Blog Archives - IRONSTRIKES

Uncle Buddy: Barnabas the Evangelist - part five

10/31/2018

With a "body of sin" destroyed and the heart filled with perfect love, and then with a burning desire to glorify God and bless the world an intellectual man, you see, could be used to better advantage than an illiterate man. Where we find a man with a great mind and a great soul, God can get greater usefulness out of that man than He could out of the life of a man that was deeply spiritual and yet untrained intellectually.

It is not in the fact that God ever sets His approval upon ignorance. That is not the thought, but God must have spiritual men to do the work of the kingdom. We have seen God use the ripest scholarship with the greatest natural gifts, and some men with the greatest brain power have been the most spiritual men of the ages, but there are not many of that class.

We will take the case of Paul and Peter. They were both deeply spiritual, they were both splendid commanders, but Paul had the advantage of Peter intellectually, therefore he was used of the Lord to write more books than any other man had ever written of sacred history. But it matters not how intellectual a man is, if the Spirit of the Lord is not in him, the Lord can not use him for spiritual work.

Barnabas was evidently a God-called and a Spirit-filled man, for no man can read of Barnabas without seeing that God's seal was upon him and upon his ministry, for in Acts 11th chapter 24th verse, Luke said emphatically, "He was a good man and full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost, and much people was added to the Lord." The most beautiful thought to my mind is brought out in this most remarkable statement by the divine writer, that Barnabas was a good man.

Goodness is a most precious possession, and it has been discovered that goodness will carry an apology for almost every defect that we may have, but we are told by Bible translators that the word good means more than merely morally good. It means that Barnabas was kind, affectionate, and attractive. Indeed, the commentators tell us that the word may be construed with equal propriety that Barnabas was a beautiful man. He was good or he was beautiful, just as you like it; in fact, in the kingdom of God goodness and beauty are one and the same thing.

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson

Uncle Buddy: Barnabas the Evangelist - part four

10/30/2018

We need to be like Barnabas, the son of consolation, not necessarily great preachers are always needed, but tender and loving, and with all, we ought to be so modest as to our own gifts as preachers as to say of others that "he must increase but I must decrease."

Such a preacher was this beautiful man that the old Book calls Barnabas. When he was at Antioch and saw the great opportunities in that popular city for a great work, and having a modest approval of himself or his ability to carry on that work, he went, as we learn in Acts 11th chapter 25th and 26th verses, to Tarshish to seek out Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. He now puts Paul in the foreground.

This is always the mark of a noble soul. Some men don't like it when others come in who outshine them in point of popularity, but it made no difference with Barnabas. He remained the same beautiful, humble Christlike spirit, and he was willing to keep himself out of sight and to bring others into the spotlight, if only the cause of righteousness might be advanced, and Christ magnified among men.

Barnabas breathed the same spirit as is seen in a little poem touching the first sermon delivered by Professor Elmslie, of London, England, that noble Scotchman that went to his reward a few years ago. Here is the poem as we find it and the little history in connection with its publication: He was to preach his first sermon in the parish of Rayne. His mother was anxious to hear her boy preach for the first time, but being unable to attend, she wrote to a friend to hear him, and to tell her frankly how the boy did. The answer was returned but was never heard of by him until a few days before his death. His sister, finding it among his mother's papers, read it to him. It was this:

He held the lamp of truth that day
So low that none could miss the way;
And yet so high to bring in sight,
That picture fair -- the world's great light.
That gazing up the lamp between
The hand that held it scarce was seen. He held the pitcher, stooping low,
To lips of little ones below.
Then raised it to the weary saint,
And bade him drink when sick and faint.
They drank the pitcher thus between
The hand that held it scarce was seen. He blew the trumpet soft and clear,
That trembling sinners need not fear.
And then with louder note, and bold
To raze the walls of Satan's hold,
The trumpet coming thus between
The hand that held it scarce was seen. But when the Captain says, "Well done,
Thou good and faithful servant, come,"
Lay down the pitcher and the lamp,
Lay down the trumpet, leave the camp,
The weary hand will then he seen
Clasped in those pierced ones-naught between.

