Look Deeper Today's Three-minute Bible Study Print, Study and Apply Title: Look Deeper ----------------------- Date: 9/30/1999 Keyword: "greed" "immorality" "impurity" "joking" "obscenity" "purity" Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand strong in the face of sexual temptation. Passage: Ephesians 5:3-5* 3. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person -- such a man is an idolater -- has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Questions 1. Of what thing can you be sure from this reading?   2. What is idolatry?   3. Is ridding your life of pornography enough to assure your inheritance?   4. Are there other areas of your life that you should also be attentive to?   Practical help "Big" sins like addiction to pornography are sometimes deceiving in that we think if we can just conquer that one, then we can rest easy. Well, sorry to say, that's not the case. God is not nearly so concerned with the outward working of our sinful nature, the behaviors that are on the surface so disgusting or debilitating, as he is with the inward man. He's most interested in eradicating the sin nature that is as responsible for our addiction to pornography as it is for our crude jokes around the water cooler. As you move through your day, try to be aware of other things in your life than just the urge to turn on the computer terminal late at night. Consider how you behave around your friends, or with your spouse. Do you easily join in coarse joking and foolish talk? Is fun and jollity your idol? Maybe it's time to look beyond the addictive behavior to the root causes -- do you depend on God for life or is he a last resort? Finally, don't let Verse 5 drive you to despair. Elsewhere God assures us that we cannot lose our saved status. To learn more about this assurance, see Romans 8:35-39. Just strive forward with the assurance of reward for your victories. eXXit homepage Index of three-minute studies Copyright 1999 by eXXit *Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.