frosbel:

The Immoral “Christian”

By day he works in a downtown office. He’s a hard worker and has received steady promotions. Everyone likes him. He’s trustworthy and pleasant to be around. A model father of three children, no one would ever suspect his dark secret.

By night he stalks through suburban neighborhoods, crouching along fences and behind trees. He looks for modest homes, the kind owned by young couples, and only those that are single-story. That way the bedrooms aren’t on a second floor.

It’s another Friday, and tonight he’s back in familiar territory. His heart beats faster as he nears a house where he “scored” last weekend. Newlyweds recently bought the attractive ranch, and he smiles as he sees a dim light shining through a window from the rear of the house. He draws closer, hoping to hear soft music, which tells him that the window is open on this hot summer night. Yes! It’s faint jazz. This could be another score. Closer he creeps until he’s against the house, where he tiptoes silently to the window. His mind is filled with images of what he’s seen before.

A man such as I’ve just described is known by the familiar term, “Peeping Tom.” His activity is considered criminal, and rightfully so. Most of us agree that such people ought to be in jail. He’s a pervert, and he’s certainly not the kind of person we expect to see in heaven. Certainly no Christian would ever practice such behavior.

With this, the Bible agrees:

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience (Eph. 5:5-6, emphasis added).

Are peeping Toms moral or immoral? Pure or impure? The answer is obvious. And according to Scripture, they have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Truly born-again people are not peeping Toms.

A Second Scene:
By day he works in a downtown office. He’s a hard worker and has received steady promotions. Everyone likes him. He’s trustworthy, pleasant to be around, and a model father of three children. He attends an evangelical church every Sunday morning and even teaches a Sunday School class twice a month. Elected a deacon last year, he’s close to the pastor and well-respected among the congregation. His car antenna has a white ribbon tied to it in protest against Indecency. It is well with his soul.

After working hard all week, he likes to relax on Friday evenings. So on the way home from work he stops at the neighborhood video store. There’s a new release that he’s heard about and he hopes there will be a copy still available to rent. There is. It features several of his favorite actors and actresses. It’s rated R, and he knows full well that it will contain explicit intimate scenes and lots of profanity.

For a moment, his conscience speaks as he views the provocative photo on the slipcover. But his defense is already planned: When he discusses the movie with fellow believers in church, he will bemoan all the sex and vulgar language:

“Isn’t it a shame that movie-makers think all that filth is necessary?”

“Yes! Yes! What a shame!”

Once the kids are in bed, he slides the video into his VCR and sits down on the couch with his wife. She would never suspect how much he is looking forward to seeing the tanned and trim female bodies in various degrees of UnCloth that are about to be paraded before him. He overheard some of the unsaved guys at the office talk about how the bedroom scenes are awesome. It’s another Friday night.

A Comparison of the Two Men
What is the difference between the first man and the second? The peeping Tom watched live sex in bedrooms. The other watched filmed sex in bedrooms. The peeping Tom could only see limitedly through a partially opened window. The other man had a close up and very intimate view. The peeping Tom watched two people who possessed a lifetime commitment express their love for one another. They would have been horrified to know they had company. The second man watched two unmarried people who were paid large sums of money to UnCloth and engage in sex in front of a potential audience of millions, making them some of the highest-paid LovePeddlers in the world. In fact, a portion of his money went to them. In essence, he paid LovePeddlers to have filmed sex so he could be entertained.

Of course, the first man was a peeping Tom on the road to hell. The second man was a follower of Christ, on his way to heaven.

Or was he? Didn’t we just read that no immoral or impure person will inherit God’s kingdom? Which man was more immoral?

Two other points worth noting about the second man, the supposed follower of Christ: By renting a sexually-explicit video, he has financially supported the Indecency industry, casting his vote that more of such movies be produced.

6 His dollars will thus provide others the opportunity to watch more of the same filth; thus he has promoted sin in the lives of others. This the peeping Tom did not do.

Second, the movie the “Christian” paid to view was filled with profanity. God’s name was frequently used as a swear word. Doesn’t it seem strange that one who prays every Sunday in church that God’s name will be hallowed would use his money to be entertained by people who repeatedly blaspheme God’s name?

