After what seemed like an infinite waiting period, The Avengers sequel has come of age—literally.

Avengers: Age of Ultron, the follow-up to the third-highest-grossing film of all time, officially kicks off the summer blockbuster season. With a mind-boggling budget of $250 million, Age of Ultron is expected to match, and possibly surpass, its predecessor’s $1.5 billion take at the global box office in 2012.

So is the latest tentpole from the Marvel Cinematic Universe just hype, hoopla and much ado about nothing, or is it ready to make history?

More importantly, is it family friendly, safe for young fan boys and fan girls, and edifying for Christians? The short answer to the last question is yes, no and yes, but more on that later.

Arguably the most highly anticipated movie of the year along with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Age of Ultron kicks off after the prologue at the end of 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The Avengers— Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)—converge on the hideout of Baron Von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann) as the last detachment of Hydra, who managed to obtain Loki’s scepter from The Avengers.

Stark and Banner’s study of the scepter reveals an opportunity to jumpstart a dormant peace-keeping program. Without consulting the rest of the team, Stark decides to use this for one of his artificial intelligence (AI) projects, but his seemingly “playing God” move backfires.

Voiced by James Spader, Ultron is born with the usual machinations of a robot, but he evolves into a megalomaniac.

“I know you’re good people,” the evil Ultron tells the Avengers. “I know you mean well. But you just didn’t think it through. There is only one path to peace … your extinction.”

Stark would later admit: “I tried to create a suit of armor around the world, but I created something terrible.”

Terrible indeed as the terrifying technological villain goes on a hell-bent mission to get rid of mankind with his plans to “evolve” with an army of robots.

Earth’s mightiest heroes of course must stop Ultron from enacting his diabolical plans. Along the way, they confront two mysterious and powerful newcomers, Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and his twin sister, Wanda/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and meet an old friend in a new form when Iron Man’s AI butler Jarvis (Paul Bettany) becomes Vision.

The Avengers also receive additional support from James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Agent Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson).

Compared to its predecessor, Age of Ultron dials up the action, character development, one-liners and epic battles, including Iron Man in the Hulkbuster suit taking on Hulk, causing mass destruction in a city. More visually stunning than the original, the movie used a whopping 19 visual-effects companies for its special effects, including a computer-generated Ultron.

The Avengers also seem like a close-knit family now, poking each other with sly, cheeky humor, including the running jokes of Captain America’s disdain for bad language and the worthiness necessary to lift Thor’s hammer. Additionally, there’s an unexpected romance for Black Widow and Hawkeye’s surprising background.

Age of Ultron is not a faith-based film, but it features plenty of biblical and spiritual references, including comments about the end times and Captain America deemed as “God’s righteous man.”

The malevolent Ultron delivers many twisted, faith-based comments, including: “I was designed to save the world. People would look to the sky, and see hope. I’ll take that from them first!”

Sitting in a church, he says: “They put the building in the middle of the city, so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that, the symmetry, the geometry of belief.”

Ultron even missuses Jesus’ words from Matthew 16:18 in a climactic scene when the titular villain declares, “On this rock, I will build my church.”

Writer-director Joss Whedon, who wrote and directed The Avengers, returned for the same duties in Age of Ultron. Besides adding new characters, he included several subplots, including friction mounting between members of the team that will lead into Captain America: Civil War in 2016, appearance of another Infinity Stone, as well as glimpses of the Infinity Gauntlet and the villain Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War – Part 1 set for release on May 4, 2018).

Whedon, whose previous film was Much Ado About Nothing, a low-budget, black-and-white Shakespeare adaption, has said he wanted to “perform a little open heart surgery” on the Avengers, and “let the audience experience them on a more personal level than they ever have before.” 

Each tackling their own fears in the movie, the Avengers are shown as broken, complex and confused in Age of Ultron.

In the same interview, Olsen, who plays Scarlet Witch with thought-altering magic powers, said Age of Ultron allows audiences to see the “most human versions” of the seemingly invincible Avengers.

“It’s darker, more emotional and more based on the characters as people, as opposed to super heroes,” she said.

Fortunately, with Age of Ultron, Marvel Studios did not delve too far into “dark” super hero territory, ala the “Dark Knight” Batman trilogy, with its gritty and somber premise.

Bottom line: Age of Ultron. is a fun, action-packed film with relatable super heroes.

“Even though this is a giant superhero movie, I think the tone is this family dynamic with family struggles and human relatable conflict … aside from us wearing costumes and flying around,” says Evans, who plays Captain America.
 

