The numbers reflect that game attendance is down and television viewership is off significantly. It appears the National Football League is suffering from customer pushback – the product that was simply a game between two teams expanded to a platform for political opinion. What team owners allow their employees to do on company time is up to them. In turn, continued support for the respective teams is up to the fans and what they will tolerate at game time. That is the power of the consumer.
Imagine if dads in mass decided to not tolerate something in an arena that mattered, to say, “Enough is enough!” to the pornographic industry. Parents, some knowingly and others unknowingly are allowing pornography in the home via a variety of media. The result today is that the largest consumers of porn are between the ages 12 and 17! This leads to a generation that is not only confused about sexuality, there is a flat misunderstanding of what healthy relationships look like. Before fingers are pointed and blame is put on society, examine your mind, your marriage and your home. Then pray for His Light to blast through shadows that have clouded our perspective around this issue.
“I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first. Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” – Revelation 2:19-20. The church at Thyatira was “doing” church well – good deeds, persevering and doing more than they ever had done. They had their religion down. But Jesus did not call them to a religion, He called them to a relationship. If they had been grounded in their relationship with Him, anything contrary to that personal, passionate relationship would not be tolerated. Furthermore, the closest experience of that relationship in the flesh is in marriage. The beautiful design He gave for marriage is the means to pass on our love for Him to the next generation.
In football, a late hit out of bounds results in an “unnecessary roughness” penalty – extension of the game’s boundary is not tolerated. In life, a man that views pornography will personally suffer an “inconsistent with God’s design” penalty or consequence. This will be realized somewhere along the spectrum of “decreased intimacy” with his wife to erectile dysfunction – extension of God’s boundary for marriage is not tolerated. The call is to honor God’s boundaries for the sake of marriage and to provide clarity around sexuality and healthy relationship for the next generation. Enough is enough! Pornography is not to be tolerated – rebuke it; purge whatever form it takes to distract you or your family; and partner with battle buddies to keep your mind and home clean. That is the power of God’s people.
Prayer guide: Lord, thank You for the boundaries You provide for life and for the beautiful design You give us for marriage in Your Word. I confess to tolerating a modern-day Jezebel, a worldly perspective of sexuality and healthy relationship that creeps into my mind and home through multiple media. Forgive me. Grant me strength to rebuke this scheme and purge its various forms from my life. Surround me with men that will hold me accountable to be the man, husband and father You expect me to be. Amen.
A faithful father rebukes pornography and honors God’s design for marriage and family.
