Good News of Great Joy
Tony recorded this episode on Christmas morning and shares a significant observation from the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke chapter 2.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12
We learn from the story that this “good news of great joy” is for “all the people”, and this means that what happened on that holy night was for me and for you!
On the night Jesus was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem and proclaimed a message to them that reveals the very reason that our lives can be changed even today, over 2,000 years later.
If you’re struggling in your heart, life, or situation, there is hope!
Even if you’re struggling to manage and experience your sexual gift in a healthier way, there is hope!
The proclamations of both the angel on the night Jesus was born, and by the old man Simeon in the temple 8 days later, and the implications therein, contain the very truth and power that can change our hearts and lives, even today.
Take heart!
Have courage!
Don’t give up!
There is “good news of great joy for all the people”!
This episode was recorded on December 19th, 2023... in the shadow of Christmas which was just 6 days away.
It's so easy to get lost in the helter-skelter and business that comes along with this time of the year - buying Christmas gifts, parties, get togethers, traveling, family obligations, etc.
Rush... rush... rush... busy... busy... busy!
Sigh!
In this episode Tony encourages us to remember the "true reason for the season", and shares 3 important observations from Luke 2, which is the story about the birth of Jesus.
It's interesting to note the progresson of 3 intersting vignetes that appear one after the other in this passage.
The first one concerns something that was proclaimed by the angel who appeared to the sheperds that night.
The second one concerns something that was proclaimed by the old man, Simeon, who had a special connection to the Holy Spirit.
The third one concerns something that was proclaimed by the old woman, Anna, who had been a widow for 84 years, and was over 100 years old.
SAVIOR!
SALAVATION!
REDEMPTION!
A very significant "theme" emerges around these unusal events that occurred when this special litte boy was born in the manger in Bethlehem, and the proclamation of this "theme" reveals the very reason of his birth.
SAVIOR!
SALAVATION!
REDEMPTION!
In this episode Tony explores the mystery of the Incarnation - the mysterious reality that God became a man, and made his dwelling among us.
God became one of us, and the little baby in the manger - Jesus - was incomprehensibly 100% God and 100% human at the very same time.
But this profound mystery isn't just theology for us to believe in our head.
It's reality that makes all the difference in our hearts and lives.
It's the reality that God is with us that creates the possiblity that our lives can be truly different.
It's the reality that God is with us that creates the possibility that a man who's struggling with an addiction to pornography can truly change into a new and different man.
What do you think the chances of true and lasting change would be if God wasn't with us?
When we're confused... God is with us!
When we're struggling... God is with us!
When we're depressed... God is with us!
When we're discouraged... God is with us!
When we feel weak... God is with us!
And when we're strugglng with pornography, or any kind of compulsive sexual behavior... God is with us!
In this episode Tony shares 3 very powerful scriptures that affirm the reality that...
God is with us!
“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). Matthew 1:23
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 1:1,14
5 The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7
What can God stop?
God is God, and God is all powerful, and God is almighty, and nothing is too hard for God.
God can do anything God wants to do, and God can stop anything God wants to stop.
In this episode Tony shares 15 amazing things that God stopped in the bible, along with the corresponding verse for each of these 15 things.
(1) God stopped sickness.
(2) God stopped the storm.
(3) God stopped the armies of pharaoh.
(4) God stopped paralysis.
(5) God stopped leprosy.
(6) God stopped lameness.
(7) Gid stopped infertility.
(8) God stopped hungry lions.
(9) God stopped 135,00 Midianites.
(10) God stopped the firey furnace.
(11) God stopped demons.
(12) God stopped deafness.
(13) God stopped Goliath.
(14) God stopped blindness.
(15) God stoppeed death itself.
Is there something going on in your life right now that you would like God to "STOP"?
In this episode Tony affirms that God can "STOP" anything God wants to "STOP", but also shares one very important reality that we absolutley need to understand and accept.
The truth is incredibly important.
You're in a spiritual battle that's raging over your life, and the greatest weapon the enemy has to use against you is the power of the "lie".
If the enemy tells you a lie, and you beleive the lie, it's as if the lie becomes your truth, because you're beliving it's true, even though it's a lie.
