On Guard

God has a level of living in store for those who would believe Him that is far greater than the world has to offer; He gives us the power to resist the lure of temptation and reject immorality in order to experience that abundant life. Psalm 24 states:
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, God of Jacob.

He is calling us to experience life in the Spirit and gives us the power to overcome the desires of the flesh. We have to be steadfast in Him and recognize the deception that is all around us. We have the capacity to overcome the temptations of this world as we immerse ourselves in the Word of God and call upon the Lord in prayer.  When we sin, we know that Jesus is our Advocate, and we can come to Him, confess our sins, and receive His forgiveness.

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In the 119th Psalm, we can read a declaration of commitment to purity and holding fast to the Word of God. We can see these words:
8 I will keep Your statutes; Oh, do not forsake me utterly!
9 How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You!
12 Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes!

Yesterday, I talked about a new Louisiana law requiring those accessing online pornography to show identification - this is a positive step to protecting minors, and you would hope that the availability of sexually explicit material for adults could somehow be curbed.  A great way to dry it up would be the change of a heart through Jesus Christ and the pursuit of purity in the power of the Spirit.

How pervasive is the spread of pornography among our young people?  A ChristianHeadlines.com story reported on a survey by Common Sense Media; the article says that:

In the study, Teens and Pornography, roughly 54 percent of teenagers reported having seen internet pornography before turning 13. The average age of first exposure is 12.

Moreover, 15 percent of youth respondents said they saw porn-based content as young as 10 years old. Altogether, 73 percent of teens under the age of 17 reported that they had watched pornography.

The article notes that, according to The New York Times, Founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, Jim Steyer, said: "We can’t sweep this topic under the rug just because it’s uncomfortable to talk about,” adding, “Pornography is a huge part of the lives of children who have digital access like never before, and we need to have a national conversation about it.”

And, the survey results indicate that young people "unintentionally" discovering pornography online is a problem; the survey authors are quoted as saying: "Worryingly, most teens responding to this survey who said they have only ever seen pornography accidentally also reported that they had been exposed to pornography accidentally in the previous seven days, suggesting that unintentional pornography exposure may be a frequent experience for teens who aren’t seeking it out..."  

According to the survey report, 44% of teens between the ages of 13 and 19 have viewed porn intentionally and 58% saw it accidentally.

The Christian Headlines article also stated:

The survey also concluded that the consumption of pornography could distort one’s expectations of what healthy sex looks like. Additionally, less than half of the youth who watched pornography said that they view it as a learning tool about sex and slightly over a quarter of respondents said it accurately portrays the majority of sexual engagements between people.

You've heard the phrase, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life."  Well, the devil hates you and has a destructive plan for you life.  Jesus said that he comes to steal, kill, and destroy.  We must reject the ideas of the culture and prioritize thoughts and actions that lead to abundant life, that is promised by Jesus; press in to God's viewpoint on matters of human relationships.

And, to review a concept from yesterday: we should be committed to construct the necessary firewalls to protect adults and children from viewing harmful and highly addictive material.  Those include faith in Christ, devotion to His Word, diligent prayer, and a commitment to accountability. 

We should never underestimate the availability of porn and the aggressive marketing of it.  As Josh McDowell had pointedly stated in an interview with me, that material is "one click away."  Parents should be aware and resist it for themselves and protect it from their children.