New Episodes every Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. (Eastern)
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 #38 "War: It's Not a Game"
Transcript
Life is about so much more than just living. It’s more than just (inhale) sucking in oxygen. God has a purpose for you today, tomorrow, next week. In fact: His purpose for your life is understood only through a close relationship with Jesus Christ. Then and only then will you find genuine purpose, fulfillment, meaning and real satisfaction to every aspect of your life.
Welcome to our mini-series on How to Live FOR Christ! What does it mean to really live for Christ and how do we know if we are truly living for Him? I’m your host, Steve Etner, Author, National Speaker, and Purity Coach for The Pure Man Ministry. Grab your Bible and come on in as we dive into this week’s episode entitled, “War: It’s Not a Game!”
(01:00) The Pure Man Ministry
Before we begin this week’s powerful podcast, I’d like to take just a moment and give you a glimpse into our ministry. You see, we do a whole lot more here at The Pure Man Ministry than just producing a weekly podcast. We have a free APP entitled entitled “My Purity Coach.” This app is chocked full of powerful tools to help you in your walk of purity. You’ll find tons of Scripture. Suggested verses to help you take captive your thoughts. A boatload of verses on such topics as accountability, anger, adultery, blame-shifting, living with a clear conscience, making right decisions, and so much more. You’ll also find audio and video lessons from the Bible. You can even listen to this podcast from the app.
We also have designed an online training resource called ChristianGrowthAcademy.com. There you will find a growing library of video courses geared to help you learn how to grow in your Christian walk.
If you’re subscribed to this podcast, then you’ve heard me talk about our “Point of Purity Program” – a 12 week, 1-on-1, Bible-Centered coaching program taking you into Scripture to teach you how to develop a lifelong strategic plan for sexual purity.
As a faith-based, donor-supported ministry, everything we do is only made possible by our team of ministry partners. A group of individuals and churches who faithfully give financially to this ministry. Without financial support, this ministry will lose its effectiveness and its global footprint.
You see, without compromise I am committed to taking men and women into God’s Word to show them how to have a growing relationship with Jesus that is both real and personal. To that end we depend completely upon financial assistance from churches and individuals like you who are committed to providing the message of hope, help, and healing to men and women across the globe as they fight a very personal battle against the beast of sexual impurity.
I am personally inviting you to join us as financial partners – enabling us to not only continue this ministry into the future but develop it and grow it as well. To give your tax deductible gift to this ministry today, simply go to ThePurityCoach.com and click on the Donate button in the upper right corner. And thank you for partnering with us!
(04:06) Aware of the Care
I hate to admit it, but sometimes—nah, let’s be honest here: most of the time—we aren’t even aware of our King Me problem. We’re so used to the King calling the shots that we don’t notice what’s happening. We’re accustomed to making our own decisions, right or wrong, believing they are good choices. We’re stuck in the rut of thinking we must always look out for number one - after all if I don’t take care of myself, who will?
You’re being lied to, my friend. You’ve been duped into believing a colossal falsehood. You see, even though King Me is sitting on the throne of your heart, you’re not calling the shots. It’s not King Me who’s actually in charge. You are just a puppet ruler. That’s part of the master deception of the enemy.
A puppet ruler is a person who has a title indicating possession of governmental power, but in reality, his actions are being dictated by an outside force. In other words, you think you’re in charge. You believe you’re making your own choices and decisions. You are convinced you’re acting in your own best interest. However, you are being controlled by someone else. You’re just his puppet.
The Devil doesn’t care about you. Oh, he most definitely will whisper in your ear that you’re the head honcho and that what you say goes, but he’s just setting you up for failure. He has an agenda for you, and it’s not one you’re going to like. Why? He doesn’t have your best interest at heart. In fact, Jesus said (in John 10:10) that the Devil “comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” Does that sound like someone who truly cares about you and has your best as his goal? Satan wants nothing more than to use his crafty schemes to make you blind, stupid, and miserable.
The Devil is clever, coy, and manipulative—and he is a master liar (see John 8:44). He loves using lies and deceit to lead you off the straight path God wants you to walk, on to his twisted, dark, and sinister path that will always lead to your destruction.
(06:51) Danger – Hard Hat Area
The apostle Paul was well aware of the dangers Satan poses for all Christians. In fact, we see in 2 Corinthians 11:3 that he was “afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Paul knew that Satan’s number one goal was to deceive you into believing that you’re the King and you don’t really need God.
Even though he is a master at deception, 2 Corinthians 2:11 assures us that Satan doesn’t have to “outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” Not only can we identify his various tricks, traps, and temptations, but we can skillfully avoid them as well.
In our 9-week online course entitled “How to Overcome ANY Temptation” – available on our Christian Growth Academy.com website – I talk about making choices—right choices. You see, the choice is always yours. You choose daily whom you are going to serve: God or King Me? On the surface, for the Christian, this question seems to have a straightforward answer—I choose God, of course! But think it through. Every day you’re making a choice. Every moment of every day you’re making a choice. When you are choosing not to follow God, when you are making a King Me decision, you are automatically choosing to turn your back on God and follow the enemy. Jonah 2:8 warns us that “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.”
The Apostle Paul writes (in Romans 6:16), “Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey – whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
Please listen closely to this next point: It’s time to “submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,” and God promises that when you do “he will flee from you” (James 4:7) It’s time to place yourself under new leadership. It’s time to choose to “fear the LORD and (choose to) serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the god (King Me) that (you’ve been serving) and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose (right here and right now) whom you will serve ... But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15)
(10:07) Put the War Back in Warrior
Listen to this next point carefully: Success in overthrowing the evil government of your heart requires the mindset of a warrior.
