Privacy, Purity, and Power

God calls us to a high standard of moral purity, and in a world that provides and promotes a seemingly unlimited supply of images and impulse that are contrary to His nature and His ways, we have to make sure that we take the necessary steps to protect our hearts.   Here are some words from Ephesians 5:
1Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.2And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.3But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;4neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

As imitators of God, we are called to learn about and follow in His ways.  We have access to His mighty power, which gives us the ability to resist the areas of uncleanness that are not pleasing to Him, that can ensnare us and pollute our hearts and minds, rendering us less productive in our Christian life and less satisfied in our spirits.  In obedience to His instructions and reliant on the presence of His Holy Spirit, we can pursue a lifestyle of purity.

Psalm 101 encourages us to adhere to Godly standards, walking with a pure heart:
(1) I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.2I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.3I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.4A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

There has been quite a bit of coverage over the past few days about private photos being essentially "stolen" from storage on the Internet and then distributed to other sites. The Christian Post reports that the FBI has started investigating the photos of celebrities, including Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Upton, Victoria Justice, Ariana Grande and Marie Elizabeth Winstead. The agency said it is addressing the complaints that online accounts of the celebrities had been hacked into, which led to nude pictures being posted online.

Lawrence's publicist Liz Mahoney wrote in a statement. ""This is a flagrant violation of privacy...The authorities have been contacted and will prosecute anyone who posts the stolen photos of Jennifer Lawrence."

Upton also had her attorney issued a statement to TMZ and said that the hacking was an "outrageous violation" of their client's privacy, saying, "We intend to pursue anyone disseminating or duplicating these illegally obtained images to the fullest extent possible."

Justice and Grande claim that the photos of them are not real.

Winstead wrote, "To those of you looking at photos I took with my husband years ago in the privacy of our home, hope you feel great about yourselves. Knowing those photos were deleted long ago, I can only imagine the creepy effort that went into this."

USA Today quotes an Apple statement that says, "After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet. It added, "None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple's systems including iCloud or Find my iPhone. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved."

USA Today quoted a piece on the Engadget website that said a weakness in Apple's FindMyPhone software could have made it easier for hackers to access the material.

Well, this series of events has created quite a stir, and I think there are several lessons we can take away.  For one thing, in a practical sense, we realize that what we think is private information may in fact not be private.  The Target data breach resulted in the issuing of a new credit card, complete with a new credit card number - it's a pain to change that stored information, but in a sense, I'm glad that the credit card companies are taking steps to protect my privacy.  Even though I cannot understand the mentality that would motivate someone to take these types of photos that were stored online, in the cloud, in the first place, it is certainly a violation of their privacy to invade that space and distribute the information found there.   

But, that's the nature of information - once it's accessed, stored, and downloaded, there's a air of permanency there. So, we have to be careful what we share - electronically and personally.  The impression that people have of us is developed by the actions we take, and we may never get the opportunity to completely change the perception that people have of us.   So, we have to make sure that we are being led by the Spirit and seeking to radiate the character of Christ. Sure, we can change opinions, but it's a whole lot easier to build a reputation than to change one.   And, the perception that people have of us can be built not only with personal interaction but with what is posted virtually.  So, if you don't want someone to see or read something about you, don't post it where people can access it - legally or otherwise.

Finally, we live in a highly sexualized society and as believers in Christ, we are called to resist the prevalence of sexually provocative material.  This story about the data breach, I believe, is made more intriguing to some because it involved private photos of nudity.  Again, it's hard to comprehend the mentality of why these pictures were taken in the first place.  

But, there is no shortage of people, I am sure, who have viewed them.  In society, among men, there is a huge attraction to sexual imagery - pornography.  Consider a new survey commissioned by Proven Men Ministries and conducted by the Barna Group.  According to a press release on PR Newswire, nearly two-thirds (64%) of American men look at pornography at least monthly. The rate for Christian men looking at porn is nearly identical. An estimated 21 million men either think they are addicted to porn or are unsure if they are addicted.

Joel Hesch, founder of Proven Men, says, "What we have found is that overcoming an addiction to pornography takes time and accountability. It's not simply a matter of recognizing that you have a problem. The greatest success for breaking and remaining free is working with a network partner or a group of men in your church or community for encouragement and accountability."

The good news is that Proven Men Ministries has developed a system to help men overcome pornography addiction, including a 12-week course of study, a leadership guide and a book on sexual integrity. Learn more at ProvenMen.org.

We are called to a better way - to uphold a Godly standard in what we consume, and in the images that we display.