Leadership Thought: The "P" Word That No One Likes to Talk About

Dear Friends,

This past Saturday at our Men's Fellowship, we men got real with one another. 

Following the presentation, someone brought of the secret sin that no one likes to talk about. It was the 'P,' word: pornography.

What ensued was a heart-to-heart discussion on the subject, and it was a powerful discussion as we opened up and shared our perspectives and our struggles with this issue.

Titled by one writer, as "America's Worst Nightmare," pornography is an epidemic. (description taken from a newsletter by Ron Brown, November/December 2011)

After coming home from the meeting, I was curious to see when the last time was, I had taught on the subject, and I was embarrassed to admit it was over 20 years ago.  Had I subconsciously avoided the subject fearing that while it was one of those issues that almost everyone has at one time addressed,  it was still a subject that few people wanted to talk about.

Pornography is a big deal, and it is destroying families and relationships. And yet most Americans don’t think that porn is a major problem, but it is. According to "15 Mind-Blowing Facts about "Pornography and the Church," here are some alarming statistics. 

1. Nearly 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites. The average visit lasts 6      minutes and 29 seconds, with 55% of married men and 25% of married women saying that they watch porn at least once a month.

2. Pornography increases the infidelity rate by 300%. Fifty-six percent of divorces involve one party having an obsessive interest in porn. 

3. 11 is the average age a child is first exposed to porn, and 94% of children will see it by the age of 14.

One of my favorite daily devotionals comes from Pastor Greg Laurie, and this very morning's message addressed those secret hidden sins in our life, and while he didn't explicitly refer to pornography, he very well could have.

I quote a part of this morning's message "There's No Such Thing as Secret Sin."

"Have you ever seen a baby rattlesnake? They look like adult rattlesnakes in miniature. And while they may appear rather harmless, they’re mean from birth. Worse yet, a baby rattler’s venom is more potent than that of an adult rattler."

"We often will look at sin in the same way. Though it may not look like a big thing, it will bite us. And once compromise has worked its way into our lives, it permeates every area."

"In Scripture, yeast (or leaven) always has negative connotations. When the Israelites were preparing to leave Egypt, Moses instructed them to get rid of all the yeast in their homes in preparation for the first Passover (see Exodus 12:15)."

"In the Bible yeast represents corruption, infiltration, and compromise in our lives. In Scripture, it’s always negative. Jesus warned the disciples, “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6 NLT)."

"Little things can turn into big things. The psalmist wrote, “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalm 66:18 NLT). In other words, if we hang on to sin in our lives, God will not hear our prayers."

"Is there sin in your life that you haven’t dealt with? Do you think it’s a secret? Do you believe that you’ve covered your steps? Secret sin on Earth is open scandal in Heaven. There are no secrets with God. He’s aware of it."

"You may have rationalized it and somehow managed to find a way to live with it. That could be the compromise in your life, the very thing that could bring you down. Get rid of it before it undermines you spiritually."

These are wise words for all of us to keep in mind from our brother Greg.

Yours in faith and friendship.

Tom