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson

Uncle Buddy: Barnabas the Evangelist - part three

10/29/2018

Distinctions in any church block the way to its success. But that people will differ in their opinions of one another is to be expected, and that gossipers and mischief-makers will always exist in the community, and that religious disputes will arise from time to time can not be avoided. But the church that would thrive and flourish in revivals must be one in Spirit and co-operation. So thought Barnabas, and the methods that he employed to secure this oneness was not so much by open attack as by sympathy and persuasion.

In this respect Barnabas became an example to the modern church worker. In the church there is not so much to be gained by openly and bitterly attacking Christian Science, or Russellism or theocracy or Mormonism or, in fact, any other "ism" that is floating about the country that we have to behold everywhere we go. To say that we are to believe in and accept these heresies is, of course, untrue. In fact, we have no respect on earth for any of the above "isms" or heresies and believe them to be the offspring of the Enemy of all righteousness. But probably a much better way is to show the world that we have something much better than these "isms," and by a genial warmth of spiritual religion melt down the prejudice which stands in the way of the triumph of our holy religion.

Another thing about Barnabas we want to notice is this: He was a man that was big enough to appreciate what others had done. For when he saw the good that others had done and saw the downright goodness in other people or saw a great revival that had just been held by another evangelist, instead of Barnabas throwing any mud or sneers at the other evangelist, he could simply rejoice and his soul was filled with real happiness. For we read that " When the news reached Jerusalem that the gospel was having great success in Antioch, Barnabas was at once selected by the church to go on this mission of inquiry and encouragement."

So we read in Acts 11th chapter 23d verse, "When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad." Some one has said that it was a great window in the character of this beautiful man that we call Barnabas. That when he saw the great revival that was going on at Antioch, and that multitudes of people were being converted, it made him glad and he rejoiced with joy unspeakable and full of glory. We don't read that Barnabas, when he saw the work that was done, tried to throw a wet blanket over it and look on with a kind of superior critical eye and give them to understand that if he had done the preaching the work would have been much deeper and more thorough under his preaching than what he could see had been done there. No thank the Lord, Barnabas didn't do that, but we read that he joined in with them in the happiest and most beautiful spirit, and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they should cleave unto the Lord Jesus Christ.

In this Barnabas was different from many men that we meet. Sorry to say, some good men, it seems, can never detect goodness in other people. And because they did not have a hand in the revival themselves, they are most reluctant to give the credit to others. Thank the Lord, it was not so with Barnabas. Something must be radically wrong when such a disposition is manifested. A good man longs to see people converted any time, and under the preaching of anybody, and anywhere on the face of the earth. For we all admit that a good man hates wickedness because it grieves God and hurts men and when he finds good being done, no matter who is doing it, or who is going to get the credit for it, he rejoices. Surely anything that will make the angels in heaven rejoice ought to make good people happy down here. Again, we notice further that Barnabas was kind and gracious and entirely free from any disposition to push himself to the front.

So true was this that you will notice he was called "the son of consolation," or "the son of exhortation." I believe some one has said that this same word is used for the one and for the other. For from this word we can judge somewhat of the character of this man's preaching. It was running over with comfort. His sermons were tender and consoling and stimulating, rather than convincing. He aimed to reach the heart rather than the head. He was probably not what you would call a great preacher. He did not possess the commanding gift of St. Peter, or the splendid eloquence of the young Apollos. Neither did he possess the logical reasoning of St. Paul, but he knew the way to men's hearts, and this is a most necessary qualification in a minister's life. In these awful days when people are being fairly crushed with the cares and burdens of life and hearts are bleeding with sorrow, and the whole world is groaning because of sin, what we need in our pulpits is not a rehash of the daily papers. We know that information such as is gathered by the great news companies has a place in the world, but what we need in our pulpits is a message of love and tenderness and comfort that will cheer and encourage the people in the struggle of life.

