Video Transcript: Victory as a Minister over Sexual Landmines

So today we're gonna get practical on how to to have victory as a minister over sexual  landmines. And, you know, I want to talk about those videos that I've shared the various  videos and did I find them fascinating, interesting in how the Holy Spirit works in different  people as they are being discipled and sanctified over this area. So here's without, you know,  taking away from any of the videos and again, enthusiastically receive everything the Lord,  give you have given you. Here's some of the things I have found helpful. And I've shared in  ministry over the years. And some of this will be now restating of what others have said and  what I said earlier. But this kind of sums up this whole mini course, again, first of all, recognize that you will struggle in this area. I Corinthians 10:12, if you think you are standing firm, be  careful that you don't fall. So this is your problem, this is my problem. In instead of hiding in  the bushes, let's just come out of the bushes and say this, we care about the health of our  soul, we care about the health of our ministry, we care about the health of our marriage, we  care about the health of our daughters, our sons, we say the king has no clothes on this. And  we are going to say that the world is selling us all a bag of goods here, and I have bought it in  the past more than I should have, and I don't want to buy it anymore. And I'm not going to  say Oh, this is for somebody else, or I'm not going to justify it when they you see the stats  that 90 some percent of men have seen or are looking right now at pornography and 70 some percent of women are or are looking right now in pornography. Let's just say this is true. This  is our problem as ministers as believers, and we're not running away from it. Okay, so that's  number one. Number two, you are responsible for not allowing others to stumble. I  Corinthians 10:31. So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God do not cause another to stumble whether Jews or Greeks or the Church of God, even as I try  to please everyone in every way, for I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, so that they may be saved. And Romans 14:21, it is better not to eat or drink wine or do  anything else that will cause your brother to fall. You know, that's always been that debate in  the early church between Paul and the Judaizers. And on one level, in this again, relates a lot  to theology, on one level. When you're saved, you're saved. And you will then go another  level for a whole life of sanctification. We see right here for instance, and understand the  theology the difference between salvation sanctification in Ephesians 2:8, for it's by grace you have been saved through faith, this is not from yourself it is the gift of God. But then we see  in I Thessalonians 5:23. May God Himself the God of peace, sanctify us through and through  may your whole spirit, soul, and body, I just love that be kept blameless until the coming of  our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are called to have no one stumble, even as we work out our  salvation with fear and trembling, even as the sactifying work of God works in our life. So  whatever our background is, and we're, however, our journeys through navigating through the sexual temptations of our life, we do so not causing anyone else to stumble. When we fall,  confess our sins, we do so by seriously bringing this to the Lord. But we also do so knowing  that the blood of Jesus has saved us. We're set free of our sin. If we sincerely feel sorry for if  we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and may the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.  Keep changing us so that pornography becomes rarer and rarer sexual sin becomes rarer and  rarer. So, all of those things, just as like any other sin becomes rarer and rarer. And addiction  doesn't even come onto our radar screen. Because, you know, why would we want to be  addicted to anything? And then what starts happening is, is in this transparent journey of  God's change of your life, He gives you more ministry, because in the end, he sees that you  sincerely and honestly surrendered this part. To him and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit is occurring. So boundaries, let's talk about boundaries. Well, in ministry do not meet with  someone of the opposite sex alone or in ways that create blurred boundaries. I mentioned in  another class that when I first was in ministry, I was challenged by a young woman my age, I  met alone. By the grace of God, I ran the other way. Now, again, I didn't feel tempted that I  was doing anything, but what if she would accuse me of some wrong from that time on, I have not had a one on one meeting that I can remember now, with the opposite sex in decades. I  just believe in general, stay away from it. I just heard the story recently, my brother told me  about a minister who was is today 72 years old. And here, several women have come forward  that he crossed boundaries with them, but he met with them alone. And and now his ministry  thought of as fruitful is no longer that way and we have other examples of that. And there's 

too many examples of clergy or ministers violating Because they're one on one with  somebody. I really like the concept of couples ministries in the future for more and more of  you that hey, just meet together don't give satan a opportunity to even create an accusation  put that out there that you know what I only meet with my spouse when we meet with  someone and I like it where the spouse becomes a minister and then both of you might be  maybe clergy and then there's a confidentiality I think that's a trend that is a very positive  trend and I hope and pray that that continues to grow. Number two, maintain good  boundaries, social media, many not not texting others. You know, texting, whatever I would I  get texts by wave can see everything I get, we have our computer set up that way. The  computer be out into the open. Be transparent. If you fall, be accountable to your spouse. You know, I found I looked at pornography to me in then create an attitude where Okay, let's pray  about it. Let's confess. hiding in the bushes is not going to help. Ultimately, have a lifestyle  where sin gets to be sin seen as sin. And you go to the Lord and receive His forgiveness. And  ask the Holy Spirit that those stumbles become less and less and less relating to the very  much private sexual boundary address any sexual addiction habit, with enthusiastic surrender to God, including gentleness, conviction and communication take joy in keeping the fallen.  Dopamine receptor cycle at bay. Galatians 6:1, brothers, if someone is cognizant you were  spiritual, so restore him gently. But watch yourself that you also may be tempted. This is not a place for all after all, go high and mighty. And even if you have totally eradicated all sexual  temptation, in your mind, be very careful that you don't as a Pharisee start thinking that  you're better than anybody else. And ministers were saved by grace. The apostle Paul had a  thorn in his flesh, but it was a messenger of Satan but taught him that he is weak and when  he is weak than he is strong in all of our lives, we together are fallen, we together, need  accountability, join others and support each other in our mutual boundary, journey without  shame and in victory, Hebrews 10:25, let us not give up meeting together as some are in the  habit of doing. But let us encourage one another, all the more as you see the day  approaching. Accountability is a beautiful thing. We're all in this together, we're all fallen  saved by the grace of Jesus Christ. Our sins have been taken away. Now, it is about the  sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit in this area is not an area where we are defeated. And all  this is an area of victory. And whatever that victory means for you, it could mean that God just totally takes away any temptation to sexual sin. It could be that God has helped you place in  your life a strong accountability structure, where sexual sin is rare and become even more  rare. A strong moderation understanding in your life, where you fear, the truth that you could  fall in that you stay away from the environments that create that. This can be an area in your  life where victory can mean different things to each of you. But all of us must take this  seriously. Whatever God gives you receive with thanksgiving, we receive it all together, we  encourage each of us together. Cause we know there's an intimacy, a true intimacy with Jesus Christ, that's ultimately the pattern of all intimacy. There is a word, the Bible that shares with  us what that intimacy is all about, and this is what we want. And just as Jesus did not, stone  the woman caught in adultery. In gentleness, we call the people who struggled in this area to  know more, and to help them, to encourage them, and for ourselves, to know that Jesus says,  Come to me, all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest, take my yoke upon me and  learn me from gentle of heart, and you will find rest for your soul. Ultimately, this is about soul decluttering. I have a mini class that I completed on the care and decluttering of your soul.  And this is about that. It's about living and ministering connected to God and benefiting those  in our marriage or family and those that are in ministry that God might be glorified. Want to  thank you for being part of this class, and may God bless you, as he see how his lordship is  over every area, every nook and every cranny every synaps to the dopamine receptors in the  responders and that together through the power of the Holy Spirit, we might be good  ministers able to lead and serve with a clear conscience, that God is glorified.