Published on CBN.com

By Rev. Marty O’Rourke
Guest Writer

CBN.com – Overcoming Temptation Will Cost Your Pride Dearly

Why are so many strong Christians succumbing to sexual sin? We must remember that we as Christians do not live in a vacuum but in a culture filled with temptations that stir lust. Many people have fallen because they underestimated the power of sexual temptation.

Paul’s first letter to the Church at Corinth has the strongest teaching about sexual sin because Corinth, like our culture, was saturated with sexual temptation.

The Bible declares that God is faithful and no matter what temptation we face, He will provide “a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Cor. 10:13).

God’s will for us is to overcome temptation, but it will cost us dearly, especially our pride. The preceding passage (1 Cor 10:12) warns us: “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” God is telling us that the first step in overcoming temptation is to beware of the attitude, “It couldn’t happen to me.”

As the wisdom of Proverbs says, pride sets us up for a fall.

The Rev. Gordon MacDonald, a wonderful pastor and at one time president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, shares in his book Rebuilding Your Broken World about a time when he was asked about how Satan might get him. He answered:

All sorts of ways, I suppose; but I know there’s one way he wouldn’t get me. “What’s that?” He’d never get me in the area of my personal relationships. That’s one place where I have no doubt that I’m as strong as you can get. A few years after that conversation my world broke wide open. A chain of seemingly innocent choices became destructive, and it was my fault. Choice by choice by choice, each easier to make, each becoming gradually darker. And then my world broke — in the very area I had predicted I was safe — and my world had to be rebuilt.

He goes on to quote from My Utmost for His Highest: “An unguarded strength is actually a double weakness.” Here is a man of God with a good marriage who had written books on family life and yet fell into adultery. Why? Because he thought it couldn’t happen to him and left this part of his life unguarded.

If David, who was “a man after God’s own heart,” Gordon MacDonald, and many other strong men and women of faith yielded to sexual temptation, it could happen to you. God is telling us through these words of Paul — “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!” (1 Cor. 10:12) — that our vulnerability to sin increases when we think it could not happen to us.

Almost all Christians, especially Christian leaders, who have fallen to sexual temptation would tell you that they did not think it could have happened to them.

1 Corinthians 6:18 warns us, “Flee from sexual immorality.” It is easy for pride to convince us that we don’t really need to FLEE, and that this instruction is for weaker Christians. We mislead ourselves into thinking that instead of fleeing we can stroll away, looking back once in awhile, because we are strong enough to resist or flirt with temptation. Admitting that we need to flee takes real Christian humility. Remember, overcoming sexual temptation will cost your pride dearly.

When do you need to flee?

• When you find yourself thinking about a “friend, co-worker, ministry partner, counselee” and how much you enjoy being with this person — FLEE!
• When you look forward to spending more time with this person and you make sure you look especially nice if you know you might see your “friend” that day — FLEE!
• If you begin to fantasize about being with this person or knowingly start touching your “friend” in “innocent “ ways — FLEE!
• When you become more secretive about your interaction with your “friend” because people like your spouse might “misunderstand” your friendship — FLEE!
• If you receive cards, e-mails or presents from this person that you would not want your spouse to see — FLEE!
• When you find yourself comparing your spouse in an unfavorable way to your “friend”– FLEE!
• If you start confiding in your “friend” about your marital problems — FLEE!

Anytime we feel we must keep something secret, this would indicate that sin is crouching at our door. If you are experiencing sexual attraction to someone – or experiencing some other kind of temptation over a few days – go to your spouse or someone you can trust in the Body of Christ. Bring the secret out into the light of day and ask for prayer and accountability.

Satan loves it when we keep secrets in the dark because of shame, fear, or pride – but remember, darkness is overcome by light. Often this alone can break the power of temptation, but it will cost you your pride.

Many are unwilling to sacrifice their pride by admitting their struggle with sin to get the help they need. There is great wisdom in these words by Rick Warren:

If you’re losing the battle against a persistent bad habit, an addiction, or a temptation, and you’re stuck in a repeating cycle of good intention-failure-guilt, you will not get better on your own. You need the help of other people. Some temptations are only overcome with the help of a partner who prays for you, encourages you, and holds you accountable.