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson

Uncle Buddy: Barnabas the Evangelist - part two

10/28/2018

We notice at this point the spirit displayed by Barnabas in those early days of the Church, that none of the believers might lack for anything. Those that had lands or houses sold them and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. This was not a compulsory abandonment of property, but as there was only one heart and one soul among them, those who were able sold as much of their possessions as was required to provide for the needs of their poorer brothers.

Charity was the rule and not the exception. Money was given for charity freely when the heart was given fully to the Lord. That early church had consecrated its purse and so we read that Barnabas, having land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostle's feet. (See Acts 4th chapter 37th verse.) What a princely benefactor he was! Either the amount of his giving was very large or there was something in his manner of giving that caused Luke to single Barnabas out from all the others and only mention his name in connection with the general law of self-denying generosity.

The point is that a deep inward principle of love will always find some outward expression toward those who are in need. Selfishness will think only of our own comfort, but a heart warmed by the love of Christ will always think of the general good. Barnabas did not wait for others to act, neither did he wish to outdo some one else in the matter of giving, but he gave when the needs of the people demanded it. True liberality is both a cause and effect of every true revival.

"Is his purse consecrated?" was frequently a question of one of John Wesley's co-laborers, when he heard of a man who had become a Christian. A genuine revival of old-time, heart-felt religion in the church would cause the boards of foreign missions, of the different denominations to not be smothered to death with debt, and missionaries from having their salaries cut to the point where they have to eke out an existence while they do the work of the church in the foreign fields while the homeland has plenty and to spare. Such a revival would cause the local church to do away with all its entertainments and its festivities in order to meet the current expenses. Not only did Barnabas assist in improving the outward and material conditions of the early church, but we see what he did to preserve the internal peace and prosperity of the church.

Knowing how injurious to their peace and happiness and how destructive of the church would be any division that might spring up, we find that Barnabas became one of the peacemakers of the early church, for we read that when Paul returned to Jerusalem after his conversion on the way to Damascus many suspicioned him, for we are told in Acts 9th chapter 26th verse that "he assayed to join himself to the disciples," but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But no one could blame them, for he had been breathing out threatenings and slaughter against them, and they knew it. Here was this same man wanting to join them. Of course they thought that trouble was in the air and it was at this critical moment that Barnabas came in to calm the troubled waters.

Luke tells us in Acts 9th chapter 27th verse, "But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly of the Master in the name of the Lord." This settled the whole matter, and resulted in complete confidence among the brethren. The Church thus united went on to achieve further conquest for God and righteousness.

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson

Uncle Buddy: Barnabas the Evangelist - part one

10/27/2018

Our text is in Acts 11th chapter 24th verse. We read, "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and faith and much people was added unto the Lord." This within itself is a wonderful history of a man, however in few words, yet words enough to tell us of his goodness and graces.

First, a good man; second, a man full of the Holy Ghost; third, a man full of faith; fourth, and much people added to the Lord.

Now here is history enough for a large book. First, we will say concerning the early life of Barnabas, the Bible gives us but little or, we might say, no information, for it tells us nothing about his birth and nothing about his boyhood days, not a word about his education and his ancestors. In all these points the sacred record is absolutely silent. We are introduced to him at once as a full grown man with a fully developed moral manhood. We are told in Acts 4th chapter 36th verse that his first name was Joses and that he was surnamed by the apostles, Barnabas, which is, being interpreted, "the son of consolation," and that he was a Levite and of the country of Cyprus. Scant as is our knowledge of the boy, there is enough said of the man Barnabas to indicate that he was a most noble character.

His name is first mentioned in connection with a great revival of religion, which was held in Jerusalem by Peter and John. We read that Peter and John had healed the lame man at the beautiful gate of the temple and their imprisonment soon followed. Before the Council that met in Jerusalem they manifested such holy boldness that the council marveled, but commanded them not to speak or teach any more in the name of Jesus. But being let go the apostles went to their own company, and reported what had been said to them. This brought the whole church together for prayers, and while they prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled.

