Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #10-Empowering

Characteristic #10-Empowering

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #9-Apologizes

Characteristic #9- Apologizes

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #8-Equal

Charateristic #8-Equal

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #6-Fearless

Characteristics #6-Fearless

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #5-Honest

Characteristic #5-Honest

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #4-Grows

Characteristic #4-Grows

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #3-Chooses Responses

Characteristic #3- Chooses Responses

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #2-Emotions Are A Choice

Characteristic #2-Emotions Are a Choice

Characteristics of the Emotionally Internalized #1-Responsible for Their Emotions

The characteristics of an emotionally internalized person can be clearly seen. With the externalized person, it is as if there is a zipper tag on the outside of them for others to control, whereas the internalizer’s tag is on the inside. As we walk through the characteristics over the next few weeks, you will get a clear idea who these people are and how to recognize them. You may even be surprised to see that those in your life may be more internalized emotionally than you once thought.

Triumph

I want to share with you the best part of this letter, the one verse that turned my world upside down and fueled my desire to stay sexually pure over the past two decades. I have walked you through some painful Scriptures up until now. Now here is the payoff. “To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations…” (Revelation 2:26).

Satans Deep Secret

Satan's so called, deep secret is quite simple: be immoral. He has used this same trick throughout the centuries, but it’s not a secret anymore. Anytime you’re being tempted into immorality or viewing pornography, you are following the teaching of our enemy hook, line and sinker. Anytime you are following the path of sexual purity, you are following the Spirit and teaching of our God. It is that simple. I can tell you that after seeing so many men come clean from this fog, the simplicity of the truth of sexual purity becomes clear and self-evident once again. Actually, I love seeing this light bulb come on in men, be it at a conference or in my office.

Sin of Withholding #8 - The Father's Response to Withholding

Let’s go back to the story of Cain and Abel. Cain withheld from God. However, God’s response was quite amazing.

Sin of Withholding #7 - Jesus Reaction

I think it is important to cover Jesus’s reactions to the stories previously mentioned as it relates to those who withhold. Amazingly, through these stories of withholding, Jesus reacts exactly the same way. We know our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

Sin of Withholding #6 - Withholding in Marriage

In Ephesians 5:25-28 Paul gives Christians the antidote to any withholding pattern that can creep up in a Christians marriage. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

Sin of Withholding #5 - Withholding Forgiveness

Jesus loved to tell stories. I want to share a very familiar story with you, and focus on the sin of withholding and how a withholder sees people as objects not souls.

Sin of Withholding #4 - Withholding Talents

Many of you reading this are very familiar with the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.

Sin of Withholding #3 - The "All In" God

When God took out his own pen and wrote His Ten Commandments, the first one was - “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:1-2

Sin of Withholding #2 - It's a Choice

Genesis 4:5-7

Sin of Withholding Series - #1 Begins in the Garden

I want to share with you truly a revelation God has given to me and it is the sin of withholding. This sin goes way back to the book of genesis. After the first sin of lust in the garden which produced sin and death we see adam and eve placed outside the garden. In Genesis 4: 1-7 we see the story of Cain and Abel. It was abel who gave God an acceptable offering and cain who withheld the best from God. Gods reaction to Cains withholding was, “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted. But if you do not do what is right , sin is crouching at your door.” Cain withheld the best from God ,which was a reflection of his heart. He felt Gods displeasure, he got angry treated his brother as a disposable object and rationalized plotting and executing killing his brother.

You Are Able to Rewire Your Brain

Do You Promise to Forsake All Others? Part Eight: Community

Forsaking all others includes all others. You can also evaluate whether friends hold too high a value in either of your lives. I’ve had to work with men who give way too much time to a set of guy friends or friend by scheduling hunting and fishing trips or golf outings. He had to adjust priorities. It didn’t mean he had to stop his activities. He just had to adjust his activities. I’ve had to deal with a “golf widow.” That’s what a wife is called when her husband golfs all weekend, most weekends. Her husband adjusted to one time per week and that felt fine to everyone.

Do You Promise to Forsake All Others? Part Seven: The Children

Forsaking all others also means you prioritize your own children in such a way that your marriage remains the priority. I am in full support of women who want to be great mothers, but I’ve repeatedly seen this as an excuse not to be great lovers to their spouse. In these situations, dating the spouse ceases, the woman rarely expresses affection and praise, she lacks the energy or urgency to prioritize sex, she has no time for dates or fun or weekend away here and there. These are all symptoms of a woman who has moved from a lover-spouse to prioritizing her children or her role to be a “good mom” over her husband.

Do You Promise To Forsake All Others? Part Six: Family of Origin

Genesis 2:24: “For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife. And they will become one flesh.” Even in the first marriage where there were no parents, God made clear what the priorities of marriage are.

Do You Promise To Forsake All Others? Part Five: Others

Let’s explore what those “other” options that I’ve seen begin to erode or actually break that early promise to forsake all others. The obvious choice is the one everyone thinks of first: adultery. The husband or wife engages in a sex act—hand, oral or vaginal--either one time or ongoing. This act could include one or many people.