The exorbitant price of sexual sin - My list. Make yours!

Make a list of what can be the possible consequences of your sexual sin if you fall into it.

Whenever I think about sexual temptation, I find it helpful to review what effects my ungodly action could have:

1. Bringing dishonor to my Lord and Savior who has brought me this far.
2. Deeply hurting my wife and children. She may never trust me again in life.
3. Wasting years of ministry experience for a long time, maybe permanently.
4. Bringing great pleasure to Satan, the enemy of God and all that is good.
5. As a ‘wanted man’ anything can happen to me.
6. Being the firstborn in my family, transferring battles to my next generation which ordinarily would have ended in my generation.
7. Undermining the faithful example and hard work of other Christians in our community.
8. Possibly bearing the physical consequences of such diseases as gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, herpes, and AIDS; perhaps infecting my wife or, in the case of AIDS, even causing her death. I always remember Sis A who died of AIDS with all her prophetic gifts.
9. Creating problems for my younger brother who is a pastor and has looked up to me for years. In his challenges, I know that he has been watching me.
10. Heaping judgment and endless difficulty on the person with whom I committed adultery.
11. Possibly causing pregnancy, with the personal and financial implications.
12. Bringing shame and hurt to my ministry partners and elders who have trusted me over the years: (list names)
13. Bringing shame and hurt on all that will hear it from far and near who have been blessed through my ministry.
14. Causing shame and hurt to friends, especially those I’ve led to Christ and discipled: (list names)
15. Invoking shame and lifelong embarrassment upon Myself.
16. Getting entangled in a sin-chain that may be very difficult for me to break till I die.
17. The Lord coming and meeting me in sin.

I will continue to update this list as days/years roll by!

Try making your own list. When you weigh the consequences of sexual sin in advance it’s a frightening prospect! May God help all of us! Amen.


Adapted from Randy Alcorn’s article THE REAL AND UNTOLD COST - The exorbitant price of sexual sin. See Randy's list here.

Continue to pray for Brother Youcef - Charge against him changed to "banditry and extortion".

Our brother, Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been charged with new offences - "banditry and extortion" according to a recent update from International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. They seem to have replaced the old charge of apostasy which has drawn much international condemnation with these new charges, just to make sure our brother is punished and suffers for being a Christian.

For those who may be new to this story, Pastor Youcef was a pastor of a church in Rasht which had a congregation of about 400 members. He was arrested for converting to Christianity after being a Christian for more than 10 years. He has been languishing in prison with other Iranian brethren. The good news is that his faith is intact. In fact we shared one of his letters he wrote from prison here. What an encouragement!

Look at what the Bible says: Rom 8:18 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" NIV.

Please continue to pray for him and the other brethren in Iranian prisons. Pray that their faith will remain strong. Pray that they will finish strong. Also pray that their testimony will bring conviction to all the people around them. May they released from prison soon. May these spurious charges against Youcef be struck out. Pray for their families.

God bless you as you participate in this ministry towards the persecuted.

For more information, please go to ICHR in Iran.