In this way the lie can hold power and authority over your life and soul.
For example, in the early days of Tony's struggle, he believe the lie, "I cannot resist temptation."
And because that lie was holding a place of authority in Tony's life, it was very hard for Tony to resist tempation, because Tony was believing that he could not resist temptation.
Jesus said in John 8:32 - "You will know the truth and the truth will set you free."
It's absolutly imperative that we identify the lies that are coming against us and that we replace those lies with the truth of God.
In this epsiose Tony shares 12 statements of "truth" that will be central to your walk of purity.
If you don't beleive these 12 things you will struggle in your walk of purity.
If you replace the lies with these 12 statements of "truth", your walk of purity will be strengthened.
Be blessed this day, in Jesus' Name!
A listener of The Power of Purity Podcast sent the following note:
I recently listened to episodes 162 and 163 with Frank Johnson and am now going through all 300 plus episodes myself. I am tired of that powerless feeling when those BAM moments hit and want to get to a place where I am controlling sex and not the other way around. I just want to say how much of a blessing your show has been to me. I really relate to you and the guests you’ve had on the podcast. Please continue to keep up this work. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Can you relate?
Have you ever been living your life, minding your own business, and then out of no where... BAM... you get blindsided with a sudden and unexpected temptation or trigger?
It happens to all of us.
The "BAM" is the moment you get hit with an unexpected temptation, and how we handle those "BAM" moments will determine our ability to be the man of purity God is calling us to be.
In this two part series, Important BAM Prinicples, Tony shares 3 different ideas that are incredibly important toward navigating the BAM with great success!
WARNING - there is a "BAM" coming to you in the very near future, and this series will help you be prepared for your next "BAM"!
A listener of The Power of Purity Podcast sent the following note:
I recently listened to episodes 162 and 163 with Frank Johnson and am now going through all 300 plus episodes myself. I am tired of that powerless feeling when those BAM moments hit and want to get to a place where I am controlling sex and not the other way around. I just want to say how much of a blessing your show has been to me. I really relate to you and the guests you’ve had on the podcast. Please continue to keep up this work. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Can you relate?
Have you ever been living your life, minding your own business, and then out of no where... BAM... you get blindsided with a sudden and unexpected temptation or trigger?
It happens to all of us.
The "BAM" is the moment you get hit with an unexpected temptation, and how we handle those "BAM" moments will determine our ability to be the man of purity God is calling us to be.
In this two part series, Important BAM Prinicples, Tony shares 3 different ideas that are incredibly important toward navigating the BAM with great success!
WARNING - there is a "BAM" coming to you in the very near future, and this series will help you be prepared for your next "BAM"!
Muscle memory is so important is so many areas of life and especally in sports.
Dancing.
Bowling.
Golf.
Ping Pong.
Tennis.
Swimming.
To become really good at the game you're trying to master, you often need to develop "muscle memory" so you can repeat the proper motion over and over again.
The movement needs to become embedded in your body.
It needs to become instinct and intuition.
You need to be able to do what you need to do, over and over again, without even thinking about it, because if you have to think about it, you're already a step behind where you need to be.
And in much the same way, if we're ever going to be the men of purity that God is calling us to be, we need to develop the "muscle memory" necessary for sexual purity.
In this series Tony shares some important principles that will help you discover how to develop this "muscle memory".
If you practice over and over again, just like your dance steps and just like your golf swing, the "muscle memory" of your sexual purity will become embedded to the place where you no longer have to even think about it, because you're just doing it without even realizing you're doing it.
Be encouraged.
Don't give up.
Keep practicing, and you'll develop the "muscle memory" of purity!
Muscle memory is so important is so many areas of life and especally in sports.
Dancing.
Bowling.
Golf.
Ping Pong.
Tennis.
Swimming.
To become really good at the game you're trying to master, you often need to develop "muscle memory" so you can repeat the proper motion over and over again.
The movement needs to become embedded in your body.
It needs to become instinct and intuition.
You need to be able to do what you need to do, over and over again, without even thinking about it, because if you have to think about it, you're already a step behind where you need to be.
And in much the same way, if we're ever going to be the men of purity that God is calling us to be, we need to develop the "muscle memory" necessary for sexual purity.
