Slavery to Sin

It's interesting...I've been reading a book called "Hero: Becoming the Man She Desires" for the Truth and Peace conference. Normally I don't care to read books like this, but as I started into it, I thought that there could be some good stuff. What I came to realize (about 1/3 of the way through the book) is that there are a LOT of things that we have allowed into our lives that we don't even realize. I hope you take a moment to reflect on some of the things below and even include your comments where relevant.

- Sexual Addiction

Boys - I know you need to read this. Girls - chances are you also need to read this, because of some of my experiences to this point in my life.

Quite often we don't realize the impact that our sensual culture has on our lives. What we may hear in the locker room would shock us at first, but then it just becomes second nature. After repeatedly hearing inappropriate jokes about the girls in our lives in the locker room, we eventually start to snicker. At first, it's just to feel like you're one of the guys, but then it becomes second nature. If your girlfriend was in the locker room with you while you were laughing at a joke about her body, how do you think she would feel??

Moving from the locker room to the theater, how many of us make a habit of seeing PG movies? [Wait - why didn't you mention PG-13 or R?] I know that none of us have a problem with seeing PG-13 and R, but how many of you actually pay attention to what you watch? The other day I went to see Transformers 2, because it was the sequel to a really cool first movie. Did I look online to see the rating? Did I care that there was sexual innuendo or language? NO - I just went to see it...because...

I think it's time that we take a really hard look at what we feed into our minds and hearts. So often we just don't care, but the reality is this: we NEED to care. Boys, if you want to be a desirable match for some young lady, then you need to guard your heart and mind! Girls, if you really want a guy who has kept himself pure, why don't you start dressing like it!

- Gossip

Girls - you probably think I'm talking directly to you, but the reality is guys do it too...

How often do you stop to check your mouth? You may have a friend that is talking about someone else and you really just want to fit into the convo. When you walk up, do you stop and think about what you're saying or do you just start to ripping the other person?

Gossip will so easily tear us down as a people, but we don't check it. We allow it to infiltrate our lives, because it just seems like a small issue; however, big things tend to be snowballs from something small that was not knocked off track.

I would love to make this an exhaustive list, but unfortunately I don't have the time. I would LOVE to hear some of the things that may be happening in your life or the lives of your friends. Share them (without using names), so that others can see that they are facing the exact same thing. Develop accountability to help keep you in check. Remember that Christ has given us the authority to bring these things under control - make it happen!