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By Gia Hughes
LIA Director of Human Trafficking Outreach
PRAY that God will remove the lustful desires of the "johns" who seek sex services.
“People never crumble in a day, it’s a slow fade,” is the chorus to a favorite Casting Crown song. And it’s very true. People do not sink to the depth of buying sex without there being some prior behavior that has fueled it. The actions we take are always preceded by the choices we make.
To have a thought about something doesn’t make it a sin. Satan is always shooting fiery darts into our minds to make us think evil and impure thoughts. But he is subtle, he doesn’t stray too much from what you already think, diluting the truth in you. And then a little farther and farther away from the original truth so that you don’t recognize it as truth any more. Now he has you where he wants you. If ungodly thoughts are not banished at the onslaught, but left to dwell and ponder over, a choice always follows.
Every choice or decision you make counts. You can choose to engage or walk away; to participate or restrain. One of the leading contributors into feeding the wrong kinds of lustful desires is pornography. The images our eyes see can never be erased from our minds. You can’t just unsee something. Although it is wide-spread and readily available, you still have to make the choice to go there (to that Internet site, to that strip club, etc.), to buy that (magazine, book, etc.), to watch that (program, channel or movie, etc.). It is still your choice.
After choosing these practices for so long, your mind will no longer allow the barriers of right and wrong to guide you, your body will need to pursue them. You will act on the choices you have made, at whatever cost to you or whoever is involved. If there were no demand for sex in this perverted way, there would be no traffickers out there to supply that demand.
At every step in allowing this stronghold to build in your life, God offers an opportunity to turn to His ways instead of your own. Before the battle took place in the field, it began in the mind. Every day in my prayers I ask the Lord to help me to “think right and righteously” over everything I encounter for that day. I want to think like He thinks, not like I think in my limited capabilities. We must be intentional to use what the Lord gives us to guard our minds and bodies.
“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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” = Ephesians 6:10-18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk
PRAY that God will remove the lustful desires of the "johns" who seek sex services.
“People never crumble in a day, it’s a slow fade,” is the chorus to a favorite Casting Crown song. And it’s very true. People do not sink to the depth of buying sex without there being some prior behavior that has fueled it. The actions we take are always preceded by the choices we make.
To have a thought about something doesn’t make it a sin. Satan is always shooting fiery darts into our minds to make us think evil and impure thoughts. But he is subtle, he doesn’t stray too much from what you already think, diluting the truth in you. And then a little farther and farther away from the original truth so that you don’t recognize it as truth any more. Now he has you where he wants you. If ungodly thoughts are not banished at the onslaught, but left to dwell and ponder over, a choice always follows.
Every choice or decision you make counts. You can choose to engage or walk away; to participate or restrain. One of the leading contributors into feeding the wrong kinds of lustful desires is pornography. The images our eyes see can never be erased from our minds. You can’t just unsee something. Although it is wide-spread and readily available, you still have to make the choice to go there (to that Internet site, to that strip club, etc.), to buy that (magazine, book, etc.), to watch that (program, channel or movie, etc.). It is still your choice.
After choosing these practices for so long, your mind will no longer allow the barriers of right and wrong to guide you, your body will need to pursue them. You will act on the choices you have made, at whatever cost to you or whoever is involved. If there were no demand for sex in this perverted way, there would be no traffickers out there to supply that demand.
At every step in allowing this stronghold to build in your life, God offers an opportunity to turn to His ways instead of your own. Before the battle took place in the field, it began in the mind. Every day in my prayers I ask the Lord to help me to “think right and righteously” over everything I encounter for that day. I want to think like He thinks, not like I think in my limited capabilities. We must be intentional to use what the Lord gives us to guard our minds and bodies.
“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. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” = Ephesians 6:10-18
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QASREBVDsLk
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