“Ten Steps to Conquer Impure Thoughts” Part 6

IX.       10th Step: “Use Sensual Thoughts as a Springboard to Spiritual

Insight:”

A.   Remember Satan tried to tempt Jesus right after He was baptized. Jesus defeated  Satan by quoting the Word.

 Matthew 4:1- 11 “THEN was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,  And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

B.   Every temptation is based on a legitimate need to be filled in our lives.

C.   Satan will do anything to fulfill this need, such as TV commercial like beer ads. They suggest if one drinks a certain beer that person would a cool dude and would be women magnetic. He would also become the status quo. These ads have one purpose and that is to seduce our minds so that we can succumb to our carnal desires.

D.   Temptation is not a sin, it only becomes a sin, when we allow ourselves to dwell on it. It is the second, third and the fourth thought gets us in trouble.

E.   We can be deliver by these temptations by following some easy steps, such as the following:

1.     Submit all thoughts to God. Read 2 Corinthians 10:5  “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”

2.     When tempted quote the Word of God to the devil. The Word is our sword.

             Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit

             which is the word of God:”

3.     Ask the Holy Spirit for a scripture or the wisdom in how to respond to this temptation. It is like old adage says, “In with good and out with the bad.”

4..    Replace the temptation with an image of Christ suffering for our sins.

F.    The results will be for us to transform our sensual desires into spiritual power.

1.    We will gain wisdom and insight why we struggle with this problem.

2.    This way in the future, we can avoid any pitfalls.

X.        The Conclusion:

            Remember we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. I would like to

           encourage you that we can become victorious in these thoughts and

           desires. It says in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ which

             strengtheneth me.”

A.   In God’s Word that He will meet all our needs in these trouble times.

B.   Go forth in the Lord and be free as you walk in the spirit

C.   For He will give us the victory.

 Alma 26:12 “Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.”

If you would like to know more about Jesus and your purpose in life, please contact the Mormon Missionaries:

In the Buffalo, NY area:

940-7143

997-4490

1-585- 403 – 0556

Rochester, NY area: Spanish & English

1-585-905-4620

In the Cattaraugus area:

716-740-0631

In the Wyoming County area in the state of Pennsyjvania:

570-240-2354

Elder Zayne Callahan

Elder Callahan's Mission is the whole wide world of the Internet. If you want to contact him and talk with him; you can reach him on Facebook and he also has a blog. Here are the web connections:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/elder.zayne.callahan

http://elderzaynecallahan.blogspot.com/2011/09/rachels-testimony-expected-logic.html

For a free DVD “Finding Faith in Christ” call 1-800-443-9911

“Ten Steps to Conquer Impure Thoughts” Part 5

VII.     8th Step: “Learn To Live In Fear Of God:”

A.   It is vital and important to remember God’s Word. Proverbs 16:6  “By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.”

D&C 136:21  ‘Keep yourselves from evil to take the name of the Lord in vain, for I am the Lord your God, even the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob.”

B.    The only way a truly, sincere and committed Christian can enjoy any kind of sensual thoughts is temporarily blotting God out of one’s conscious. One should call to mind that God is evaluating every one of our thoughts. One needs to reject those thoughts that are not wholesome very quickly.

1.    This is precisely what the fear of the Lord is; a moment by moment awareness that God is always present.

2.    He is weighing every one of our words, thoughts, actions and attitudes.

3.    Here are some scriptures that can encourage you:

Proverbs 19:21  “There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless

 the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.”

                        Psalm 139:2  “Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou

                        understandest my thought afar off.

Corinthians 5:10  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

Psalm 139:4  “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.”

2 Nephi 9:20  “O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it”.

D&C 38:2 “The same which knoweth all things, for all things are present before mine eyes”;

D&C 6:16  “Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.

D&C 88:41 “He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even.”

C.   A good important outward defense to our thought life is by projecting to others the awareness of Christ’s presence in our lives. When a person has a pure heart and a godly appearance, it will be manifested and projected in their daily walk. As we walk in the spirit, it will result in a hedge of protection and as a restraint.

