Apicontent

Maria hated Christians, and thought the New Testament accounts of Jesus were mythical. One day Maria searched the web looking for evidence against Jesus. What she discovered was just the opposite. Listen to Maria’s own words:

“I have been a skeptic for many years looking for information to prove Christianity a lie. Yet I have always loved the teachings of Jesus, but did not really believe he existed or did the things the bible says. I have read many books that seek to prove this lie of Christianity and of Jesus, and yet I continued to quote Jesus in my daily life.

When I visited your site it was to further my skepticism that the Bible was a lie, or so I thought. After spending 6 hours reading your site I realize I have gone full circle and that what I sought to disprove has bitten me on the proverbial backside. I now realize that my search has been an intellectual one, and when I thought I was searching for truth I was not really searching at all. I was looking to prove my ego to be right.

My eyes have been opened and I have asked God to come into my life I am ready to commit my life to Christ and I thank you from the deepest part of my heart. I never thought I would ever say this or believe it. Jesus is God and now I know that is the only truth I have been looking for.

You really have no idea how hard my heart was and how much I hated Christians. How this has happened I do not know and I won’t question it. I just feel it in the deepest part of my being and the joy I feel can’t be described. THANK YOU.”

Maria, Australia

As Maria read the truth about Jesus, she was transformed. And it all started with a simple 5¢ advertisement.

Help others like Maria find the truth about Christ

With your help, we can reach more people who are far from God like Maria. Every dollar you donate will draw 20 interested people to the truth about Jesus. There are no wasted costs! We are only charged when a person chooses to click on our ad to find out more. Every dollar counts, so will you help reach 200 people for just $10? Or maybe even more? Click below to make a donation today.

Many young people are being taught that science has proven there is no God. One of those is a young student from Canada, named Derek, who didn’t believe God exists.

“Hello, I’m Derek, a 17 year-old boy from Canada. I feel like I have so much to say, so I will try to put it in words as best I can. Today I stumbled upon this website while researching Christianity for a school assignment. Up until this day, I had almost zero belief in life after death or there being a God. It’s hard to describe the emotions of debating whether we evolved or whether Jesus is true.. Having taken a course in anthropology, I’ve seen evidence (bones, skeletons, footprints etc) of the early stages of human life over 6 million years ago. I now believe in Jesus and God as much as I believe that we had evolved.

After reading “Is Jesus God?” I became intrigued; the possibility of an afterlife/God in my mind had grown substantially. Until now, I would never agree to there being a God, but I would also never wholly refute it.

I would like to thank you, for this website has given me reason to believe. Beginning to understand God’s ‘master plan’, so to speak, has filled me with…hope.

Your website has impacted my life, as it differs from other religious sites.. After reading, I feel like I want nothing more in life than to believe in God, to make him happy, follow Jesus’ teachings and be the best Christian I can be. I now want to believe, truly do. Anyways, in a small way (very large in my mind) you’ve ‘converted’ me. Thank you.”

Derek

How thankful we are for Derek and others who are discovering the truth about Jesus on the Internet. And it all started with a simple 5¢ advertisement.

Help others like Derek find the truth about Christ

With your help, we can reach more people who are far from God like Derek. Every dollar you donate will draw 20 interested people to the truth about Jesus. There are no wasted costs! We are only charged when a person chooses to click on our ad to find out more. Every dollar counts, so will you help reach 200 people for just $10? Or maybe even more? Click below to make a donation today.

We have so much, but we want more. If somebody else has got it and we do not, we want it. Even if we do not need it, and even if God has offered no indication that He wants to give it to us, we think it has got to be ours.

This attitude goes by the name of envy or jealousy or covetousness. (For our purposes, we’ll use the words interchangeably.) Whatever you call this attitude, it is an improper craving for something another person possesses to such an extent that you cannot be happy unless you have it. It is a sinful desire for things that belong to your neighbor.

It is not always wrong to want a possession, person, or quality. There is nothing necessarily blameworthy about wanting to have a new car or to be married or to be able to sing well. It is when we desire someone else’s car or spouse or voice that we go wrong with envy. It is then that we sin and violate the tenth commandment.