Tragically, too many people – because of family background, having experienced sexual abuse or abandonment, or having a long history of struggling with lust – need significant ministry, yet are unwilling to get help until they are forced to do so after yielding to sin.

Yes, there is a price that your pride must pay to overcome temptation – but please take a moment and consider the much greater price of yielding to temptation. Consider the damage to the cause of Christ, to your family, and to your Christian witness, along with the pain you will cause yourself and the ones you love the most.

God has given us everything we need to overcome temptation, but it will cost our pride dearly. However, I plead with you to consider the even greater cost of yielding to the temptation.

Escaping Sexual Sin Before it’s Too Late: CBN.com Spiritual Life.

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Kids and Online Pornography | Catholic Exchange.

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If you googled the phrase “man up” you will get a whole host of references.  Everything from “macho’ to “suck it up”, but the traditional definition for this phrase is accepting responsibility for one’s actions.  One’s actions should not be some miscalculated effort, but a true attempt to live a life that has been prescribed for you by God, as a man.

My challenge for today is specifically for husbands and, more importantly, fathers and I’m afraid that I’m going to have to ask you to “Man Up” for the salvation of the family, the nation and the world.

In this case, to “man-up” means to accept your responsibility as being the Spiritual Leader of your family.  Not only is this something that the average wife desires and hopes for, but it is also what every man longs for, as this role is woven into the very fabric of being a man.  In addition to these facts, it is what God expects of us as men.  However, if you were to ask the average man to write a job description for this position he would be hard-pressed to do so.  Where do you start?

In order to be the spiritual leader that God intended you to be, you must first go to the source.  Having your own personal relationship with God is a must!

Pray for the desire to become the man that God has created you to be.  Have an open heart because in these days we are bombarded with the messages from society and our culture that are contrary to what God’s design is.  It has been engraved in our minds that a man does whatever he wants, whenever he wants as long as it brings pleasure, excitement and a sense of ‘being somebody’.

We have worked with many men who claim to have never been given a good example of what it means to be a man.  To this I say that we have just not looked in the right place.  Every time we read scripture, the teachings of the Church, get on our knees and pray and lead our family in prayer are the moments when God reveals to us the most of what it means to be a man.  Being meek and humble is the specifications that were left for us to follow.  Laying down our lives for others, dying to ourselves for the sake of the other – all for the purpose of being an example of Christ here on earth.  Our duty as men is much more than to provide for the financial means of our family.  We are to teach our loved ones how to surrender to God’s plan for our lives.  By doing so we assist them in growing in holiness and becoming more like God Himself.  Stop judging yourself on how much you make, but rather on how many souls you lead to Him.

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I was invited to partake in a set-visit to observe the shooting of the latest movie from Sherwood Pictures, the makers of Fireproof, “Courageous – Honor Begins at Home” due out in the Fall of 2011. I was able to review 11 rough cuts from scenes they have already shot and all I can say is… Wow. This film is going to be awesome and powerful. The quality is on par with anything from Hollywood and the story is sure to convict a lot of men into become better Christian husbands and fathers. Tim Drake, Senior Writer for the National Catholic Register, Chris Faddis of LivingGracefully.net, Billy Atwell, Catholic Writer and Blogger and Kenneth Henderson, Catholic Speaker and Founder of TrueKnights.org get together and discuss our thoughts after our visit on the set.

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MEDIA ADVISORY, June 3 /Christian Newswire/ — Generation Life is a movement of young people dedicated to spreading the pro-life and chastity message’s to their peers. From June 8 – 19 they will be hitting the New Jersey Shore to outreach to the thousands of high school seniors that are there for their “Senior Week”.

The outreach will consist of a group of about twenty people, ranging from the ages of 18 to 25, who are committed and passionate about the chastity message. They will spend about four to six hours on the beach handing out flyers about Chastity and discussing with people further what it truly means and the freedom that it gives.