In this series Tony shares some important principles that will help you discover how to develop this "muscle memory".
If you practice over and over again, just like your dance steps. and just like your golf swing, the "muscle memory" of your sexual purity will become embedded to the place where you no longer have to even think about it, because you're just doing it without even realizing you're doing it.
Be encouraged.
Don't dive up.
Keep practicing, and you'll develop the "muscle memory" of purity!
Do you remember the movie, Castaway?
In the movie Tom Hanks plays a character named Chuck Noland, who works for Fed Ex.
As the story unfolds, he's involved in a plane crash and he's the sole survior.
He washes ashore on a deserted island and remains stranded there for over 4 years.
His only "companion" is a volleyball he names "Wilson", who he talks to on a regular basis.
He tries several times to escape the island but it's an exercise in futility because of the power of the crashing "waves" that are constatnly coming against him.
Eventually he devises a plan in his attempt to overcome the waves, and he's finally successful.
In much the same way, this story becomes a metaphor for many men who are trapped on the island of sexual compulsion and addiction.
It feels like we're trapped.
It feels like we're in a bondage that we can never escape.
It feels like the constant waves that are coming against us are insurmountable and impossible to overcome.
In this series Tony reflects on this metaphor and shares 11 of the "waves" crashing against men that make it seem like they can never get free from the "island" they've been trapped on.
But even more importantly, Tony shares God's remdey for each one of these waves, and reveals that in the end, just like Chuck Noland, we can escape the island we've been trapped on for years.
Have you been a Castaway?
May you be encouraged and inspired by this series toward the true freedom and rescue God has intended for you!
Do you remember the movie, Castaway?
In the movie Tom Hanks plays a character named Chuck Noland, who works for Fed Ex.
As the story unfolds, he's involved in a plane crash and he's the sole survior.
He washes ashore on a deserted island and remains stranded there for over 4 years.
His only "companion" is a volleyball he names "Wilson", who he talks to on a regular basis.
He tries several times to escape the island but it's an exercise in futility because of the power of the crashing "waves" that are constatnly coming against him.
Eventually he devises a plan in his attempt to overcome the waves, and he's finally successful.
In much the same way, this story becomes a metaphor for many men who are trapped on the island of sexual compulsion and addiction.
It feels like we're trapped.
It feels like we're in a bondage that we can never escape.
It feels like the constant waves that are coming against us are insurmountable and impossible to overcome.
In this series Tony reflects on this metaphor and shares 11 of the "waves" crashing against men that make it seem like they can never get free from the "island" they've been trapped on.
But even more importantly, Tony shares God's remdey for each one of these waves, and reveals that in the end, just like Chuck Noland, we can escape the island we've been trapped on for years.
Have you been a Castaway?
May you be encouraged and inspired by this series toward the true freedom and rescue God has intended for you!
Do you remember the movie, Castaway?
In the movie Tom Hanks plays a character named Chuck Noland, who works for Fed Ex.
As the story unfolds, he's involved in a plane crash and he's the sole survior.
He washes ashore on a deserted island and remains stranded there for over 4 years.
His only "companion" is a volleyball he names "Wilson", who he talks to on a regular basis.
He tries several times to escape the island but it's an exercise in futility because of the power of the crashing "waves" that are constatnly coming against him.
Eventually he devises a plan in his attempt to overcome the waves, and he's finally successful.
In much the same way, this story becomes a metaphor for many men who are trapped on the island of sexual compulsion and addiction.
It feels like we're trapped.
It feels like we're in a bondage that we can never escape.
It feels like the constant waves that are coming against us are insurmountable and impossible to overcome.
In this series Tony reflects on this metaphor and shares 11 of the "waves" crashing against men that make it seem like they can never get free from the "island" they've been trapped on.
But even more importantly, Tony shares God's remdey for each one of these waves, and reveals that in the end, just like Chuck Noland, we can escape the island we've been trapped on for years.
Have you been a Castaway?
May you be encouraged and inspired by this series toward the true freedom and rescue God has intended for you!
In this series of episodes Tony talks about why God invented sex.
God is brilliant.
God is a genius.
The wisdom and power of God are incomprehensible.
