Tony has been leading a men's purity group for over the past 20 years.
In group he recently shared a teaching with the men entitled, "Take It To God".
To illustrate the ideas shared in this teaching Tony created the diagram that appears as the image attached to this episode.
The image is color coded, and illustrates the 3 primary strategies available to us as we seek to process the hurt, pain, and trauma in our lives.
(1) Self-Medication
(2) Denial
(3) Face it
In this series Tony shares how counterprodcutive options one and two are, and how we must learn to face our pain, and then how to take our pain to God is we're going to be healthier and more functional people.
Many men, if not most men, have used sex, porn, and their orgasm as a way to self-medicate the pain in their heart and life, and Tony helps us understand why we can no longer do this.
There is a way that seem right, that leads to death.
And there's a way that seems difficult, that leads to life.
In this series we discover how the way of God, and the way of God's Kingdom is to journey through our pain rather than trying to avoid it, escape it, or anesthetize it.
Welcome to episode 365!
In this episode Tony focuses on a beatiful and very hopeful verse in the bible.
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. I Corinthians 10:13
Tony shares seven very important observations from this verse that affirm that you can process and manage the temptations that come to you in a healthy and godly way.
(1) You will be tempted.
(2) These temptations are common to every man.
(3) Sometimes it feels like these temptations are "seizing" you.
(4) You can always handle the temptations that come to you because of God's faithfulness.
(5) It's not "if" you're tempted, but 'when".
(6) There will always be a way of escape.
(7) God doesn't always remove the temptation, but he gives you the ability to stand up under the temptation.
Be encouraged brother!
God has given you everything you need to manage the temptations that come to you in a godly way!
Hey guys!
Tony here!
When I was 13 years old I dislocated my right shoulder, and the injury has literly followed me through life for the past 52 years.
It was finally time to do something about it (as in bone on bone and unbearable pain) and this past Friday (4 days ago) I had a complete shoulder replacement surgery.
Since I began the podcast over 7 years ago I've never missed publishing an episode, and I don't want to start now.
(Please note - I did take a sabbatical from the podcast for a period of time when my wife left me.)
To be honest I'm not feeling very good right now as I'm recooperating from this shoulder surgery, but I at least wanted to share a brief episode with you this week.
This is probably the shortest episode of the podcast ever published, but I do pray it will be a blessing and encouragement to you!