Power of Purity | Helping Men to Honor God with their Sexual Gift

As a teenager Ben Bennett was already struggling with many doubts about God... and depression. Then his grandfather took his own life, which pushed Ben even further away from God. In his attempt to manage all the pain and confusion he was feeling, Ben turned to pornography in the attempt to self-medicate... and then battled a porn addiction that would last for at least 10 years. It wasn't until 2013 that Jesus brought him to healing and lasting freedom through being counseled and mentored by Dr. Ted Roberts of Pure Desire, utilizing a Biblical and clinical approach to sexual addiction recovery. Ben worked with the campus ministry of Cru for several years, serving as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Coordinator for Cru's sexual addiction recovery groups, helping staff and students find true healing and freedom. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas and serves with Josh McDowell Ministry as an author and speaker, supporting the health and restoration of men and women struggling with porn and sexual brokenness. Ben is an author and speaker who is passionate about helping young men and women understand how to experience healing and freedom from porn use, sexual brokenness, and habitual sin. He co-authored Living Free with Dr. Ted Roberts of Pure Desire which is a year long porn addiction recovery curriculum for college age men. Another work he co-authored is Flesh, a 12 week online journey (available at Cru.org) which helps men understand the battle of sexual sin and it's underlying contributing factors. He is in the process of launching a new Cru ministry initiative with Christian apologist, author, and speaker Josh McDowell. This new ministry will serve the global church by equipping ministries, churches, and organizations to help individuals find true freedom from porn use and sexual brokenness as they encounter Jesus, healthy communities, and recovery solutions. Be blessed as you listen to Ben Bennett's powerful story! imlivingfree.com @benvbennett on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook

What do the following 6 stories from the bible have in common? (1) Israel's sacrificial system of worship using burnt offerings to God. (2) The prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel facing off against 850 false prophets. (3) Moses being called by God at the burning bush. (4) God protecting Israel at the Red Sea from the armies and chariots of Pharaoh with a pillar of fire. (5) The Day of Pentecost when gloves tongues of fire came upon the disciples as evidence of the Holy Spirit. (6) A group of former sorcerers in the City of Ephesus who one night decided to publicly burn their scrolls and magical arts. Each one of these stories is a reflection of God's curious and mysterious relationship with "fire"... and how God often uses literal fire to accomplish his will and purposes to bring forth his Kingdom upon the earth. In this series of episodes Tony presents the concept of "The Holy Fire"... and reveals how we can use the literal flames of a literal fire in our pursuit of sexual purity... as we seek to bring our sexual gift under the authority of Christ. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. Acts 19:18-20

What do the following 6 stories from the bible have in common? (1) Israel's sacrificial system of worship using burnt offerings to God. (2) The prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel facing off against 850 false prophets. (3) Moses being called by God at the burning bush. (4) God protecting Israel at the Red Sea from the armies and chariots of Pharaoh with a pillar of fire. (5) The Day of Pentecost when gloves tongues of fire came upon the disciples as evidence of the Holy Spirit. (6) A group of former sorcerers in the City of Ephesus who one night decided to publicly burn their scrolls and magical arts. Each one of these stories is a reflection of God's curious and mysterious relationship with "fire"... and how God often uses literal fire to accomplish his will and purposes to bring forth his Kingdom upon the earth. In this series of episodes Tony presents the concept of "The Holy Fire"... and reveals how we can use the literal flames of a literal fire in our pursuit of sexual purity... as we seek to bring our sexual gift under the authority of Christ. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. Acts 19:18-20

What do the following 6 stories from the bible have in common? (1) Israel's sacrificial system of worship using burnt offerings to God. (2) The prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel facing off against 850 false prophets. (3) Moses being called by God at the burning bush. (4) God protecting Israel at the Red Sea from the armies and chariots of Pharaoh with a pillar of fire. (5) The Day of Pentecost when gloves tongues of fire came upon the disciples as evidence of the Holy Spirit. (6) A group of former sorcerers in the City of Ephesus who one night decided to publicly burn their scrolls and magical arts. Each one of these stories is a reflection of God's curious and mysterious relationship with "fire"... and how God often uses literal fire to accomplish his will and purposes to bring forth his Kingdom upon the earth. In this series of episodes Tony presents the concept of "The Holy Fire"... and reveals how we can use the literal flames of a literal fire in our pursuit of sexual purity... as we seek to bring our sexual gift under the authority of Christ. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. Acts 19:18-20

