13 Ways to Ruin Your Life, the FREE book from Jarrod Jones

This is the fourth blog within the last couple of hours or so that I’ve written in regards to TODAY’S Matt Lauer’s interview this morning with former New York State’s Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer, about his sexual affair and exposure with a high-priced call girl. See the previous three blogs for more info.  Actually, I’d like you to read those before you read this blog if you have the time.

One last word in regards to this little series based off the Lauer and Spitzer interview:

Forgiveness.  As a Christ follower, we understand the word as “Grace.”

Here is what Spitzer said in regards to his family’s response since he was exposed: ‘I’m a very fortunate guy…. I have a spectacular wife, three daughters who are wonderful. I’ve been forgiven. There are moments when you realize those are the things that matter.’

In terms of his family relationships he found grace. I pray for those who are exposed in sexual sin can be granted the same such grace by their family. I’ll deal with this more in a moment.

But here’s the key note:  We have a spectacular Savior. In Him—Jesus—we find grace, forgiveness, and restoration.  He, above all else, is what and whom truly matters.  In Him you are not hopeless and helpless in sexual sin. And you are not a pervert for crying out loud.  You are not beyond grace.  The grace of God has no end in Christ.  To know this, believe this, empowers you to conquer sexual sin.

For example, one of the motto’s of my life is the following: “I don’t have to obey to be accepted and loved by God. But because I am radically accepted and loved by God in Christ I want to obey Him.”  That’s what grace is and does.

Do you believe it? Will you slow down, retreat, pause, reflect, and meditate on it.  You don’t have to perform. You don’t have to impress God with how long you can go without looking at porn. He’s actually not impressed. He’s impressed when you have faith in what He’s done for you and who you are in Him.  He’s delighted when out of His grace, by faith, you live it out in obedience—fleeing sexual sin.

I’m hoping I’ve made sense. I deal with this more at length in 13 Ways.

For those whose husband, father, mother, wife has been in sexual sin and confessed and repented of that sin…. here’s my encouragement: If Eliot Spitzer’s family grants grace, without any mention of our Savior, how much more should we as Christ followers then, who have experienced God’s grace, grant grace to our loved one who is seeking forgiveness and help for his or her sexual sin?

In other words, can you forgive? Not just forgive with words, but with attitude, perseverance, commitment, joy?  And I don’t mean forgetting the sin and trauma it brought you and your family. Healing will need to happen. Biblical Christian counseling will need to be sought.  Trust will need to be re-established. Relational joy will need to be cultivated. But isn’t it worth the work for the sake of your marriage and family? And what a testimony it would be to Christ!

Spitzer’s last statement nailed it earlier in this blog. He said,  “There are moments when you realize those are the things that matter.” Those things that matter? Forgiveness (Grace in Christ) and Family.

The below is a second part interview that I did with Dr. Richard Land, host of For Faith and Family. He asks great questions. I thought it might be helpful and profitable to share. By the way, Dr. Land is no light weight. He is the President of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. In 2005, Dr. Land was featured in Time Magazine as one of The Twenty-five Most Influential Evangelicals in America.

Click below to listen:

INTERVIEW WITH DR. LAND

I want to recommend an interview for all young men to watch. TiVo^® this if you have to…  Mom’s and dad’s be sure your son(s) see this.

On Friday, January 23, at 5:00pm EST (4:00pm CST) Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family®) will be on the new Fox News Channel® series “Glenn Beck®.  He will be reflecting on his final interview with renowned Serial Killer Ted Bundy just before Bundy was executed in a Florida State Prison.  The interview took place exactly 20 years ago tomorrow.

(If you want to see the Dobson/Bundy interview first hand, click here. For a transcript, click here).

In an e-mail letter about his appearance on Fox News tomorrow concerning the Bundy interview, Dobson states,

“My purpose in going on Glenn’s show is to discuss the reason why Bundy chose me for his final interview when every major news anchor at every TV network was jostling for an exclusive conversation. Bundy wanted to talk about the role media violence and particularly violent, hard-core pornography had played in his years-long killing spree, and he knew the mainstream media wouldn’t report that story.”

Dobson shares a portion of Bundy’s interview below from 1989. Bundy himself states,

“Pornography can reach out and snatch a kid out of any house today. It snatched me out of my home 20, 30 years ago. I’ll tell you, there are lots of other kids playing in streets around the country who are going to be dead tomorrow and the next day and the next day and next month, because other young people are reading the kinds of things and seeing the kinds of things that are available in the media today.”

Those are Bundy’s words stated 20 years ago just before his execution.  Prophetic? Dobson continues,

“Pornography has been found in the possession of almost every killer where sex has been the motivation, including two of the most notorious serial killers of the last two decades: Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway and BTK Killer Dennis Rader. No, not everyone who uses pornography becomes a murderer, but there are serious consequences to pornography addiction. Studies done since my conversation with Bundy have documented corrosive effects on marriages and families, such as increased marital distress and risk of separation and divorce; decreased marital intimacy and sexual satisfaction; and a devaluation of monogamy, marriage and child-rearing.

Consider also that Bundy’s comments were made before the Internet age and the easy availability of the most sickening kinds of pornography on the Web. He also spoke at a time when hotel porn and even cell-phone porn were not the problems they are today. The future predicted by Ted Bundy is worse than he ever could have imagined–and that’s the main message I hope to get across in my time with Glenn Beck this Friday.”

If you miss the show you can tune in to the Focus on the Family’s daily radio program on January 26.  The show will rebroadcast some of Dobson’s interview with Ted Bundy. You can find a station in your area or listen online by visiting FocusOnTheFamily.com.

Excerpts in this blog were taken from a subscriber letter from Dobson. To view Dobson’s letter, click here.

In the book I share personal experiences and stories from my life along with the solid biblical truths. Although written for guys, my editors (who were women) loved it. They commented on how much they got out of it and how excited they were to get it into the hands of their sons and husbands. For you ladies, if you want a glimpse into how the male mind works, how we battle with sexual temptation, how you can help us as sisters in Christ, and how we should lead you out in dating standards, I believe you will love this book.

Also, check out the following site www.jarrodjones.com for other random blogs (like poison Ivy & hiccups) blogs that encourage you in your spiritual walk (not performing for God), blogs about the family, pics of the family and events, and so forth.