Regaining Lost Ground

Pastor Shane Idleman: I wrote an excerpt from a book I wrote, *One Nation Above God*. The spiritual state of a nation simply reflects the spiritual state of her people. Spiritual decay undermines stability. When the family deteriorates, the deterioration of the nation is close at hand.

Sexual sin undermines health and often results in the death of a family, a marriage, and the integrity of the individual. The entire family loses. That's what sin does. It draws the life out of you and those closest to you. Sexual sin is idolatry, especially if you keep bowing to it.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us here at Westside Christian Fellowship, located in Leona Valley, California, one hour north of Los Angeles. Today on *Regaining Lost Ground*, we hear the second part of this chain-breaking message titled "The Subtlety of Idolatry."

John Calvin once said, "The human heart is an idol factory." For what is idolatry if not this: to worship the gifts in place of the Giver Himself? Do you find yourself spending more time with things and less time with God? Do you seek holiness but don't know where to begin?

Break off the chains and strongholds that have kept you from all that Jesus offers you today in this powerful sermon from Pastor Shane, loaded with truth, packed powder keg of Holy Spirit fire. Take a listen. You can hear the whole message at Pastor Shane's YouTube and Rumble channels. Make sure to subscribe today.

For more information, visit us online at westsidechristianfellowship.org. We also encourage you to hear more truth from Pastor Shane with the *Idleman Unplugged* weekly podcast. And now, from Westside Christian Fellowship in Leona Valley, California, here's Pastor Shane Idleman.

Pastor Shane Idleman: Be careful with kids, too. You don't want to tell them, "You've got to do this." You want to encourage them. This is how you build your faith. This is how you walk in the power of the Spirit. This is how you please God. This is how you live a life of repentance. But it's not, "Oh, you have to do this. God's going to be really mad at you." You've got Jesus, but you've got to do this. You're putting a yoke on them. Who can carry that yoke, that burden, for the rest of their lives?

So we encourage them in the scriptures, we teach the scriptures, but ultimately, they need to be led by God. So he says, "Okay, let's boil down to this. Write to the Gentiles to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood." Now, I could have shown you the commentaries. They would get deep into it. My goodness. Here's what it boils down to: all of these are connected to pagan worship.

I made it simple. Instead of all this, all of these things are connected. So I'm not supposed to eat things strangled? Practically speaking, that's a good idea because when an animal dies that way, all the toxins are released in the way you slaughter an animal. We could get into all kinds of things—the life of the flesh is in the blood and how to avoid it—but the bottom line is, do not follow the practices of pagan worship because they lived among pagan worshipers. The whole empire was surrounded by pagan worship.

But let's look at this word "from things polluted by idols." Polluted means something on the outside gets on the inside. I love this quote: "All the water in the world, however hard it tried, could never sink the smallest ship unless it gets inside." And then you can add to that, all the sin in the world, no matter how hard it tried, could never get in the Christian soul unless it gets inside.

So we're around pollutants, aren't we? That's why it says be in the world but not of the world. When you allow those pollutants to come in, they will derail you spiritually speaking. That's what he's talking about: avoid things polluted by idols. What they would even do to avoid these things is not eat the meat. They would kill this cow and say, "This cow is sacrificed to Molech." Then someone says, "Hey, let's have a tri-tip."

Their conscience should be, "No, if it's dedicated to Molech, I don't feel good about that." What would happen is they would say, "That's no big deal." They do that, and then, "Why don't you drink some of this?" or "Why don't you go to this type of party?" Slowly, subtlety, it would draw them away from God. So the Apostles said avoid all that.

Now, if we had time, we could go to the verse where Paul said don't worry about eating meat. Don't let somebody judge you. Basically, don't ask where the meat came from. If somebody feels compelled to eat it, that's fine, leave them alone. Who are you to judge another servant? To his own master, he stands or falls. But if I knew something like, "Hey, we just sacrificed this..." Can you imagine being at a barbecue with your atheist friend and he says, "This came from a cult up north and we sacrificed this meat to Satanism"? I'm probably going to pass. Do you have any chicken?

Wouldn't you? I wouldn't eat that thing. I've never even drunk that water that's called Dead Water—what's it called? Liquid Death? With someone with a marketing background, that's the worst marketing I've ever heard in my life. Yet, it takes off. I see all these clips like they cast spells over it before they—I don't know. But why drink water that's called Liquid Death? I'm not picking up that water, I'll tell you that much. Again, don't judge me. It's my choice.

Number two: the big one. Sexual immorality. So avoid being polluted by idols, avoid sexual immorality. Anything outside of marriage between a man and a woman is sexual immorality. I shared an article on Facebook—I don't know the title now—something like "Consider This for Pride Month." It has about 1,500 shares and almost 1,000 comments. I haven't read one comment yet because what's the point? Really, you post the truth, you just leave it there. I'm not going to go and debate somebody in their basement in Connecticut.

