It occurred to me today that one needs to be more diligent than ever against temptation in this day and age than in the past. The Internet provides so many opportunities for temptation it can boggle the mind. What prompted this line of thought was a common activity I do quite often - pursing CraigList sale ads. You may not know it but CraigsList has a section devoted to casual encounters (yes, it means what you thinking) and in there you can find all sorts of things, including nude photos. Anyone can get into this section after acknowledging that you are 18 years and older.
What got me started thinking about this subject is that CraigsList is supposedly a "safe" site. Years ago, you would have had to pay for a magazine to gain access to this particular sort of thing but the Internet has changed all of that forever.
So, I ask, do you agree that it takes more will power in this modern age to avoid temptation than ever before? Thoughts?
Ever do an image search on Bing? Be careful to cover your kids eyes (if they are in the room) if using ANY words that have ANYTHING to do with women or the female half of mankind in general. Even if all your doing is trying to find a gift for your wife.
I use Craigs all the time for buying and selling farm stuff... Some of the emails I get are outrageous! "hey baby... are you still selling that dehydrator? Maybe you could bring it over to my place and we could get it on!" I never know whether to laugh or cry because somewhere out there there is some lonely dude who answers that creepy email and probably gets mugged or killed and dumped in the river. Still 90% of my farm sales were at least initially generated as internet sales. There is just no staying off the computer in my world.
Bing... yeah... set some filters for any image searches or you are gonna get an eyeful. Google is a little cleaner but still has way too much T&A for anyone who might be subject to sexual temptations. Years of working in medicine with naked people has wiped out that part of my brain I guess 'cause I always think ... stupid.
It occurred to me today that one needs to be more diligent than ever against temptation in this day and age than in the past. The Internet provides so many opportunities for temptation it can boggle the mind. What prompted this line of thought was a common activity I do quite often - pursing CraigList sale ads. You may not know it but CraigsList has a section devoted to casual encounters (yes, it means what you thinking) and in there you can find all sorts of things, including nude photos. Anyone can get into this section after acknowledging that you are 18 years and older.
What got me started thinking about this subject is that CraigsList is supposedly a "safe" site. Years ago, you would have had to pay for a magazine to gain access to this particular sort of thing but the Internet has changed all of that forever.
So, I ask, do you agree that it takes more will power in this modern age to avoid temptation than ever before? Thoughts?
I think it does. So many times immorality isn't looked upon as sin but as an alternative lifestyle. Abortion is a somewhat acceptable practice. Homosexuality is pretty well ok in society now. Open marriages where each spouse lives for adulterous affairs is now fairly common.
God will, as He's always done, allow unrighteousness to a certain point and then will step in with judgement and wrath. Then folks will once again turn to righteousness. It's been a cycle like that for a very long time now.
Remember, in ancient societies like Rome, temples would have prostitution going on right inside the open door way on even on the grounds. All variations of "lifestyles" were prevalent. I remember reading that a Roman Emperor even married his horse and consumated the marriage publically before officials. Unwanted infants, especially infant girls, could be abandoned in the wild to die of exposure. Prostitution was legal. Also, men typically had "lovers" (both male and female). Drukenness was prevalent in public. So was other drug use. Imagine a person chewing quat sitting "dazed" on a mat on the side of the market while a drunk vomits right next to him and staggers away. And it's not just them... on that particular market row you might see six or seven guys like these two.
In a way... things are not as bad as they were. However, sin is far more subtle.
It occurred to me today that one needs to be more diligent than ever against temptation in this day and age than in the past. The Internet provides so many opportunities for temptation it can boggle the mind. What prompted this line of thought was a common activity I do quite often - pursing CraigList sale ads. You may not know it but CraigsList has a section devoted to casual encounters (yes, it means what you thinking) and in there you can find all sorts of things, including nude photos. Anyone can get into this section after acknowledging that you are 18 years and older.
What got me started thinking about this subject is that CraigsList is supposedly a "safe" site. Years ago, you would have had to pay for a magazine to gain access to this particular sort of thing but the Internet has changed all of that forever.
So, I ask, do you agree that it takes more will power in this modern age to avoid temptation than ever before? Thoughts?
Wikipedia is a minefield too. Yes Wikipedia has porn photos
__________________ Let it be understood that Apostolic Friends Forum is an Apostolic Forum.
Apostolic is defined on AFF as:
There is One God. This one God reveals Himself distinctly as Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
The Son is God himself in a human form or "God manifested in the flesh" (1Tim 3:16)
Every sinner must repent of their sins.
That Jesus name baptism is the only biblical mode of water baptism.
That the Holy Ghost is for today and is received by faith with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues.
The saint will go on to strive to live a holy life, pleasing to God.
The real prescription for temptation is diligence in developing a walk with God.
In 1 Peter 1, Peter said:13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Then in 2 Peter 1:
2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
Peter suggests to us to add to our faith 7 things. He does not suggest focusing on “fighting temptation”. My experience teaches me that focusing on the problem is a recipe for disaster. BUT focusing on these things, working on righteous things, always leads me to a deeper walk with fewer pitfalls.
Peter goes on to say, that this very thing is the one thing he has taught everyone, every time he visits them. He further says, God showed him he was about to die, so he wanted to teach this one last time. Peter thought it was important!
__________________ If I do something stupid blame the Lortab!
The real prescription for temptation is diligence in developing a walk with God.
In 1 Peter 1, Peter said:13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Then in 2 Peter 1:
2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
Peter suggests to us to add to our faith 7 things. He does not suggest focusing on “fighting temptation”. My experience teaches me that focusing on the problem is a recipe for disaster. BUT focusing on these things, working on righteous things, always leads me to a deeper walk with fewer pitfalls.
Peter goes on to say, that this very thing is the one thing he has taught everyone, every time he visits them. He further says, God showed him he was about to die, so he wanted to teach this one last time. Peter thought it was important!
Not sure if there is more temptation, just an added ease to gain access. I find the kid pageants shows on TV abhorrent. And you can buy anything or anyone on the internet. It's more sad to me that we are growing use to horrors.
__________________
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV
He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Micah 6:8 KJV
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2 KJV
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