Thank the Lord, prayer has shaken more things loose than earthquakes. This was a Holy Ghost revival, for we read that the multitudes that believed, were of one heart and one soul, and among this multitude was the young man that we call Barnabas. As we shall readily see, a revival that was so far-reaching that it unstopped deaf ears, that it opened eyes, and made the world, the flesh, and the Devil sit up and take notice, was indeed a very remarkable revival. For any revival that would bring into view and into such publicity such a man as this man Barnabas, must have been an unusual revival. At least it was no ordinary affair, and it is wonderful how a revival of Holy Ghost religion brings men into view. How different we sometimes think of the revival of our days.

They are called "modern revivals," some of them are called "decision days," others have put on what they call "drives for members," and little cards have been published and committees in the different classes of the church have gone out and walked the streets, they have buttonholed men in the banks and in the post office, in grocery stores, dry goods houses, on street cars and in fact on the street corners, have presented them with a card, and kindly asked them to write their names on them, and by so doing, were to become a member of some ecclesiastical body. That is called on in our day a "drive for members."

The only thing you can say for such proceedings is that a few names were added to the church roll, and we were in one city where the people that had given their names on cards were not even in the church when their names were read out. We might say now, "Oh, for an old-fashioned revival of heart felt old-fashioned religion that would give to the world another Barnabas," whose name shall go down in history to be perpetuated as long as the ages, and remembered by the Church universal for his noble character.

Robinson, Reuben A. (Bud). The Collected Works of 'Uncle Bud' Robinson

Reflecting His Image

10/26/2018

In the Garden, God told Adam and Eve that they could partake of everything except for one tree: The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God supplied all they would ever need for life at its fullest. Yet, for love to truly be reciprocated there had to be an alternative; it was that one thing that robbed them of everything God created them to be. God instructed them that the day they ate the fruit of that particular tree would be the day they would “surely die.” We all know what happened, don’t we?

Did they fall over dead after eating the fruit? Of course not. Thankfully we don’t physically die immediately when sin rears its head in our lives. So, what died? We typically say, “They died spiritually.” And while that’s not the wrong answer, it’s not complete. Of course, we know they died spiritually and therefore sin entered the world; that’s why we must be “born again.”

So again, what died when they ate the fruit of the tree? Everything they were created to be died that day. The image of God in them died. The day they ate the fruit of the tree they lost their identity, namely the image and likeness of the Creator. They didn’t just fall short or miss the mark; they took on the nature of God’s enemy. As a result, love became self-centered.

Remember what happened next? God questioned Adam, “Did you eat the fruit of the tree?” What did Adam do? He blamed Eve, “It was the woman you gave me, she told me to eat it. It’s all her fault.” Adam couldn’t even admit that he had sinned against God.

The image of God in Adam and Eve was reversed that day; it was turned inward. Adam couldn’t answer a simple question, “Did you eat of the tree?” He couldn’t say, “Yes, I did it…” because all the sudden it was all about Adam and not about God. Adam and Eve instantly became self-defending, self-protecting, and self-justifying. What Adam basically said was, “God, if You hadn’t given me this woman none of this would’ve happened; it’s all Your fault for putting her here with me.”

Growing up did you ever live at the expense of another person? Did you ever blame it on someone else? Maybe you still do. My middle brother and I were always trying to live at the expense of one another. When we’d get caught doing something wrong, we always shifted the blame… “It’s his fault!”

Once I had my brother and one of his friends hemmed-up in a patch of bushes at the end of a cul-de-sac in our neighborhood. I was throwing rocks at them (I considered them pebbles, but he said they were rocks). I would pick up one rock after another and fling it into the bushes and hear a loud “OUCH!” I was having so much fun at their expense.

It wasn’t long until they mounted a comeback strategy. To my surprise, a large rock (more like a boulder) came flying out of the bushes and hit me square in the head. That thing was so big that to this day I don’t know how they lifted it. Blood started flowing, I started crying, and I ran home to tell dad. In the end, I got a trip to the hospital and ten stitches to boot, and my brother got a whipping (and he deserved it).

