SEXUALITY MATTERS

Part 1

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-30 

Pursuing ethical sexuality in a sex saturated culture

At its core, addiction, or self-harming sexual habits, are an illegitimate way to seek to fill an emptiness, heal a wound, or change a negative feeling.

“… those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” John 4:14, NLT

STEPS TOWARDS WHOLENESS:

1.) Own your story (confession and vulnerability)

• Confession meets grace

–“Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another, that you might be healed.” James 5:16

–“If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” 1 John 1:8 NLT

–Self-Sabotage: Your fear of being exposed, causes you to live a life absent of peace, and isolated in shame.

–“Stinking Thinking” - Your best thinking has led you to your current situation.

2.) Create an action plan (get equipped for the process)

• Who will know? (accountability)

• What tools will I employ?

• How will I address the brokenness in me? (counseling)

– Don’t focus on behavior modification; ask, what is driving the behavior?

“The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God.” 

– Bruce Marshall (The World, The Flesh, and Father Smith)

“Habit, if not resisted, soon becomes necessity.”

– Augustine

3.) Execute the plan

“No one sets out to fail. They just don’t do what’s necessary to succeed.”

– Scott Martz