August 1, 2012

Living a Life of Purity Is a Quest Worth Pursuing

Filed under: Charleen's Kitchen of Life — Tags: Godly purity, life of purity, prayer devotional, Promise Keepers, pure heart — admin @ 8:16 pm

As we continue on this quest to a life of purity, the following scripture from Proverbs 4:4-6 confirms we are on the right path. A pure heart is reachable through laying hold of the wisdom hidden in God’s Word.

It states,”He taught me and said to me: Let your heart hold fast my words; keep my commandments and live. Get skillful and Godly Wisdom, get understanding; do not forget and do not turn back from the words of my mouth.Forsake not Wisdom and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you.”

Living a life of purity is possible, as our hearts are flooded with the wisdom of God’s Word.

As we get to the heart of the matter regarding living a life of purity, it is pretty obvious that we must let His Word dictate what we do. Use this Godly wisdom daily in order to guard your hearts.

Our hearts are constantly being bombarded with the corrupt things of this world. They come especially through the onslaught of greed, lust, and immorality through a variety of media sources.

The statistics would seem to say that it is impossible to live a life of purity, to obtain a pure heart. Let’s take a quick look at some of them.

Pornography

In 2003,there were an estimated 1.3 million pornographic websites with 260 million pages. In just 3 years that number jumped to 4.2 million sites and
420 million pornographic pages.

At a 2003 meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, two thirds of the 350 divorce lawyers who attended said the internet played a significant role in the divorces in the past year. They blamed the excessive interest in online porn to more than half of their cases. (Divorcewizards.com)

From a 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events, it was revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event.

Media

In an opinion poll conducted for TV Guide (8/2/03), 57% of TV viewers said they “noticed an increase in offensive material on television lately.”

In a national opinion poll conducted for Common Sense Media, 64% of parents with at least one child between the ages of 2 and 17 believed media
products in general were inappropriate for their families.” (NY Times, 5/21/03)

In a national survey by Public Agenda, “about 90% [of parents] say TV programs are getting worse every year because of bad language and adult
themes in shows that air from 8 to 10 p.m. (USA TODAY, 10/30/02)

Over 1000 studies – including a Surgeon General’s special report in 1972 and a National Institute of Mental Health report 10 years later – attest to a
causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.

Studies show that the more “real-life” the violence portrayed, the greater the likelihood that it will be “learned.” (American Academy of Pediatrics
Policy Statement, June 1995)

Though these statistics may look grim, remember that we are gaining wisdom on our quest towards Godly purity.

I have developed a 10 day prayer devotional available at our Family Life Winners blog to help you gain victory in living a life of purity, and maintaining a pure heart.

Let’s pray together: “O God, help me to turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things , and get my focus on You and Your Holy Word. Give me the wisdom I need to live a life of purity – I want to see You!

Charleen Ecuyer

P.S.

Here is a link to the start of the devotional for living a LIFE OF PURITY.

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June 29, 2012

A Much Needed Follow-Up To Promise Keepers

Filed under: Men's Destiny Teams — Tags: Christian men, promise keeper, Promise Keepers, promisekeepers — admin @ 10:36 pm

Promise Keepers has done an awesome job of ministering to men all over the United States and overseas for the past 20 years. Their ministry is accomplished through large stadium gatherings where thousands of men can learn how to walk with integrity through a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.

Promise Keepers Beliefs

The core beliefs or the 7 Promises of Promisekeepers are life-changing principles to live by. They are deep principles that demand a commitment in order for them to become pillars of stability in your life.

While the Promise Keeper conferences are emotionally and spiritually moving, there needs to be vehicles that men can hop onto after the conference is over. This follow up needs to be easily accessible for men so they have a way to continue on the path of Godly manhood.

My Promise Keepers Experience

I remember when I attended a conference at the Superdome in New Orleans years ago and became a promise keeper. It was a very powerful spiritual experience for me. I was already a born again Christian but I learned some very useful and practical steps I could take to grow spiritually.

The problem is that this journey of spiritual growth cannot reach its fullest without the companionship of other believers. Several months down the road those powerful principles were now lost in the busyness of my life.

Were there any ways for me to join with some men in my church to keep these Godly principles operating in my life? Yes, but it would have taken a lot of effort and time for me to get those men motivated. As a result, it didn’t happen.

Christian men and women all face this same challenge of keeping our walk of faith and love fresh and alive day after day. There must be a simple way to follow up and build much-needed spiritual momentum just as I needed after attending Promise Keepers.

Effective Promise Keepers Follow Up

To keep that momentum growing for men, something else is required. It is called “fellowship” with a purpose. I know this is a difficult word and activity for most men. Men usually avoid fellowship because it threatens their sense of independence, their sense of being a conqueror.

That is why Courageous Men’s Destiny Teams were developed. These are small teams of 4 men who have a heart to learn about the things of God
and pursue His picture of what it means to be a man. This is not a Bible study and it is done over the internet with skype preferably or chatting.

Whether men will admit it or not, they need the support from other Godly men and it takes courageous to face up to that and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

So here is the challenge men. I’m getting up in your face and telling you that it’s okay to say I can’t live a Godly life on my own. I can’t walk with integrity at my job and as a husband and father by myself.

I challenge you to spend 5 minutes right now and learn about this vital follow up to PROMISE KEEPERS here. If you have never attended PK, you are still welcome to become a courageous man of God.

Michael Ecuyer

Courageous Men’s Destiny Teams