​What's it called when a chameleon can't change its colors anymore?

A reptile dysfunction.

A crank is someone with a new idea -- until it catches on.
--Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

1 Thessalonians 5:18-24, 25-28

18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19 Quench not the Spirit.

20 Despise not prophesyings.

21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.

23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Faithful is he that calleth you, Who also will do it.

25 Brethren, pray for us.

28 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
KJV

In today's Christian world, we are bombarded with prophesies. Recently I read one about "restitution" which I could not publish in Hugh's News. The Bible certainly teaches about restitution. The prime example is the story of Zacchaeus recorded in Luke's Gospel 19. It was God Who placed into the heart of Zacchaeus to repay that which he has stolen. Here is what he said, 'Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold" (Luke 19:8, NKJV).

To aggressively go after that which has been taken from us is not, in my opinion, supported by Holy Scripture. There are somethings we commit to God, and allow Him to take care of it. Life is too short not to forgive others who have not been honest in their dealings with us.

What do you think?

You may write me at this email address: hugh@hughsnews.com
​

It is still true today that no matter what your problem is or your need Jesus is still the answer.

We saw it clearly in the first miracle that that Jesus performed at the wedding at Cana of Galilee.
They had a problem--the wine ran out. Jesus was asked by His mother, Mary, to do something about it.  Mary told the servants "Whatever He says to you, do it" (John 2:5, NKJV).

What a beautiful story this is of how Jesus turned the water into the finest wine ever made. 

I, as the editor of Hugh's News, have a problem that needs the help of Jesus Who gave me this ministry of Christian journalism.

Currently, we are running $1,500 in the red and these outstanding debts or invoices must be paid this month on time without incurring a late fee and interest. It is a good thing, a business practice I follow, to pay every debt on time and in full. We have had some extra expenses this July and August that we normally do not have. I have not asked for money from my readers is quite a while. Consequently contributions have not been coming in. The Bible is so true: "You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2, NKJV).

Although I am dependent upon God to provide for the finances for Hugh's News, Inc., I am also dependent upon you my readers to give generously as God impresses you to give and the amount He would have you give.

Your financial support enables us to continue the ministry of spreading the Gospel, teaching Scriptural holiness and the deeper truths of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, as well as the life led and energized by the Holy Spirit.

Our goal is to keep you abreast of the latest fast-breaking news, take your prayer requests, and publish testimonies of God's healing power in today's world.  ​

Hugh’s News, Inc. is incorporated with the Georgia Secretary of State as a non-profit corporation. Your support for this ministry is appreciated. Please consult with your tax adviser about deductibility of any payments you make to Hugh’s News, Inc. ​

​​You may also send your contribution by mail to:

Hugh's News, Inc.
17 Sweet Apple Lane
Winder, GA 30680  

Please make checks payable to Hugh's News, Inc., not Hugh Morgan. Thank you!

​Your financial support keeps Hugh's News viable. We enjoy a 501 (C) (3) IRS Tax Exempt Status that enables you to get a tax break when filing your Federal Income Return.

To give today with your Credit Card you may Click Here on this hyperlink I have prepared for you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for you generosity today.

Your friend in all seasons,

Hugh H. Morgan
Editor of Hugh's News
Email: hugh@hughsnews.com

​“The Lord’s Prayer” or “the disciple’s prayer,” can easily be outlined into three sections, each with three movements. But we dare not rush through the extraordinary preamble that serves as a frame for the entire prayer encounter – “Our Father, Who are in heaven, holy…” Here, intimacy, ‘Our Father,’ is juxtaposed against His eternal existence, ‘Who art’ – beyond and outside the bounds of time; ‘in heaven’ – outside the bounds of space, in another dimension; ‘holy’ – utterly other, unlike earthlings, incomparable, unknowable without self-disclosure. Here is intimacy (Father) and laced with transcendence. Though implicit in the prayer, it demands a delicate balance between God, as Father – intimacy as possible; and God, as the Holy One, beyond time and space, past finding out. This framework for prayer never fades, we can never leave it – intimacy and transcendence!

In the body of the prayer, the first concern is the “Glory” of the Father, then the “Good” of the Father’s family, and finally the “Great Certainty” of the Father’s claim in the earth.

GLORY -- With regard to the Father’s glory, three worshipful petitions are offered:

    We are to pray that the name of God will be revered…“Hallowed by Thy Name!”
    We pray that the Rule of God will be established…“Thy Kingdom come!”
    We are to pray that the Will of God will be done…“Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven!”

