Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
If Jesus Christ is "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42), doesn't that mean He can save a man from "committing adultery in his heart" when he "looketh on a woman" (Matt. 5:28)? Otherwise, the Bible is a farce. Our question is not, "CAN He save" but "DOES He"?
Unless you answer "yes," you're not much of a witness for Him, are you? And just "preaching" about it seems empty and helpless, and only deepens the guilt that many feel.
Legalism is not the answer, however stern and strict. According to the apostle John one can't deny reality: "the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). By nature, you're drowning in it and you need a Life-Guard Savior 100 percent. Don't think your own will power will succeed.
Before you start your new day you have prayed, "Father which art in heaven, ... Lead [me] not into temptation, but deliver [me] from evil" (Matt. 6:9-13). If you log on to Internet pornography, aren't you deliberately canceling that prayer? You're walking directly onto the devil's ground, doing Peter's thing when he denied Christ by mingling with the worldly crowd who enjoyed the fun of watching Christ be crucified. By watching pornography you are crucifying Christ afresh in the person of the victims--supporting the business of their exploiters.
Jesus told it straightforwardly as only someone can who Himself goes to the cross: "whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:27). Read the context of the previous verse: part of what you give up for Him is the woman (or the man!) who is the object of your personal "lust."
You don't know what to do until you learn. The grace of God actively TEACHES you to say "No!" exactly as Jesus Himself did (Titus 2:11-14). Now, thank Him, praise Him!
Join Christ on His cross and let self be crucified WITH Him (you're never alone). The New Covenant, not the Old, is the answer.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 8, 2003.
Copyright © 2011 by Robert J. Wieland.
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