Content Watch: Age of Ultron is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action, violence and destruction, and for some suggestive comments. There is no sex or nudity, but there is a crass sexual reference. Some men are seen shirtless and some women dress in cleavage-revealing outfits. Couples kiss briefly in a couple scenes. There is intense sci-fi action violence throughout, as well as scenes of destruction, but little bloodshed. There are various explosions in the film. One character has his arm cut off, but it is not graphic. There is some slight profanity used in the movie, although as a positive role model, Captain America makes a point that the language is inappropriate. God’s name is misused. Ultron misquotes some Bible passages to justify his destructive behavior. Nick Fury makes a comparison between rabbits and Catholics. The Avengers team are seen drinking at a party, but it is not a main focus. There is at least two guests, though, who are shown drunk. The film has a slightly dark and ominous tone, but a good humor keeps it light and not focused on these parts. Ultron may be threatening and frightening to some viewers and can seem to be very creepy. There are various fighting scenes involving the Hulk, who may be frightening to some viewers. Overall, Age of Ultron is perhaps too intense for young fan boys and fan girls.

Eric Tiansay is a freelance writer for Charismamag.com.

How much of your day is influenced by words?

Maybe your day, like mine, progresses something like this:

• Do my devotions/reading plan on YouVersion
• Skim headlines on a device
• Read/write a Tweet
• Email, email, email!
• Study/read for my doctorate
• Watch the news or a TV show

I’m surrounded by words all day, every day. Some are important, some entertaining. All carry a message, which makes them powerful forces either for good or for evil. For example, take the recent attack on and repercussions from French satire magazine Charlie Hebdo.

Tell me those words did not carry weight and power… enough so that people have lost lives and protests have been staged, with governments and individuals pitted against each other, forced to take sides and make statements or take stands.

Consider these statistics: Studies have shown that your typical social media user consumes 285 pieces of content daily, which equates to an eye-opening 54,000 words, and, for the truly active, as many as 1,000 clickable links!

Or, if visuals are more your thing, how about 443 minutes of video? Of course, only the most dedicated of the socially savvy actually read and watch every piece of content they receive, but those that do would need to commit around 12 hours of their day to get their fill.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I clicked the link to watch a YouTube video of the historical “I Have a Dream” speech, and was reminded that there have been words carrying prophetic messages of hope for the future.

This dreamer wasn’t afraid to elocute:

“Just as the prophets of the eighth century B.C. left their villages and carried their ‘thus saith the Lord’ far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel of Jesus Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must constantly respond to the Macedonian call for aid.” – Martin Luther King Jr. in a letter from a Birmingham jail

Listening to the closing rally “Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty we are free at last,” I was jolted back to reality when the next headline in my news feed reminded me that, today, words are being used to make threats on Twitter that have the power to ground flights.

For years my parents traveled the globe to share the most important words ever given to mankind. I can almost hear Dad now, with his eloquently booming voice declaring the power of the printed page!

I love that God chose to give us words, knowing full well their power to share the story of His love.

Every day I get to be a part of something so much bigger than myself, leveraging the power of His words to share the greatest story ever told. No matter how bad things get or how the enemy twists words to bring strife and enmity, there are words even more powerful that trump anything he can come up with.

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21, MEV).

How are you choosing to use your words? Are you simply a consumer—and what kinds of words are you consuming? Or are you a positive contributor?

Rob Hoskins is the president of OneHope. He was born to missionary parents, which is probably where his passion to spread the truth in God’s Word began. He and his family—wife Kim and daughters Diandra and Natasha—live near OneHope’s global headquarters in Pompano Beach, Fla., but their hearts beat on every continent around the world.

For the original article, visit robhoskins.com.

My wife, Susan and I have been married for 22 years. I’ve learned so much from her and with her during our life together.

Here are seven truths I’ve learned about marriage:

Truth No. 1. Marriage is not just about two people; it’s about two people becoming one flesh.

Truth No. 2. Marriage is not just “for better,” it’s also “for worse.”

Truth No. 3. Marriage is not always a stroll in the park; it’s a front-line battle in the world.

Truth No. 4. Marriage is not a 50-50 partnership, it’s a 100 percent-100 percent give-it-all-you’ve-got relationship.

Truth No. 5. Marriage is not just about happiness; it’s about holiness.

Truth No. 6. Marriage is not about getting from your spouse, it’s about giving to your spouse.

