“Ephialtes in the Church!”
Christians In Action invited me to share with our missionaries on “Prudence and Purity” in regards to sexual challenges on the field. So, in the weeks leading up to the conference, the Holy Spirit gave me bits and pieces of fresh revelations and illustrations for the topic. The core of the message dealt with the consequences of secrets we develop and carry, and the danger of those secrets on the battlefield.
Deuteronomy 23:1 reads, “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose male organ is cut off shall enter the assembly of the LORD.” The warning here is that anyone whose sexuality is not intact will encounter difficulty experiencing God. This principle is still true to this day.
In the movie 300, Ephialtes the hunchback pleads for permission to join King Leonidas and the Spartan army to fight the Persians. He was denied because his obvious flaw made him a liability to his brothers on the battlefield. I posed a question. “Did Ephialtes personally defeat the 300?” Not really. Ephialtes was just one man, a hunchback, at that. What defeated the 300 was a goat-path that a spurned, flawed Ephialtes used to betray the Spartan army.
My challenge was to examine our lives for possible “goat-paths” that can lead to our fall. Generally, goat-paths in our lives are produced as our secrets develop. These secrets come in the form of a shameful habit or event, such as masturbation, porn, adultery, a molestation, or substance abuse. (You men know what I’m talking about.) Add to these “secrets” the withdrawal tendency and you have a recipe for a downfall.
I’ve learned greatly that secrets carry an abundance of guilt and shame. Note that of the two, shame is always worse, generally because guilt speaks to an act (“I did wrong”) and shame speaks to an identity (“I am wrong”). Also, guilt and shame tend to produce secret lives, which directly affects our ability to fight. In his commentary, Matthew Henry wrote, “The soldiers themselves must take heed of sin, for sin takes off the edge of valour; guilt makes men cowards.” Men with sin (secrets) will fight less valiant, because their soul is not right with God. And because they’re not ready to meet Him, they withdraw from the fiercest battles, they avoid risk, and consequently leave their brothers in greater risk.
Fast-Forward: Sexual secrets must be exposed! (Jms 5:16; Gal 6:1-2; Lu 17:11-19; Jer 8:1-22; Pro 28:13) And, the degree to which you expose your secrets is the degree to which you will experience Forgiveness, Healing, Restoration, and Deliverance!
I illustrated this principle with a clear glass of water (our soul). I placed one drop of green dye (sexual sin) into the glass and immediately the entire content was Polluted. I asked, “Honestly, how many drops of dye would you have to drop to reflect your pollution?” (It got really quiet. Lol!)
In this state of pollution, if you desire restoration, exposure is required. So, I presented two options:
A) Minimal exposure. I used an eye-dropper, full of clear water, to demonstrate attending church a few times a year (3 drops – Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas). How long would this approach take to completely dilute and remove all the pollution? Yikes!
B) Maximum exposure. This time I used a large pitcher, full of clear water, to rapidly dilute the contents of the polluted cup. This is full immersion.
Again, the degree to which you yield yourself to exposure and cleansing, is the degree to which you will be restored and freed! Looks like this:
POLLUTION –> SOLUTION –> DILUTION –> REVOLUTION!
I know that exposure is risky, but the potential for reward is greater, and necessary! We took some time, in small groups, to discuss the following:
- Can sexual secrets be destructive? Why or why not?
- What are the benefits/risks of exposing secrets?
- What holds people back from exposing secrets? Is it primarily pride?
- What are goat-paths? What may be your goat-paths?
- Have you been a victim? Have you been a perpetrator?
Final note: Because men can compartmentalize, we generally can carry heavy, shameful secrets much longer than women. (Man, this smacks of the level of pride we walk in!) Men, it’s time to come clean! Humble yourself before God, your Pastor, a mature Brother… someone… and confess your faults. Step into the cleansing flow!
In closing, we need your help. Being full-time missionaries in Japan is physically and spiritually demanding, and financially expensive. We’re genuinely about The Father’s Business, but we simply cannot fulfill these ministries without financial support. Please consider partnering with us through financial gifts and offerings. Donations can be made online at CinA