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Rescheduling Life Priorities
PURPOSE: I have purposed in my heart to make the necessary changes in my life style to insure moral purity in my life. Since what I see affects what I think, I will pay special attention to what I am exposed to in daily life. I will communicate this commitment to others so that they can understand me and my purpose and as God wills support me.
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Qualified
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What qualifies me to run?
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| Decisions |
What life events make me want to run?
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Events
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How have my past failures and victories shaped the way I will run this race?
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| Training |
What decisions have I made in my life that will ensure victory? |
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• Places to go
I commit myself to go to places that God desires for me to go to and that I will not at all be embarrassed to tell my parents, spouse and friends in church. I will go where modestly dressed people are and lyrics are pure.
• Places to avoid
]I will purposely avoid those places that cause my conscious to wonder whether I should be there. If you are reluctant to tell others where you have been, then it is good indication that you should not go there.
I will stay away from:
Bars
Social Clubs
X and R rated movies
Sunbathing places, pools and beaches
Lounges and dance halls
Television
Video rental places
• Things to watch, read or hear.
I recognize that many sights and sounds incite sexual stimulation and lusts in my heart. Therefore, I will no longer watch, read or hear those things which stir up these covetous (web ref) desires within me. Furthermore, I will share and as much as my responsibility allows me, impose these restrictions on those around me. For example, a father must rule over what his family can or cannot watch. By doing this he ensures that what they watch will not tempt him, and they will help keep him accountable.
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I will as quick as possible throw away (not sell or trade) those videos, Libraries, Libraries,, magazines, etc. which are now in my possession. |
Note: We cannot totally remove ourselves from the world. How do we deal with the different difficult situations that occur when we take steps to prioritize God's sexual morals in our own lives. God will use this to impact the world around us.
• What do you do when people make approaches/flirt with you at work?
• What do you do when the public places you must visit have sexually alluring materials at hand? This will be discussed in the next section under dealing with handling temptations.
• What do you do when at work you face sexually alluring materials?
I used to work at a place where they hung up sexually enticing center-folds. In this case one might be led to do several things after praying and fasting about this situation. Here are two possibilities. I would not recommend doing nothing. Your purity is at stake.
You might be led to explain how the posters distract you and degrade the environment for working. When a guys mind is on these pictures, he cannot concentrate on much else! Recommend that these pictures are taken down. The same would be true for sexually implicit listening radio shows. If the boss doesn't care, you might be led to pray more or give notice to leaving. But in any case, consider it a situation the Lord does not want you to live under.
Another approach might be to witness to the people there why those posters are wrong. This is the approach I have personally taken. Sometimes they were not public but only at a person's individual work site. I would start by saying how those pictures really hurt your marriage. This usually leads to a good conversation! Remember it is important to care for the people that you are trying to lead away.
In the end, one has to guard over what he sees and hears. When this purity becomes a standard, in your life, then you might have to leave a certain job. God will watch over you. Joseph in the Old Testament is a great example of this. To protect himself from another person's advance, he took off. He was falsely accused and thrown into prison. But later God enabled him to get out. We do ot always know of the full ramifications of our decisions. This is one reason we first pray and fast.
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We will note that Jesus at times did talk with people of questionable character but it was always in the context of their changing. It seems obvious that God will sometimes use us to talk of God's freeing love and grace. This should be considered an exception. However, it would be best if we shared with a brother and prayed together before going and afterwards share how things went and again pray. |
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