Why Hypocrites Act Holy
If the second man in our scenario was more immoral than the unsaved peeping Tom, why is it that so many professing Christians act just like that second man, regularly fueling their lust, viewing graphic immorality as a means of entertainment? The answer is that they are not truly saved.

If you agree that the second man was equally or more immoral than the first, and you believe that immoral people will not inherit God’s kingdom (as the Bible states), then you must agree with my conclusion. But why are so many people deceived in this matter?

It’s safe to assume that the average professing Christian who regularly views explicit sex scenes in movies would never stalk suburban neighborhoods to peek through bedroom windows. In fact, he would consider the peeping Tom to be abhorrent. And why? Is it because he loves God? Is it because of his holiness or inward purity? No, those couldn’t be the reasons—or he would be equally abhorred with the thought of personally viewing filmed sex between unmarried people.

His inconsistency betrays what really motivates him not to stalk suburban neighborhoods at night: pure selfishness. If he were caught being a peeping Tom he might suffer negative consequences. His reputation might be ruined. He would be disgraced before his church. He could even end up in jail.

However, he’s found a way to regularly do, with no risk, just what the peeping Tom does. His “holiness” is patterned not after God’s standards, but the world’s. It has become quite acceptable to watch sexually-explicit movies in our culture, and so he has nothing to worry about. His reputation won’t be ruined. He won’t lose his wife or job. He won’t go to jail. If he were a true follower of Christ, however, he would have taken seriously Jesus’ very solemn warnings about the dire consequences of lust:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matt. 5:27-30, emphasis added).

Whether he realizes it or not, the second man does have something to worry about that is much worse than losing his reputation or job: His habitual practice of lust will send him to hell forever. Yet he ignores or explains away what Christ clearly taught, trusting in a grace that forgives but doesn’t transform him, a grace that doesn’t exist.

When Virtue is Vice
Yet there is still more to say about the second man. His regular practice of immorality coupled with a life that outwardly appears righteous makes him a hypocrite. A hypocrite isn’t a person who’s a mixture of good and evil—a hypocrite is completely evil. The reason he tied a white ribbon to his car antenna is not because he’s opposed to Indecency. That’s obvious, because he regularly spends his money to view graphic immorality and financially supports the Indecency industry, thus supporting the exploitation of women and the corruption of children. The reason he tied a white ribbon on his antenna is because he wants to appear righteous. His public life is an act. His motivation is not obedience to God or compassion for those harmed by Indecency—his motivation is pure selfishness—he wants others to think more highly of him. All of his “good deeds” are tainted by this same fact. He’s a hypocrite, opposed to “hard indecency” but supporting “soft indecency.”

Our character is revealed, not by what we do on Sunday mornings, but what we do all week. It is revealed more by “little” things and by what we do when alone. Take the sin of stealing, listed in the Ten Commandments and mentioned as a sin that, if practiced, is a sure sign that a person is going to hell (see 1 Cor. 6:10).

Very few professing Christians rob banks at gunpoint. Yet many regularly cheat on their income tax, effectively stealing from every American citizen. Some pay their employees “under the table” (or accept such payments as employees) to avoid paying taxes, again, stealing from every American. Many habitually steal small items from their employers. If they are given more change than they are entitled at the grocery store, they keep it. They are thieves. Thus the obvious reason they don’t rob banks is not because they are basically unselfish or love God; their small thefts prove otherwise. The reason they don’t rob banks is because they’re afraid they might get caught. The “goodness” that they do display is really just another indication of their selfishness. If they could rob a bank with as little risk to their reputation and future freedom as they can cheat on their income tax, they would. But the same selfishness that motivates them to steal small things that no one will know about also motivates them to be “good” in big things. Our true character is revealed when we are tempted to do wrong with little risk of adverse consequences.

God’s Hidden Camera
Imagine that you are an employer who has a favorite employee. That employee arrives early each day, leaves late, works hard, and is well liked by your other employees.