God's word is true. I said it. I don't need to say more. You have questions? Turn to the Bible. Anything outside of marriage is considered sexual immorality. But Jesus didn't use the word specifically "homosexuality." Well, He also didn't use bestiality or pedophilia. He used one word: *porneia*. Sound familiar? Pornography. In God's eyes, any type of this wonderful gift God has given men and women that He joined together, anything outside of that is very simple.

Anything outside of that is sexual immorality. That's why Paul goes over a whole list of different things. They said they will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Now remember, there's a difference between somebody struggling. I think we have some strugglers in here, if I were to guess. Anybody perfect? See me in the prayer room afterwards, I'd love to just say hello. Some people struggle, but for others, it's a lifestyle.

When you say, "This is who I am," infidelity or even fornication—sex before marriage—"This is who I am, I don't care," you will not inherit the kingdom of God because it shows your heart. You're not a believer. But if you struggle—"Shane, I'm trying, I know what God's word says, I'm doing great, and then I just had this, and oh my gosh, I'm back on track"—that's somebody struggling. I'm not giving you permission to do that, but I'm showing you there is a unique difference in the heart of the person. The heart is set on God.

We have to get rid of this whole "I was born this way" argument. I've talked to guys that just cheat. Once a year, they just cheat. "Shane, I was born this way. I just love women." Don't ever come tell me that, especially as a believer. Yes, God designed you to love one woman the rest of your life. That's how you were designed. I don't care how you were born. We were all born to lie, cheat, steal. That's why we need a Savior.

So you can't embrace—it's not possible to embrace—a lifestyle that God says is wrong and still be a Christian. I just don't see that throughout scripture. When you're walking in God's will, there is peace. You're not jacked up. You're not confused. You're not doubting God. You're not out of His will. You're not anxious. You feel all those things when you're out of His will, don't you? When you're dating somebody you shouldn't be dating and crossing the line, is there peace?

No. Confused? "Is this God's will? Should we marry, should we not? I don't know, I'm confused. Lord, I don't know. Am I out of Your will? I'm anxious." But when you're walking in His will, obeying His principles, there's peace. A great deal of peace in there. And I just want to say this so we know: no matter how many ungodly laws are passed, it will not change God's mind. No matter how many laws are passed, it will not change God's mind.

There's people—I get it all the time—"Well, the government, the Supreme Court..." Oh, yeah, let's go ahead, let's start Deuteronomy. Let's rewrite that one. Let's go to—yep, you're right, the Supreme Court. So let's put up something from 1892, from the discovery of this continent to the present hour. There is a single voice making this affirmation that this is a Christian nation. The Supreme Court, 1892. You can look it up.

Now, they're not saying that everybody was a Christian or required to be a Christian or that there wasn't sin in the government. But they're saying, obviously, the nation was built on Christian principles. "But Shane, what about slavery?" Well, what about all the founding fathers and Christians who brought that to an end? Why don't you mention them? Christians are always in the battle for abolition of slavery, for women's rights, for the life of the unborn, for the orphans. Christians are always involved in those things.

You look at when the Pilgrims came over in 1620. They started the public school system so kids could read the Bible. You look at all the different constitutions of many of the first thirteen colonies. They said you cannot run for office unless you believe in God and His Son Jesus Christ. They would have Ten Commandment monuments. It was built on Christian principles, and people don't like it. I don't know what to tell you. That's just the truth. Look how far we've drifted. We haven't done a 360, we've done a 180. We need to turn back to God. It's called repentance.

1 Corinthians—I've got to show you this verse. I'm going to give you the Rated PG version since there's kids in here. Flee sexual immorality. Guys, that would help a lot of problems. You don't contemplate it, you don't think about it, you flee. You go to spam, you don't have to open spam, just delete spam. You can change your algorithms, you can have a computer out in the open, you just flee. That's the only way to deal with it.

If you think you're going to fight it, you're going to lose. You're going to lose because the flesh eventually becomes too weak. This is amazing: every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. I have a theory why so many people are upset with the transgender movement and, I guess now you can become an animal, it's called furries. Sometimes I think I'm in the Twilight Zone and going to wake up out of this. What in the world are we doing?

But we love this community. We pray for them, we want to lead them to the Gospel. But the reason they're so upset is because it's sinning against their own body, and there's never going to be peace in that. Hollywood can be on your side, the government can be on your side, every organization, every corporation can be on your side, but still, that conviction remains. And that's why they said to avoid sexual immorality.

Isn't it interesting—I didn't have the verses, but I just remembered yesterday—Jesus in Revelation said to the churches, "Avoid that woman Jezebel who teaches My people to commit sexual immorality." And He mentions the doctrine of Balaam. It says the doctrine of Balaam in Revelation. You guys know I've talked about this many times: Balak, King Balak, hired Balaam, a prophet of God, to curse the children of Israel.

I love this story. I would tell this story every month if I could. He goes to curse the children of Israel and he can't. He blesses them. The king's all upset. "Why are you blessing them?" I love what he says: "I cannot curse what God has blessed." No witch, no hex, no demonic activity—I'm sure we've had plenty come against this church and cast spells and kill cats in the desert. I know it's sad, but they do weird stuff because they think there's power in that. You have no power over my Master. Your dark master has to submit to Him.