A.    The Body is a Temple of God: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”

1.    The Temple: You are the Temple of living God. We are His children and we must not alter the dimensions of our mind, our emotions and our body from the idea of the blueprint that Our Heavenly Father has ordain us.

a.    He knew us before foundation of the earth.

b.    He formed us in our mother’s womb. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee,”

2.    The Glory: You have and possess a greater glory than Solomon’s Temple and Herod’s Temple.

a.    When Solomon’s Temple was dedicated the Holy Ghost entered the Temple.

b.    Incarnated Christ entered Herod’s Temple.

c.    You are His Temple. The day you were confirmed, the Holy Ghost entered your heart and your body and you became His living Temple.

 

  

1.    The Cleansing of the Temple:  As Christ cleanse out Herod’s Temple; He is cleanses our Temple of all sin and unpleasing behavior. He deals with our personality, our intellect, and our social behavior.

2.    Faith: Christ is total faith as well as total love, wisdom, strength and etc. Christ is in you and you already poses  that total faith. You don’t need to wait for more faith, because you already posses it.

Romans 12:3 “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith”.

A.    Food for Thought:    Written by me(Charles Stephen Rogers)

on May 7, 1989

 As the world has seasons, so does our faith. In the spring we plant the seed of faith, we give it much prayer and hope to see it burst forth into life. As we see the seed take root in the solid ground and take hold, so does our faith take hold. We continue to cultivate the ground, giving it the right ingredients and nourishments in order for the seed to spring into life.

With much prayer, the seed of faith grows from a small seedling into a stem that grows into a larger more stronger plant. As we see the plant grow, so does our faith grow also. It grows to a point that our faith and belief become larger than anything we face. Then we can say to that mountain, “Be gone” and it is gone, for our faith was greater and larger than the mountain. As the mountain is moved so is our faith moved into a stronger, deeper relationship with our Father in Heaven.

VII.     9th Step: “Learn God’s Limitation to Curiosity”

A.   Having an undisciplined curiosity is one of Satan’s most powerful tool that he can use to defeat us in our thought life. In  Romans 16:19  “For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.”

A.   Satan used the same tool of curiosity in the Garden of Eden, when he spoke to Eve. He defeated them through curiosity by saying to her, “Did God really say?” Then he compounded the situation by also saying, “You will surely not die, for God knows that when you eat of the fruit, your eyes will open and you be like God good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5

Nephi 2:18  “And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.”

B.   Today we live in a society of pseudo-intellectual, which includes Christians too. They vigorously defend their rights to use their intellect to study all matters of evil and perversion.

C.   The day we accepted the Lord into our lives, we have no rights, because Jesus purchased us by His precious blood. He gave us the victory.

Romans 16:20  “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

D.   God never wanted us to learn evil with our minds or by experience. The Lord wants us to test the spirits.

 1 John 4:1  “BELOVED, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

E.   The more we walk in the spirit, the more we have ability to discern other spirits. One can have the ability to spot evil miles away, when one is walking in the spirit.

“

Moroni 7:12  “Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.”

D&C 11:12 “And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.”

D&C 50:31 “Wherefore, it shall come to pass, that if you behold a spirit manifested that you cannot understand, and you receive not that spirit, ye shall ask of the Father in the name of Jesus; and if he give not unto you that spirit, then you may know that it is not of God.”

F.    One of the requirement to be mighty in spirit is to be free from the plaque of impure thoughts.

Galatians 5:17 “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”

Genesis 4:6 “And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy

 countenance fallen? 7  If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou

 doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt

 rule over him.”

G.   Sin lies at the door of our lives, but through the spirit we can master it. When one is presented with such things as books, magazines, movies, TV programs; we have the choice to remove our eyes and keep our minds off them. What one needs to do is concentrate on what is wholesome and pure.

Article of Faith 13  “We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things”.