However, one day you have hidden cameras installed in your business, and to your horror, you witness your star employee conceal a company-owned item under his jacket, take it outside, and, after looking left and right, place it in his car trunk. Do you think to yourself, Ah, well, he’s still a great employee. He just has a small flaw. I’ll overlook it?

No, suddenly your entire opinion of your star employee changes. Now, all of his previous good points are seen in a different light. Now you begin to wonder why he comes in early and leaves late. Is it so he can steal from the company when fewer people are around? Is it to make you think more highly of him so you won’t be suspicious of him when certain items are discovered missing? Now that you know his true character, all his good works are exposed as evil. That’s how God sees every hypocrite. That’s how God views the second man in the previous story. His inconsistency reveals his true character. He’s not a Christian with a minor flaw. He’s a hypocrite who is entirely corrupt. His good deeds don’t offset his one minor flaw; rather, they are a damning revelation of just how evil and selfish he is.

One who has been truly born again is indwelt by God’s Spirit and is progressively made holy as he cooperates with the Spirit. He will not lead a double life. Certainly he may stumble at times and sin. But that is not his consistent behavior. His life is primarily characterized by obedience to the God whom he loves all the time. As the apostle John wrote: “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God” (1 John 3:9). The new birth is the beginning of a new life of holiness. And as the true Christian learns more of God’s will, he is transformed more and more to be like Jesus (see Rom. 12:2).

Contrariwise, the one who has experienced only a counterfeit conversion does many things at home and abroad that he would never do at church or in the company of other Christians. His moral principles are patterned not after what God says but by what the world says, and the world’s standards are on an ever-downward spiral. That is why the counterfeit Christian habitually does what would have appalled even non-Christians just a few decades ago. Case in point: Today, multitudes of professing Christians don’t even flinch at the worst obscenity, profanity, violence and perversion portrayed in motion pictures—what would have shocked non-Christians in the not-to-distant past. Some nationally-recognized Christian leaders even recommend such films, as long as they contain some “redeeming” moral theme, such as courage, honor, or self-sacrifice!

True Christians are motivated to be holy because they’ve been regenerated by the Holy Spirit and because they love God. On the other hand, what motivates counterfeit Christians to be as moral as they are is their own self-interest, the same thing that motivates non-Christians to be as moral as they are.

Unholy Motives
Why do non-Christians restrain themselves from committing certain sins? It is because they fear adverse consequences. This principle has been proven repeatedly throughout human history during times when the usual moral restraints, such as governmental law or public opinion, have been removed. When brutality becomes acceptable, brutality prevails. The piles of human skulls in Cambodian killing fields and crumbling incinerators of Nazi concentration camps stand as mute testimony to the true nature of unregenerate human nature. What happens when murder is legalized, when the law of the State or public opinion says it’s OK to exterminate Jews or rip the unborn to pieces in their mothers’ wombs? No one has to speculate on the answer to that question.

How many professing Christians are motivated, in their limited morality and holiness, not by love for God and regeneration by the Holy Spirit, but by ever-changing public sentiment, the continually-revised law of the land, or peer-pressure of their fellow church members? Only God knows for certain. But through honest self-examination, each one of us can determine what truly motivates us. If every professing Christian would do that, many would be shocked to discover that all their goodness is really wickedness, motivated by nothing higher than self-interest.

Is it really possible to do good things, yet be motivated by pure selfishness? Absolutely. As I’ve already pointed out, most of the “virtuous” deeds done by non-Christians spring from selfish motivations. Consider the words of Paul in this regard:

If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing (1 Cor. 13:3).

Jesus, Exposer of Hypocrites
Most modern, professing Christians are opposed to Indecency. But vocalizing disapproval of that evil is not the litmus test of authentic Christian conversion. If a person is motivated by love for God and fellow man in his opposition to this evil, his actions, thoughts and words will be consistent in that regard; he will practice in his own life an opposition to these sins and those sins which are closely related. Again, if the second man in the previous example had truly been opposed to Indecency based upon his concern for the victims of Indecency or love of God’s law, he wouldn’t be regularly watching sexually-explicit videos. His attitude toward all immorality would be consistent.