At some point in the flow of eternity God decides he's going to create the universe, and humanity.
And just think for a moment about how God could have created humanity if he wanted to.
If God wanted the human race he could have just created 8 billion people all at once, just like he created Adam and Eve.
But for some reason God comes up with this brilliant idea and he decides he's going to create the human race through the procreation of the human race.
So God creates Adam and Eve, and God creates sex.
He designs the male body with the right parts, and the right hormones, and the right nerves, and wires it all together with the male brain to create a sexual creature.
And he creates the femlae body witht he right parts, and the right hormones, and the right nerves, and wires it all together with the female brain to create a sexual creature.
And the male has the ability to become aroused and to become erect, and the female has the ability to become aroused and to lubricate.
And the female has the ability to ovulate and to become pregnant.
And the whole thing is absolutely amazing, and fascinatiing, and mysterious, and wonderful, and delicious.
In this series Tony reveals the 3 primary reasons that God invented sex.
As we gain a proper understanding of what sex is, and why God invented sex, it brings clarity to our hearts and minds and creates the frame of reference that allows us to both express and experinece our sexual gift in a way that's consistence with the very reasons God has given us this wonderful gift!
In this series of episodes Tony talks about why God invented sex.
God is brilliant.
God is a genius.
The wisdom and power of God are incomprehensible.
At some point in the flow of eternity God decides he's going to create the universe, and humanity.
And just think for a moment about how God could have created humanity if he wanted to.
If God wanted the human race he could have just created 8 billion people all at once, just like he created Adam and Eve.
But for some reason God comes up with this brilliant idea and he decides he's going to create the human race through the procreation of the human race.
So God creates Adam and Eve, and God creates sex.
He designs the male body with the right parts, and the right hormones, and the right nerves, and wires it all together with the male brain to create a sexual creature.
And he creates the femlae body witht he right parts, and the right hormones, and the right nerves, and wires it all together with the female brain to create a sexual creature.
And the male has the ability to become aroused and to become erect, and the female has the ability to become aroused and to lubricate.
And the female has the ability to ovulate and to become pregnant.
And the whole thing is absolutely amazing, and fascinatiing, and mysterious, and wonderful, and delicious.
In this series Tony reveals the 3 primary reasons that God invented sex.
As we gain a proper understanding of what sex is, and why God invented sex, it brings clarity to our hearts and minds and creates the frame of reference that allows us to both express and experinece our sexual gift in a way that's consistence with the very reasons God has given us this wonderful gift!
In this series of episodes Tony talks about why God invented sex.
God is brilliant.
God is a genius.
The wisdom and power of God are incomprehensible.
At some point in the flow of eternity God decides he's going to create the universe, and humanity.
And just think for a moment about how God could have created humanity if he wanted to.
If God wanted the human race he could have just created 8 billion people all at once, just like he created Adam and Eve.
But for some reason God comes up with this brilliant idea and he decides he's going to create the human race through the procreation of the human race.
So God creates Adam and Eve, and God creates sex.
He designs the male body with the right parts, and the right hormones, and the right nerves, and wires it all together with the male brain to create a sexual creature.
And he creates the femlae body witht he right parts, and the right hormones, and the right nerves, and wires it all together with the female brain to create a sexual creature.
And the male has the ability to become aroused and to become erect, and the female has the ability to become aroused and to lubricate.
And the female has the ability to ovulate and to become pregnant.
And the whole thing is absolutely amazing, and fascinatiing, and mysterious, and wonderful, and delicious.
In this series Tony reveals the 3 primary reasons that God invented sex.
As we gain a proper understanding of what sex is, and why God invented sex, it brings clarity to our hearts and minds and creates the frame of reference that allows us to both express and experinece our sexual gift in a way that's consistence with the very reasons God has given us this wonderful gift!
God is pretty smart.
In fact, God is a genius!
Sex was his idea.
He invented sex.
God must be brilliant!
He's the one who concieved of it, and created it, and made it as wonderful, and mysterious, and delicious as it is.
Since God is the one who invented sex, God has an opinion about sex.
He has a heart, mind, will, design, and plan for human sexuality.
There are ways to experience sex that are consistant with God's plan for sex, and ways that are inconsistant with his plan.