Before Lori Pyatt was ever married she asked God what her purpose in life was... and she heard God say... Your purpose in life is to have a great marriage and to help others do the same. But then Lori married a man - Jay Pyatt - who had an addiction to pornography. Not only did they fight over Jay's use of porn from the first day of their marriage... but the first six months were absolutely horrible... and they then settled into a rut that lasted the next 15 years! At the time they were incapable of talking about the problem... and even going to a therapist didn't help... so Jay and Lori grew further apart in their marriage. Since she didn't know what else to do... Lori simply buried her pain inside and tried to not "feel" her feelings. During those dark years Lori found it difficult to even smile. Then... about 10 years into their marriage... Jay decided to get serious about overcoming his porn addiction. He put accountability software on his phone... made a commitment to Lori every morning... and checked in with Lori every night. And he did really well... for about 6 years. Then Jay began using porn again... and did so secretly for the next 4 years! When Lori eventually found out she was devastated. She felt small... knowing her husband had lied to her hundreds... if not thousands of times... over a 4 year period. This brought Jay and Lori to a crossroads. Their marriage would either end in complete failure... or they would have to do the difficult work of rebuilding their relationship into a stronger and healthier marriage than they had ever had before. Be blessed as you listen to Lori Pyatt's amazing and powerful story... and hear how God worked in such a faithful and powerful way on their behalf. Jay and Lori are living proof that God can heal and redeem broken people... sexual addiction... and broken marriages. pornpainhealed.com

Before Lori Pyatt was ever married she asked God what her purpose in life was... and she heard God say... Your purpose in life is to have a great marriage and to help others do the same. But then Lori married a man - Jay Pyatt - who had an addiction to pornography. Not only did they fight over Jay's use of porn from the first day of their marriage... but the first six months were absolutely horrible... and they then settled into a rut that lasted the next 15 years! At the time they were incapable of talking about the problem... and even going to a therapist didn't help... so Jay and Lori grew further apart in their marriage. Since she didn't know what else to do... Lori simply buried her pain inside and tried to not "feel" her feelings. During those dark years Lori found it difficult to even smile. Then... about 10 years into their marriage... Jay decided to get serious about overcoming his porn addiction. He put accountability software on his phone... made a commitment to Lori every morning... and checked in with Lori every night. And he did really well... for about 6 years. Then Jay began using porn again... and did so secretly for the next 4 years! When Lori eventually found out she was devastated. She felt small... knowing her husband had lied to her hundreds... if not thousands of times... over a 4 year period. This brought Jay and Lori to a crossroads. Their marriage would either end in complete failure... or they would have to do the difficult work of rebuilding their relationship into a stronger and healthier marriage than they had ever had before. Be blessed as you listen to Lori Pyatt's amazing and powerful story... and hear how God worked in such a faithful and powerful way on their behalf. Jay and Lori are living proof that God can heal and redeem broken people... sexual addiction... and broken marriages. pornpainhealed.com

The first episode of The Power of Purity Podcast was posted on March 29th, 2016... and here we are... 3 years and 8 months later at EPISODE 200! In this special 200th episode of the Power of Purity Podcast... Tony reads... responds... and answers questions from numerous notes and letters he's received from listens. Is there hope for a Christian man who has struggled with porn and self-gratification for over 50 years? Why is a man who struggled with fantasy and masturbation when he was a teenager still struggling with the same issues years later? What does a man do when his perpetual use of Internet pornography leaves him in a place of complete emptiness and self-hatred? What should a Christian man do when he discovers that his wife of 29 years has had multiple affairs? Is it possible to find forgiveness toward your spouse when your heart is filled with hurt... anger... and bitterness because of what they've done to you? Tony speaks to these issues... along with many others... as he shares the letters and questions from various listeners. In addition... at the end of this episode... Tony shares a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT concerning a SPECIAL UPCOMING EVENT that you will not want to miss!