On the way home from the hospital, my brother told my dad the real story: that I was throwing rocks at him and his friend before he threw the rock that busted my head open. Guess what? When we got home, I got a whipping too. I got stitches and a whipping… and I’m still mad about it.

That’s human nature though, isn’t it? We’re born with it. It’s self-preserving. It doesn’t naturally look out for the betterment of the other. It doesn’t naturally love others more than itself. Human love isn’t instinctively sacrificial. It doesn’t want what’s best for the other person; it desires what’s best for itself.

Being born of God means being restored to His image. That’s why life in Christ is so important. When someone is “born again” they get the image of God reinstated in their life. They become a new creation in Christ Jesus. Being born again is more than a prayer that qualifies me to go to Heaven; being born again is about being restored to the truth about why I exist.

Too often we function out of the dysfunctional emotions we grew up with. The problem with that is God didn’t give us those emotions, Adam did. God didn’t teach us to be angry and offended and at odds with people all the time. Those things came naturally because we inherited Adam’s nature at birth. Thus, we instinctively live for ourselves.

When God’s image is restored He invites us to become “followers.” Being a follower includes the invitation to, “Deny yourself and take up your cross daily…” (Luke 9:23). The idea behind Jesus’ words here is that we were never created for ourselves; we were made to bear His image. When we understand this we become complete in Christ without any additives. We don’t have to try to “fit in” or get people to “like us.” Truly following Him provides everything we could ever want for life at its fullest.

Nobody owes me anything. If we could learn this one thing as we follow Jesus it would catapult us into the life we’ve always dreamt of. The reason I’m on the earth is to glorify God. His image is my life’s purpose. Mercy woke me up today to give me one more opportunity to be like Jesus. It’s an adventure that lasts a lifetime and impacts more people than we could ever possibly imagine.

If we could learn to live by this principle alone we would live without frustration, disappointment, insecurity, fear, anxiety, and the likes. Life wouldn’t be about success or failure, which is killing the church by the way. It would be about experiencing God’s presence day-by-day as Jesus lives His life through us.

When I realize that I was only created to reflect His Image, everything else rolls away like water off a duck’s back. In Him, I am not defined by what people say, or the situation I find myself in, or the circumstances of my church or ministry, or my finances or career, or any other temporal thing. None of those things are why you were created. You were born to bear the image of Jesus. When you learn to do it then every day you’re as good as He is in you… and life doesn’t get any better than that!

This post was written by Rev Powell. For his original post, go to: brianlpowell.com/2018/10/25/reflecting-his-image/

If You Belong to Christ

10/25/2018

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise. Gal 3:28-29

Observation:

This passage from Paul’s epistle to the Galatians is frequently quoted and used to remind us of the unity which is found when we belong to Christ. Any barriers that may have existed are to be brought down. The power of prejudice is to be destroyed and a new life is to be found when one belongs to Christ.

Jerome put it this way, “ When one has once put on Christ and, having been sent into the flame, glows with the ardor of the Holy Spirit, it is not apparent whether he is of gold or silver. As long as the heat takes over the mass in this way there is one fiery color, and all diversity of race, condition and body is taken away by such a garment.” (EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS 2.3.27–28) What happens is that the former ways in which we identified ourselves are now clothed in Christ. Luther reminds us that Paul always adds his conditional clause, that all are to be “in Christ.”

Once we belong to Christ then we are to live as children of the promise. We are all God’s children, and this becomes the identifying factor of our lives.

Application:

It seems as if society is constantly struggling with what divides us. We are often asked to tick the boxes of all the ways in which we can be identified — by race, gender, nationality, citizenship, place of birth, county of residence, and household income. We may be asked to identify our religion, and then, if we tick Christianity, we may be asked which type of Christianity! We proudly proclaim that we are Reformed or Wesleyan, Catholic or Anglican, and then divisions just continue to be used as identifiers, ways in which we compartmentalize people. We use them, consciously, or subconsciously to divide us and just maybe, that includes whether we like a particular group or not.