What many of us have done (including the host of this podcast) is that we've taken the gift God created for us and we've turned it into something God never intended for it to be.
Some people abuse alcohol to the point where it becomes destructive.
Some people abuse food to the point where it becomes destructive.
Some people abuse gambling to the point where it becomes destructive.
And in much the same way, some people abuse the gift of sex to the point where it becomes destructive.
In this episode Tony talks about "lasciviousness", and what it means to "reel in" the unhealthy, dysfunctional, and harmful ways we've become accustomed to experiencing sex to a place that's healthier and more consistent with God's heart, mind, will, design, and plan for sex in our lives.
The bible says that God's people are "peculiar people".
We are called to be very different from people who do now know, love, or serve God.
Out of all the nations of the earth, God chose Israel to be his people.
They were to be very different from the nations around them.
God's people are to think different.
God's people are to have different priorities.
God's people think very differently about money, marraige, values, and virtually every area of life.
And this "peculiar" difference should certainly have profound implications for the way God's people express and experience their sexual gift.
People without God can have sex however they want to have sex, but God's people can't to that.
People without God can commit fornication, or adultry, but God's poeple can't do that.
People without God can participate in orgies or beastiality, but God's people can't do that.
If you belong to call, you are his "treasured posession", he has "called you out", he has "set you apart", and you are part of his "peculiar people".
In this series Tony explores the implications of being the "peculiar people" of God, and the implications of that reality upon our sexual gift.
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and puriify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14
The bible says that God's people are "peculiar people".
We are called to be very different from people who do now know, love, or serve God.
Out of all the nations of the earth, God chose Israel to be his people.
They were to be very different from the nations around them.
God's people are to think different.
God's people are to have different priorities.
God's people think very differently about money, marraige, values, and virtually every area of life.
And this "peculiar" difference should certainly have profound implications for the way God's people express and experience their sexual gift.
People without God can have sex however they want to have sex, but God's people can't to that.
People without God can commit fornication, or adultry, but God's poeple can't do that.
People without God can participate in orgies or beastiality, but God's people can't do that.
If you belong to call, you are his "treasured posession", he has "called you out", he has "set you apart", and you are part of his "peculiar people".
In this series Tony explores the implications of being the "peculiar people" of God, and the implications of that reality upon our sexual gift.
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and puriify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14
In this episode Tony shares several very impotant things:
(1) He gives a shout out to his old friend, Larry, who just went to heaven. God bless Larry! God bless his life! Larry loved the Lord and served the Lord his whole life, and now Larry is in the presence to of the Lord!
To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. II Corinthians 5:8
(2) He shares a beautiful worship song, I Love You Lord, sung by Jared Reynolds.
(3) He shares very openly about a "fear" he has that he might not have the strength he needs to continue to honor God as a single man with the expression of his sexual gift.
(4) He explores the profound teaching of the bible that explains how our love of God is what empowers our obedience to God.
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” 28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” Luke 10:25-28
If you love me, keep my commands. John 14:15
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. John 14:21
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching." John 14:23
(5) He shares an important exhortation for us, as the sons of God, to love God so we will be empowered to obey God!
Be blessed as you listen to this episode, The Power of Loving God!
Have you ever felt like you were standing on the ledge of a building about 50 stories tall?
Have you ever felt like you’re about to fall off the ledge?
Have you ever felt like you might jump?
Sometimes life feels overwhelming.
Sometimes we get flooded.
Sometimes we’re overwhelmed.
Sometimes our emotions charge in to seize us and make us feel horrible feelings we don’t want to feel.
Sometimes we don’t know what to do.
What do we do when we don’t know what to do?
In this episode Tony shares a recent story from his life when he became lost to himself, and got so upset he was almost beside himself.
How do we reel ourselves back in when we’ve become lost to ourself?
How do we get our legs back under us when we feel like we’ve been chopped down?
In this episode Tony talks about what it means to “talk yourself off the ledge” when life seems overwhelming and unmanageable.
It’s at these times that we can be in great danger of acting our in our sexual compulsion and sexual addiction.
It’s at these times we can be tempted to self-medicate, to anesthetize, and to escape by using our sexual gift in an unhealthy way.