In 2010 Jay Pyatt's wife... Lori... had a nagging suspicion that something was wrong... so she confronted him about his problematic use of pornography. What Lori didn't know is that Jay had been lying to her almost every night for the past 4 years. Hundreds... if not thousands of lies! Jay couldn't have done more damage to his wife's heart... and to their marriage... than if he had literally set their house on fire. Jay tore the marriage down... not just to the foundation... but to the dirt below the foundation. To make matters even worse... this was only one of many such confrontations that occurred during the first 15 years of their marriage. It was out of these ashes that Jay and Lori worked to rebuild their relationship. They learned new patterns of interaction that allowed trust to be rebuilt... and Jay never put so much effort into anything in his entire life. In the years that followed they changed their old dance steps into something they never thought possible. And then... from the epicenter of their own redemptive story... Jay and Lori felt called by God to share their story with others... in the hope of retrieving those who are struggling in the black hole of sexual self destruction. Before she even met Jay... Lori asked God what the purpose of her life was... and she felt God say... Your life purpose is to have a great marriage and to help others do the same. Jay helps men through his website... www.porniskillingme.com Lori helps women through her website... www.pornpainhealed.com Tony interviews Jay in episodes 198 & 199... and interviews Lori in episodes 201 & 202. Be blessed as you listen to the amazing story of Jay and Lori Pyatt!

In 2010 Jay Pyatt's wife... Lori... had a nagging suspicion that something was wrong... so she confronted him about his problematic use of pornography. What Lori didn't know is that Jay had been lying to her almost every night for the past 4 years. Hundreds... if not thousands of lies! Jay couldn't have done more damage to his wife's heart... and to their marriage... than if he had literally set their house on fire. Jay tore the marriage down... not just to the foundation... but to the dirt below the foundation. To make matters even worse... this was only one of many such confrontations that occurred during the first 15 years of their marriage. It was out of these ashes that Jay and Lori worked to rebuild their relationship. They learned new patterns of interaction that allowed trust to be rebuilt... and Jay never put so much effort into anything in his entire life. In the years that followed they changed their old dance steps into something they never thought possible. And then... from the epicenter of their own redemptive story... Jay and Lori felt called by God to share their story with others... in the hope of retrieving those who are struggling in the black hole of sexual self destruction. Before she even met Jay... Lori asked God what the purpose of her life was... and she felt God say... Your life purpose is to have a great marriage and to help others do the same. Jay helps men through his website... www.porniskillingme.com Lori helps women through her website... www.pornpainhealed.com Tony interviews Jay in episodes 198 & 199... and interviews Lori in episodes 201 & 202. Be blessed as you listen to the amazing story of Jay and Lori Pyatt!

How about these for examples of SEX GONE WILD? (1) A female Lutheran Pastor who thinks we should do away with the old fashioned teachings of the Bible about sex... because those teachings cause us to have shame... and have hurt our lives. (2) The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has produced a video series on the topic of sex intended for school teachers in the United Kingdom to teach to 9 - 12 year old children. Among many other lessons... these children are being taught that there are now over 100 different gender identities. (3) The news media... including People Magazine and Oprah Winfrey... have announced to the world that men can now have babies! An example of this is a transgender "man"... who was born as a female... who has now had 3 babies. Despite the fact that this person still has ovaries... a womb... XX chromosomes... and has had 3 babies... they're celebrated as a "man" who can now have babies! Talk about... SEX GONE WILD! In this 2 part series Tony explores how SEX inevitably GOES WILD when people reject God's Holy Word... and begin to place their own thoughts... feelings... and preferences above the opinion and voice of God. In Part 1 of this series Tony reviews the craziness of SEX GONE WILD... and in Part 2 he reflects on several Bible passages that help us understand the roots of the dilemma... and what God has to say about... SEX GONE WILD!