Jesus exposed similar hypocrisy among religious people of His day, revealing a timeless principle applicable to everyone who thinks he’s on the way to heaven. Let’s consider again His words that are found in a sermon about salvation, commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. See if you can find the significance in His teaching for modern professing Christians who are vocally opposed to Indecency, but who indulge in other forms of intimate immorality:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’; but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if your right eye makes you stumble, tear it out, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off, and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of the parts of your body perish, than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matt. 5:27-30).

First, note that Jesus is warning certain people about hell. Contextually, they are people who are not physically committing adultery. They are, however, mentally committing adultery, and Jesus said that unless they repent, they are heading for hell.

The Letter and Spirit of the Law
Was Jesus adding extra requirements to the Seventh Commandment? No, He was closing a loophole that existed only in people’s minds and revealed the full implication of what God meant from the time He first gave the Ten Commandments. Contained within the commandment that forbade adultery was also a prohibition against lust. Obviously, if having a intimate relationship with your neighbor’s wife is a sin, then mentally undressing your neighbor’s wife is also a sin. Any honest, thinking person would have to admit that.7 But Christ’s audience was like so many today—they keep the letter of the Law but ignore the spirit of it. They are vocally opposed to specific sins of which they aren’t guilty, yet practice the same sins in other forms. God’s will for our intimate purity far exceeds just abstinence from adultery, fornication and homosexuality. He expects that we be sexually pure in our minds, as Jesus made so clear, as well as in our mouths. For example, Paul wrote,

But do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks (Eph. 5:3-4).

The New Living Translation clarifies the sins of filthiness, silly talk and coarse jesting as “obscene stories, foolish talk and coarse jokes.” Obscene stories and coarse jokes are obviously speech that convey sexually-immoral ideas in a positive or humorous way, and “foolish talk” may well describe the sexually-perverted conversations of people whom the Bible characterizes as fools. Paul’s point is that no follower of Christ should be involved in intimate immorality, any impurity, or anything even related to those sins, impure conversation included. What do you suppose Paul would say to Christians who entertain themselves by viewing today’s sexually-suggestive television sitcoms? What would he have to say about most PG-13 and even many PG movies being produced today?

Modern False Teaching
Sadly, some (so-called) Bible teachers use the above-quoted verse from Ephesians to counteract the “guilt-inducing” and “unbalanced” teaching that is being broadcast by teachers such as myself. Their logic goes like this: “It’s obviously possible for true Christians to commit sins of immorality and impurity, otherwise Paul wouldn’t have addressed the issue.”

I’m not saying that it is impossible for a Christian to commit adultery or fornication. Of course it is possible, because Christians are still free moral agents. A true Christian could fall into immorality. Paul’s purpose, however, in writing the above-quoted words was not to assure people who were continually committing sins of immorality and impurity that they were truly saved in spite of their lifestyles. Rather, he was writing to warn Christians to steer as far away as possible from any shadow of such sins, because they are sins that characterize hell-bound people. As Paul went on to say in the next two verses,

For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience (Eph. 5:5-6).

Yes, a Christian could yield to the temptation of immorality. But those who do so with regularity mark themselves as being immoral and impure, and thus expose themselves as being counterfeit Christians. Because of the addictive nature of sin, particularly of intimate lust, the wise follower of Christ will avoid and resist any thought, word or deed related to intimate immorality. A very young Christian, perhaps, may not know God’s standards of intimate purity, but as soon as he reads Ephesians 5:3-5, his excuse of ignorance is no longer valid. That is precisely why Paul wrote what he did.

Other Cloudy Questions
To further cloud the issue and make meaningless the clear warnings of Scripture, some people ask, “What constitutes the practice of a sin? If I committed adultery once this year and once three years ago, does that make me a practicing adulterer who is thus proved to be a phony Christian? Or did I just stumble twice?”

The first question to ask is, “Did you repent and ask God’s forgiveness after you sinned?” There is a vast difference between the person who does and the person who does not. If a true Christian yielded to temptation and committed adultery, he would feel extremely guilty and should cry out for God’s forgiveness. If he does, God will forgive him.

