This is Episode 400 of The Power of Purity Podcast!
The Blood Arrow!
If you were an Indian and you went hunting, you'd probably take more than one arrow in your quiver. In fact, you'd probably want a whole quiver full of arrows, so you'd have plenty of shots ready if you needed them.
In much the same way, people need many different "arrows" in their metaphorical quiver that they can draw upon in their struggle/battle agaisnt temptations. We need to have a battle plan in place, before the temptation arises, so that when the moment of truth arrives we have some resources, concepts, and strategies we can immediately employ in the face of that partiuclar temptation. These strategies are the "arrows" in our quiver, and in this episode Tony presents the concept of a new arrow to fight this battle:
The Blood Arrow!
The blood of Jesus is very powerful!
The blood of Jesus brings us the forgiveness of our sins, makes us a child of God when we beleive in Jesus, gives us a relationship with living God, and even gives us the gift of eternal life.
So, the strategy here is to call upon the blood of Christ in response to temptation. Take out the "blood arrow" and unleash its power in the face of temptation!
In this episode Tony shares 9 powerful scripture verses about the blood of Jesus, and 3 powerful songs about the blood of Jesus.
The next time you're confronted with temptation, quote at least 3 verses about the blood, and sing a chorus about the blood, and you will be empowered to overcome... by the blood arrow!
Nothing But The Blood of Jesus
There's Power in the Blood
There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood - sung by Joni Eareckson Tada
In this episode Tony shares the SECOND greatest gift you could ever give to God, which is the submission of your will to his will.
When God decided to create human beings, he did most amazing and remarkable thing when he decided to give us free will.
God did not make us robots.
He did not program us so we would have to love him and obey him.
Instead, he gave us free will so we would have the choice, and we could then choose to love him and obey him or we could choose not to.
In this way, when we do choose to love God and obey him, and when we do choose to surrender and submit our will to him, it's among the greatest gifts we could ever give him.
This was the original temptation in the Garden of Eden, when the serpant essentially tempted Eve to exercise her will independently of God.
"Why should God have the right to tell you what you can and cannot do? If you eat this fruit, you can be like God! You can decide for yourself what's right and wrong!"
And a good example of this from the bible is the example of Jonah, because when God told Jonah what he wanted Jonah to do, Jonah decided he did not want to submit his will to the will of God, and Jonah went in the completely opposite direction!
And another good example fo this from the bible is Mary, the mother of Jesus, because when the angel Gabriel announced God's plan to her, she immediately surrendered and submitted her will to the will of God, and thank goodness she did!
The SECOND greatest gift you can ever give God is the submission and surrender of your will to his will, and at the end of this episode Tony extends an invitation to you concerning the FIRST and greatest gift you could ever give to God!
In this episode Tony shares a concept / idea / strategy that has helped him tremendously in his personal life... in his walk with God... in his purity walk... in his mental and emotional equilibrium for at least the past year.
The Power of Music!
God made us, and gave us a heart.
And God made music, and music, in a mystical way, is a powerful language of the human heart.
There's music in heaven, and there will be music for eternity.
It's almost as if we wouldn't know how to be human if we didn't have music.
From the earliest days of humanity, humans intuitivly discovered the importance of rhythm and beat, even if it was as simple as beating on a drum.
There is rhythm, and melody, and cadance, and beat.
And this is the importance of worship, because the music can quite literally transcend our thoughts and reasoning to transport us into the very presence of God.
In this episode Tony shares how music can powerfully and profoundly effect our brain chemistry to release the feel good chemicals - dopamine, oxytocin, seratonin, and endorphins - that can help us regulate our emotional state, and our choices, in healthier ways.
Tony shares how he's been experiencing music (and dance) in a new, and deeper, and healthier way that's contriubted significantly to his metal, emotional, sexual, and spritual self-regulation.
It's a powerful and significant concept / idea / strategy that can and will help you in so many different dimensions of your life.
Superstition - Stevie Wonder
Mustang Sally - Wilsn Pickett
I Wish - Stevie Wonder
Let's Stay Together - Al Green
I'll Take You There - The Staple Singers
Chain Breaker - Zach Williams
Redeemed - Big Daddy Weave
Redeemer - Nicole Mullen
Shattered - Blanca
The Power of Music!
In this episode Tony shares 2 important metaphors.
The first one concerns the game of chess.
When you're playing chess, the objective is to get your opponent in "checkmate".
This means he doesn't have any moves left.
In this metaphor Tony compares our relationship with God to the game of chess.
In one sense God is attmepting to get us in "checkmate", which means we surrender completely to his will, plan, and Lordship for our life.
God's was is better than my way.
And in an interesting turn of events, it can often be the sexual area of a man's life that God uses to finally get that man in "checkmate".
It's when we become desperate enough as a result of our struggle with sexual brokenness, compulsion, and addcition, that we often come to the place where we're finally ready and willing to do the work we need to do that will allow God to work in a deeper and more powerful way in our heart and life than ever before.
CHECKMATE!
The second metaphor is taken from the wonderful movie, The Wizard of Oz!
When the farmhouse crashes down, and Dorothy opens the door and steps over the threshold, the movie changes from black and white to color, and she delivers the most significant line of the entire movie:
"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!"
In this sense there's a kind of "before and after" in each one of our lives.
The metaphorical "Kansas" (in black and white) represents the old way we used to live our life, and the metpahorical "Oz" (in color) represents the new way of life God has intended for us.
It's the way of God and the way of his kingdom.
We're in a new and different place we might not really understand, but we're finally positioned to experience the life, healing, restoration, and redemption of God in our heart, life, and sexuality like we've never experienced before!