Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; He who guards his soul/mind will be far from them. (NKJV)

What do we mean when we say the mind? Why was I so controlled by pornography and masturbation? Well in the New Testament, there are eighteen (18) different Greek words translated for the English word mind. Two (2) Greek words translated mind apply to our discourse in this book. The first is the Greek word nous, which means the intellect, that is, human mind in thought, feeling and will; understanding. The second is the Greek word phronema, which means (mental) inclination or purpose. Our English definition for the word mind is: 1) That which is responsible for one’s thoughts and feelings; the seat of the faculty of reason. 2) Knowledge and intellectual ability. The mind is the seat for all the struggles and battles against pornography and masturbation (sexual addiction).

As we see in the above definitions, our thought life is where the problem resides for the desire to use pornography and masturbation. This is where the fight must be waged and won. Man has from Adam’s fall, been trying to figure out the mind, how it functions and how to control the mind. Many of the most well known philosophers have spent countless painstaking hours developing theories (that often left GOD out of the equation) on how the human mind operates. First, let us examine some of the Ancient Theories from some of the most respected philosophers in Human History. This information was obtained from the Collier’s Encyclopedia:

The Greek Philosopher Democritus (460-370 B.C.) theorized or reasoned that a mind must be nothing but a particularly exquisite organization of suitable atoms, interacting with one another and with the environment to produce both the internal and external activities of a conscious creature. The mind comes together at birth and dissolves forever at death.

The Greek Philosopher and Mathematician Plato (429-347 B.C.) theorized or reasoned that the mind is a nonphysical thing, which enjoys an existence independent of the body, both before the body’s birth and after its death.

The Greek Philosopher Aristotle taught that the mind was not a thing, separate and distinct from the physical body. Rather, it was the ‘form’ of the body, in the most general sense of the term ‘form’ that includes all of the body’s properties and activities. A body with a mind is not two things but just a body of a certain kind: a body with mental properties. Aristotle did not regard the various mental properties as merely physical in nature. Rather, mental properties are a distinct class of properties in their own right, irreducible to properties at any simpler level.

Now all of these theories and the beliefs or teachings of each theory were listed (and some of the corresponding philosophers who developed these theories), to again show by Historical Documentation the absolute ineptitude, worthlessness, and inability of man throughout all generations to understand himself, his behavior, and his conduct without the wisdom that God only can impart.

Man in every generation has been trying to redefine God’s Moral Law’s to fit his fallen and corrupt mind. However, God is not in Heaven saying to man (not even to our so called intelligent and sophisticated modern generation), lets make a deal. He is saying in His Word, I have already given or revealed to you the deal. Accept it or reject it. Man has been grasping at straws (if you will) or groping in the dark for answers to the things we think about and actually perform, as a result of the thoughts that are found repeatedly in the mind of man forever. The knowledge of ourselves, our behavior, and thought life (our mind) can only be truly found in God. Without God’s wisdom, man will always be in the dark.

Jesus loved the sinner and hated their sin, and that is the model we should follow. We must never fall into the trap of trying to love the sinner so much that we begin to love the sin itself as well, and even worse, begin to justify it.

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The subject of homosexuality has been at the center of heated debate and discussion over the last few years. Some people call it a "sin" and "abnormal," while others feel nothing is wrong with it. In fact, some go so far as to say it is a legitimate lifestyle choice or "orientation" that is even equal to heterosexuality, even to the point of advocating same-sex "marriage" and openly, practicing homosexual ministers in the pulpits of our churches and other places of worship.

In today's society it is commonplace to call people who disagree with homosexuality on Biblical and scientific (biological/psychological) grounds imaginative names like "homophobic" or "anti-gay" or "bigots" or "gay-bashers" or, worst of all (tongue in cheek) "religious right." But name-calling on either side of this debate proves nothing and will not get us anywhere.

This is especially true of the favorite term used, "homophobic," since it is a misnomer of the highest order, being derived from the Latin "homo" for "man," and the Greek "phobos" meaning "fear." Those of us who believe that homosexuality is not part of "God's creative plan" but is a perversion of it do not "fear" a man or humanity. They have a problem with immorality being called moral, and sin being called, in effect, a "righteous," God ordained alternative lifestyle.

Furthermore, it's getting so bad today that people are actually getting fired from their jobs at well-known companies like AllState because of their Judeo-Christian stance against homosexuality (the article at this site http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44961 should enrage anyone of good conscience). We have become a society that tolerates abnormality and punishes normality in the court of public opinion.

Examining God's Perspective

Many in the homosexual community are willing to admit that God exists and is the Creator. But they seem to be unwilling to admit that this same Creator condemns homosexuality as wrong and an "abomination." Those of us who follow the historic Judeo-Christian ethic believe that God has spoken in history and has ordained this spoken word to be written down. This spoken word now written down we recognize as the Bible. For those of us who take it seriously and believe it to be authoritative for our lives, it is the final court of arbitration in matters of faith and morals.

