Thank you for joining me on the third and final day of this series.  We’ve been talking about open doors to the enemy.  I have had the privilege of being a part of the “Can We Talk About This?” Series at a local church here in Amarillo; and we began with a few doors, I believe, when opened, give room for the enemy to come in and take some ground.

Open Door #3: Drinking, Appearance, and Addiction

What do I mean by that?  Let me give you an example:  A 40-something mom takes a family picture after church with a social media post saying “So great to worship with my family today! #thankful #blessed”–then that same mom posts pictures on social media of her partying with her friends, wearing bikinis, and drinking alcohol.

This is quite literally the definition of “causing a brother to stumble.”

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.”
Romans 14:1 

“Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.”  Romans 14:13

“So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.  Do not tear down the work of God for the sake of food. All things indeed are clean, but they are evil for the man who eats and gives offense.  It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.” Romans 14:13, 19-21

We need to consider our actions.  Even a seemingly small thing like a selfie can be a stumbling block.

Open Door #4: Pornography & Technology

Did you know 1 in 5 mobile internet searches are for pornography?

In October of  2014 Christianity Today surveyed men ages 18-30 and here’s what they found:

• 77% look at porn monthly
• 36% view daily
• 32%-44% say they are addicted

Christian Men ages 31-49:

• 77% looked at porn at work in the last 3 months
• 64% view monthly
• 95% have viewed porn
• 35% have had an affair

Joel Hesch founder of Proven Men Ministries says “it is abundantly clear that pornography is one of the biggest unaddressed problems in the church.”

In this same study, 57% of pastors said addiction to porn is the most sexually damaging issue in their congregation. 34% of Christian women surveyed by Christianity Today said they view porn.  In fact, 1 in 3 visits to pornography websites are women.

I have worked with countless teens addicted to pornography and most recently with 2 8-yr old girls.

Not to mention the recent Ashley Madison website hack.  Over 14,000 accounts were created here in Amarillo.  The affects of this are just now coming to the surface–a Louisiana Pastor committed suicide after learning that his Ashley Madison account would be made public.

Then there’s Josh Duggar.  Then there’s Jared, the Subway guy.  I could go on.

Technology, in general, is dividing our families and damaging relationships.  Haven’t you seen a family out to dinner and everyone is staring at their individual phone?  We (and, more importantly our children) have access to the internet all day and all night–meaning, our friends and our work can have total access to us any time of day or night.

So, why do I believe these things are “open doors” to the enemy?

• Judgementalism: We, even the church, are tripping all over ourselves on this deal.  Either we are so hateful that we give the lost plenty of ammo against us, or we are so far the other way that we are celebrating and endorsing blatant sin.

• Hypocrisy: We are coming to church with masks on because “my family must be the only imperfect family here.”  We play the game, and we don’t talk about it.

• Drinking, Addiction, & Pornography: The enemy is destroying families and he is mauling our kids over these issues.  We repent and say that we’ll never look at porn again, never drink too much again, never cheat again, but we do!  Because he’s in the door–we’ve given the enemy ground.  And it’s in the dark.  But, we certainly can (and should and will!) talk about it.

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”  Ephesians 5:8-11

Dear Christians, it’s time to expose them.

My love,