Dave’s Monday Blast – August 7, 2023
Good Morning Men of Intention,
Did you hear about this story? Several weeks ago, for three hours, eight roller coaster riders were stuck hanging upside down at a festival in Wisconsin. No matter what happens to you today, you can remind yourself that you weren’t one of them. “Stories such as this remind us that we don’t know what we don’t know”. I am certain that if you knew that the roller coaster was going to stall upside down and you would be stuck in that very bad place for three hours…you would not have jumped on.
The way things begin are not always the way they end, but INTENTIONAL MEN of God know that there are some decisions we make at the beginning that are likely to lead to a end that dishonors the Lord. For example, a recently released movie, Oppenheimer grossed $80.5 million on its opening weekend. The Denison Forum comments: “It’s a fascinating theme: one of the most pivotal moments in history is brought to life through outstanding performances by superb actors. However, the movie includes scenes with explicit sex and nudity. The director explained that he wanted to show that the depicted romance transcended politics.”
There is no moral way to justify immorality. Jesus was clear: ‘Everyone who looks at at woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart’ (Matthew 5:28). The same is true for women who look lustfully at men. According to Jesus, Oppenheimer likely caused thousands of people to commit adultery over the weekend.
It is clear that this movie is a roller coaster that you do not want to get on. I want to add, I did not, and do not, intend to view it. The author continues: “Studies conclusively show that viewing pornography (which is what the sex scenes in Oppenheimer constitute) changes our brains in damaging ways, quickly leads to stress, addiction, and escalating behavior, fuels mental illness, and negatively impacts love, marriage, and intimacy. In addition to the psychological effects of pornography, consider the spiritual: lust, like all sin, grieves and stifles the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Ephesians 4:30; I Thessalonians 5:19). This means that viewing the nudity in Oppenheimer not only damages us, it keeps the Spirit from working positively in and through our lives. We suffer both the harm of lust and the lost opportunity of holiness.” Take the time right now to read James 1:14 – 15 and Ephesians 4:27.
To this point in yesterday’s Christian Post, pastor and author Greg Laurie made an observation: “Goliath was once a baby. Then, of course, over time he grew up to become a giant. Sometimes, our giants start out pretty small. You might be dealing with a little thing in your life, or at work, or within your marriage. Maybe you’ve taken some small liberties you shouldn’t have taken. Then you nurture the little thing. You feed it. A curiosity turns into a fascination. A fascination turns into a habit. A habit becomes an addiction. And one day, you discover that your little liberty has turned into a full-blown giant.”
I would suggest that if you feed the little giant, the full grown giant will having you hanging upside down on a roller coaster.
