Christian Counseling Today Vol. 22, Iss. 1

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christian counseling today VOL. 22 NO. 1 59
Internet accountability and filtering
organization. These statistics go back a
few years, but I guarantee they are even
more telling today.
n Men are 543% more likely to
look at porn than females, but
that percentage is shrinking.
n Those who have committed
adultery are 215% more likely
to look at porn.
n Those who are happy in their
marriages are 61% less likely to
look at porn.
n Those who are church attenders
are 25% less likely to watch
or be involved in porn than
non-church goers, but get this...
n Self-identified fundamentalists
are 91% more likely to use
pornography.
n Sixty-four to 68% of young
adult men and 18% of young
adult women use porn at least
once a week.
And so you say, I get the point.
Pornography is a problem for all ages.
Now what? Well, let me offer a few
suggestions.
Living Above Reproach
In Titus 1, we are called to live above
reproach, but that is much easier said
than done. For 25 years as a pastor
to pastors, I worked with members of
the clergy who wanted to live above
reproach, but they fell to temptation in
spite of their endeavors. They would say
to me after a failure, “I want more than
anything to be a Christian leader of
high morals and integrity.”
I would say to them, “To begin
with, you must commit yourself to a
set of guidelines that provide you with
a sense of moral control. That integrity
and morality are not achieved by
practice, but by a lifestyle of godliness
and humility. It is a commitment each
of us makes to God, ourselves, and
others who help hold us accountable so
we will be what we are expected to be:
‘holy and acceptable’ to our Lord.”
I urge you to consider the following
simple steps to godly living:
n Maintain an intimate
relationship with God (James
4:7, 10)
n Be vigilant… stand guard on
your soul (Ephesians 6:10-11)
n Develop a meaningful
relationship with a trusted
friend (Romans 5:Value and
protect your household at any
cost (Colossians 3:18-21)
n Find joy in the precious gifts
of God (Psalm 37:4-6; Psalm
118:24)
n Protect your physical and
emotional well-being… stay
rested (3 John 2; Mark 6:31)
Living a life of integrity and moral
health becomes a choice we make, and
the expectation of the God who loves
us. I pray this prayer for you, as well as
for myself.
Gracious Father,
Deliver me from the fascination of the
forbidden, the seduction of sin and
the need to satisfy my appetite for the
make-believe in place of Your design.
Give me an untainted mind, a pure
heart, and a deep desire to be pleasing
in Your sight. By grace, help me to
live a life that can be admired by my
family and those I have opportunity to
influence. Amen. ✠
REV. H.B. LONDON, JR.,
D.D., has served 33 years
in pastoral ministry—20 as
Pastor to Pastors with Focus
on the Family. He is the lead
pastor at Friendship Church
in Palm Desert, California. H.B. and his wife,
Beverley, are now “retired” and live in LaQuinta,
California, where he continues his ministry to the
clergy through H.B. London Ministries (hblon-
. Focus on the Family has conferred on
H.B. the title of Pastor-to-Pastors Emeritus.
L I V I N G W I T H
MELANCHOLY and DEPRESSION
“Broken Hallelujahs is a beautiful
re ection on loss and love and nding
God again after God’s silence. . . . Beth
gives us the tools we need to process our
grief and help us connect to God and
actually move on toward healing.”
L I L L Y L E W I N ,
author of Sacred Space
“I’ve never read a more accurate book
about depression and the toll it takes on
the one who suffers, as well the impact
on those closest to the sufferer. This book
holds no cure, no magic wand, but
it does extend hope.”
L U C I L L E Z I M M E R M A N ,
LPC, author of Renewed
Christian Counseling, Broken H, Still Life #12054.indd 1 3/17/16 3:00 PM