit that only God has the power and ability to get rid of these frogs. I leave you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people, that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs. When, Oh Pharaoh, when would you like God to remove these frogs from your life?’

“There was a brief pause as Pharaoh thought through how he was going to answer. His response sent a wave of shock throughout the room. ‘Tomorrow! Ask God to remove the frogs tomorrow.’ Recognizing that his answer surprised his guests, he continued: ‘Oh, don’t misunderstand me, Moses. I know the situation here is bad. These frogs are unclean, they’re unhealthy, they’re noisy and you wouldn’t believe the number of complaints that have come into our administration over the last few hours. However, I want one more night with these frogs in my life. We’ll let your God deal with the frogs tomorrow!’” End of quote.

Don’t judge Pharaoh too hastily, my friend. Why not? Because you and I can be just as guilty as he. You see, we all have frogs in our life. Each of us daily encounters Frequently Recurring Obstacles to Growing Spiritually (F.R.O.G.S.). We all have things that are getting in the way of our walk with God, our own Kryptonite.

Each of us has sin issues in our life that are affecting not only us, but everyone around us. There are things we want to hold on to, things we refuse to let go of—even though we know they are making us, and everyone around us, miserable.

In Genesis 35, Jacob gathers his whole household together and instructs them to put away the foreign gods they have been worshiping (the FROGS in their life, their “Kryptonite” if you will) and then he strongly urges them to purify themselves. What Kryptonite are you playing around with and why? What FROGS are you worshipping and why? What foreign gods are you holding on to in hopes that they will bless you with pleasure, happiness, or whatever else you may be seeking? And again I ask: why, why on God’s green earth do you believe that a little “g” god can give you those things, let alone that it even cares about you?

In Exodus 20:3 God makes it abundantly clear that we are to have no other gods before Him. We are to fear the Lord our God and serve Him only. We must never follow after other gods, no matter what they may promise to give us. Guys, whatever is in your life today that has been taking the place of God, whatever FROGS you’re worshiping, whatever Kryptonite you’ve been playing around with—get rid of it NOW!

“If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods … and commit yourselves to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you.” 1 Samuel 7:3

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, 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 .

And if you have not yet subscribed to this Point of Purity Podcast, let me encourage you to do so today so you won’t miss any of our upcoming episodes!

So, until next time this is Author, Speaker, Certified Professional Mentor TM and Purity Coach Steve Etner reminding you that if you are going to glorify God in your everyday living, He must first be glorified in your every moment thinking.

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