Which of the following are similar to the ways you've served Christ in your family? [check all that apply]
• Taught your kids to see God's glory in nature
• Washed the dishes without being asked
• Played a board game with your kids
• Encouraged your wife to finish her master's degree
• Attended a child's open house at school
• Worked fewer hours to be with your family
• Set an example of a godly prayer life for your children
• Held a crying child
• Swung on the tire swing with your daughter
• Told your wife why you're still in love with her
• Told your son he's got what it takes
• Coached soccer
• Let you child correct you now and then
• Fixed the vacuum cleaner
• Taught your sons to ride a bike
• Listened patiently to a complaint of your wife
• Taped your child's artwork to your office wall
• Admitted to your kids that you were wrong
• Told your children how Christ entered your life
• Cleaned up vomit
• Taught your children to love books
• Been romantic without expecting sex
• Told your daughter she's smart/beautiful
• Set standards for your kids and stuck to them
• Dealt graciously with a busybody neighbor
• Peeled carrots
• Watched movies together
Break the Spell Theme of the Week: The Sensuality Snare Wednesday, March 24, 2004
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Men of IntegrityMarch/April 2004Break the SpellTheme of the Week: The Sensuality SnareWednesday, March 2472
Key Bible Verse: After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin (James 1:15, NIV). Bonus Reading:James 1:13–16
A man who wants to find freedom from sexual lust must identify the rituals that precede an episode of acting out. Rituals men have mentioned to me include surfing the Internet, driving by a strip club, reading personal ads, browsing in a video store, calling a former girlfriend, TV channel surfing, cruising in a red-light district, calling 900 numbers just for information, and asking a female acquaintance out to lunch.
To break the trance, make a list of the rituals that lead up to destructive sexual behavior for you. Then name the aggressive steps you'll take to contain each ritual. Expect your sinful nature to resist, to plead with you to keep your favorite ritual. You must ignore its pleadings and ruthlessly do whatever it takes. Holding on to even one ritual will nurture your lust.
I know a man who removed cable TV from his home. As a further precaution, he refused to watch TV after 10:00 p.m., unless his wife was present.
When I'm on the road, I refuse to turn on the TV in my room. By never turning it on, I avoid the ritual of channel surfing. I've recently signed up with an online server that blocks access to pornographic sites on the web.
—Bill Perkins in When Good Men Are Tempted
My Response: The rituals that lead up to my destructive sexual behavior are _____. To eliminate these, I must _____.
Thought to Apply: Be thoroughly acquainted with your temptations and the things that may corrupt you
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