GOOD –- With regard to our prayerful concern for good in the Father’s family, we offer three petitions:

    We pray for daily provision…“Give us this day our daily bread”
    We pray for daily pardon…“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
    We pray for daily protection… “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”

GREAT CERTAINTY –- With regard to the great certainty of the Father’s redemptive claim, we make three prayerful declarations:

    We declare that the Kingdom belongs to God. The earth is the Lord’s. The outcome of all things is now settled…“For          Thine is the Kingdom.”
    We declare that all power comes from God. All authority is resident in God…“And the power …”
    We declare finally, that all glory is due God! …“And the glory…forever!”

This blog is an excerpt from a re-release of a popular title, Intercession: The Uncomfortable, Strategic Middle. Order at www.alivepublications.org>

Empower was the theme.

Statesville NC was the location.

Beautiful Mac Gray Auditorium was the venue.

The precious Holy Spirit anointed singers and musicians alike. Under the same anointing Evangelist Stephen Hoell delivered a stirring word on Prayer.

Souls flooded the altar and an old fashioned revival gripped people’s hearts. 

"Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden" (Genesis 4:16, NIV).

Cain had been created by God. He had been created with life from God. He had been created for God. And now he was separated from God. Unconfessed sin and rebellion makes a person so miserable in the presence of a holy, righteous God that the sin must either be confessed and cleansed or the sinner must leave God’s presence.

Cain’s tragic life illustrates the hard lesson that guilt is our friend if it drives us to God. However, if we refuse to turn to God in repentance and confession, guilt will drive us away from God to our own destruction. Cain’s bitterness that was rooted in resentment and rebellion bore wicked fruit in his family for generations to follow. Cain’s sin, left to take its own natural course, intensified with each generation until the entire civilization of the world in his day was ravaged by it.

What sin in your life – if left unchecked – will ravage the life of your children?

Blessings,

Anne Graham Lotz
​
​C​opyright © 2014 Anne Graham Lotz (AnGeL Ministries) Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved www.annegrahamlotz.org.

Psalm 139:7-12  The Scope of God's Presence

There are approximately six distinct sections in this marvelous chapter in Psalm 139. For our benediction I have chosen
the second section, entitled "The Scope of God's Presence."

Do you experience the presence of God in your life daily? You know God wants you and me to have an intimate 
relationship with Him. I pray that you will seek to have the presence of God in your life daily, and moment by 
moment. God really wants to bless you.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence? 
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. 
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me. 
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me,"
Even the night shall be light about me; 
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You. 
NKJV

​A guy goes into a restaurant/lounge wearing a shirt open at the collar and is met by a bouncer who tells him he must wear a necktie to gain admission. So the guy goes out to his car. He looks around for a necktie and discovers that he just doesn't have one, but he sees a set of jumper cables in his trunk. In desperation he ties these around his neck, manages to fashion a fairly acceptable-looking knot, and lets the ends dangle free.

He goes back to the restaurant. The bouncer carefully looks him over for a few minutes and then says, "Well, OK, I guess you can come in -- just don't start anything."

​A commercial from Food City without any words.

Click Here on this hyperlink to see this unusual commercial.

It has been said, "Preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary."

The old timers used to pray not only for the anointing of the Holy Spirit, but the unction of the Holy Spirit. that means that The Holy Spirit will give to the Spirit-filled believer the right words to say at the right time.

We thank God for our military--for the brave young Americans who have volunteered to serve our country in times of peace and war to keep us safe from enemies within and without our country.

It is still true today that no matter what your problem is or your need Jesus is still the answer.

We saw it clearly in the first miracle that that Jesus performed at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. What a beautiful story this is of how Jesus turned the water into the finest wine ever made. 

I, as the editor of Hugh's News, have a problem that needs the help of Jesus Who gave me this ministry of Christian journalism.

Currently, we are running $1,500 in the red and these outstanding debts or invoices must be paid this month on time without incurring a late fee and interest. It is a good thing, a business practice I follow, to pay every debt on time and in full. We have had some extra expenses this July and August that we normally do not have. I have not asked for money from my readers is quite a while. Consequently contributions have not been coming in. The Bible is so true: "You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2, NKJV).

Although I am dependent upon God to provide for the finances for Hugh's News, Inc., I am also dependent upon you my readers to give generously as God impresses you to give and the amount He would have you give.