Therefore, if it can be shown that the Bible condemns homosexuality, it stands to reason that the Creator knows best and we should align our views with His. So does the Bible condemn homosexuality as something to be avoided as sinful and wrong? To read some of the intellectually dishonest sophistry and Scripture twisting in the literature of many homosexuals and their advocates, you might even be led to believe the Bible actually condones it. But before taking a look at the main passages used to support the view that homosexuality is condemned by the God of the Bible, here is what Dennis Prager, a conservative Jewish radio talkshow host and commentator, had to say about the issue:

"Jews or Christians who take the Bible's views on homosexuality seriously are not obligated to prove that they are not fundamentaists or literalists, let alone bigots (though, of course, people have used the Bible to defend bigotry). Rather, those who claim homosexuality is compatible with Judaism or Christianity bear the burden of proof to reconcile this view with their Bible. Given the unambiguous nature of the biblical attitude toward homosexuality, however, such a reconciliation is not possible. All that is possible is to declare: 'I am aware that the Bible condemns homosexuality, and I consider the Bible wrong.' That would be an intellectually honest approach." [taken from Judaism's Sexual Revolution: Why Judaism (and then Christianity) Rejected Homosexuality].

This insightful analysis by Mr. Prager demonstrates that you do not have to be a "Fundamentalist Christian" in order to acknowledge the fact that the Bible indeed condemns homosexuality as it does other sins. Even many honest homosexuals will partially admit this. But many people fail to see that the sin of homosexuality is different from other sins in the sense that it is the only one (to my knowledge) that involves dual wrong, moral and biological. Not only is homosexuality a sin but it also violates God's created order in biological sexuality.

God's Word on Homosexuality

The Bible has declared in several places that homosexuality is wrong and uses the term "abomination." Leviticus 18:22, 20:13, 1 Kings 14:24 in the Old Testament (OT) condemn homosexuality. Although lesbianism is not specifically mentioned, it must be understood that this is implied due to the fact that the male was the focus in ancient times. Notice how in Genesis 2:24 it is the man (Adam) who leaves mother and father and clings to his wife. Yet it is obvious that the implication is that the wife also leaves father and mother to cling to her husband.

So the lack of direct mention of lesbianism should not make people falsely assume that God is not displeased with the unnatural act of female homosexuality as well.

When we come to the New Testament we find the same kind of thing. Paul in Romans 1:26, 27 condemns homosexuality as being against "nature." Interestingly, though he knew of the OT passages against homosexuality, he decided not to quote them. From nature alone we can see that same-sex couples are wrong, and that's the point I think Paul was trying to make.

We also have the testimony of passages like 1 Corinthians 6:9 and 1 Timothy 1:10, which deal with other aspects of homosexual behavior. But the problem today is that many people have undertaken the task of deliberately misinterpreting these passages so that they do not condemn homosexuality.

Twisting the Bible to suite personal preference is nothing new. The cults do it constantly, and now we have specific sinners doing it for obvious reasons. But all the Scripture twisting and distorting in the world will not change the nature of things.

The Biology of Homosexuality

No matter how many Bible passages are distorted to make homosexuality seem acceptable, the fact remains that God did not make same-sex humans with the ability to reproduce from their so-called sex and professed "love." This is telling of itself, for surely God could have given same-sex couples the ability to procreate if He chose to. But the fact that there is a biological ban on these unions proves beyond doubt that God does not approve.

Conclusion: The Christianizing of Sin?

Today we have organizations and websites out there with professing Christians who also claim to be gay and lesbian. We even have "metropolitan" churches specifically for homosexuals (I'm now waiting for the "First Baptist Fornicators and Liars Church of God in Christ").

But in light of what the Bible and biology has to say, does this even make sense? How can one be a "Christian liar" or "Christian fornicator" or "Christian murderer"? What has our society come to when we can go to such extreme lengths to justify our sin and then try to paint a "Christian" face on it? God have mercy on us for falling so far from the truth.

Yes, homosexuals need the love and compassion of Christ that all sinners need. We as Christians should be open to showing this godly love to homosexuals, but this does not mean we must advocate and justify sin in the process. Jesus loved the sinner and hated their sin, and that is the model we should follow. We must never fall into the trap of trying to love the sinner so much that we begin to love the sin itself as well, and even worse, begin to justify it.

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INTRODUCTION
Sexually oriented sins entail a special collection of sins which thrive on the sexual drive of the Christian. These sins are special because they thrive on the sexual passion (which is very strong and can get out of control), which God has placed in man to be shared in marriage. Most Christians find it very difficult to overcome sexually oriented sins. These include fornication, adultery, pornography, masturbation and other sexual perversions.