The message of the gospel was radical in Paul’s day, and it is today, for “in Christ” all of those barriers are supposed to be destroyed. I love the way that Jerome put it because the vision of being clothed in a new garment is beautiful. The identifier is no longer that I am a Jew or Greek, male or female, employee or supervisor — but we are all brothers and sisters when we are united to, or cloaked in Christ. Belonging to Christ is always the transforming factor.

If I belong to Christ, the ways in which I identify myself just may change for the most important becomes Christ. What people see in my actions and behaviors ought to be the new clothing that I wear that reflects Christ. I am not defined by my nationality, my gender or my status in society but I am now defined by belonging to Jesus.

This “belonging” is very unifying for in this participation with Christ, we are suddenly brought together in holy communion both with God and with one another. This is the mystery that we celebrate when we celebrate the Lord’s supper together for it is a reminder of humanity’s communion with God and with each other. It is the great reminder that we belong to Christ and this reorients every part of our lives. It’s why at church on a Sunday morning, men and women, doctors and their patients, anglos and hispanics, former drug addicts and church executives can all come to the table and be one in God’s family.

If you belong to Christ, then all things are new. We are clothed in the beauty of Christ, reflecting him in the glorious diversity of the kingdom of God. If I belong to Christ, I identify with Jesus and this becomes the overwhelming focus of my life.

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to live into this new life every single day. May the temptation to create human divisions be overcome by the presence of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

This post was written by Rev Carla Sunberg. You can find her original post here: reflectingtheimage.blogspot.com/2018/10/if-you-belong-to-christ.html

So What's Wrong With Pornography?

10/24/2018

To see comments on this video, go to: www.xxxchurch.com/men/what-is-wrong-with-pornography-anyways.html

Watching Porn Together - A Woman's Perspective

10/23/2018

Almost everywhere you turn, couples are encouraged to introduce pornography to their relationship as a way to spice things up in the bedroom. Surveys will illustrate that in doing so, couples are significantly happier. What these headlines and surveys are not telling you is:

“The long term effect of watching pornography with your spouse can be devastating.”

Samuel Perry, a sociologist at the University of Oklahoma, and his colleague Cyrus Schleifer surveyed the same 2,000 American adults on three separate occasions between 2006 and 2014 regarding their relationships and their use of sexually-explicit material. According to Samuel Perry,

“We found that married Americans who began pornography were roughly twice as likely to be divorced.”

Nobody thinks a spark is harmful until the flame has been fanned resulting in a fiery inferno burning out of control.

An Unexpected Disaster
In 2015, I had the opportunity to volunteer with an agency who provides disaster relief assistance. I will never forget walking into a home that was completely destroyed by floods that ripped through an area of South Carolina. The family told the story of going through the day as if everything was okay, believing the media when they said that there was no imminent threat since the river was miles away. While cooking a meal, the flood waters came. They had no choice but to leave – immediately.

I spent the day with this family, as they realized that nothing in their home escaped the water. Everything was destroyed, mold was growing, and the home was completely wrecked. By the time evening came, we had removed everything from the home–including the floors, walls, and ceilings.

The same is true for pornography. We are led to believe that all will be okay – that it will even improve the relationship, but the final outcome is certain destruction.

“And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
-2 Corinthians 11:14

Many people believe the lie that viewing pornography will bring you closer together. To be quite honest, my husband and I bought into it too. Here’s what we didn’t realize until much later.

We Were Fooling Ourselves
Inviting pornography into our bedroom was a form of codependency. Both of us had been used to viewing pornography as a means to medicate the pain, emptiness, and loneliness in our lives. Watching it together meant that he no longer had to feel guilty for his actions, as it further endorsed the thought that I was okay with it. Feeling emotionally neglected, I believed that if I watched it with him our relationship both in and outside of the bedroom would improve. By being a willing participant, we were both sinning against God. We were both committing spiritual suicide. Though we couldn’t see it at the time, we now recognize the lifelessness that was behind our eyes and in our hearts.

Eventually, like poison, it would seep out into other areas of our lives.