Your financial support enables us to continue the ministry of spreading the Gospel, teaching Scriptural holiness and the deeper truths of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, as well as the life led and energized by the Holy Spirit.

Our goal is to keep you abreast of the latest fast-breaking news, take your prayer requests, and publish testimonies of God's healing power in today's world.  ​

Hugh’s News, Inc. is incorporated with the Georgia Secretary of State as a non-profit corporation. Your support for this ministry is appreciated. Please consult with your tax adviser about deductibility of any payments you make to Hugh’s News, Inc. ​

​​You may also send your contribution by mail to:

Hugh's News, Inc.
17 Sweet Apple Lane
Winder, GA 30680  

Please make checks payable to Hugh's News, Inc., not Hugh Morgan. Thank you!

​Your financial support keeps Hugh's News viable. We enjoy a 501 (C) (3) IRS Tax Exempt Status that enables you to get a tax break when filing your Federal Income Return.

To give today with your Credit Card you may Click Here on this hyperlink I have prepared for you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for you generosity today.

Your friend in all seasons,

Hugh H. Morgan
Editor of Hugh's News
Email: hugh@hughsnews.com

Bishop Lamb and Pastor Harrison Lampley surprised Travis, Vanessa Todd and children on Thursday morning, August 16, at MUSC in Charleston, SC. They drove in at 2 a.m. and came over this morning for baby Ellis' surgery.  They got there in time to pray with the baby as the doctors and medical staff stood by and prayed with them!  Ir was an Amazing Moment!!

I did not see this in print, but from a brief conversation with Pastor Lampley, the surgeon drained fluid from the large growth on the left side of Baby Ellis' body. He may need further surgery, but at this time that is not clear to me. I do call you to prayer for this precious baby. Melvine and I have been praying for him and this family.

You may keep up with the Todd's and baby Ellis on Face Book and also check out the "Go Fund Me" page.

The following are some photos Pastor Lampley, Franklin Springs Pentecostal Holiness Church, sent me via email:

In Charles Swindoll's newsletter this week, he gave a word of hope for all those who may be facing an insurmountable challenge. You and and I can count on Chuck Swindoll to get us a word based on Bible, God's revealed and inspired Word of God that will stand the test of time.

Here is what he wrote: Sometimes we need a miracle.
​
​"Are you living with an impossibility? An insurmountable challenge that you’re powerless to change? Maybe it’s a grown child straying in the wrong direction. Maybe it’s your marriage or chronic pain or perhaps a wall you’ve slammed into with your career. Whatever it is, you’ve run out of options. No pastor, no professional, no friend—not even you, yourself—can bring the change that’s needed. You’re stuck.

"Am I describing your life? If so, I’ve got great news: We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.

"On earth, Jesus performed miracles that proved what Scripture says: “Nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). John records seven that perfectly illustrate Jesus’ astonishing power . . . so that YOU might believe (John 20:31). Jesus demonstrated His power over:

    Quality—John chapter 2, Jesus turns water into wedding wine. When the master of ceremonies tastes it, he says the          bridegroom saved the best for last.
    Distance—chapter 4, Jesus heals a man’s son . . . from five hours away.
    Time—chapter 5, Jesus heals a man who had been lame for 38 years.
    Quantity—chapter 6, Jesus feeds over 5,000 people with five loaves and two fish.
    Nature—chapter 6, Jesus walks on water.
    Misfortune—chapter 9, Jesus gives sight to a man born blind.
    Death—chapter 11, Jesus calls forth Lazarus from the grave.

"Need to turn something ordinary into something of quality? God’s good at that! Got a person you need to reach who’s far away? He has no problem with distance either. Been wrestling with something so long you can’t remember what life was like before? He’s the Master of time. Need an “impossible” provision? He provides more than enough. The laws of physics say your reality can’t be changed? The Creator wrote those laws so He can change them! Limited by a lifelong disability? God will help you through every circumstance. Death itself is no match for Him!

"Promises are fulfilled when God says, “Now!” At that point, He turns our impossibilities into great opportunities. I’m not saying to expect a miracle a day. For reasons we don’t know, God does not always intervene. But miracles DO happen! They’re rare and they defy explanation . . . and they’re enough to change your life."

Trusting in Jesus’ Power,

Chuck Swindoll

Charles R. Swindoll

[Charles Swindoll, Insight for Living Ministries.]

