Battlefield Instructions for Men, Pt. 2

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WW II GI's Surrounded by the Fog of War

We live in a world where spiritually and morally, these same disorienting type things continue to demand our attention. We can be swayed easily, go the wrong direction, and do what we never thought we would do. That is why battlefield instructions are so important. That is why we must have a plan before we take that first step onto the battlefield we call life. Choosing to be a one woman man will radically transform your life. That kind of life begins with our eyes and moves to every part of our body. It's why the Bible exhorts us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (See Romans 12:1). Because our eyes begin the process, make sure you read Part 1 of this blog to get the clear ("crystal, sir!") instructions for a man's battle for purity.

3 additional ways we prepare for battle:

Choose to be faithful with your lips - A man committed to his wife is no flirt. He doesn't play junior high games with other women. He doesn't kid roundabout being interested in someone else. He doesn't make jokes about getting together with other women. Such jesting comes under the umbrella of having a few harmless laughs. But some things are off-limits...marriage is one of them. Marriage is sacred and holy. It's should never be reduced to a joke at your wife's expense or to the detriment of that relationship.

Choose to be faithful with your hands - Remember when you were a child and your mother used to say keep your hands to yourself? I remember, it was usually after I had whopped or irritated my brother. Keep your hands to yourself is a great piece of advice if you want to be ready for battle. It's like preventative maintenance. It keeps you prepared to fight the war. Be careful how you touch the opposite sex. Why be careful? Because you're committed to one woman. And that is Semper Fidelis...being always faithful.

It would do us all well to look at 1 Corinthians 7 together:

Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. (1 Corinthians 7:1, 2 NASB)

There's nothing wrong with a hug. Many times it comes from the purest of motives. But next time you think about hugging a woman, and you're not sure about your motives, then don't. So if you want to hug somebody, the best thing to do is go find your wife.

Choose to be committed with your feet - 1 Corinthians 6:18 says it flat out: "flee from sexual immorality." That's how a man prepared to battle for puriity deals with movies, magazines, videos, internet, or any situation he finds himself in that is counterproductive to marriage commitment. He flees.

The problem is is that most men who flee temptation usually leave a forwarding address.… That won't cut it if you're going to win this battle. A one-woman man doesn't hang around to check out a pornographic magazine for its "artistic value." He doesn't hesitate to walk out of a movie that violates his value system. He takes the lead in turning off the TV or the DVD or the computer or the smart phone or the iPad when it's inappropriate. That's what it means to flee. Feet to demonstrate your commitment.

Let me finish with these words of insight that should help you understand why our eyes, minds, lips, hands, and feet are so important to winning.

If we are going to protect ourselves from the epidemic of adultery, we must understand the process that leads to adultery. David sinned with his eyes, his mind, his lips, and his hands before he ever hit the sheets with Bathsheeba. David had already lost the battle before that moment of pleasure. Adultery did not begin with physical contact. That horrible, destructive act began with a glance that turned into a gaze that became an obsession and finally an act of willful disobdience (Read more in 2 Samuel 11). It was an act that nearly destroyed all the good David had done for the kingdom.

You see, adultery does not begin with the act, it begins with the mind. And the Man begins with his commitment to his wife each day will be a man of holiness and a lethal weapon in the hands of God.

This presentation is from puritycoalition.org. God, give us clean hands, give us pure hearts!



There is hope and we can win!

Pastor Trey Rhodes


MyOceansideChurch.podbean.com has complete message: A One Woman Man & Wives that Love their Husbands

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www.OCAnnounce.info to find out about what's happening at Oceanside Church

It Will Destroy You

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There is nothing that resonates more loudly with people than their own destruction. We care if someone or something is trying to destroy us. But think about it, there is something very lethal that tries at every opportunity to destroy us...that something is sin. God teaches that He wants us to give up that kind of lifestyle and be constructive and not destructive. We find that out in Colossians 1:20-23.

1. Remember who you were before Christ (Col. 1:21)
We must never forget what we were like before salvation and what God delivered me out of. I was a lying, thieving, blaspheming hypocrite before God changed me. It hurts to remember what I was, but it keeps me thankful and positive about where I am now.

