Pulled by Porn - Martin Wiles

Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. Matthew 6:22 NLT

Once, porn was mainly relegated to magazines stuffed behind drug store counters or to the big screen drive-in theaters, but not anymore.

 

I grew up in the years before the internet—a time when people still did research at the library and most people paid for subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. Porn was no different. Hustler and Playboy were the two major competitors, but proprietors stuffed those magazines behind counters with the covers concealed so customers purchasing other items couldn’t see the scantily clad women. And while a sizable number snuck in or legally attended the XXX drive-in’s, those movies weren’t advertised as the respectable movies were.

 

The internet—along with changing cultural mores—has altered my innocent world of yesteryear. Surveys by Josh McDowell Ministry found that half of all teenagers and almost three-fourths of young adults encounter porn monthly. More disturbing is that both groups consider viewing pornography as less immoral than not recycling. The numbers of young women who view porn are also on the rise. After all, sex addicts are plying their trade right into their bedrooms through their smart phones.

 

While we can’t end the spread of porn, we can take some measures to ensure our eyes—the lamps of my body—allow in only what is pure and good.

 

Investigating who we befriend on social media platforms is wise. When we receive a friend request, we should take a gander at their page. If the posts are questionable, we should ignore or decline the request.

 

However, porn is bound to pop up even when we take safeguards. If we’ve friended someone who later reveals themselves as a bad influence, we can unfriend them or quickly ignore the questionable post.

 

If we find ourselves pulled by porn, we can take steps to guard ourselves against its presence. A preacher friend who struggled with this temptation chose to stay off the internet and to allow his wife to filter his email messages.

 

Vision is powerful. What we see takes root in our minds, which in turn plays out in our actions. Being familiar with God’s guidelines for relationships—and understanding how porn distorts those principles—goes a long way in helping us resist the pull of porn.

If porn pulls you, turn off the source.

Father, draw my eyes only to what is pure in your sight and beneficial for my spiritual growth.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Hiding from God - Martin Wiles

Destruction is certain for those who try to hide their plans from the Lord, who try to keep him in the dark concerning what they do! Isaiah 29:15 NLT

The four deer thought the landscape hid them, but they stood in plain view.

Around 11 am, my wife and I started on a hiking trail in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We quietly talked about various matters and enjoyed the beauty of nature as we watched evidence of spring appear all around us. As I glanced up the mountainside, a doe appeared. Then we noticed several yearlings with her. The little family strolled along, nibbling on greenery, obviously thinking the foliage concealed them.

 

Just as the deer imagined the bare trees concealed them, so many in Isaiah’s day thought they could get through life by making their own plans and ignoring God.

 

Adam and Eve started this failed attempt to hide from God when they disobeyed God’s instructions about not eating from a particular tree. When they realized the consequences of their disobedience, they tried to hide. God found them. Then they played the blame game. Adam blamed Eve who in turn blamed the serpent.

 

Since God is everywhere at once, our attempts to hide from him because we’ve sinned—or to hide our plans from him because we don’t want His input—are useless. God sees all things at once, us included. But a more important question is why we would want to hide ourselves or our plans from him in the first place.

 

As with Adam and Eve, sin is the normal reason for our attempts at hiding. Adam and Eve played the denial game, then the making excuses game, and finally the blame game. None of their games worked then, and they don’t now. I’ve tried them all.

 

When we sin or stray from God, hiding isn’t the answer. God isn’t mean, nor does he sit in heaven waiting for us to mess up so he can get joy out of punishing us. He loves with an eternal love and wants to be involved in our lives so we can experience a level of living that can only be known with him as our guide. Coming out into the open with the details of our lives might be frightening—after all, it’s a faith thing—but doing so is the only way to live life as he planned.

 

Instead of camouflaging yourself from God, come out into the open and let him have full control of your life.

Father, when I try to hide my sin or plans from you, pull me into the open through confession and trust.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Turtle Brownie Pie

 

Ingredients
1 BOX OF FAMILY SIZE BROWNIE MIX 

1 LARGE CONTAINER OF COOL WHIP

CHOCOLATE SYRUP          

1 CONTAINER OF CARAMEL DIP

1 LARGE BOX OF VANILLA INSTANT PUDDING     

1 JAR OF PECANS IN SYRUP

Directions
COOK BROWNIES AS DIRECTED ON BOX.

IN A BOWL, MIX PUDDING ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS ON THE BOX.

FOLD IN COOL WHIP.

IN A LARGE BOWL, LAYER HALF OF EACH OF THE CRUMBLED BROWNIE, PUDDING MIXTURE, CARAMEL, PECANS, AND CHOCOLATE SYRUP.

REPEAT. 

COVER AND REFRIGERATE.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

The Steps of Life - Martin Wiles

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Psalm 37:23 NLT

Sometimes, steps can lead to uncommon sites. 

Porter’s Creek Trail is popular in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The first mile of the trail is a wide gravel path that passes the remains of several old home sites surrounded by rock walls. In the middle of an odd area, a set of rickety stone stairs leads upward. As I climbed to the top, a small cemetery awaited me—a family cemetery from long ago with mostly illegible headstones. 

The psalmist was confident God directed the steps of his followers. Delightfully, he walks along with his children as they traverse the steps of life. 

Like the steps leading up to the old cemetery, life’s steps can be slippery, uneven, or solid. Had it recently rained, I would have scaled the ancient steps more carefully. The green moss on them would have slowed me down as well. I know what moss on a wet surface can do. Although some may have fallen on these particular steps, the steps have stood the test of time. Hundreds of years later, they still carry visitors to the old cemetery. 