Stop for a minute and think about what you do have. You would like to have more money—but how much money do you have? There are some things you would like to own—but what do you own? Perhaps your physical health is limited—but what can you do? How are you blessed with abilities that enable you to create beauty, with friends who bring richness to life, or with good memories that warm your heart in moments of solitude?

A Bible secret to banishing dissatisfaction is thanking our gift-giving God. “Pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done” (Philippians 4:6). “Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). The Bible even says, “Believers who are poor have something to boast about, for God has honored them” (James 1:9).

Gratitude is like a lens that helps us refocus our attention from our perceived lacks (which might not be good for us anyway) to our actual blessings from God. In this way, gratitude leads us to contentment and brings healing to our soul.

When Christ fills your heart and mind, you can be at peace and content with the things, people, and circumstances our sovereign God has placed in your life. The only thing that truly satisfies is knowing Jesus Christ. Striving, coveting, and spending our time wanting what is not available to us can leave us broken and bitter.

God is orchestrating life’s circumstances leading us toward the fulfillment of His plans for our individual lives and for history as a whole. Contentment is a result of trusting the fact that God knows perfectly what is best to give us and when. It is saying yes to His blessings upon us. They are enough; we need no more.

[The above article is an extract from Chapter 13 of Soul Prescription by Bill Bright and Henry Brandt.] 

Are you struggling with a habit of sexual immorality? We have outlined a five-step process to help you change and heal in this area of your life. Take all the time you need with each of the steps below.

Step 1: Adopt a Correct View of God

An incorrect view of God that sees Him as some kind of wishy-washy being who will simply look the other way when you sin will keep you in the vicious cycle of immorality.

God is holy and cannot tolerate sexual immorality.

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. (1 Thessalonians 4:3)

God is present everywhere. There is no place you can hide your sin.

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes, and He is the one to whom we are accountable. (Hebrews 4:13)

Make no mistake about it: God sees your sexual sin for what it is. He does not look away, and you cannot hide it from Him. Pursue a study of God’s holiness and justice in Scripture. Admit to yourself that He sees and judges what you are doing.

Step 2: Revise Your False Beliefs

The false ideas from the world, related to sexuality, are almost unending. The harm they produce in people’s lives is almost unending as well. Just for starters, consider these self-evaluation questions:

Do you believe your sexual immorality is acceptable?

Some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4)

Do you believe your sexual desires are impossible to resist?

Dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. (Romans 8:12)

Given the ease with which we can unknowingly adopt false beliefs about human sexuality, we need to work hard to understand the truth about how God made us to be sexual beings. Using a concordance or topical Bible, learn more about God’s views on sexuality. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the truth about your sin and to help you change your thinking.

Step 3: Repent of Your Sin

Do you use pornography? Have you been cheating on your spouse? Have you been dressing immodestly to get attention? Whatever your form of immorality has been, do not duck it—admit it to yourself and name it. Pray a prayer like the following, asking God to forgive your sin and empower your obedience.

God, I am guilty of the sin of _________. I know that my immoral behavior is wrong and that it causes You great pain, and I am truly sorry for that. Please forgive me for my sin. Cleanse me now of this sin and of its effects in my life. Fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit so that I may never return to this sin again. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen.

If you have harmed others with your sin, apologize to them. Seek reconciliation and offer restitution where appropriate.

Step 4: Defend against Spiritual Attacks

You will be attacked in your area of weakness—count on it. Every time you turn on your TV, log on to the Internet or walk out your front door, the enemies of your soul will be there. Watch out for the world, the flesh, and the Devil.

The world’s values about sexuality are not God’s values. The world system tells you, “There is nothing wrong with two consenting adults finding pleasure in each other’s bodies.” But God says, “Your body was not created for sexual immorality. It does not belong to you; it belongs to Me.” Become so familiar with God’s values on sexuality that you can immediately see the error in the world’s values.