2. Forget about the destructive life you lived (Col. 1:20, 22)
Sounds like a contradiction, but it is not. The biggest advantage to being saved out of a sin filled life is that you can remember what it was like without Christ and you are thnakful. The biggest disadvantage is that you can remember what it was like without Christ, and you might be drawn into your old way of doing things. This is what you forget.
Here's the truth, now that we know Christ as our forgiver and leader, we are now holy, faultless, and blameless. That is why we cannot dwell on who we were and what we did before Christ. We are changed. We are not the people we used to be.
I just heard a Bible teacher say, "You are not what you have done, you are who God says you are." You will be told that you have to because that's just the kind of person you are. They are half right. You do what you do because you are that kind of person, but now that Christ rules and reigns in your life, you are a  different person. That person, you, live differently because you are a different person and don't let anyone tell you any different.

3.  Construct a new kind of life beginning now (Colossians 1:23)
The hope that is written about in v. 23 is our eternal state. We call that Heaven, but it is so much more. The truth is that our eternal life begins the moment we ask Christ to forgive us and we follow Him. Our eternal life begins after salvation, not after death.
Begin constructing your eternal lifestyle through your relationship with Christ right now. It's not just about the sweet by and by, but also the abundant here and now.

I posted to FaceBook this past Friday: 
 Looking forward to eternal life helps us live the abundant life now.
Jesus "has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him— if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith (heavenly living here on earth), and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel  (heaven) that you heard. Col 1:22-23 (HCSB)
We live our lives in the hope that we will be delivered from destruction. The more we allow the Eternal One to live through us, the more abundant living we enjoy here and the less we want anything that would be destrucitve to us. Sin becomes abhorrent because we understand all that it can do to us as we strive for kingdom living so that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Hmmmm... makes me think, don't I want more Heaven on earth? Whey do I persist in holding on to the things that keep me from that lifestyle?
Build what matters beginning right now.

Thinkin' 'bout Oceanside

I have had some questions as to why we are no longer meeting at Whitesides Elementary. I wanted to do that by first giving you a short history lesson of our church and then what is going on now.

A Short History of Oceanside Church
We began Oceanside Church on September 8th, 2002 in what is now the Cinebar Movie Theater here in Mount Pleasant. After worshipping there every Sunday, we began to look for a more permanent place to call home. We found and settled on a former medical billing facility at the Bowman Business Park at 1135 Bowman Rd. Suite 749-B.
Just as we were preparing to move in, I suffered a dissected aorta. The people of Oceanside, with the help of many friends, renovated and moved in. We stayed there for the next six years. Once again, we felt like the Lord was moving us. Soon, we found a house to move into, 1728 Rifle Range Road. We secured a long term lease with an option to buy with the owner of the property. We thought we were ready to go!
Some of our largest days as a church happened at 1728 Rifle Range Road as we began to raise money and then build on the property. Our intent was to have two worship services until we could build a 3200 square foot worship center. Our intent was to be in two services for four to six months. We ran into several snags and then found out that the landlord was not amenable to us staying on any longer than five years rather that the twenty years we thought we would have. We felt that this made it unwise to spend that kind of money and then have to move only a couple of years later.
Oceanside began to toss around the idea of doing a huge re-launch at Whitesides Elementary School. Many things had to take place for that to happen, and they all did. We began to worship at Whitesides school on February 21, 2011. That first Sunday we had 87 in attendance and believed that we were on our way. Although our average attendance was higher than it had been, it did not get to the levels we thought it would. With summer approaching and the possibility of lower numbers and giving, we began to look into other possibilities that would cost less, but offer more room than our small facility on Rifle Range. We looked right next door at the offices of the Mount Pleasant Waterworks. They have a 3000 square foot public meeting room that would only cost $55 a week rather than $330 a week. It would be a great option for the rest of the summer as we continue to look forward to God growing the church.

Let's claim this promise together as we watch our Lord do great things at Oceanside:
Now the One who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us. (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

For the kingdom and God's glory,
Pastor Trey Rhodes