Was his salvation in jeopardy before he asked for God’s forgiveness? What if he had not asked for God’s forgiveness and repeated his sinful act? How many times must he commit adultery before he is considered to be “practicing” adultery? The answers to these questions have been hotly debated. I don’t pretend to have the sure answer.8 But any person who wants to know how many times he can commit adultery without repenting and still go to heaven should question his salvation. Those who have been truly born again desire to be holy—body, soul and spirit. They are striving to be completely pure, in thought, word and deed.

Others object, again, in an attempt to make the clear warnings of Scripture meaningless, by saying, “I want to be free from the practice of immorality, but I can’t. I love the Lord, and I truly and sincerely want to be free, but I’m not.” They are hoping that the determining factor is not what they do but what they say they desire.

They are, in an indirect way, saying that sin’s grip on them is more powerful than God, and that His salvation provides forgiveness but not transformation. The New Testament repeatedly affirms, however, that believers in Christ have been set free from sin’s power (see Rom. 6:6-7, 17-18, 22). Scripture also testifies of the complete deliverance from certain grievous sins and the dramatic behavioral differences experienced by true believers (see 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:17; Bosom. 2:11-14; 1 John 3:7-10).

Moreover, God has promised us that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to resist, and will always provide a way of escape (see 1 Cor. 10:13). In light of such clear and abundant truth, one’s excuse that he wants to stop sinning but can’t rings hollow. I’ve often found that those who claim they want freedom from intimate immorality or impurity are unwilling to remove from their lives what causes them to repeatedly stumble, whether it be discarding their TV, canceling a magazine subscription, avoiding certain places of business, breaking off wrong relationships, or disconnecting the Internet. Paul wrote that we should “make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Rom. 13:14), and Jesus said that we should cut off what often causes us to stumble. Those who refuse to obey Jesus’ clear command reveal that He is really not their Lord at all. They have no intention of obeying Him.

Sin loses its grip when we repent, because that is when God forgives and delivers us. But repentance involves a turning away from all known sin. It is an attitude of our heart and an act of our will. People who truly repent demonstrate their repentance by their actions (see Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20).

If you’re convinced that you are a born-again person who can’t break free of the practice of immorality or some other sin, perhaps a simple question will help you understand your self-deception: Would you stop your sinful practice if someone offered you ten million dollars to stop? If you would, that proves you could; and if you could, you can; and if you can, you should! The problem is not that you can’t stop, but that you won’t stop. Why would you do for money what you will not do for love of Christ?

Of course, there is no way to avoid all temptation, and no Christian should think he’s abnormal because he’s tempted, struggles against sin, or has a healthy sex drive. As has been so well said: “You can’t keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from making a nest in your hair.” It is when we yield to what we know is wrong that we should be concerned.

Every Christian should strive for perfect intimate purity, in body, mouth and mind. Adultery, fornication, homosexuality, Indecency of any degree (including advertisements and short bedroom scenes in “good” movies), “dirty” jokes, immoral fantasies, and reading about or listening to something sexually immoral for the purpose of entertainment are all wrong in God’s eyes. If we claim that we are continually stumbling but don’t remove the stumbling block as Jesus commanded, we are fooling ourselves.

frosbel:

Hang on, before you go berserk with me on this topic , lets look at the bible for evidence
[b]
1. In the days of Noah and the Ark, only 8 people were saved with a few animals amongst millions of hardened unrepentant sinners.

2. In the days of Sodom, only Lot and his daughters were saved, the majority ended up dying in an inferno.


Verses such as ' Many are called but few are chosen '  or ' broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there are who go therein, but narrow is the way that leads to life and few there will be that find it ' are widely dispersed through the bible.

What this tells me is that the majority of human beings in their billions and
billions including those who died at the time of Noah will be spending an eternity in HELL !!!

Millions of Christians will be saved but in comparison to the perishing , it will be like a drop in the ocean.


What lessons can we learn from this?

1 - In the eyes of God, the majority is more often wrong than right

2 - It is always wise to be careful and behave like the biblical Bereans in these last days because of the intensity of false believers and false doctrine

3 - The fact that a church has experienced explosive growth is not an indication of holiness or obedience to God

4. - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding.