Early in our marriage, we worked opposite shifts so we hardly saw one another. By believing that I was okay with his pornography use, my husband continued to have a rendezvous with sin. He filled his evenings with chats and text messages to women, and even made plans to meet up with one lady. I felt that sex was love, and so when we would go periods of time without intimacy I would begin to feel unsatisfied. Eventually, I would begin to find pleasure through porn instead of physical oneness with my husband.

Through time, I began to hate the people on the screen. They portrayed perfection–flawless bodies and high intensity orgasms.

We Were At Breaking Point
It spiraled us quickly into a battle with anger. Screaming matches would ensue. I would become physically violent to my husband and would storm out of the house, and he would punch walls. Clearly things were getting out of control, and we had to do something.

When we made the decision to kick pornography out of our bedroom, I was relieved–though the effects remained. For years, I would continue to struggle with self-esteem. We would both struggle with the images and expectations that lurked in the darkness. My husband would continue seeking out pornography on the internet to medicate the pain he felt as a result of any number of things including injury, job loss, and stress. For years, I would struggle in regards to what the picture of healthy sexuality with one’s spouse should look like. It held me captive and further led to me being unsatisfied and frustrated.

Once you have welcomed pornography into your mind and your life, it will continue to dominate your life – if you let it. Through Christ there is always hope to be a better version of yourself. The Conquer Series is a cinematic small group course that is helping men bring healing to their relationship. Through the use of the Conquer Series you’ll understand how your brain has been hijacked by the enemy. You will be given proven principles and techniques that will allow you to reclaim your brain and your identity in Christ. Today is the day that you can choose lifelong change!

Getting Real
Getting real with ourselves, with each other, and most importantly with God was one of the toughest journeys we have embarked on. We had to come to grips with the present struggles we were facing as a result of our bruised past. We had to learn that nothing is done in secret, for God is found in our most private moments. As a couple, we had to become putty in the hands of the Almighty.

“Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me,
get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything
wrong-then guide me on the road to eternal life.”
-Psalm 139:23-24 (The Message)

This is a daring prayer, so don’t pray it light-heartedly. You better believe that when you earnestly ask God to show you what you’re doing wrong, He will.

Stepping Into What God Has For Our Relationship
My husband and I now realize that our entire relationship has been wrong – we have allowed Satan in to so many areas of our lives and we now seek to serve the Lord first and foremost. Over the past couple of years, we have really started to fall in love with one another, connect on a level that we never thought possible, and we now can enjoy intimacy as the gift that God intended it to be instead of a product of worldly ideas and opinions. A few months ago we celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary, and we are considering plans to renew our vows in the near future.

I have no doubt in my mind that my story is not isolated, that there are other couples out there who are gambling with pornography and are experiencing or have experienced a declining relationship–despite what the headlines may say. You do not have to remain a prisoner to sexual sin.

The Conquer Series DVD set will allow you to understand the ways in which the enemy has kept a firm grip on your soul, and it will provide you the path to freedom for your tomorrow.

If you allowed Him to, what would God speak to you today?

This post was written by Kayla Sullivan. To view the original post, go to: conquerseries.com/what-viewing-porn-together-did-to-our-relationship/

Porn Companies are Targeting Video Gamers

10/22/2018

If you think that pornography’s market is limited to online videos, books, and magazines, you’re wrong. Porn is now making major inroads into two areas that will tighten its grip even more – online gaming and virtual reality.
According to Ben Miller, Digital Strategies Coordinator for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), even as recently as 2013, the number of video games containing pornographic sexual violence was minimal. But the numbers are now skyrocketing.

One popular video game website hosted about 780 games with nudity in 2017, but in 2018 they now host over 1,600 such games.

Porn Company Moving Into Video Games
Now, a company that owns a large number of top porn sites and studios has started a distribution platform for online pornographic games.
Miller said, “Porn games don’t simply contain sex and nudity. Rather, they are much more graphic. Some of these games promote sexual harassment and assault. Despite being cartoons, the graphic content in these games is far from harmless. Animated porn fuels sexual addiction and shapes sexual palettes just as regular porn does.”