You no longer have to be the man you used to be, because you can learn to “talk yourself off the ledge”.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
In this episode of the podcast Tony shares 4 words that he never thought he'd ever say in his entire life:
I'm a divorced man.
Tony and Sheri were married on September 17th, 1983, and they were divorced on July 20th, 2023.
That means they were married for 39 years, 10 months, and 3 days, or said another way, they were married for just 59 days short of 40 years.
On the day Tony recorded this episode of the podcast he had been a divorced man for 12 days.
In this heartfelt episode Tony shares several important reflections from the very difficult journey through the most painful and traumatic days of his entire life.
In addition he reflects upon the hope of the gospel, and the reality that in the economy of God's Kingdom, life comes out of death.
What do we do when life beats us up?
What do we do when profoundly diffiuclt things happen in our lives that we cannot change?
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a seed falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24
5 Those who cry as they plant their crops
will sing with joy when they gather them in.
6 Those who go out weeping
as they carry seeds to plant
will come back singing with joy.
They will bring the new crop back with them. Psalm 126:5-6
Song by Clint Black - When I Said I Do
Tony was recently invited to speak on Sunday morning at Trinity Community Church, and in this series he shares the message he presented on that day entitled, "Run to God".
We live in a deeply broken world, and sometimes life has a way of beating us up.
What do you do when you don't understand what's going on in your life?
What do you do when you're overwhelmed with your situation?
What do you do when you feel like the waters are up to your neck?
What do you do when it seems like God isn't showing up to help you?
In this message Tony shares a little bit of what his journey has looked like over the past two years, which has been the most difficult time of his entire life, and what it means to hold on to God, and to "Run to God", no matter what.
1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. Psalm 69:1-4
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Tony was recently invited to speak on Sunday morning at Trinity Community Church, and in this series he shares the message he presented on that day entitled, "Run to God".
We live in a deeply broken world, and sometimes life has a way of beating us up.
What do you do when you don't understand what's going on in your life?
What do you do when you're overwhelmed with your situation?
What do you do when you feel like the waters are up to your neck?
What do you do when it seems like God isn't showing up to help you?
In this message Tony shares a little bit of what his journey has looked like over the past two years, which has been the most difficult time of his entire life, and what it means to hold on to God, and to "Run to God", no matter what.
1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God.
4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. Psalm 69:1-4
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
In this eipisde Tony shares 5 important purity obervations from 1 Peter 1:13-16.
In this passage the Apostle Peter shares 5 strategies that bridge the gap from your mind on the inside to holiness in your life on the outside.
(1) Prepare your mind for action.
(2) Self-control.
(3) Set your hope fully on the grace of Jesus Christ which will be revealed when he returns.
(4) Be obedient children of God who no longer conform to the evil desires you obeyed when you lived in ignorance.
(5) Be holy at your Father in heaven is holy.
God would not tell you to do something that was impossible for you to do.
If God tells you to be holy, it must be possible for you to be holy.
Holiness is within your reach.
You can make quality decisions.
You can exercise your "no" muscle.
You can be a man of purity!
Listen to this episode and be encouraged by these 5 Strategies of Puritythe Apostle Peter has given us.
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.” I Peter 1:13-16
Have you ever been in the place where you know you should not sexully do the thing your're about to do, but for some reason you're simply powerless to resist against it, and you go ahead and do the thing even though you know you shouldn't to the thing?
You go ahead and take the "risk" even though you know you should not be taking the "risk".
What's going on with that?
How and when did we learn to take such great risks with our sexual self?
Where were the seeds of such risk taking planted in our hearts and lives?
Imagine walking up to the very edge of the Grand Canyon, and literally standing on the very edge, and hanging your toes over!
Dude, you're way too close to the edge!
Are you crazy!
Do you realize that you're flirting with great danger if you alllow yourself to go up to the very edge over and over again.
You might get away with it one time.
You might get awasty with it two times.
You might get away with it seventeen times in a row, but if you keep going up to the very edge, you might just fall off!
In this episode Tony helps us to understand how and why we learned to take such big "risks" in our sexual behavior, and what we can do to pull ourselves back from the edge.
The power of taking risks can be broken in you life, through the power and the blood of Christ!