This blessing by Billy Graham was published in one of the Decision magazines. I believe Billy Graham was anointed by the Holy Spirit when he wrote it. The words no doubt were equally the unction of the Holy Spirit. When I give it to people who desire to receive it, the Holy Spirit anoints me and gives me the unction to repeat it by memory. Of course, I am prepared to give them a ministry card like the one above. 

Arlette Revells designed it for me, and I have had her print 2,000 ministry cards. I am working diligently to give them to everyone who will receive it.

You can share this blessing with many others. too. Together we are given the opportunity to share Billy Graham's benediction that will give us a platform to minister to people at the point of their need. For me it is an exciting daily adventure to share Jesus with others.

"You should be ashamed," the father told his son, Andy, "When Abraham Lincoln was your age, he used to walk ten miles every day to get to school."

"Really?" Andy responded. "Well, when he was your age, he was president."

Ken Phillips, Director of Men's Ministries at Christian Life Worship Center in Athens, GA, is happy to announce that Tommy Valentine with Extra Special People will be our guest speaker Saturday morning, August 18, at 8:30 in our Fellowship Hall, known as Stephanie's Place. You may enter the room from the parking lot adjacent to a lovely rose garden in full bloom on the lower level of our church education wing. ​     

You will enjoy a hearty breakfast prepared and served by our Master Chef, Randy Jackson. He always prepares a delightful breakfast that will satisfy the hungry appetite of any man.

More important than the food, is the fellowship and communications of men who love the Lord Jesus Christ and who have placed their trust in Him for salvation. 

​Legendary gospel artist Aretha Franklin died on Thursday, according to a publicist. She was 76.

Showbiz 411's Roger Friedman said the 18-time Grammy winner's loved ones are "asking for prayers and privacy" at this time.

Reports surfaced August 13 that Franklin was "gravely ill" and under hospice care in her home.

"Aretha has been sick for a long time but didn't want to share her pain with the world," a source told ET. "She has always been a very private person and the last thing she wanted was to reveal this difficult time in her life with her fans. She's loved her life and in the last year talked so much about her incredible memories. She has earned the title as the Queen of Soul and that is how she wants to be remembered."

Franklin may very well may have been the most iconic performer of the 20th-21st centuries.

"She is an American performer at its very best," Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards says. "She brought soul music to life. She brought a lot of the church music from the African-American experience to life. I can't think of a more American singer than Aretha Franklin."

Rolling Stone called her the greatest singer of all time.

"You know a force from heaven. You know something that God made. And Aretha is a gift from God. When it comes to expressing yourself through song, there is no one who can touch her. She is the reason why women want to sing," according to the mag.

The pastor's daughter first discovered her powerful, soulful voice at New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit.

"Without Aretha, the church wouldn't still be here," Pastor Robert Smith Jr. says.

"Singing all of her life. She's always been on stage, she's always singing the Gospel of truth to the people of God," the pastor says.

Related Articles

    Aretha Franklin Claims Miraculous Healing

Franklin was born in 1942 and performed in her father's traveling revival. While on tour, Franklin befriended Gospel greats such as Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke and Clara Ward.

In 1956, at age 14, she released her first album, "Songs of Faith," and gave birth to her first child.

By 1960, she signed with Columbia Records and released her self-titled album. Throughout the decade, Franklin released iconic hits including "Respect," "Baby I Love You,'' "Think," "Chain of Fools,'' "I Say a Little Prayer," "(Sweet Sweet Baby) Since You've Been Gone" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman."

In 1972, she returned to her Gospel roots with the album "Amazing Grace," which sold more than 2 million copies and went on to become the best-selling gospel album at the time.

To hear Aretha Franklin sing Amazing Grace on the Oprah Winfrey show you may Click Here. Aretha Franklin's Performance of "Amazing Grace" That Made Oprah Cry.

In 1987, singer Aretha Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, according to PBS. This was a testament to her impact on the music world over the course of her long and exciting career. From her teenage days singing Gospel in her father's church to her ascendancy to rock and roll royalty, "The Queen of Soul" has expressed a passion and intensity that has never failed to move her listeners.