Truth No. 7. Marriage is not a quick sprint; it’s a lifetime marathon.

What truths can you share with us about marriage?

Mark Merrill is the president of Family First. For the original article, visit markmerrill.com.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Peter 4:12, MEV).

How does the verse above relate to today’s topic of muscle soreness? I think if you would replace the word “ordeal” with “muscles,” you might get a better idea …

Of course, the above parallel is simply a jest and by no means an exegetical attempt at making Peter out to be a first century personal trainer. However, you’d be surprised by how many exercise newbies find sore, “fiery” muscles rather surprising, and many times, also discouraging.

As part of a six-week women’s challenge at our gym, another coach and I have been assigning our team members specific “homework” to help them reach their goals by the end of the challenge. Some of the ladies want to shed eight to 10 pounds. Others want to be able to do a pull-up without assistance, and still others want to set a new P.R. (personal record) on their squat and deadlift.

What they all have in common—as evidenced by the texts I’ve received a day or two after their homework is completed—is good ol’ muscle soreness. In this article, I want to discuss muscle soreness—what it is and isn’t, when it’s beneficial and when it’s not, as well as how to alleviate it.

Whether it’s sore quads and hamstrings after extra running, or tender traps from perfecting power cleans, the ladies’ muscles are actually making adaptations to better prepare themselves for performing the pain-inducing activity again (pretty smart, right?). Microfractures in the muscle cells and surrounding connective tissues has caused a bit of inflammation. Swelling may occur as well (note that any engorged biceps and deltoids are swollen—not magically bigger after one workout!) as a response to microscopic muscle tears.

None of that sounds very pleasant, and to be honest, it isn’t. However, as is true with many of life’s blessings, rewards are not often reaped without a healthy dose of … vexation, shall we say? What the writer of Hebrews says is true:

“No discipline seems to be joyful at the time—but grievous. Yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness in those who have been trained by it: (Hebrews 12:11, MEV).

Sore muscles now = stronger, healthier, more powerful, and better prepared muscles later. And as a bonus, the workouts that produce them nurture habits of discipline and perseverance that translate seamlessly into other aspects of our lives outside the gym.

So is there a bright side to sore muscles? Can they be avoided? Well, the answer turns out to be yes. Or rather, sort of…

Generally those who experience the “post-workout waddles,” as I shall call them, are those who haven’t exercised in ages. Their muscles simply aren’t accustomed to the work they’re being asked to do. But if they stick it out and continue training consistently, they will start to feel less sore as their bodies adapt to their workouts and learn to distribute the workload across their muscle fibers more effectively.

I should add here that while a lack of muscle soreness is nice, it could also be a sign that your body has stopped growing and adapting to training stimuli, meaning your fitness has reached a plateau. Therefore, it’s important to regularly change up your exercise routine by trying new exercises, changing your rep scheme, using heavier weights, etc.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) generally disappears after three days, but this varies from person to person. Three days is a long time to endure washing your hair with inflamed triceps or turning the steering wheel with aching pecs. Thankfully, there are proven ways to lessen the dreaded DOMS and go about your life without blowing your budget on Ibuprofen:

Warm up and cool down well: The American College of Sports Medicine suggests advancing slowly with a new workout, giving your muscles time to adapt and recover. A post-workout cool down, comprised of foam rolling, stretching, and other mobility drills, will reset your body to a natural position and posture, which will diminish stiffness and soreness. Here’s an in-depth article on the importance of warming up and cooling down and how to do them effectively.

Take a warm shower or find a hot tub: Warm water is a natural relaxer. If you’re bruised for any reason, or exceptionally inflamed, apply an ice pack to the affected area for up to twenty minutes, two to three times a day, if possible.

Take Epsom salt baths: Epsom salts are composed of magnesium sulfate. Magnesium is natural muscle relaxant, and as a salt they help to pull excess fluids out of the tissues, reducing swelling.

Increase your protein intake: This will increase protein synthesis, helping rebuild muscles.

Get a massage: Massages help stimulate blood circulation to an area, which speeds healing.

Get your sleep: Your body repairs, rebuilds, and recovers while it’s resting.

Try a saffron or ginger supplement: New research in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that supplementing with saffron may also help to alleviate DOMS. Additionally two studies done at Georgia College and State University in 2010 looked at how ginger affected muscle pain and inflammation after exercise.