Your flesh (your sinful nature) will seek the pleasure of the flesh (your body) in the same old sinful ways you have known. Remember that the flesh (as your old sinful nature) is dead, having been crucified with Christ. You have been raised as a new person by the Holy Spirit. Live by the Spirit and not by the flesh.

Satan will set out the bait of sexual immorality for you. Protect yourself from these darts of temptation with the “shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16). Then the Devil’s suggestions that you can find true happiness by doing something forbidden will fall harmless to the ground.

Most likely, you will need a defense against temptation for a long time. Prepare for a prolonged battle, yet keep up your hope, because God is stronger than all your foes.

Step 5: Flee Temptation

Sexual temptation can be hard to avoid. The roots of sexual desire run deep and feed off many different stimuli. If you are to remain free from this habitual sin, you must learn to avoid the things that feed it as much as possible.

Focus on your relationship with God.

Seek a rich spiritual relationship through regular worship of God. Physical stimulation through sinful means will then seem less appealing to you.

Latch on to God’s promises.

Find biblical statements or stories that encourage you in your fight against sexual immorality. Commit at least one verse to memory so that you can use it in your fight against temptation, just as Jesus used Scripture against the Devil in the desert. Here is one verse to consider using:

You are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (Romans 8:9)

Establish safeguards.

What sets off your lustful acts? Put a barrier between that sinful trigger and yourself if you can. Take as many practical precautions to guard yourself. For example,

• Immediately break off any immoral relationship you have.
• If you rent pornographic DVDs, get rid of your DVD player. Or if you go to sexually explicit websites, install filtering software.
• If you tend to dwell on lustful thoughts, choose a substitute image to put in your mind.
• If you have homosexual tendencies, seek a Christian counselor skilled in reparative therapy.
• Ask a trusted Christian friend to hold you accountable in your commitment to remain sexually pure.
• Expect victory.

You may have fallen to sexual immorality in the past, but that does not mean you cannot know sexual purity now. Believe in God and in the path toward holiness that only He can bring.

“I’m married and attracted to another person to whom I’m not married.”

This is a comment I hear with increasing frequency coming from both men and women, Christian and non-Christian.

I’ve had individuals who can’t stand the sight of their married partner – much less respond physically – describe a torrid physical affair with someone else – sometimes even a stranger – who is not nearly as attractive or personable as the marriage partner. The new involvement is simply an expression of resentment or retaliation. Surely it is not an expression of the love of God.

Physical response is obviously not the problem. It’s a matter of the spirit … a matter of the will, not the body. Granted, there are temptations everywhere. When haven’t there been? After all, half the people in the world are women, the other half of the people are men. When you become a wife, all the men out there don’t disappear. Nor do the women disappear when a man gets married. They are there … and are still interesting and attractive.

Beautiful women and virile men were God’s idea, you know. You can enjoy the beauty and fellowship of both sexes without lusting after them. You can have many close friends of both sexes. Granted, these relationships sometimes are hard to handle.

Marriage involves a commitment to one person, even though other people are still there.

A child of God, with the love of God in their heart, who means to cooperate with their spouse, and who means to love, honor, and cherish their partner won’t have a sex problem – either with their partner or with someone else. However, there are conditions: You must take the Bible seriously and you must want to please your partner.

What if your partner gives you a cold shoulder in spite of your willingness to love them unconditionally? Stay available. Desire to do your part. Remember, your commitment is to God and does not depend on your partner’s response. Read God’s Word and ask Him to show you how to strengthen your marriage. He will sustain you. Love endures. Trust God to show you how to remain pure.

[Dr. Henry Brandt shares insights from various people he counseled. The names and certain details in these true case histories have been changed to protect each person’s identity and privacy.]