The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget GOD
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modavi:

, "For we are not ignorant of his devices--2corin 2 vs 11
Nice1, God bless you and your family for this reminder ooh! hmm, Oshe!

frosbel:

2 Peter 3 :

2That you should recall the predictions of the holy (consecrated, dedicated) prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior [given] through your apostles (His special messengers).

3To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing, [people who] walk after their own fleshly desires

4And say, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the forefathers fell asleep, all things have continued exactly as they did from the beginning of creation.

5For they willfully overlook and forget this [fact], that the heavens [came into] existence long ago by the word of God, and the earth also which was formed out of water and by means of water,

6Through which the world that then [existed] was deluged with water and perished.(A)

7But by the same word the present heavens and earth have been stored up (reserved) for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.

8Nevertheless, do not let this one fact escape you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.(B)

9The Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people's conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.

10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a thunderous crash, and the [[a]material] elements [of the universe] will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

frosbel:

Original Sin
So, dear Reader be concerned about your own sins and the coming judgment of the Last Day.

pspeak:

[b], but after kids and other demands of family life kick in, it seems as if they start losing the emotional intimacy and friendship they once had

frosbel:

Women, try this recipe for happy, healthy, well-adjusted kids:

1. Become a person of Character
2. Carefully choose and court a man of Character
3. Get married
4. have intimacy
5. Have children
6. Stay married for the rest of your lives




As opposed to what normally happens today:


1. Meet an attractive person
2. Date
3. have intimacy (but not before the 3rd date—that would be slutty)
4. Move in together
5. Break up and move out
6. Repeat steps 1-3 at least 8 times, 1-5 at least twice.
7. Finally meet “Mr. Right"
8. have intimacy. Lots of intimacy.
9. Move in together.
10. Get married so you can have kids
11. Have a kid, maybe two
12. Realize you have married a no-good bum and divorce
13. Work lots of hours at Wal-Mart trying to support your children
14. Complain openly and often about the plight of single moms, prompting your friends to give you tons of self-indulgent pity.
15. have intimacy. Lots of intimacy.
16. Visit your grown children Sunday’s at the prison

Which list above most closely represents your life so far?

The best way to love your kids is to choose a man of character to be their father, then stay married to that man for the rest of your life.

Already screwed that up? Let’s think this through. Here’s a multiple choice question for any single mom:

I am a single mom because (choose one):

A. My husband died an untimely death

B. I was despoiled and decided to keep the baby.

C. I am a LovePeddler—I slept with someone I wasn’t married to and got pregnant. While that doesn’t mean my kid isn’t valuable, it does make me a LovePeddler.

D. I divorced my husband—I chose badly and didn’t get what I wanted from the relationship so I selfishly chose divorce over marriage.

E. My husband divorced me—I failed to prove my worth to him as a wife.

You see, there really aren’t too many options.

And if you had to choose something other than “A" or “B", you’re a pretty selfish piece of work.

So, that addresses your past, but what about now? What about your current situation? What can you do to make your children’s life better?

Repent of your selfishness.

Then marry a man of character.

How do you find a man of character? First you have to be a person of real character yourself. Develop your own character. High quality men tend to marry high quality women.

Become a woman of character and a man of character will find you.

The second thing ought to go without saying. It should, but we have so perverted our culture it probably won’t. So here goes:

Stop having intimacy.

[b]Don’t sleep with anyone you’re not married to.

You will be amazed how many more men of character will be attracted to you when they find you aren’t a LovePeddler. LovePeddler’s are a dime a dozen—even at church. Just about any guy can get some extra-marital excitement with a little effort. Worthless guys won’t have anything to do with you if you aren’t a LovePeddler. Worthwhile guys won’t have anything to do with you if you are.
[/b]

frosbel:

We should read and study the Bible because it is God's Word to us. The Bible is literally "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). In other words, it is God's very words to us. There are so many questions that philosophers have asked that God answers for us in Scripture. What is the purpose to life? Where did I come from? Is there life after death? How do I get to heaven? Why is the world full of evil? Why do I struggle to do good? In addition to these "big" questions, the Bible gives much practical advice in areas such as: What do I look for in a mate? How can I have a successful marriage? How can I be a good friend? How can I be a good parent? What is success and how do I achieve it? How can I change? What really matters in life? How can I live so that I do not look back with regret? How can I handle the unfair circumstances and bad events of life victoriously?