Generation Life sees the great desperation for God’s Love in the society, especially among the young people who are the one’s directly influenced by the media.

“The media has twisted and warped the meaning of love, marriage, and human sexuality. TV shows, movies, music, internet, etc. tells us that sex is no big deal and there is no real value to it. We have to change this. We have to turn it around and show our brothers and sisters that they are meant for so much more. And that chastity is a way to truly live out who they are created to be,” said Megan Mastroianni, a Generation Life chastity and pro-life speaker.

Chastity, in short, is purity in thoughts, words, actions, and deeds. It is properly living out one’s sexuality in everyday life and practicing the virtues of self-control and temperance. It is knowing ones self and what his/her body is created for. Chastity is truly knowing one’s worth and seeing the worth and dignity in other human beings.

Generation Life hopes and prays for conversions of heart while at the New Jersey Shore for two weeks in June. For more information, you can visit www.generationlife.org.

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Princeton, N.J., May 30, 2010 / 07:54 am (CNA).- A new survey report shows division in the American public. While half of Americans find abortion to be morally wrong, they are evenly split on the issue of doctor-assisted suicide. Though a large majority says adultery is morally wrong, majorities of respondents find other sexual immorality and divorce to be acceptable.

The poll, part of Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey, was conducted May 3-6. The organization contacted 1,029 adults for the survey and claims a margin of error of plus or minus four percent.

Only about 38 percent of respondents thought abortion was morally acceptable, with 50 percent recognizing it as morally wrong. Differences in party affiliation were evident, as 51 percent of Democrats, 39 percent of Independents, and 26 percent of Republicans said the practice was morally acceptable.

Only 36 percent of women said abortion was morally acceptable, while 41 percent of men did.

Almost 60 percent of Americans declared embryonic stem cell research to be morally acceptable, with 68 percent of Democrats, 62 percent of independents, and 47 percent of Republicans accepting the practice. Less than 10 percent of all respondents said human cloning is acceptable.

While 77 percent of respondents said suicide is morally wrong, 46 percent said the same about assisted suicide. Only 26 percent thought the death penalty is morally wrong.

Fewer than 10 percent of respondents said polygamy or extramarital affairs are morally acceptable, but 69 percent said divorce was. Only 38 percent said sexual relations between an unmarried man and woman are morally wrong, with men more likely to find them acceptable than women. Fewer than half of Republicans said such acts are morally acceptable, but so did around 65 percent of both Democrats and independents.

For the first time, Gallup says, more than half of respondents said homosexual acts are morally acceptable. About 35 percent of Republicans agreed, as did 61 percent of Democrats and Independents.

An October 2009 survey report from the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life also claimed that only about half of Americans think homosexual acts are morally wrong. However, given the options of deeming the subject “morally acceptable” or “not a moral issue,” only 12 percent of respondents to that poll chose the former option while 35 percent chose the latter.

According to Gallup, its poll showed the greatest gender gap on the subject of the use of animals for furs or for experimentation. Only half of women found the wearing of fur acceptable, but 73 percent of men did. About 40 percent of men accepted the cloning of animals, compared to 19 percent of women. Men were also more likely to accept medical testing on animals.

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I have added new groups to the community to give opportunity for greater diversity in discussion.

Here are the following groups that have been added:

Catholic Matters

All matters concerning the defending of the Catholic faith in truth and love.

Chastity Matters

All matters concerning chastity teaching and maintaining chastity in all ages of life.

Courting Matters

All matters concerning Catholic teaching on dating and singles.

Education Matters

All matters concerning the education of children including public, private and homeschool education.

Faith Matters

All matters concerning the teachings of the Catholic faith, Theology, Sacraments, Morals, Sin, Heaven and Hell.

Family Matters

All topics concerning the family and parenting, including discipleship, family time and family fun.

Life Matters

All matters that concern defending the God given right to Life!

Marriage Matters

All matters concerning the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and marriage relationships.

Prayer Matters

All matters concerning prayer, learning to pray, types of prayer and even prayer requests.

