Good article especially for Western countries. In these countries we consistently have entertainment (TV, internet, movies, etc.) that encourages immorality . The world (cosmos, Matt. 16:26, 1 John 2:16) is one of the three great enemies of believers. It's a continual fight, but those who will overcome will do just that, they will fight!
Kimberly L. Ray
One day the Lord spoke to me and said that one of the greatest problems the people of God are encountering is that the door to the imagination has remained open. God spent a lot of time in His Word warning us about the things we allow ourselves to see. That’s because our eye gates open the windows to our souls. We connect directly with the things we observe with our eyes.
The Bible tells us, “The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be full of evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:22-23).
Everyday we decide what we will entertain. There are those who have a made-up mind to live holy and acceptable unto the Lord. They make a concerted effort to consistently keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But there are others who live to satisfy their flesh, seeking their own pleasure. They may be Christians, but they are following a soulish path and are fulfilling the desires of the flesh rather than the will of God.
The soul is comprised of the mind, the will, and the emotions. The Bible tells us, “They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5-6). Notice that the verse says those who are after the flesh “do mind the things of the flesh.” What we dwell on will lead us either to death or to life and peace.
Our greatest battle is in the mind! The mind is quite unique because it stores information and recalls it like a computer. This is one reason it is so important to screen the things you see and hear. Entertaining the soulish realm with constant lustful images opens the door to demonic activity and fleshly battles.
There are many carnally minded Christians. To be carnal means to be led by the appetites of the unsanctified, materialistic flesh. There are many Christians whose flesh is stronger than their spirits.
These individuals usually walk in compromise as well. Compromise is a silent endorsement of the world’s ways and a consent to walk according to its standards. After giving in to compromise for so long, eventually love for the world will dominate the spirit and outweigh love for the Father.
Second Corinthians 10:4-5 tells is, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds’) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” The Lord wants us to rise up and take authority over the flesh!
We can pull down every stronghold by applying the powerful shed blood of Jesus to our minds and thoughts. We can bind the work of the enemy in our thought life (Matt. 18:18), and we can overcome the works of the flesh by bringing the flesh into subjection to the Spirit.
The apostle Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be ye not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:1-2).
Dying to self is not easy, and it may require times of fasting and prayer. Fasting humbles the soul and brings the flesh into subjection to the spirit. When we fast, we deny the flesh and feed the spirit. Self-denial strengthens the Spirit of Christ within us, deepens our walk with the Lord, and empowers our prayer life.
Read the full article at - http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/power-up/19997-how-christians-can-break-free-from-sexual-bondage
Kimberly L. Ray
The Bible tells us, “The light of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be full of evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matt. 6:22-23).
Everyday we decide what we will entertain. There are those who have a made-up mind to live holy and acceptable unto the Lord. They make a concerted effort to consistently keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But there are others who live to satisfy their flesh, seeking their own pleasure. They may be Christians, but they are following a soulish path and are fulfilling the desires of the flesh rather than the will of God.
The soul is comprised of the mind, the will, and the emotions. The Bible tells us, “They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5-6). Notice that the verse says those who are after the flesh “do mind the things of the flesh.” What we dwell on will lead us either to death or to life and peace.
Our greatest battle is in the mind! The mind is quite unique because it stores information and recalls it like a computer. This is one reason it is so important to screen the things you see and hear. Entertaining the soulish realm with constant lustful images opens the door to demonic activity and fleshly battles.
There are many carnally minded Christians. To be carnal means to be led by the appetites of the unsanctified, materialistic flesh. There are many Christians whose flesh is stronger than their spirits.
These individuals usually walk in compromise as well. Compromise is a silent endorsement of the world’s ways and a consent to walk according to its standards. After giving in to compromise for so long, eventually love for the world will dominate the spirit and outweigh love for the Father.
Second Corinthians 10:4-5 tells is, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds’) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” The Lord wants us to rise up and take authority over the flesh!
We can pull down every stronghold by applying the powerful shed blood of Jesus to our minds and thoughts. We can bind the work of the enemy in our thought life (Matt. 18:18), and we can overcome the works of the flesh by bringing the flesh into subjection to the Spirit.
The apostle Paul wrote, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be ye not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable, and perfect will of God.” (Rom. 12:1-2).
Dying to self is not easy, and it may require times of fasting and prayer. Fasting humbles the soul and brings the flesh into subjection to the spirit. When we fast, we deny the flesh and feed the spirit. Self-denial strengthens the Spirit of Christ within us, deepens our walk with the Lord, and empowers our prayer life.
Read the full article at - http://www.charismamag.com/blogs/power-up/19997-how-christians-can-break-free-from-sexual-bondage