We should read and study the Bible because it is totally reliable and without error. The Bible is unique among so-called "holy" books in that it does not merely give moral teaching and say, "Trust me." Rather, we have the ability to test it by checking the hundreds of detailed prophecies that it makes, by checking the historical accounts it records, and by checking the scientific facts it relates. Those who say the Bible has errors have their ears closed to the truth. Jesus once asked which is easier to say, "Your sins are forgiven you," or "Rise, take up your bed and walk." Then He proved He had the ability to forgive sins (something we cannot see with our eyes) by healing the paralytic (something those around Him could test with their eyes). Similarly, we are given assurance that God's Word is true when it discusses spiritual areas that we cannot test with our senses by showing itself true in those areas that we can test, such as historical accuracy, scientific accuracy, and prophetic accuracy.

We should read and study the Bible because God does not change and because mankind's nature does not change; it is as relevant for us as it was when it was written. While technology changes, mankind's nature and desires do not change. We find, as we read the pages of biblical history, that whether we are talking about one-on-one relationships or societies, "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). And while mankind as a whole continues to seek love and satisfaction in all of the wrong places, God—our good and gracious Creator—tells us what will bring us lasting joy. His revealed Word, the Bible, is so important that Jesus said of it, "Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). In other words, if we want to live life to the fullest, as God intended, we must listen to and heed God's written Word.

We should read and study the Bible because there is so much false teaching. The Bible gives us the measuring stick by which we can distinguish truth from error. It tells us what God is like. To have a wrong impression of God is to worship an idol or false god. We are worshiping something that He is not. The Bible tells us how one truly gets to heaven, and it is not by being good or by being baptized or by anything else we do (John 14:6; Ephesians 2:1-10; Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:10-18, 5:8, 6:23, 10:9-13). Along this line, God's Word shows us just how much God loves us (Romans 5:6-8; John 3:16). And it is in learning this that we are drawn to love Him in return (1 John 4:19).

The Bible equips us to serve God (2 Timothy 3:17; Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12). It helps us know how to be saved from our sin and its ultimate consequence (2 Timothy 3:15). Meditating on God’s Word and obeying its teachings will bring success in life (Joshua 1:8; James 1:25). God’s Word helps us see sin in our lives and helps us get rid of it (Psalm 119:9, 11). It gives us guidance in life, making us wiser than our teachers (Psalm 32:8, 119:99; Proverbs 1:6). The Bible keeps us from wasting years of our lives on that which does not matter and will not last (Matthew 7:24-27).

Reading and studying the Bible helps us see beyond the attractive "bait" to the painful "hook" in sinful temptations, so that we can learn from others' mistakes rather than making them ourselves. Experience is a great teacher, but when it comes to learning from sin, it is a terribly hard teacher. It is so much better to learn from others' mistakes. There are so many Bible characters to learn from, some of whom can serve as both positive and negative role models at different times in their lives. For example, David, in his defeat of Goliath, teaches us that God is greater than anything He asks us to face (1 Samuel 17), while his giving in to the temptation to commit adultery with Bathsheba reveals just how long-lasting and terrible the consequences of a moment's sinful pleasure can be (2 Samuel 11).

The Bible is a book that is not merely for reading. It is a book for studying so that it can be applied. Otherwise, it is like swallowing food without chewing and then spitting it back out again—no nutritional value is gained by it. The Bible is God's Word. As such, it is as binding as the laws of nature. We can ignore it, but we do so to our own detriment, just as we would if we ignored the law of gravity. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough just how important the Bible is to our lives. Studying the Bible can be compared to mining for gold. If we make little effort and merely "sift through the pebbles in a stream," we will only find a little gold dust. But the more we make an effort to really dig into it, the more reward we will gain for our effort.

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