Have you ever heard how to cook a frog while it's still alive? (Odd question I know, but stay with me.) It is really quite interesting if you think about it. There is a hard way to do it and an easy way. The harder way is to bring a pot of water to boiling and then take your frog and throw it in. The problem is that the frog will jump and fight its way out of that pot because it is obviously really hot water. The easier way is to take you frog and put him into the pot when it is still cool and slowly turn up the heat. The frog will become accustomed to his surroundings and not notice that the temperature is getting hotter until it is too late and he is dead. He will lie there and just comfortably wait for death.

Most of you have probably heard this illustration before, and for those of you who haven't, remember it well. I used this illustration this week to point out how accustomed we can become with our culture. In the last journal entry I wrote, I asked you who your friends were, and talked about surrounding ourselves with good influences since the world will do everything it can to influence us negatively.

What I want to share with you this week is something that I think is talked about far too little within the four walls of most churches. I want to discuss the issue of lust. Our culture is one that is driven by lust, one that uses sex to sell everything. It amazes me how you can't even do simple things online without offers to view sexually explicit material or find the worlds view of "love" in meeting singles in what appears to be surface level physical relationships only. Although it may not be hardcore, most ads now use sexual desire to sell their products. Almost every time I log on to the internet I am offered one of these opportunities. It is absolutely ridiculous!

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 about how we need to learn to control our bodies in a way that is holy and honorable, NOT in passionate lust like the heathens. We need to control our bodies-which includes controlling our minds, and the best way to do this is to avoid any and every temptation at any cost. The Bible says that when we sin sexually we sin not only against God but against ourselves as well. The scary thing about this is the fact that if we don't pay attention to what is going on around us, we find that we are in the same situation as that frog-comfortably awaiting our death.

Here is a question for you to see how cooked you've become in this area. This week, pay attention on purpose to every sexually charged commercial, sexually charged jokes that are made on that sit-com you like, or in the late night comedy talk show monologue. When you are at work this week pay attention to how people dress and talk to each other, pay attention to what the subject matter is of the humor floating around the office. As you go about your week pay attention to what your co-workers and friends are saying happened over the weekend. I guarantee that if you turn up your radar to these things you will be appalled at how desensitized you have become. I know that my wife and I were shocked when we started to take a look at what we allowed into our media and entertainment.

If you want a great example to see how you might be affected, pick a couple of your favorite movies and ask your parents or grandparents to watch them with you, or pop in that DVD and think about your pastor, spiritual mentor, or God himself watching with you (He's already always with us, isn't He?).

Final Thought: Turn up your radar this week to see how desensitized you have become to the temperature of the water in your world. Don't be the frog that gets killed and doesn't even see it coming.