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Men, It's Time to Come Out of the Closet!
by Angel Casiano I don't want for you to think that I am being disrespectful, careless or un-loving towards you. If you feel that way, it's surely not my intention. Because I do love you, I want to take the time to explain where I am coming from. I engaged in many street fights growing up in Puerto Rico; don't ask me why, but I used to enjoy fighting. Later, as a teen I became an amateur boxer. In my twenties I became a Martial Artist here in the beautiful city of Jacksonville. I won some fights, but surely I lost others. However, they were just physical fights. Now that I am older, I find myself engaged in many emotional battles. The loss of my wife Ileana was and continues to be a tough one, especially when I look at my children struggling. As I remarried it was and continues to be extremely tough to go through our struggles there (http://angelcasiano.wordpress.com/category/about-me/). I must admit on the other hand, that no fight has been tougher and bloodier than my personal declaration of war on my sexual immorality. I am not holding back; I feel that I have lost so much and that I have wasted enough time. I feel as if there is nothing you can do to me that can even come close to the damage I have already caused to me, my family and the generations to come. These generational curses do get worst with every generation! But I am hopeful, very hopeful, that God will turn this thing around for good; because I know He is merciful, I know I love Him; and most importantly, I know He loves me and He wants the best for me and for you. Perhaps, He is already turning things around as I write these words. Men, it is time to come out of the closet! This specific teaching is to all heterosexual men in the church, who are giving their secret place to sexual immorality. Let's take a good look at some statistics I found through http://www.safefamilies.org/ Show Me the Money! As of 2003, there were 1.3 million pornographic websites; 260 million pages (N2H2, 2003).The total porn industry revenue for 2006: $13.3 billion in the United States; $97 billion worldwide (Internet Filter Review). U.S. adult DVD/video rentals in 2005: almost 1 billion (Adult Video News). Hotel viewership for adult films: 55% (cbsnews.com). Unique worldwide users visiting adult web sites monthly: 72 million (Internet Filter Review). Number of hardcore pornography titles released in 2005 (U.S.): 13,588 (Internet Filter Review). More than 70% of men from 18 to 34 visit a pornographic site in a typical month (comScore Media Metrix). As of December 2005, child pornography was a $3 billion annual industry (Internet Filter Review). Christians, Pastors and Church Pornography Statistics A 1996 Promise Keepers survey at one of their stadium events revealed that over 50% of the men in attendance were involved with pornography within one week of attending the event. 51% of pastors say cyber-porn is a possible temptation. 37% say it is a current struggle (Christianity Today, Leadership Survey, 12/2001). Over half of evangelical pastors admit viewing pornography last year. Roger Charman of Focus on the Family's Pastoral Ministries reports that approximately 20 percent of the calls received on their Pastoral Care Line are for help with issues such as pornography and compulsive sexual behavior. In a 2000 Christianity Today survey, 33% of clergy admitted to having visited a sexually explicit Web site. Of those who had visited a porn site, 53% had visited such sites "a few times" in the past year, and 18% visit sexually explicit sites between a couple of times a month and more than once a week. 29% of born again adults in the U.S. feel it is morally acceptable to view movies with explicit sexual behavior (The Barna Group). 57% of pastors say that addiction to pornography is the most sexually damaging issue to their congregation (Christians and Sex Leadership Journal Survey, March 2005). Statistics on Pornography's Effect on Families and Marriages 47% percent of families said pornography is a problem in their home (Focus on the Family Poll, October 1, 2003).The Internet was a significant factor in 2 out of 3 divorces (American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers in 2003 divorcewizards.com). Statistics on Child Pornography Use 9 out of 10 children aged between the ages of 8 and 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet, in most cases unintentionally (London School of Economics January 2002). Average age of first Internet exposure to pornography: 11 years old (Internet Filter Review). Largest consumer of Internet pornography: 12 17 year-old age group (various sources, as of 2007). So, how do we deal with this? This very question has haunted many believing men, and many failed because of such lack of knowledge. Please, head to truth. Proverbs 28:13 tells us what to do: "He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy." The word "conceals" means, "to put or keep something or somebody out of sight, or prevent the person or thing from being found." When we do this, the Bible tells us that we do not prosper. Hiding our sins is the reason why we can't develop a more intimate relationship with God. Consequently, it is the reason why we do not mature in the things of God. That sin will eat us alive little by little; choke you like the deadly python. The good news is that there are two things you can do right now to start engaging in this battle against sexual immorality. 1.Confess your sins. 2.Renounce your sin. The word, "renounce" means, "To give up a habit, pursuit, or practice." Neither one of these two solutions are easy, I know! As a matter of fact, they are extremely and incredibly difficult. The first one is frightening; we know that we will be judged and ridiculed, hated by some, etc. For that reason I have the following verse as my foundation. "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Matthew 10:28 The second step is even tougher. Sexual immorality is something that we develop by creating habits year after year. For some of us, it takes decades of engaging in these bad habits. However, God has given us all the tools necessary to pursue and beat this thing in Jesus' name. Come on men! It is time to come out of the closet and enjoy a greater fullness of life. The devil is a liar; no temporary pleasure can even compare to even the enjoyment of the pursuit of sexual purity. I have included with this article some very valuable resources; if you are serious about engaging in this battle, this is an excellent place to start. Some Valuable Resources: Great Web Site with great resources: http://www.porntopurity.com/ One of the best if not the best book on sexual purity for men: www.everymansbattle.com/ This is a powerful and practical small book about speaking about homosexuality. Homosexuality is everywhere; are we going to ignore this reality or are we going to deal with this issue with truth and love? http://stores.newgrowthpress.com/-strse-900/Homosexuality/Detail.bok Rediscovering Sexual Purity: http://www.lifeaction.org/static/uploads/media/pdf/summithandouts/Rediscovering_Sexual_Purity.pdf The Purity Principle: http://www.wtsbooks.com/product-exec/product_id/5020/nm/The+Purity+Principle%3A+God%27s+Safeguards+for+Life%27s+Dangerous+Trails+%28Hardcover%29 Edit this entry. The author is currently a School Teacher in a Private Christian School, a Martial Arts Instructor and a Senior Pastor: Cell Phone Number 252-506-5374 By e-mail at: [email protected] / Check my Blog: http://angelcasiano.com Facebook.com/glorytoGodmusic Facebook.com/propheticvoice Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |