Overcoming Sexual Strongholds

3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Stronghold - A prisoner locked by deception. Living Life by something that is not true.

Week 1 Truth about Lies… addictions… Sexual Strongholds… I know that makes many nervous… don’t worry, this is PG

We are under sexual assault by media, culture… the church is too silent on the subject.

Bible says the last days will be like the days of Noah & Lot… sexually promiscuous.

The World… the culture has answers if we don’t.

We all live in a fallen world and we are all fallen. All areas of fallenness are equally bad. ALL areas. We are all trying to get free from Satan’s oppression in our lives.

Many of you grew up hearing, sex is dirty, ugly and bad… save it for the person you love.

God invented Sex and we need to do things God’s way.

Lies

Romans 1:21–25 NLT

21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

Sex is an animalistic action

Culture says you should respond to your feelings. You are not what you feel. Your feelings are not who you are. You control your feelings.

You are not an animal. You have a choice.

Hunting stories… deers … turkey …

You do not have to follow your feelings… they lead to death. You have the ability to choose.

Sex is a recreational activity

It was just spring break… it wasn’t anything…

Sex is a union of the soul.

One Flesh - not just talking about physical.

Sex is an isolated event

It stays with you.

Culture - whatever happens in Vegas…

That’s not true. It will stay with you.

Sex is just physical

It’s way more than physical.

It’s spiritual …

You are a spiritual being and everything you do has spiritual implications. And what you do with your body impacts your spiritual health.

When god puts you together it’s for intimacy… you can’t have that if you are wandering like culture wants you to.

Real love is defined by a commitment to a person, not a feeling.

This is why porn is so destructive because it leaves the person out of it.

1 Corinthians 6:15–17 NLT

15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

unite - glue yourself… fuse together at the core to that image… that person other than your spouse.

So what you do?

1 Corinthians 6:18–20 NLT

18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

pornea - all sex outside the bond of marriage. Word is where we get the word porn…

If you are a Christian, Jesus purchased you with his blood.

Here are four things that help us to honor God with our body.

Overcoming Sexual Strongholds

1 Thessalonians 4:3 NLT

3 God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin.

1 Thessalonians 4:7 NLT

7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives.

1. Make a commitment to God’s Way

You don’t have to feel it, you choose it. Choices lead and feeling follow.

You are not the sum of your feelings. If you have been going that way, just turn around. God’s arms are wide open.

Isaiah 1:18 NLT

18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.

Jesus makes all things new. He restores cleanliness into your life. you don’t have to be defined by your sinfulness, but by the restoration God does in you.

2 Corinthians 6:17–18 NLT

17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

2. Manage my mind

You have to figure this out.

Porn industry’s income is greater than NBA, NFL, MLB, Hockey… combined. We are in an onslaught by the pron industry and our culture.

Avg. age for porn’s first look between 10-12.

Don’t go crazy when you catch them. Say something like, I thought you might struggle with this… let me help you...

Jesus - they eye is the lamp of the whole body… What you let in can pollute the rest of you.

Romans 8:5–6 NLT

5 Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. 6 So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

Psalm 101:3 NKJV

3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me.

3. Maintain healthy relationships

If someone is asking you to do things that in your heart of hearts you don’t want to do, get out of that relationships.

1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT

33 Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

This works in the positive too.

Find my friend on your phone...

James 5:16 The Message

16 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.

4. Magnify God’s Plan for my life

One thing that helps… my wife… I never want to dishonor her or hurt her.

2nd - you. I have to read my bible to get ready for you.

2 Corinthians 7:1 The Message

1 With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let’s make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let’s make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.

Wrap -

Struggle - Pray against confusion of identity, confusion… pray for real freedom from porn… looseness… Set people free and restore.

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