A favorite saying often quoted by the late President David O. McKay was: “We sow our thoughts, and we reap our actions

We sow our actions, and we reap our habits

We sow our habits, and we reap our characters;

We sow our characters, and we reap our destiny.”

 (C. A. Hall, The Home Book of Quotations, New York: Dodd, Mead &

  Company, 1935, p. 845.)

I change the previous saying and it goes like this:

Sow a Thought – Reap an Act

Sow an Act – Reap a Habit

Sow a Habit – Reap a Character

Sow a Character – Reap a Christ-like image.

Click on the following web link.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYr0o6pGhZ0&feature=related

 

If you would like to know more about Jesus and your purpose in life, please contact the Mormon Missionaries:

In the Buffalo, NY area:

940-7143

997-4490

1-585- 403 – 0556

Rochester, NY area: Spanish & English

1-585-905-4620

In the Cattaraugus area:

716-740-0631

In the Wyoming County area in the state of Pennsyjvania:

570-240-2354

Elder Zayne Callahan

Elder Callahan's Mission is the whole wide world of the Internet. If you want to contact him and talk with him; you can reach him on Facebook and he also has a blog. Here are the web connections:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/elder.zayne.callahan

http://elderzaynecallahan.blogspot.com/2011/09/rachels-testimony-expected-logic.html

For a free DVD “Finding Faith in Christ” call 1-800-443-9911

 

“Ten Steps to Conquer Impure Thoughts” Part 4

V.        6th Step: “Reinforce Your Will by a Bond Accountability”

A.   The principle of accountability is one of the most important tool to use to conquer temptation. If we are going to commit ourselves to do something and we fail to use this tool of accountability, we only fool ourselves and set ourselves up for failure. By using someone to be accountable to, will benefit us enormously, because it doubles our accountability, which in return forces us to be honest.

B.   Take for example, when we have impure thoughts on an average of three times (3X) a week. We then will suffer defeat of an average of 156 episodes within a year. If one can reduce these episodes by half, were on our way in being set free from impure thoughts.

C.   One should ask the Holy Spirit for guidance on whom, we should go to for accountability. By going to someone, we take these thoughts that plague us under the submission of the Lord. The person who we can be accountable is our Bishops, Stake President, and Quorum President Leaders, a teacher or a friend. By going to this person, we are making a covenant with them that they will respect our confidentiality and also that they will be accountable to God.

D.   This agreement that we are making with this person is when a temptation plaques us, we should be able to contact them and share with them what is happening to us. So when this transpires, the both of you can pray about it. What will this accomplish? Four major things will happen:

1.    The thought of divulging these temptations to the person whom we are accountable to, is a powerful motivation to resist this temptation even more.

2.    One’s need for prayer is a powerful tool in setting us free. By going to them is like having a “spiritual umbrella” to protect us from our thoughts that try to captivate us and bring us back into bondage of these thoughts.

3.    By going together in prayer, will be a source of power for victory we’re striving for. It says in the Word, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

4.    By sharing the problem with another solves half of the problem. It also gives the Lord an opportunity to work in the situation. It is when we keep it to ourselves, we are bound to this sin and by sharing it allows the Holy Spirit to work in it and set us free from the claws of the enemy. “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:19

E.   As you are struggling with your weakness, it will be a benefit  to the person, who you are being accountable to because it causes that person to be accountable to God and to you. In return it will be a blessing to him because it fosters and encourages them to live a godly life.

1.    When you talk to the person, there is no need to go into any details. Just share with them that you are being tempted. After sharing with them, the both of you should go into prayer in order to receive the help you need.

2.    After praying, asked them to check with you later to see how you are doing. There may be a need to pray some more. The more seek the Lord’s face the greater the triumph will be.

3.    In James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  This will foster and strengthen our covenant by building and relying on God’s Word. In return the both of you can rejoice when the war is over and it is won. You both can savor the delicious victory. Moroni 7:9 says “And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such.”