Her 1988 album, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, deeply affected Rolling Stone's David Fricke:

Thirty-one years later, she returns a successful yet scarred woman, the veteran of an extraordinary but frustratingly uneven career as well as a turbulent personal life. Still, she remains undefeated in her faith. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism is Aretha Franklin's second vinyl trip to the altar since she ascended to the throne as Queen of Soul, and like the first, 1972's aptly titled Amazing Grace, it is a striking musical documentary of uninhibited rapture and sobering confessional intensity—the sound of a woman at once reveling in the glory of her God-given talent and reflecting on a history of pain and uncertainty that earthly success couldn't salve. Ostensibly a record of celebration, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism is weighed down by some very heavy crosses.

You can feel every one of them bearing down in her breathtaking reading of "The Lord's Prayer." The opening lines are like a song in themselves, a mini-aria in which Franklin pauses for extended melodic meditations, savoring those moments with slowly arcing wails and a breathy tremolo. She forsakes the fireworks for a heartier, more sage quality in her singing, sounding less like a radiant R&B angel than like a weary supplicant, thankful for all the good she's got and grateful for surviving the bad. Then, as the band and choir swell up behind her, she erupts into a soaring crescendo before suddenly dropping into a low, smoky alto for the amen. It is the album's most stirring moment and one of Aretha's best recorded performances in recent years. It is also a true prayer, with all of the hope it promises and the humbleness it requires.

Her musical legacy can still be heard in the music of today's hottest stars, like Mary J. Blige, Beyonce and more.

[Jessilyn Justice @jessilynjustice is the director of online news for Charisma. Used by permission.]

It is still true today that no matter what your problem is or your need Jesus is still the answer.

We saw it clearly in the first miracle that that Jesus performed at the wedding at Cana of Galilee. What a beautiful story this is of how Jesus turned the water into the finest wine ever made. 

I, as the editor of Hugh's News, have a problem that needs the help of Jesus Who gave me this ministry of Christian journalism.

Currently, we are running $1,500 in the red and these outstanding debts or invoices must be paid this month on time without incurring a late fee and interest. It is a good thing, a business practice I follow, to pay every debt on time and in full. We have had some extra expenses this July and August that we normally do not have. I have not asked for money from my readers is quite a while. The Bible is so true: "You do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:2, NKJV).

Although I am dependent upon God to provide for the finances for Hugh's News, Inc., I am also dependent upon you my readers to give generously as God impresses you to give and the amount He would have you give.

Your financial support enables us to continue the ministry of spreading the Gospel, teaching Scriptural holiness and the deeper truths of the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit, as well as the life led and energized by the Holy Spirit.

Our goal is to keep you abreast of the latest fast-breaking news, take your prayer requests, and publish testimonies of God's healing power in today's world.  ​

Hugh’s News, Inc. is incorporated with the Georgia Secretary of State as a non-profit corporation. Your support for this ministry is appreciated. Please consult with your tax adviser about deductibility of any payments you make to Hugh’s News, Inc. ​

​​You may also send your contribution by mail to: Hugh's News, Inc. 17 Sweet Apple Lane Winder, GA 30680  Please make checks payable to Hugh's News, Inc., not Hugh Morgan. Thank you!

​Your financial support keeps Hugh's News viable. We enjoy a 501 (C) (3) IRS Tax Exempt Status that enables you to get a tax break when filing your Federal Income Return.

To give today with your Credit Card you may Click Here on this hyperlink I have prepared for you.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for you generosity today.

Your friend in all seasons,

Hugh H. Morgan
Editor of Hugh's News
Email: hugh@hughsnews.com
​

Congratulations to the Beattys! I am grateful for the deep impression that they made on me their first year at Emmanuel and my last year there. Dr. Beatty was an excellent professor and leader and I well remember the kind and encouraging spirit of Mrs. Nancy as well. 

Those of us who care deeply about the health of the global church have been in mourning the past few weeks as yet another sexual scandal has surfaced, this one involving 25,000-member Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago and its founder, Bill Hybels.

I was hoping this was only a nightmare, but it's really happening. We'd rather sweep the whole mess under the rug, but apparently there has already been too much cover-up. Repentance requires us to face the ugly truth. It also requires us to have the courage to treat victims of abuse with compassion rather than silencing or shaming them.

All told, 10 women have come forward with allegations that Hybels, who is 66, engaged in inappropriate sexual behavior with them when they were on staff at Willow Creek. Hybels has denied the charges, but the entire elder board of the church and two lead pastors resigned this month because they believe they mishandled the accusations.