Alarmingly, the distributor provides free-to-play games in addition to their purchased products. This free option will allow young kids easier access to the content, bypassing paywalls intended to block children’s ability to play the games.

NCOSE noted that the provider’s website traffic has exploded from 50 million to 115 million visits between April and August 2018, ranking it in the top 500 websites in the world.
Parents need to be aware of the impact the increase in pornographic online gaming may have on their children.

Marriage and Family Therapist Dr. Jill Manning told Internet Security 101, “Parents need to understand how intricately linked the gaming industry and pornography industry are. More and more games have pornography embedded in them. If kids play online, that is a pornographer’s heyday for marketing, grooming and hooking young consumers.”

Virtual Reality (VR) is also booming
Another major adult gaming portal announced in May that it is expanding into virtual reality with two new VR products. Through the use of a headset such as the Oculus Rift (owned by Facebook), a viewer is able to enter a totally manufactured environment and tune out the reality of their actual situation.

Fortune Magazine stated, “By 2025, adult virtual reality content is forecast to be a $1 billion business, the third biggest sector behind video games and NFL-related content, according to Piper Jaffray analyst Travis Jakel.”

Todd Glider, CEO of one VR adult entertainment company, clearly stated that “VR will become the standard in the industry for today’s younger male consumers.”

He continued, “I see it through a generational lens. VR porn will not have a pronounced effect on the demographic born before 1980. However, for the generations born after, the ones that reach adulthood in a world where 24/7 access to adult content is just a mouse click away, that’s the audience for VR porn, and it will be huge.”

Christian apologist and evangelist, Josh McDowell, is featured in the Conquer Series, a powerful cinematic DVD course that is helping families deal with pornography. In the Conquer Series McDowell describes his experience with virtual reality. He asked to have a villa created. When he put on the headset, he was amazed at the total immersion experience and felt he was actually in the villa.

“And then it hit me,“ McDowell said. “What this would do with pornography, and nobody’s talking about it. Like one pornographer said, ‘It’s been our dream as pornographers for 100 years’. It’ll take pornography from here, right through the ceiling. It’ll make everything I’ve said about pornography, or anyone else over the last eight years, child’s play.”

McDowell added, “Is the church ready for this? No! Because the church is not aware of it. I can hardly find anyone that understands virtual reality in the church. Pastors or anything. I mean, you say, “Well, do you know what Oculus Rift is?” It’s like they’re in wooly wooly land. The church is not ready for it and we don’t have long. It’s already mainlined in the world. When it becomes mainlined in the church it’s a hundred times harder to equip people for it.”

The Threat Is Real – Protect Your Children
The pornography industry has no intentions of backing-off or slowing down in its quest to continually find more distribution pathways. Parents must be diligent in their efforts to protect their children from the onslaught of porn.

Viewing virtual reality requires wearing a headset, which most children probably couldn’t afford. But the free-to-play online games are easy to access and can be done more secretly.

Here are some steps you can take to protect your children.

Keep the gaming device or computer in a high-traffic area, not in the child’s room, even if you already have an internet filter service.
Remove the headphones and make them use the computer’s speakers so you can hear any online chatting.
Set up all of your children’s game accounts and console controls. You decide who has access to their gaming profile and who your child can talk to. Many systems have parental controls so take time learning how to implement them.
Read reviews and understand the industry rating system. Make sure the game is age-appropriate.
Talk to your children. Teach them basic internet safety roles and to notify you if they encounter anything unusual or unsettling while they are playing. Build a non shaming relationship with your child so that if they do come across adult content, they can approach you and talk about it.

Prepare Your FamilyThe global porn epidemic touches all of our lives. Perhaps you struggle with pornography and want to break free of its hold on you. Or maybe you want to learn more about the problem so you can be better prepared to protect your family.

The 12-DVD Conquer Series was created to give men a proven resource to help them achieve a porn-free life. The powerful video segments, compelling testimonies, and strong Biblical teaching will equip you with valuable information about the porn battle.

This post was written by ConquerSeries: conquerseries.com/porn-companies-targets-video-gamers/?ims=kw-100818