F.    Another form of accountability is by asking your spouse or your girlfriend to help you in this area. Asking them to help you in guarding your eyes in public. This will be effective and reassuring too.

1.    Ask her when she notices you looking more than twice at another women, she will help you by gently reminding you of your covenant with your eyes.

2.    She can also remind to view this other women from God’s perspective.

3.    When she is helping you, she do this in love and not in condemnation. By doing it in a sarcastic and condemning way, will only foster defeat.

4.    Sometimes when one is being accused, our old nature will kick in and one says to himself, “If I am going to be judged and convicted of it, I my wells give into it and do it!”

5.    When it is done in love, it will inspire you to try harder to guard your eyes and your heart.

6.    Also this bond of accountability to draw the couple closer together, strengthening their relationship.

7.    It will encourage and better ones communication between couples.

8.    Their love will reassure them daily and the both of them will bask in the victory of the battle that was won by the power of God.

 

VI.       7th Step: “Realize That Winning a War Means Many Battles”

A.   In Scriptures, the Lord gives us various accounts of battles that we will face in life, so that we can learn and benefit from them. In

1 Corinthians 10:6  “Now these things were our examples,” Take for instant, the following story in the Bible.

B.   The prophet Elijiah reminded King Jehoash of his future battles that he will have to face. Elijah gave the king some arrows and commanded him to shoot the arrows into the ground. King Jehoash shot the arrows in the ground three times and then gave up. Elijiah was deeply disheartened in the king and told him, if he had struck the ground five or six times, he would of subdued his enemies. By striking the ground trice, he would only win three battles, but eventually he would be defeated. 2 Kings 13:14-19

C.   We have to make a gut, soul and have a heart determination that no matter what the cost is we will stick to the struggle until we see the end comes and victory is gained. The Scriptures are filled with examples and reminders that we need to be more determine than we think. Here are some scriptures to encourage you. Jeremiah 12:5 “If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of Jordan?”

Proverbs 24:10 “If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.”

Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

D&C 89:20 “And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.”

D.   In Romans 5:20-21, it says where there is much sin, more grace abounds. No matter how deep one is in sin, God gives us the grace to overcome it. God’s mercy and His grace flows more abundantly. Also when we have been forgiven much, more is expected of us.

Click on the following web link.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yY9NLyfBao&feature=related

E.   When one lives a sinful life, they are sold out to it and don’t give a second thought to it, because one is in bondage to that sin. No matter what the circumstances was, we gave no excuses to go out and party commit our wrongdoings.

F.    When Christ came into our lives, He gave us the choice to say no or yes to our old nature. The Lord wants to see that we have the same passion to live a godly life as we did when we lived our sinful life.

G.   We come up with various excuses why we can’t serve the Lord. We take advantage of Our Heavenly Father’s mercy.

H.   We need to be honest with ourselves that when we lived our old life, we were sold-out to the devil and his ways. We didn’t give it a second thought how our sin was hurting us, because we were enjoying its’ temporary pleasure. This sin held us in bondage.

I.      If one is willing to have that kind of passion for our old nature: why can’t we have same passion for the Lord? Another words, we need to be sold out to the Lord with the same passion and degree. Serve Him with a grateful heart because He set us free.

If you would like to know more about Jesus and your purpose in life, please contact the Mormon Missionaries:

In the Buffalo, NY area:

940-7143

997-4490

1-585- 403 – 0556

Rochester, NY area: Spanish & English

1-585-905-4620

In the Cattaraugus area:

716-740-0631

In the Wyoming County area in the state of Pennsyjvania:

570-240-2354

Elder Zayne Callahan

Elder Callahan's Mission is the whole wide world of the Internet. If you want to contact him and talk with him; you can reach him on Facebook and he also has a blog. Here are the web connections:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=hp#!/elder.zayne.callahan

http://elderzaynecallahan.blogspot.com/2011/09/rachels-testimony-expected-logic.html

For a free DVD “Finding Faith in Christ” call 1-800-443-9911