Saints Matter

All matters concerning the great Cloud of Witness, the Saints, their teachings and our call to be great saints.

Scripture Matters

All matters concerning Holy Scripture, Scripture Study and Catholic teaching on Scripture.

Theology of the Body Matters

All matters concerning Catholic teaching on Theology of the Body.

Virtue Matters

All matters concerning the instruction of virtues and the overcoming of vice in our lives.

Vocations Matter

All matters concerning vocations, including priest, religious, married and single and the discernment process.

Invitation to Contribute to The Community

Please let me know if you would like to make any suggestions for other groups. I also want to put out an invitation to anyone would would like to contribute articles (blog posts) for any of these groups. Each group will have it’s own blog and it would be a great asset to the community to have people who are knowledgeable in these topics to make regular contributions. If you are interested please contact me, either by Private Message (Just go to my profile and send me one) or email.

Thanks!
CCC 1843

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Yesterday there was an article on CBN.com titled When Is It OK to Be Angry? This articled argued that there are times when anger is OK and in fact is a natural emotion that is wired into us by God.

I found that this contradicted the Bible and the teachings of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that anger is present in every man, as a consequence of original sin. Not because God wired us that way. To me, the article blurs the distinction of anger and indignation and in “being” and “feeling” angry.

The desert fathers taught that it is never OK to “be” angry. That is not to say, however that the thought of anger should never occur or that we should never react to injustice. But, how we act is what is important. Thoughts of anger are going to happen. We can not control when they come, but we do have the power to choose to act upon the thought or not. It is vitally important to remember “We are not our thoughts.”

By acting on the thought of anger in an angry way, mental and spiritual blindness occurs. We cannot discern whether we are acting justly and because anger is such a powerful emotion, it can and often does take on a life of its own, feeding upon itself and getting bigger and uglier in the process.

St. John Cassian taught, that in order to live the spiritual life, we must reduce our angry impulses, refrain from acting out our anger, and strive to resist even the thought of anger. According to the desert fathers, anger is a learned behavior and can be “unlearned.” The Christian teaching says we are to take action, but never out of angry emotions.

Again, St. John Cassian taught, “If I am full of anger I am blind; I have lost the capacity to give proper counsel and no longer enjoy the confidence of right thinking and acting. My spiritual capacity is diminished and true light is dimmed within me. I start quarrels and lose the esteem of others. The most compelling indictment against anger is that this blindness disqualifies me from spiritual work since I am out of relationship with myself, with others, and with God. I cannot discern.” He goes on to say on to say that unchecked anger leads to depression, madness and universal disharmony.

Wasn’t Jesus Angry In The Temple?

The problem is that most of these teachings have been lost to us. Over the years since the first few centuries of Christianity there has occurred an over simplification of  the teachings about anger. For instance, the question always seems to come up “Wasn’t Jesus angry when He went into the Temple and cleared it out?” Again, St. John Cassian taught that when we see an injustice happening we are always called to act, but how we act is what is important. Cassian teaches that Jesus’ action in the Temple was not that of blind rage, nothing in scripture indicates that Jesus was even acting upon anger. In Matthew 21:12-13 we read:

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And he said to them, “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves.”

Scripture does not say Jesus acted out in anger. We assume, because of our own human weakness that Jesus must have been angry, but scripture does not prove this. In fact the number of quotations from Scripture about overcoming anger, hatred, violence and murder seem to be lost to memory when many read this one passage. Jesus’ own uncompromising words would suggest that anger is as serious an offense as murder. “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient time, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment’. But I say to you ‘that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment.’” (Matt 5:21,22).

Was Jesus angry? The brief gospel accounts give so little detail that it is plausible to imagine that Jesus’ action was carried out with composure. In none of the Gospel accounts does the narrative say that Jesus was angry. In fact, in Matthew’s Gospel it is the chief priests and scribes who are described as “being” angry. To be absolutely clear, the Biblical account of Jesus’ action in the cleansing of the temple was not intended to be read as Jesus’ teaching on anger—we have been given that in Matthew’s version of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:10-11). Rather, this text completes the prophetic vision of the Old Testament—the purpose of the temple has been fulfilled in Christ; in Him we encounter the Lord, the God of Israel and offer worship and praise.