One experiment had subjects supplement with two grams of ginger for several days and perform curls in the gym. The next day, their soreness was significantly less than expected. The other study also examined the effects of two grams of ginger on arm training. Participants consumed ginger 24 hours and 48 hours after exercise, and the pain was reduced 13 percent by the second day.

If you’re still feeling intensely sore after the 72 to 96-hour mark, you experience abnormal swelling in your limbs or see that your urine is dark, you should see your doctor. If the pain is due to an injury, you most likely felt it immediately, while in the middle of your workout. Soreness, on the other hand, is gradual.

Also remember to give specific muscle groups at least 48 hours before training them again. For example, if you trained your back and biceps on Monday, train them again no sooner than Wednesday or Thursday.

I hope you’ve found this article helpful, and that you won’t “be surprised at the fiery ordeal” that is your angry muscles, as my husband not-so-affectionately refers to them. Train hard, have fun, and keep your health all about God and honoring Him with the body He’s given you!

Stay fit, stay faithful.

Diana Anderson-Tyler is the author of Creation House’s Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness, Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness, and her latest book, Immeasurable: Diving into the Depths of God’s Love. Her popular website can be found at dianaandersontyler.com, and she is the owner and a coach at CrossFit 925. Diana can be reached on Twitter.

For the original article, visit dianandersontyler.com.

I’m a trusting person. I don’t throw discernment out the window when I encounter new people, but neither do I enter into new relationships with suspicion.

Essentially, I choose to believe the best; to take people at their word; and to give people the benefit of the doubt. To put it another way, I trust people until they give me a reason not to.

Most of the time, this mindset lays a foundation for strong, trusting relationships. Sometimes, though, you get blind-sided by someone you thought you could trust. Still, I would rather operate with an open, discerning heart than a closed, suspicious soul. I believe this is God’s will for our lives.

When You Can’t Trust Anyone Around You

All that said, there are times when it becomes painfully apparent that you can’t trust anyone around you—or at least you’ve discovered you can’t trust most of the people around you and you’re entirely unsure about the rest.

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What do you do when it seems like everything you say can and will be used against you for their own advancement? How do you respond when people you’ve stood by, opened doors for and displayed loyalty to betray your trust and stab you in the back in the name of having your back?

If you are still reading this article, clearly you can relate. You’ve been stunned by the revelation that you can’t trust the people around you. You’ve been deeply disappointed by people you thought were standing with you. What to do?

Why People Betray You

I have found myself in this sort of perilous situation more than once. Sometimes it’s because people’s motives were never right to begin with and I didn’t pick up on it because I chose to believe the best.

Other times it was because people change. People may start off with the best intentions toward you until the enemy finds something in them—whether it’s personal ambition, fear of loss or a demonic accusation against your character—and pulls their strings like a puppet master.

Still other times, they think they can’t trust you and decide to get you before you can get them. I’ve said this in the past, but it bears repeating: People outside your inner circle persecute and malign you—but they can’t really betray you because betrayal implies trust. That brings me back to my original question: What do you do when you can’t trust anyone around you?

And again, what do you do when it seems like everything you say can and will be used against you for their own advancement? How do you respond when people you’ve stood by, opened doors for and displayed loyalty to betray your trust and stab you in the back in the name of having your back?

Waking Out Psalm 37

If you’ve been betrayed, you have to forgive. But if you are just discerning that you can’t trust in the people around you, you have to lean in to Psalm 37. Sometimes you need to emotionally detach, walk in love and embrace Psalm 37 at a new level. The Holy Spirit told me once, “Trust in the Lord and do good.” Listen in to some of the rest of this psalm and let it encourage your heart:

“Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be jealous of those who do injustice. For they will quickly wither like the grass, and fade like the green herbs. Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land, and practice faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

“Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in Him, and He will bring it to pass. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of those who prosper in their way, because of those who make wicked schemes.

“Let go of anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret—it surely leads to evil deeds. For evildoers will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the earth” (Ps. 37:1-9).

I don’t know about you, but that changes everything for me. God is our vindicator. We can’t always trust people, but we can certainly always trust Him.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma. She is also director of Awakening House of Prayer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and author of several books, including The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening; Mornings With the Holy Spirit, Listening Daily to the Still, Small Voice of God; The Making of a Prophet and Satan’s Deadly Trio: Defeating the Deceptions of Jezebel, Religion and Witchcraft. You can visit her website here. You can also join Jennifer on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.

