WAR is ON FOR THE MILLENNIALS - Lee Grady
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
-by J. Lee Grady.
I know the battle I faced as a teenager. Todays younger generation
faces something more challenging.
It wasnt easy for a guy to find pornography when I was a teenager.
I remember giving into the temptation to buy a Hustler magazine
when I was in high school. Inside the drug store I paced back and
forth near the magazine rack for at least half an hour. My palms
were sweaty. My heart was racing. I finally walked to the front of
the store, put the magazine face down on the counter and avoided
eye contact with the clerk as I forked over the cash.
I grew bolder in my sin when I graduated from high school. When
I turned 18, I went to downtown Atlanta to visit an adult bookstore
(a strange label, really, since the men who frequented these seedy
establishments did not act like mature adults). In 1976, anyone
who wanted to see hard-core porn had to visit these awful places
with garish signs and painted-over windows.
As I pulled into the tiny parking lot off of Ponce de Leon Avenue,
the heart palpitations returned. I rushed inside the shop with my
head down so no one would see me on the street. Then, when I
saw the graphic images on the magazines that lined the wall, I
almost fainted from a combination of adrenaline, fear, nausea and
guilt. I bought a thin magazine that didnt cost much and literally
ran out of that place.
As I was leaving I caught a glimpse of a bumper sticker I had put
on my car a few months earlier, in response to some decisions I
had made in a Baptist youth meeting. It said: THE DIFFERENCE
IN ME IS JESUS. Suddenly I felt even sicker to my stomach. I
was already convicted of my sexual sin; now I realized I was a
hypocrite. All I wanted to do was get out of there. Before the night
was over, the magazine I bought was in the trash and I felt miserable.
A few days later, while I was mowing my yard on a hot July day,
I began to think about a Bible verse I had heard in church many
times. I didnt know the reference, but I was able to paraphrase it
in my mind. It said: Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is
wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are
many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is
narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it (Matt. 7:13-14,
NASB).
I had never experienced a vision before, but at that moment I could
see a fork in the road in front of me. I knew I was approaching a
crossroads. I could either be a committed Christian, or I could
choose a life of compromise. God was showing me that I needed
to choose the narrow way before I took any more steps in the
wrong direction. I was hit by a terrifying sense of the fear of God,
but I also recognized this as His protective love. Within a few
days I had surrendered my life to the lordship of Christ.
I shared this embarrassing story last week when I spoke to a group
of students at a Christian college in north Georgia. I knew many of
them were at a spiritual crossroads. I also knew that in todays
cybersex world, they dont have to go to drug stores or adult
bookstores to see porn. The voice that lured me to downtown
Atlanta in 1976 has become more brazen and aggressive today,
making porn available 24/7on the Web, TV and even phones.
Young people todaythe so-called Millennial Generationare
continually assaulted by temptations that kids didnt face in the
1970s. The war for a generation is onand it is intense. Families
are in shambles. Many kids are fatherless. Media has entirely
rewritten our moral values in a few short years. Casual sex is
considered a`normal pastime for 14-year-olds. And many teenagers
today havent been exposed to the gospel, so chances are slim
that they might remember a Bible verse from childhood or feel the
sting of guilt like I did years ago.
Thats why Im devoting time this month to prayer for a spiritual
awakening to touch the younger generation. The devil has claimed
todays youth, but the same God who averted disaster in my life
can do it in theirs. As you thank Jesus for the grace Hes shown
you, please ask Him to extend it to the millions of Millennials
who are following the crowd down the wrong road.
-Please comment on this topic at the website below-
http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/
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