But, Isn’t there Justified Anger?

The problem with “Just Anger” is often we (people) do not understand what “just anger” is. Just anger is truly better termed “just indignation”. We should become indignant at injustices in the world. The desert fathers did not teach passivity but taught that right action was always required. Going back to Jesus’ actions in the Temple,  the desert fathers taught that Jesus was taking action yes, but his action was not from an “anger” center, but from a “heart” center. To act from a heart center is to act rationally and toward righting an injustice. When we see an abortion clinic, we can be indignant at the evil acts that are taking place inside. We can and should act to correct that evil by praying and giving peaceful protests, by trying counsel women who are considering abortion and we can attempt to change laws that permit abortion. However, we are NEVER called to act with violence ever, by acts of rage and hate and never by bombing clinics or killing doctors who perform abortions as some misguided souls have done, in the name of Christianity. Evil is never corrected by another evil.

Please join in the discussion

I welcome discussion on this topic as I believe we can all learn by doing so. Please join the True Knights community and join in the conversation.

In my next post, I will discuss how we can and must overcome anger if we are to progress in the spiritual life.

For more in depth reading on anger and overcoming anger I would recommend “The Hidden Power of Kindness” by Lawrence G. Lovasik and “Tools Matter for Practicing the Spiritual Life” and “Humility Matters for Practicing the Spiritual Life” by Mary Margaret Funk.

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I will be on Reasons for Faith Live today, May 11, 2010 -  2pm to 3pm Eastern Time on EWTN Catholic Radio.

We will be discussing matters of faith and virtues. Be sure to tune in!

Thanks,

Kenneth Henderson

Reasons for Faith Live – EWTN Radio (Click below to Listen Live Online)
2pm – 3pm Eastern Time

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While I still have a lot of work to do here I wanted to introduce you to some of the new features I have designed into this website.

With this new website I am using cutting edge online tools to bring a first rate social network to the True Knights community. If you are familiar with other social networks like Facebook and enjoy that type of online experience then you should create an account and join in.  In our Private Social Network You will be able to gather online, build connections, explore ideas and questions, and share media within a context dedicated to the encouragement for your spiritual growth as a man, as a True Knight, the man God created you to be.

You can create an account here with your Facebook account or create an account by clicking on the link in the “MEMBER LOGIN OR CREATE AN ACCOUNT” box in the sidebar or click the link at the top left of the screen that says “Sign Up.”

Once you become a member, to become involved in the community you can click on the button on the front page that says “See What is Happening in the True Knights Community Today!” That will take you to the activity stream. A real-time feed much like the feed in Facebook. You will also be able to “Friend” users and “Like” articles and posts. We also have a discussion forum that is available for even more in depth discussions.

The Future…

You may also take note that on the right side of the screen I have a box that says “True Knights Community Authors.” I have invited noted Catholic Speakers to become involved in the community, contributing blog articles and becoming involved in the community as their time allows. Currently we have Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Host of EWTN’s “Behold the Man: Spirituality for Men” and “Made in His Image: Family Life Today” who I’m sure is going to give us a lot to chew on in the days to come and we are surely blessed to have him here with us. Also, Gregory Alexander, Co-founder and Director of The Alexander House whose focus is Marriage Matters has agreed to meet here with us and contribute to our articles and discussion as he is able. I am very pleased that he has joined us and look forward to his contribution…which I am sure will bless us all.

Also, coming on board is Catholic Evangelist and radio talk show host Jesse Romero, and Catholic Speaker Richard Lane, both of home have been a blessing in my life and I am blessed to be able to call friends. Once they come on board I will give them both a proper introduction. God Bless you both!

I have some others in the works and will let you no more, when I know more.

I hope that the Lord is going to do much with what we have here and I look forward to the days to come with great excitement!

So go ahead and please join in the community. Click Here to Sign Up!

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