​I want to warn you about a blind spot and it could get a little uncomfortable. What blind spot are we talking about? Sexual impurity. Sexual impurity is any sexual activity outside of the covenant of marriage. It also includes pornography and lusting after other people for the purposes of fulfilling some sexual desire or fantasy. According to the statistics, this is a big issue.   
 
72% of men and 28% of women view internet pornography on a monthly basis.
30% of men are considered to have an addiction to pornography.
47% of families in the United States reported that pornography is a problem in their home.
(https://fightthenewdrug.org/10-porn-stats-that-will-blow-your-mind/, accessed 19 June 2018)
 
God created people sexual beings and in the right context sex is wonderful and meant to be enjoyed. God created men and women to want to have sexual relations and join together in marriage, but just like every other gift that God gives us he wants us to steward it.
 
This is how you can avoid sexual impurity. First, impurity begins in the eye. Jesus says: “28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew 5:28 Make the decision to not to look at women lustfully before you are tempted to look. Job writes: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.” Job 31:1. Job made a covenant with his eyes (himself) to not look lustfully. 
 
Second, think about how impurity affects your family. If you struggle with porn and are a married man you’re probably deceiving your wife to cover it up because you feel ashamed of it. It also affects your ability to give and receive real love because porn isn’t based on love, it’s based on lust. Fifty percent of men who struggle with porn also struggle with sexual intimacy with their spouse. If this is an area of struggle for you it will impact your family in more ways than you can possibly comprehend.
 
Third, think about how impurity affects your faith. God doesn’t overlook sin. He doesn’t turn a blind eye. The reality is that once you cross the line and commit sexual immorality it gets easier and easier until you may not even feel much conviction. But God still sees it and it does impact your prayers and God’s direction in your life.      
 
Fourth, think about how impurity affects your future. It takes strong character to fulfill the plans and purpose that God has for you. If this is a character weakness for you, you will never be able to fulfill your full destiny until you deal with it. Isaiah writes: “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2
 
We serve a gracious and loving God and when we turn 180 degrees and go a different direction, God can restore us. This is called repentance, actually repenting of our sins. Ask God to help you because without the power of the Holy Spirit in your life you are going to lose this battle over and over. So if you want to win the fight against sexual immorality, here is where to start:
 

1. Pray daily for strength in this area. Ask God to help you control your eyes and your thoughts. If you do have lustful thoughts, confess them to God. Satan likes to work in the darkness so if you keep this area of your life hidden from God it’s where Satan can really do some damage.
2. Get an accountability partner. You need to connect with someone who is not impressed with you and isn’t afraid to ask you hard questions. Then be honest with them. You might even want to come to one of our support groups, or participate in Celebrate Recovery. A Christian counselor who specializes in sex addiction may even be necessary. There is help and there is hope for you.
3. Keep your house clean. Get rid of the stuff that causes sin. And in reality, you might even have to clean up a few relationships. If your spouse is addicted to porn, get good counseling from a Christian counselor.  

 
Keep trying no matter what. You might slip a few times, but don’t quit. Give this area over to God and become a good steward of your sexuality so that it doesn’t become an anchor in your life tying you to the wrong thing. No matter how bad your past is or how many times you have messed up, because you are not dead, God is not done with you.
    

​Do you believe that God wants to prosper you or punish you? Sometimes we believe that God is out to get us and punish us for all that we do wrong. Like an overbearing parent who yells at their child for everything they do. And once this gets in our head our perception of God changes and no matter how many times we read that God is loving and kind all we see is this judge who is out to sentence us with misfortune every chance he gets. This is bad theology. The reality is that life is tough and we do have hard times but God is with us through them. In fact, God wants us to prosper.
 
In Genesis 39 we learn about how Joseph prospered even after Potiphar’s wife tempted Joseph to have an affair with her. After Joseph refused Potiphar’s wife’s advances, she had him thrown into prison and he continued to prosper.  I call this the Palace test, and if you pass it, you will prosper. You can prosper in difficulty, you can prosper even though you are under stress, you can prosper when times are tough.
 
What the Bible teaches very clearly is that the key to prospering is the presence of the LORD. If we walk with God we will prosper. Why? Because God is perfect. And if you go where God goes you will prosper, it’s that simple. One of the best lessons I ever learned came from the book Experiencing God by Henry Blackaby. What he says in the book is simple, find out where God is at work and go there.
 
The key to the presence of the Lord is obedience. We don’t like the word obedience. If someone tells you to be obedient you might tense up. Interestingly we want others to be obedient, but we don’t really want to. Obedience is the key to having the presence of God in our lives. If we don’t obey God, he won’t walk with us. God only walks with those who obey him. This is not a bad thing, it’s a good thing.
 
“People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.” Proverbs 28:13
 
When we walk with God in obedience, we are blessed.
When we walk away from God, we walk away from his blessing. 
 
The key to obedience is faith, we must believe that God prospers us for being obedient. We work hard and God will prosper us. No matter who Joseph worked for he prospered because the presence of the LORD was with him. The presence of the LORD was with him because he was obedient. He was obedient because he had faith.
 
You get to choose whether or not you want to prosper. So the question is, how do I get more faith? Obedience does not produce faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The key to faith is hearing the Word. Get into the Word of God. This is where you get to know God. Hearing the Word builds faith in you. The Word of God is living and active. The Word of God is what builds faith in us. We obey because we have heard the Word.
 
“17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” Romans 10:17
 
Hear, Believe, Obey. That is the formula. Hear, believe, obey. And when we obey we will prosper because the LORD’s presence is with us. 
 
Faithfulness to God’s principles found in God’s Word is what causes us to prosper. The best news is that God’s favor is available to anyone and everyone who hears God’s Word, believes God’s Word, and obeys God’s Word. The more faith you have, the more obedient you will want to be. And the more obedient you are God will honor you with His presence. Then his favor and blessings will rest on your life and like Joseph, you will prosper in all you do. And you will know that you have passed the palace test.