Hybels also announced back in April that he was stepping down six months in advance of his planned retirement. As Willow Creek begins a slow and painful process toward recovery, many questions will have to be answered: How does a church handle allegations of abuse? How can leaders avoid the temptations that come along with ministry? And how do potential victims of abuse respond when a powerful, charismatic leader lures them into wrong behavior?

It's not like these issues were never discussed before. After all, Hybels' book Who Are You When No One Is Looking? has sold more than 300,000 copies. He has made a career of teaching leaders how to develop character and personal integrity. Hybels is the guy we consulted when other leaders disappointed us.

This latest scandal is a huge reminder, for me, that no one is infallible. There is nothing you or I can do to guarantee 100 percent that we will never stumble. We are all flawed. We all live with the possibility of failure. But in times like these I go back to some simple guidelines that have helped me to avoid becoming another statistic:

1. Keep the Spirit's fire burning. No man or woman who prays regularly, worships God intimately, reads the Bible consistently and knows God's grace personally is going to fall into sexual sin. When we are full of God's Spirit, His fire will keep us far away from the edge of moral failure. It's only when a person loses his first love for Jesus that he drifts toward sinful desires.

2. Avoid every sexually compromising situation. It's never wise to play next to the edge of a cliff. Yet Christians today seem to think it's spiritual to flirt, literally, with danger. The Bible says: "Flee from youthful lusts" (2 Tim. 2:22a, NASB). "Flee" does not mean linger, loiter or dawdle, nor does it mean wink to see if you get a wink back. It means run!
Related Articles

• Bill Hybels, Sexual Atheists and the Gospel of Luke
• What the Church Should Learn From the Bill Hybels Scandal

If you are guilty of making suggestive come-ons, counseling people with no precautions in place, sexting or letting friendships become romantic entanglements, you are headed toward a moral failure. Repeat this over and over: "Don't be stupid. Don't be stupid." Stop compromising. Draw boundaries, and live as far from the edge of sexual sin as possible.

3. Be on guard for traps. In Proverbs, the author warns his son never to go anywhere near the adulteress' house. He also says of her: "For the lips of an immoral woman drip as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil" (Prov. 5:3, MEV). The reason so many great Christians fall into sexual sin is that they don't realize its deceptive power.
Immoral sexual attraction clouds judgment and makes men and women do really dumb things that mess up their lives. (Consider King David, who murdered a man to hide his sin after he caught sight of the guy's wife while she was bathing!) The best way to steer clear of sexual sin is to stay 50 miles away from the person who is sending the subtle hints. Don't be fooled by another person's seduction or by your own seductive urges.

4. Keep your mind cleared of sexual debris. I counsel many Christian guys who battle with pornography. Technology has made it more accessible than ever, but that doesn't change the fact that porn works like a computer virus to destroy your moral resistance. A man with "porn on the brain" is much more likely to end up in bed with someone who is not his wife. If you have this problem, get your brain debugged as soon as possible.

5. Don't live in spiritual isolation. Almost every minister I know who fell into sexual scandal was living in a private world with no accountability. If you study the habit patterns of adulterers you find that after they start going down the path of sin they become distant and secretive. God has called us to live in the light (see 1 John 1:7), and that means we should give our close Christian friends the right to confront us and ask hard questions. Don't live in isolation. Be transparent.

6. Keep your own marriage exciting. If you are married, one sure way to stay out of someone else's bed is to be satisfied with your own. Solomon told his son: "Rejoice in the wife of your youth ... be exhilarated always with her love" (Prov. 5:18b, 19b, NASB). Never talk yourself into believing that you have a "right" to adultery because the sizzle went out of your marriage. Your selfish attitude is probably the reason the sizzle died.

Moral failures will continue to scandalize the church, and we will continue to extend grace and forgiveness to those who have fallen. But with Jesus, sexual purity is possible. Let's do a better job of teaching Christians to walk in it.

[J. Lee Grady was editor of Charisma for 11 years before he launched into full-time ministry in 2010. Today he directs The Mordecai Project, a Christian charitable organization that is taking the healing of Jesus to women and girls who suffer abuse and cultural oppression. Author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, he has just released his newest book, Set My Heart on Fire, from Charisma House. You can follow him on Twitter at @LeeGrady or go to his website, themordecaiproject.org.

J. Lee Grady is an ordained minister of the Gospel in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. He is currently the executive editor of Encourage online magazine. He has given me permission to reproduce his articles in Hugh's News.]