Optimist Ibk

I want to make it clear as early as possible in this article that my only intention for addressing this topic is to help liberate everyone that is currently under the bondage of self-gratification. I am not trying to make a point of “holier than thou.” Allow me to immediately go straight to the point. Before I begin to go to the list of how to overcome masturbation and other sex addictions, let me make one more point. When I talk about how wrong masturbation is, I am not really referring to wet dreams. The wet dream experience is almost impossible to control, because the person this happens to is usually asleep or in a state of unconsciousness when it happens. I also don’t think that cases where individuals engage in the act of masturbation occasionally and unintentionally, could be regarded as carrying the same consequences as those that I wrote about in my previous article. When you are set free from something as dangerous as masturbation, it does not always happen once and for

The teachings of Jesus were some of the most revolutionary ideas people heard during that time, not always because they were pleasant and easy to follow. Sometimes it was also because of the challenge it posed to those who thought they were “holy” enough for heaven already. Here are five of some of the most challenging teachings Jesus gave to the disciples and to us today, that give us a bigger perspective of what it is to live in Him. 1. Be a slave In Mark 10:44, Jesus said, “and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all.” How often must leaders wish that they could just kick back and relax while they let others do all the hard work, but Jesus made it clear that leadership not just a privilege, but a privilege to serve others beyond what the world measures. 2. Forgive at all times When Peter, in Matthew 18, tried to show off by through a rhetorical question at Jesus and implying that he can forgive as many as seven times (when Jewish law would only allow up to th

I recently talked to an old friend whose marriage is in crisis. His wife has been having an ongoing affair with her personal trainer at the gym. The aftermath of the affair is ripping their family apart. What she naively assumed would just be a “harmless fling” is now having immeasurably devastating consequences for her marriage and their children. Infidelity destroys marriages. I see it every day. Typically, when we’re talking about “infidelity,” we’re referring only to a sexual affair. While sexual affairs might be the most destructive form of infidelity, there are many other ways people can be unfaithful in marriage. Smaller acts of “infidelity” often lead to a sexual affair. We need to safeguard our marriages from infidelity in ALL its forms. The literal definition of infidelity is simply broken trust or broken loyalty. If you want to protect your marriage from all forms of infidelity, please avoid the following behaviors. Preventing all nine of these acts of broken loyalty an

Years ago I prayed a very dangerous prayer.  I repeated these words from Isaiah 6:8 : “Here am I. Send me.” Then I cringed. I knew God would mess me up good in order to use me to touch others for Christ. I wanted God to use me, but I was painfully aware that we don’t just go out and start a ministry on our own terms. God bends and breaks those who speak for Him. He requires full surrender. I had to let go of fears, adjust attitudes and change priorities. It has become popular today to suggest that God can use anybody. It’s true that He does not show favoritism based on race, age, gender, marital history, past failures or income status. Yet His standards have never been lowered; He only uses humble, obedient, consecrated followers. Many Christians will never be useful in the kingdom because of mindsets or behaviors that limit the flow of the Holy Spirit or, as the apostle Paul said in Galatians 2:21 (KJV), “frustrate the grace of God.” I don’t ever want to frustrate His grace! If

There is no secret recipe to become a successful person. There is no manuscript or film you can watch to become successful. What are the things that recognize a person as successful or unsuccessful? Some conventional habits and characteristics are the things that separate the strong from the weak. Successful people set forth their habits to achieve excellence and unsuccessful people do not settle on their terrible habits and struggle. Here are the key differences in habits between the two types of people. 1. Strong sense of self-awareness With a strong sense of self-awareness you would be able to go out with confidence and you can face challenges and hold a faith in yourself that you can handle the ups and downs that come with living. Successful people have a strong sense of self-awareness: they know who they are and they are comfortable with themselves. They recognize themselves as unique individuals. On the other hand, unsuccessful people have a narrow-minded vision of thems

SEVEN STEPS TO AVOID SEXUAL SIN AND STAY IN MINISTRY! Personality Development Some time ago, a good friend of mine disqualified himself from ministry due to an inappropriate relationship with a woman in his church. I want to try to redeem this tragedy by offering the following seven thoughts in an effort to spare us, our families and our churches from a similar fate. 1. Don’t say it can’t happen to you. While most of us readily nod our heads in agreement, in our hearts we can still live in functional unbelief of this fact. We need to constantly remind ourselves of Paul’s warning to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 10:12: Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. That means it can and could happen to us, and we must be vigilant in this area and all others. The world is broken, our enemy is against us and our flesh is weak. 2. Repent of your pride and self-righteousness in this area. The Bible clearly teaches: Pride goes before destruction, a haug