Power of Purity | Helping Men to Honor God with their Sexual Gift

Good News of Great Joy

Tony recorded this episode on Christmas morning and shares a significant observation from the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke chapter 2.

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:8-12

We learn from the story that this “good news of great joy” is for “all the people”, and this means that what happened on that holy night was for me and for you!

On the night Jesus was born, an angel appeared to the shepherds in the fields around Bethlehem and proclaimed a message to them that reveals the very reason that our lives can be changed even today, over 2,000 years later.

If you’re struggling in your heart, life, or situation, there is hope!

Even if you’re struggling to manage and experience your sexual gift in a healthier way, there is hope!

The proclamations of both the angel on the night Jesus was born, and by the old man Simeon in the temple 8 days later, and the implications therein, contain the very truth and power that can change our hearts and lives, even today.

Take heart!

Have courage!

Don’t give up!

There is “good news of great joy for all the people”!

In this episode Tony shares the SECOND greatest gift you could ever give to God, which is the submission of your will to his will.

When God decided to create human beings, he did most amazing and remarkable thing when he decided to give us free will.

God did not make us robots.

He did not program us so we would have to love him and obey him.

Instead, he gave us free will so we would have the choice, and we could then choose to love him and obey him or we could choose not to.

In this way, when we do choose to love God and obey him, and when we do choose to surrender and submit our will to him, it's among the greatest gifts we could ever give him.

This was the original temptation in the Garden of Eden, when the serpant essentially tempted Eve to exercise her will independently of God.

"Why should God have the right to tell you what you can and cannot do? If you eat this fruit, you can be like God! You can decide for yourself what's right and wrong!"

And a good example of this from the bible is the example of Jonah, because when God told Jonah what he wanted Jonah to do, Jonah decided he did not want to submit his will to the will of God, and Jonah went in the completely opposite direction!

And another good example fo this from the bible is Mary, the mother of Jesus, because when the angel Gabriel announced God's plan to her, she immediately surrendered and submitted her will to the will of God, and thank goodness she did!

The SECOND greatest gift you can ever give God is the submission and surrender of your will to his will, and at the end of this episode Tony extends an invitation to you concerning the FIRST and greatest gift you could ever give to God!

In this episode Tony shares the story of his recent heart attack.

On a Monday morning Tony began to feel a tightness and uncomfortable feeling in his chest, which then escalated to his throat and jaw. He eventually drove himself to the hospital, and as the day unfolded, it was confirmed that he had a heart attack. This led to a heart catheterization and the placement of a stent in Tony's heart.

Because of this situation Tony was not able to publish an episode of The Power of Purity Podcast for the past two weeks, and in today's episode he shares his story along with 3 key observations that have emerged in his thoughts as a result of this incident.

(1) Every day we have is a gift from God, and we should not take our days for granted.

(2) What should be the prioritites of our life?

(3) There is "LOVE"!

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. 17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:13-18

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” Luke 12:20-21

The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God,which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:5-7

Just like a coin has 2 sides - heads and tails - there are 2 different components that are virutally inseperable, which are sex and relationship.

Or, said another, sex is intended to occur within the context of relaitonship, and this leads to a very important and undeniable reality, which implicates the importance of healthy relaitonship.

Or, said another way, the healthier and more funcitonal the relationship is , the healthier and more funcitonal the sex will be that occurs within the context of that relationship.

But there's another very important and undenial reality, which is the truth that relationship can be very challenging and difficult.

What often happens in the context of relationship is what Tony is calling in this episode, the "X".

The "X" is not good.

The "X" is hard.

The "X" is a disagrement, a difficulty, a tension, a fight, an argument, or a misunderstanding.

And the reality is that every couple is going to experience, not just one "X" in their relationship, but many different "X's" over time.

And therefore a very important question emerges, which is implicates the title of today's episode:

What do we do with the "X's" when they show up in our relationship?

In this episode Tony advocates that there are only 5 options on how to deal with the "X", and he shares those 5 options.

Of the 5 options, there's one that's the recommended and outstanding option that can and will lead to the possibly of traversing the "X" in a healhty and productive way.

Learn to deal with your "X's" in a better way, and that will lead to a healthier and more functional relationship, which will in turn create the environment that makes healthier and more functional sex possible!

George Carneal, author of “From Queer to Christ”, grew up in the ’70s, raised by a Southern Baptist minister in the ultra-conservative Bible belt. For years he struggled with his Christian faith and a same-sex attraction. George shares his painful journey through a secular world at odds with homosexuality, in addition to a religious world that is hostile to homosexuals. Perhaps sharing his journey through the eyes, and mind, of a confused child dealing with a same-sex attraction will give some insight into the pain and difficulty of navigating these two worlds.

George would eventually spend 25 years immersed in the homosexual lifestyle (mostly in the Los Angeles club scene) and shares the pitfalls of that life. His story is not about glamorizing a life he once lived. Deliverance is possible. There is hope in Christ!

George’s story is not an attack on the LGBT or Christian communities, nor is his story a representation of what all LGBT individuals go through. This is merely his journey and what he learned along the way.

George is a frequent speaker at churches and conferences, has worked with pastors who are struggling with how to address this issue, and has appeared on broadcasts including the Christian Television Network – Homekeepers program, World Net Daily, Stand In The Gap Today (American Pastors Network), Janet Mefferd Live, Christian Life Magazine 99.3 FM, Focus Today w/Perry Atkinson (TheDoveTV), News & Views with Gregory Howard, Soaring Eagle Radio, The Igniting a Nation Broadcasting Network , etc., as well as contributing quotes to online articles for LifeSite News and The Christian Post.

www.georgecarneal.com