We need to put the “war” back in warrior. Don’t ever lose sight of the fact that we are daily engaged in intense spiritual warfare! You are to always and at all times “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10) Why? King Me won’t win the battle—simply because King Me doesn’t want to fight. The King likes where he is. The King has no intention of abdicating the throne.
If you are going to win this war, if you are going to dethrone and depose King Me and allow God to take His rightful place upon the throne of your heart, you will need His strength, His wisdom, His guidance, and His leadership in your life - and not just on Sunday’s.
You see, Ephesians 6:12-13 warns, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
This is not a game, my friend. Our battle is against a very powerful, very clever, and crafty spiritual foe. That is why 1 Peter 5:8 commands you to “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”
Satan is real. He loves to hide just under the surface of our everyday activities, clouded in mystery and confusion. As God told Cain in Genesis 4:7, “Sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”
(12:56) On High Alert
How? How does a Christian master sin in his life? Well let’s take a few moments to ponder the following verses.
1 Peter 5:8 commands: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”
Satan is spiritual enemy #1 and he’s out to “steal, kill and destroy.” His plan? To lead you away from faith in God. He wants you to be full of self-confidence—"I’ve got this, I can handle this on my own, I don’t need God.” When you allow yourself to sink in the mire of those thoughts, you lose control and are lulled into a false sense of security—exactly where he wants you to be.
Resist him. Trust in God, not self. It is important in this battle that you are not letting King Me distract you. You must always be thinking clearly and correctly—King Me won’t let you do that. You must, above all else, at any cost, protect your mind. But don’t take my word for it. God says, “Above all else, guard your (mind), for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). You must also be alert, constantly on the lookout for the tactics of the enemy. He wants to take you down, and just like a lion waiting in the tall grass, he will pounce without warning when you least expect it. So, trust - not in King Me - but choose daily to stand firm in your faith in God—and resist.
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” (Ephesians 6:10-11)
Notice the promise that, through God’s strength (not yours), you can take your stand against the enemy. We know his schemes. We know where he’s hiding, and we know how he’s going to attack. So, take your stand. In Christ you can do this! Shout out at the top of your lungs the words of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength!”
Remember James 4:7! “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Did you catch the order of things here? You must first choose to submit to God. Choose to allow him to sit on the throne of your heart. You are not king—He is. You will never know victory until you first choose surrender.
Once you have submitted, once you have chosen to allow God full reign in your heart, then and only then can you effectively resist the devil, standing in complete opposition to him—and he will flee from you! Satan won’t respond to a puppet king, but he will flee from the King of all kings!
2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
It’s vital that you do not lose sight of the fact that it is the Lord who gives you the strength, the ability, and the confidence to stand firm against the enemy of your soul. Not King Me, but God.
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
I love the words of Paul in Romans 8:37-39 when he writes, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of god that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Let me repeat this crucial point: King Me cannot win this fight. Psalm 33:16 declares, “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.”
(18:41) Great Resources
If you would like to learn more about today’s study, or if you’re interested in learning more about our 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
One of those resources I would like to highlight for you here is my book entitled “Extreme Mind Makeover: How to transform sinful thoughts and habits into patterns of life pleasing to God.” This book takes you on a journey through the Bible to examine what God has to say about how your thoughts, words, and actions influence and impact your heart.
Jesus said, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33) Your thoughts bear fruit: your behavior. When you train your mind to think godly thoughts, the fruit of your life – the things you do day in and day out – will be godly. On the flip side, when you allow your mind to think sinful, fleshly, ungodly thoughts, the fruit of your life (your daily attitudes and actions) will be ungodly. So, how do I change the way I think? How do I change the things I do? How do I successfully and effectively guard my heart? This book, “Extreme Mind Makeover” takes you into God’s Word to help you answer those questions.
So go to our website, ThePurityCoach.com , and check out our resources page, or go directly to Amazon.com and purchase your copy of “Extreme Mind Makeover” today.
(20:43) In Conclusion
Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast. If this has ministered to you, if this has blessed you, challenged you, or encouraged you - I ask you to do three things. First of all: would you please let your friends know about The Point of Purity Podcast. Help us help men and women across the globe win their war for sexual purity and live in freedom. Because I am a not-for-profit ministry, I cannot afford a marketing budget. That means you are part of our marketing team! As a result, the only way people are going to know about this Point of Purity Podcast is if my listeners ... if you ... tell others about it. So, would you please partner with us by helping spread the news?
Then second, and this is so important, please take a few seconds right now to go over to your favorite Podcast Player and rate our program and this episode – why? because every time you do, your rating lets them know this podcast is important, it is valuable, and your ratings helps us get this program and this ministry into the ears and hearts of people just like you. Not sure what to do?
If you’re using an Apple device, simply go to Apple Podcast (if you’re not already there) ... open up this episode (if it’s not already open) ... and scroll to the very bottom to the Ratings and Review section. There you can give this episode a 5-star rating and a short, written review. And, for you Android users – click the Podchaser link in my show notes to leave your rating and review. https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-point-of-purity-podcast-1556278
Third, if you haven’t subscribed to this podcast yet, 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, 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.
To give your tax deductible gift to this ministry today, simply go to ThePurityCoach.com and click on the Donate button in the upper right corner.