So you cannot curse what God has blessed. Sorry. But Balaam goes, "But guess what? There's a loophole." How many of you don't know what the loophole was? I don't think there's more of you, just shy. It's okay. There's a loophole though to this. "King Balak, I'll tell you what to do." Jesus actually rebuked it. Go and send the Moabite women into the camp of Israel, and the men will be drawn away from God.

Jesus said Balaam taught Balak how to seduce the children of Israel. All they had to do was send down the Vegas crowd, the party animals. That influence drew the children of Israel away from God. Do you know that's what happened in the Old Testament? That's what happened. They would walk with God, then they'd draw away. Then God would spank them. Then they'd walk with God, then they would draw away. Then God would raise up a judge, and they're doing good, and then they'd walk away. Praise God we have the Holy Spirit. They didn't. That would have been tough.

So how much more should we honor God? Because your body is actually the temple of the Holy Spirit. That will really make you think how you treat it. Am I quenching and grieving the Spirit or am I fueling the flames of a passionate relationship with God? If you're feeling beat up, let me encourage you. God just says, "Come home." That's it. "Shane, I'm hooked to porn, I don't know what to do." Get to this altar.

People are going to see me at the altar? No, people come to the altar for all kinds of reasons. Or find an altar at your home, find a prayer closet at your home. Repent. "I'm caught in same-sex attraction." We've had people in the prayer room been freed from it. I've prayed with many people who've been freed from it or want to be freed from it. That's the first step: acknowledging it. And then you get people around you to support, and then you've got to cut out the relationships that are pulling you down.

Hello? I can't tell you how many times I've talked to people, "I've got to get out of this." Okay, give me your phone, I'm going to block their number. "Oh, no, no, no." Wait a minute. How bad do you want it? That's what it boils down to. Many of us don't want it that bad. We cry, but we don't want to make the changes. Repentance hurts. Deep repentance hurts. But God says, "Come home, repent, acknowledge it, receive the filling of the Spirit again. Stop making excuses. Turn it over to God."

It's a beautiful healing process. So you don't have to leave here discouraged. It doesn't mean you'll be perfect once you leave out those doors, but it means you made a huge step in the right direction to recommit to God. Because sexual immorality destroys you from the inside out. I don't want to get graphic and things, but you look at a lot of those interviews they did with serial killers and things, and it all started with low-level, subtle porn and things. What happens? Because that monster grows. It grows, and they get more perverted. Flee.

Cut it out. You can't manage it. You might be managing it now, but trust me, the day of reckoning is coming. Lay that at the foot of the cross this morning and you will leave here refreshed. Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that God has given you and it's not for your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

I'm going to read real quick an excerpt. It's a book I wrote, *One Nation Above God*. You can access it right now at our church website, westsidechristianfellowship.org, for a lot more of it. But I wrote, the spiritual state of a nation simply reflects the spiritual state of her people. Spiritual decay undermines stability. When the family deteriorates, the deterioration of the nation is close at hand.

Sexual sin undermines health and often results in the death of a family, a marriage, and the integrity of the individual. The entire family loses. That's what sin does. It draws the life out of you and those closest to you. And sexual sin is idolatry, especially if you keep bowing to it.

So I'm going to talk a little bit more about some practical implication. Back to idolatry. Okay, we know sexual sin is idolatry and other things, but it's basically about who or what do I trust in? Crypto or Christ? That's real big right now, isn't it? Cryptocurrency where everything's going. Crypto or Christ? Real estate or God's estate? Retirement or relationship? Insurance or His insurance? Health or Him?

See, we start to focus on these things or a relationship becomes idolatrous. How many relationships have drawn people away from the Lord? I used to have a good friend of mine back in 2011, speak for me sometimes. He got involved with the wrong person, and it just took him completely down a very dangerous rabbit hole. Back into prison. I've seen others, godly women choose the wrong person. "Oh, but I'll lead him to the Lord." Well, maybe eventually, but it's going to be a life of hell for a while. And that's actually not biblical.

Hello, this is Pastor Shane Idleman. I want to tell you about a new booklet I just released titled *The Dark Night of the Soul*. This book came from a very challenging season in my own personal life. Dark seasons reveal what we actually believe, not just what we say we believe. The phrase "The Dark Night of the Soul" captures a moment we all dread.

It's the moment when the floor drops out from underneath us and we realize that we are not in control and we come face to face with something we cannot fix. Time and time again, God demonstrates that what appears to be the end of something is actually only the beginning.

So again, I want to encourage you to take time today and download my new booklet, *The Dark Night of the Soul*, for free right now at westsidechristianfellowship.org. Again, download it for free at westsidechristianfellowship.org. It is on Amazon, but we're encouraging people to go to our church website where they can actually download the booklet for free, the PDF, and share it with friends and family at westsidechristianfellowship.org.

Guest (Male): Westside Christian Fellowship is located 60 miles north of Los Angeles in Leona Valley, California. Thank you again for listening to today's message of *Regaining Lost Ground*, where we are reminded daily: times change, truth does not.