Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is entitled Guys and Girls and is about our differences, and how we can help each other.

Most people think lust is a guy problem, but the truth is that girls also have the same problem. In short, guys are tempted by the physical pleasure, while the girls are tempted to give physical pleasure to gain emotional security and companionship.

Lust is always based on the same lie: that satisfaction will be found apart from God.

Basically, we must understand how the opposite sex works, so we can help them not to fall into lust. (Details in the book, I really recommend it)

Chapter 4

my thoughts on Part Two: In the Thick of the Battle
Chapter 4: A Custom-Tailored Plan

The book guided me to list down my weaknesses. What triggers my lust, when am I vulnerable and to what, and identify what obedience to God in these areas would look like.

After listing it all down, I basically have to choose one area to start with. I'll keep all the other areas in my head, but mainly focus on one to start.

Hebrews 12:3 says "Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for this time of consciously listing down my weaknesses. Help me to look to You for strength to flee from them, and not rely on my own strength. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Chapter 3

I just realised the book(Sex is not the problem(lust is) by Joshua Harris) is split into three parts:

Part One: The Truth About Lust(chapters 1-3)
Part Two: In the Thick of the Battle(chapters 4-7)
Part Three: Strategies for Long-Term Change(chapters 8-10)

Here's my thoughts from Chapter 3: You can't Save Yourself

We are walking the narrow righteous path, between the ravines of legalism on one side, and indulgence in sin on the other. Our own power and will can't save us, only God can. We must surrender ourselves to Him.

My favourite sentences in this chapter are "The person who has experienced God's grace and has been genuinely converted can still choose to sin, but he can't love sin like he used to. He can't continue in sin indefinitely!"

I was really touched by that, because it was as if God told me "I know what you're going through, and I am with you." I can now be sure that I have truly accepted God's justification of me, and that I am on the path of sanctification!

God loves you, too!

Sex is not the problem(lust is) by Joshua Harris

So. Summary of what I've read so far, chapter one("Not even a hint") and chapter two("Sex is not the problem"). God's standard for sexual immorality is set as high as it can go. Eph5:3  says "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because those are improper for God's holy people." It may sound un-achievable, but(as Joshua wrote in the next chapter) it's because lust never stays as "just a hint". It snowballs out of control, and it can never be satisfied. Joshua quoted CS Lewis, saying "Starving men may think much about food but so do gluttons; the gorged, as well as the famished, like titillations."

It's important to save our sexuality from being confused with lust. Our sexuality was a good thing, programmed into us by God, to drive us to a holy marriage. Lust pollutes that. Joshua is using the early chapters of his book to distinguish lust from sexuality. He quoted John Piper saying "Lust is a sexual desire minus honor and holiness". It removes our respect for others and their possessions.

We are sexual creatures, and that is good. Lust can never be satisfied, and it is very very bad.

Getting up again

So, it's been so long since I last posted an update. In this time, I have fallen and gotten up multiple times, and also realized that starving the sumo isn't enough, I need to feed myself with good things(the Word of God). I've borrowed a book from my church's library called "sex is not the problem(lust is)" by Joshua Harris (Boy meets girl, I kissed dating goodbye). I'll read it and post how it helps :)

I've been attending a discipleship class in church(probably posted about this before), and up until recently, reading the Bible passages for the daily discipleship homework had become just another chore. I hope to renew my hunger and thirst for the wisdom in the Bible.

God bless you all :) It's back to assignments for me!

40 Hour Famine experience

Hi all,

My fast ended yesterday(16th September 2012) at 12pm.

I didn't eat anything at all, and only drank water(and a honey drink on 16th)

I didn't sit on any chairs, except once when I was tricked by a friend(felt betrayed, it was only 30mins before my fasting was over)

Anyway, I just want to share some similarities differences I've noticed between my "famine" and the famine of the people in Ethiopia

I slept "on the floor" in my sleeping bag, with a pillow and a blanket, in a well-insulated house.

They may not even have good blankets or a good house!

It gets as cold in Ethiopia at night as where I am.

I had a honey drink, which they may not even have

I had nice carpeted floors to sit on, and simply stood when I felt the ground where I was was dirty.

They sleep on dusty floors, even sweep the dusty floors that don't become clean.

I knew when my famine would end, and that helped me persevere.

When will it end for them?




You decide.

40 Hour Famine

Hi all!

I am fasting food, computer games and furniture for 40 hours to raise funds for the people of Ethiopia, who are fighting hunger.

My fast started last night at 8pm, and will end on Sunday 16th September at 12pm.

Since 8pm last night, I have sat on the floor, slept on the floor, read books on the floor, sketched on the floor(homework), used my computer on the floor, and not had anything to eat, and no drinks other than water. I decided to share this journey here as well :)

Sleeping on the floor wasn't too bad because I had a sleeping bag, my pillow and a blanket.

But it got me thinking.

The kids in Ethiopia may not have any of that. While I'm still relatively comfortable in my sleeping bag, they may be sleeping on the floor, in the cold.

Here's a brief introduction to Ethiopia:
The population: 82,101,998 (2011 est.) [Christianity 62.8%, Islam 33.9%, traditional faiths 2.6%, others 0.6%]

90% living in poverty, 39% living on at least $1.25 a day, 61.5% deprived of adequate schooling ( http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/03/the-10-poorest-countries_n_668537.html#s122175&title=10_Sierra_Leone)
Children are around 20 times more likely to die before turning five compared to Australians.
Children have a 50% chance of having stunted growth because of hunger.
Most of them do not have clean water or a toilet.
Life expectancy is about 59.

So please support the event, whether or not you donate through me doesn't matter!

My own target is to raise $100 for the people of Ethiopia!

Here's the 40 Hour Famine homepage

Here's my Faminer profile(if you want to donate through me)

And here's my church's Famine Village profile(if you want to donate there :D)

$40 can feed a family of 5 for a month! So I hope $100 can support them for two and a half months!!

God bless Ethiopia, and God bless all of you :)