We’re all guys, so—let’s face it—we all visit “the dog house” on occasion. Getting in there is no mystery; but sometimes we need a little help getting out. This article offers five simple keys to “getting out of the dog house.”

Many of us are masters at insensitivity, obstinacy, foot-in-mouth disease, advanced cluelessness, stirring the pot and more. It’s not that we plan to come home from work, enter the house and immediately say something idiotic that ruins our wife’s fond “hello” or dinner or the evening or sometimes the entire weekend. If you are like me, screwing up seems to take no effort at all; it’s like a talent.

If being consigned to the doghouse resonates in any way, then here are five simple keys to growing in getting out of it:

1. Listen, listen, listen: More than anything, your wife wants to know that you hear her. Not hear her, then correct her; not hear her while doing something else; not hear her, then offer an airtight explanation. No, your wife wants you to practice active listening, and she wants to believe that you are enjoying it. 

2. Let the restitution fit the crime: Appropriate restitution accomplishes a couple of things. First, it demonstrates that we know not only that we messed up, but how we messed up. If we’re in the dog house because we were insensitive, then flowers with, “Sorry, I was a jerk,” are good. If our crime is “not paying attention,” then dinner out and our undivided attention would fit.

3. Don’t sweat the small stuff (being right is very small stuff): Here’s some free advice: Being right is overrated. If you’re in the dog house over a disagreement, proving that you were right all along is never a good move. Getting out of the dog house isn’t about justice, it’s about grace. Proving a point never restores a relationship; demonstrating your wife is more important to you than your ego just might.

4. Never minimize your culpability: “I’m sorry we had an argument, but it really wasn’t my fault,” doesn’t work. Neither does, “I only forgot our anniversary because my work schedule is overloaded.” Accept responsibility for the whole thing.

5. Be randomly wonderful: This tip alone is worth the price of the entire article. Say, “Don’t cook, I’m picking up Chinese;” followed up by a personal delivery of a flower arrangement to her at work. Try fresh sheets (make the bed) and a mint on her pillow. Pick an obscure anniversary (first date, 3,000 days married, get creative), make her a card and celebrate. Arrange a lunch date. Or turn off the TV, serve her a cup of tea, and say random romantic stuff.

We can’t promise any magic, just plain, simple, well-practiced ideas to help us when we need to re-establish communication—or at least crack the door just a little.

Derek Maul is the author of five books, a nationally recognized men’s resource, a committed encourager, and a pilgrim in progress. He divides his time between writing and traveling to speak about the fully engaged life.

For the original article, visit allprodad.com.

Living Foods. They’re foods that are alive—raw (not cooked) and filled with life. They’re also called raw foods or live foods.

You can plant them, pick them, sprout them or simply eat them. In each case—you get life! That’s because life comes from life. These foods are your “true north,” your path home to health in a jungle of dietary havoc, contaminated food and abounding confusion about what and how to eat.

Good health is the result of consuming whole, unprocessed, clean food with a large percentage of that being raw and alive. These foods are chock-full of nutrients, water and fiber that flush away toxins, waste and “sludge” from our cells and intercellular fluids.

They help us prevent disease. They alkalize our bodies and help us restore our pH balance. And they give our cells vital light rays of energy to help them communicate more effectively.

Since your thyroid is a key gland that’s tied to every other system in your body, it needs to work flawlessly. When it’s out of balance, you’re out of balance. If you have a number of the symptoms of low thyroid, chances are that you could benefit by working on your thyroid health by eating more living foods.

Some foods boost thyroid function, which makes them perfect for treating hypothyroidism, while others suppress thyroid function, which can help people with hyperthyroidism. And there are certain foods that are best avoided by anyone who is concerned about having a healthy thyroid gland and overall good health.

The following raw foods are among the most helpful for restoring thyroid balance whether you have an underactive or overactive thyroid:

• Fresh raw vegetable juices
• Low-sugar fruit, especially lemons, limes, cranberries and other berries, and green apples
• Raw nuts and seeds
• Seaweed for its rich iodine content (for hypothyroid)
• Chlorophyll-rich green juices such as watercress, collards, chard, kale, kohlrabi
• Leaves, beet greens and parsley (vary the cruciferous greens with other non-cruciferous greens, such as lettuce, beet greens, watercress and spinach, if you have hypothyroidism)

Adapted from Cherie Calbom’s The Juice Lady’s Remedies For Thyroid Disorder (Charisma House, 2015). To order the book, click here.