Immorality

So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. (Colossians 3:5, NLT2)

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor–not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, NLT2)

We must not engage in sexual immorality. (1 Corinthians 10:8, NLT2)

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures. (Galatians 5:19, NLT2)

Let there be no sexual immorality among you. (Ephesians 5:3, NLT2)

Lust

But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:28, NLT2)

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16, NKJV)

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. (1 John 2:16, NIV)

Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. (Ephesians 4:22, NLT2)

Turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. (Titus 2:12, NLT2)

Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (1 Peter 2:11, NKJV)

Premarital Sex

You can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:13, NLT2)

Each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:2, NIV)

We must not engage in sexual immorality. (1 Corinthians 10:8, NLT2)

Abstain… from sexual immorality. (Acts 15:29, NKJV)

For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications. (Matthew 15:19, NASB95)

For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality. (Mark 7:21, NLT2)

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. (1 Corinthians 5:9, NLT2)

Adultery

You have heard the commandment that says, “You must not commit adultery.” But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So if your eye–even your good eye–causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. (Matthew 5:27-29, NLT2)

You shall not commit adultery. (Exodus 20:14, NASB95)

You shall not commit adultery. (Deuteronomy 5:18, NKJV)

A man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery. (Matthew 5:32, NLT2)

Whoever divorces his wife and marries someone else commits adultery–unless his wife has been unfaithful. (Matthew 19:9, NLT2)

You shall not commit adultery. (Matthew 19:18, NKJV)

Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery. (Mark 10:11-12, NASB95)

You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery. (Mark 10:19, NKJV)

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. (Luke 16:18, NIV)

You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? (Romans 2:22, NLT2)

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures. (Galatians 5:19, NLT2)

They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse. (2 Peter 2:14, NLT2)

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery. (Hebrews 13:4, NLT2)

Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no-one who touches her will go unpunished. (Proverbs 6:27-29, NIV)

Sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life. (Proverbs 6:26, NLT2)

Drink water from your own well–share your love only with your wife. Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. She is a loving deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman, or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman? (Proverbs 5:15-20, NLT2)

Because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:2, NLT2)

Pornography

You can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:13, NLT2)

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, NLT2)

Say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age. (Titus 2:12, NIV)

God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:7, NIV)

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. (1 John 2:16, NASB95)

Homosexuality

Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin. (Leviticus 18:22, NLT2)

If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. (Leviticus 20:13, NIV)

God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. (Romans 1:26-27, NLT2)

Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9, NIV)

Immodesty

I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. (1 Timothy 2:9-10, NLT2)

Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. (1 Peter 3:3-4, NLT2)

Purity

Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8, NIV)

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts. (2 Timothy 2:22, NLT2)

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:24, NIV)

Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. (Galatians 5:16, NLT2)

Consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:11, NLT2)

Keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. (1 Peter 2:11, NLT2)

Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. (Hebrews 13:4, NLT2)

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. (1 Peter 1:22, NLT2)

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8, NLT2)

God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. (1 Thessalonians 4:7, NIV)

You can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:13, NLT2)

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:18-20, NLT2)

I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. (1 Timothy 2:9-10, NLT2)

For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. (Titus 2:11-13, NLT2)

God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honor–not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways. (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, NLT2)

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. (Romans 8:12-13, NLT2)

There are many awful ways that the gift of sexuality can be perverted and turned into something degrading and shameful. But the bottom line is that the only place where sexual activity is acceptable is between a man and a woman who are married to each other. As hard as it may seem, sexual abstinence is the requirement for anyone who is not married. And for married couples, sexual attention can be directed only toward your spouse.

Harder than these restrictions are the costs of sexual misbehavior. Guilt. Shame. Abuse. Disease. Broken marriages. Even criminal charges.

God loves us and wants to preserve us from such suffering. His prescriptions of sexual abstinence before marriage and of fidelity within marriage protect us from harm and at the same time offer married couples the freedom and enjoyment of sex as it was meant to be. Most of all, they show the way to holiness in relation to that important part of our life known as sexuality.

We are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God.

You may find yourself saying, “But I just can’t! I’ve tried and I can’t stop my compulsive immorality.” You are right. You can’t stop sinning in this way—on your own. It takes the supernatural intervention of God. And He is glad to give that intervention if you will ask for His help.

Purity is a beautiful thing. Its blessings exceed any brief pleasure that sexual immorality might offer. We pray that you will take God’s hand and let Him lead you into purity.

[The above article is an extract from Chapter 14 of Soul Prescription by Bill Bright and Henry Brandt.]