Our life steps will always lead somewhere. When ordered by God, a destination awaits—one that will be brighter than the spot we’re currently in if we let him lead us all the way through. On the way, the steps may take us through valley experiences, desert depths, and mountain peaks, but with God’s guidance, we don’t have to fear any of those experiences. 

Whatever steps God takes us up, we can rest assured he precedes like a shepherd leading sheep to greener pastures. The shepherd has already been there, removed poisonous weeds, and checked for danger. While climbing the steps, God will be beside us. If we slip, he will pick us up. If we twist our ankles, he will mend the hurt. 

God also designs the steps of life to test our character. Numerous biblical stories and countless testimonies by Christian saints relate it. God never concocts steps intended to destroy but to build up and make us stronger spiritually than we’ve ever been before. 

As you climb the steps of life, remember who built them and that God designed them to lead you to a place of stronger character.

Father, I climb with confidence that what awaits me at the top will be better than what I’ve experienced below. 

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Planning to Succeed - Martin Wiles

Do your planning and prepare your fields before building your house. Proverbs 24:27 NLT

My name was in the pot, and with God’s help, I was planning to succeed.

Type A’s are known for planning—sometimes to excess. I was cursed from birth. Both my parents were Type A’s, and I followed suit. Every church I had led, I did so with a plan, and this time would be no different. When the board recommending me to the church asked if I had a vision for their church, I removed a pad and read off my list. I didn’t know if I’d be their pastor, but I had a plan just in case. 

Solomon’s advice was pertinent. Building a house before preparing one’s fields was foolish. Suppose a dry spell hit or enemies swooped in and stole the crop. Saving from a bountiful harvest and then building the house made more sense than taking on debt with no assurance of how to pay for it. 

When planning, we should make a point to include God. Since God says he wants to be involved in the details of our lives, involving him only makes sense. Although he won’t sit around a table and talk audibly to us, we can listen as he speaks to our spirits with his Spirit. Ideas will come that we would have never thought of on our own. Insights will flow. And we’ll feel a sense of peace when we’ve received his directions.

We should also include others in our planning. Although I had a list of plans before leading the church, I immediately began to include others. Amazingly, most of their suggestions were the same as mine, which assured me they also included God in their planning. Two heads are better than one, and lone rangers often become just that—alone. 

We can plan with confidence when we include God and other spirit-led believers. We can then couple confidence with optimism. If God is before and in the middle of the plans, they won’t fail. In fact, God’s plans can’t fail—which means we won’t when he is the author of our plans. Good planning means having a backup plan. I’ve often appeared to mess up God’s plan for my life, but somehow, he always brings the plan back to his plan. 

Get your plans from God and confidently move forward into your bright future.

Father, I ask for your guidance as I plan to accomplish your will. 

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

The Road Ahead - Martin Wiles

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go.” Isaiah 30:21 NLT

The road ahead often winds and maneuvers in ways we could never imagine. 

My wife and I were at a retreat in the Tennessee mountains. One morning when we had free time, I invited her to hike on a nearby trail. Moderate in intensity, the trail meandered by farm sites hundreds of years old and through panoramic views of the numerous wildflowers growing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As we trudged along, my wife snapped a picture and said, “Look at the road ahead.” 

Isaiah reminded the people of God’s road before them and how often they had chosen their own roads. Following God’s road would lead to his blessings, but they often chose the more heavily traveled road—the road of disobedience. 

God’s road often has steep inclines. I’ve been on many mountain trails where I had to stop numerous times before reaching the top. Only with periodic rest stops and by guzzling fluids did I finally reach the pinnacle. However, as my wife and I discovered, what goes up must come down. Our return hike was downhill the entire way. 

The road ahead contains unforeseen elements. I had hiked this particular trail sixteen years ago and remembered only scattered images of interesting things along the way to the waterfall at the end. Walking the trail now was like experiencing a new adventure as I anticipated what was next. God doesn’t give us a point-by-point map of where his road will take us—only the assurance he’ll be with us as we travel. 

God’s road is sometimes uneven. This trail was. Some places were flat, but rocks, roots, and washed-out gullies dotted other spots. We slowed down when we approached these areas and chose our steps carefully. Trials and tribulations are parcel to life—some placed there by God to challenge and increase our faith. In those times, we need God’s guidance even more. 

Taking God’s road also puts us in touch with fellow travelers. Porter’s Creek Trail is a popular hiking area because of the plethora of wildflowers. Hundreds of people preceded and followed us. Whatever road God leads us down, he’ll always provide fellow travelers to help us make the journey. 

Regardless of your road, God and others walk beside you. 

Father, I ask you to guide me as I walk the road through the valley, up and over the mountain, and through the wilderness.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

Cherry Yum Yum

 

Ingredients

4 CUPS CRUSHED GRAHAM CRACKERS

2 STICKS BUTTER (MELTED)

1 16-OUNCE CONTAINER OF COOL WHIP

2 8-OUNCE PACKS OF CREAM CHEESE (SOFTENED)

2 CANS SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK

2 CANS CHERRY PIE FILLING

2 PACKAGES INSTANT VANILLA PUDDING

3 CUPS MILK

Directions

MIX PUDDING AND MILK TOGETHER AND SET ASIDE.

MIX BUTTER AND CRACKER CRUMBS AND SET ASIDE.

BEAT CREAM CHEESE AND CONDENSED MILK UNTIL FLUFFY.

ADD PUDDING AND MIX WELL. FOLD IN COOL WHIP.

IN A LARGE DISH, LAYER CRACKERS, CRUMBS, PUDDING MIXTURE, AND CHERRY FILLING. REPEAT LAYERS.

SAVE A FEW CRUMBS TO SPRINKLE ON TOP.

I invite you to try my book Grits, Grace, and Grands. If you have grands, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.