Cherie Calbom, M.S., C.N., is the author of more than 20 books, including The Juice Lady’s Big Book of Juices and Green Smoothies and Remedies for Stress and Adrenal Fatigue. She holds a Master of Science degree in whole foods nutrition from Bastyr University. Cherie and her husband, John, offer juice health retreats throughout the year, along with health and healing conferences. For more information, visit juiceladycherie.com.

Don’t tell me you haven’t looked … You know what I’m talking about—women wearing skin-tight yoga pants. It’s even big news.

Clothing maker Lululemon Athletica lost millions of dollars from investors a couple of years back when reports came out that they had to recall their yoga pants for being too sheer. Imagine being in the store and seeing a woman having to prove the knit is too thin! Apparently the company fixed the sheer problem, but leads me to think there’s more to this story than meets the eye.

Many times, temptation starts with the eyes, and where you look. In James 1:14-16, God reveals how sin starts with a look, and ends with destruction. “But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.”

An example of this, is Potiphar’s wife. In the story about Joseph in Genesis 39:7 she would “cast her eyes upon Joseph.” Every day, her longing gaze at the handsome Joseph fueled her lustful desires, until one day she forced herself on Joseph, pulling him to bed. Fortunately, in this story, Joseph fled and avoided sin.

But the moral of the story is: Don’t be a lookie-lulu or else you will find yourself compromising your self, your beliefs and your marriage.

And, there are consequences. God spoke through Jeremiah in verses 5:8-9 saying, “They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing for another man’s wife. Should I not punish them for this? declares the Lord.”

Your gaze is important business to God. God’s man needs to fight for focus on Jesus and his plan for your life, not the yoga pants in front of you in line at the store.

The apostle Paul explained it this way in Philippians 3:14: “I press on toward the goal (focus) to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

In other words, focus on what matters. Focus on Christ. If your gaze is pure, your mind remains pure. And, you will be rewarded. Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”

Here’s the bottom line, if you’re a lookie-lulu, then you’ve already committed adultery in your heart. In Matthew 5:28, Jesus says, “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

It’s interesting that Jesus made these comments after addressing anger and disconnection in relationships in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5). Jesus addresses obsessive desire in men. Makes sense that they come in this order.

Anger and contempt in relationships, or contemptible attitudes inside of the heart in any relationship creates disconnection and unmet needs that inevitably draws people into the realm of fantasy.

It’s better to skip the fantasy and focus on the prize awaiting you.

If you, or a friend, is struggling with being a lookie-lulu, sex or porn addiction, find godly men to hang out with, and stop looking at the yoga pants. There is a better way. God’s way.

Additional resources for men regarding sex and porn addiction are available HERE.

Kenny Luck is the president and founder of Every Man Ministries. As the former men’s pastor at Saddleback Church in California and current leadership pastor at Crossline Community Church, Kenny has found the proven way to improve men’s ministries around the world. Sleeping Giant is this blueprint, and gives men the tools they need to lead and understand their own men’s ministry. Watch Kenny’s teachings at everymanministries.com.

A promising new weapon in the arsenal to fight cancer is emerging at a number of medical centers across America. The idea sounds radical, but it’s working … not on everyone, but on enough people who previously had no hope that doctors are saying this could be the breakthrough for which they have been looking.

Right now these treatments are in their trial phase.

They’re injecting viruses into the cancerous tumors and seeing them shrink, even to the point of remission. The viruses stimulate the patient’s immune system so that it attacks cancer cells and leaves the rest of their body alone. Again, these stunning results are being seen in people for whom surgery, radiation and chemotherapy proved ineffective in the long term.

The viruses are genetically modified in a laboratory so that they do not infect the patient’s entire body, but rather just the cancer.

Doctors at Duke University Medical Center have witnessed remarkable success by injecting a modified polio virus into brain tumors. It’s taken the Duke team years to arrive at this level of treatment, and they are still trying to perfect it, because still too many of the patients who try it do not survive.

Meanwhile, at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, doctors are using a form of the HIV virus to kill leukemia. The trials are being led by Dr. Carl June, who reports success in 70 percent of the patients. One young leukemia patient, Emily Whitehead, has been in remission for two years.

The Mayo Clinic is also reporting success in using a virus to treat cancer. Stacy Erholtz had tumors on her forehead, collarbone, and spine that went away after she was injected with a modified measles virus. She had battled multiple myeloma, an incurable cancer of blood for 10 years, trying chemotherapy and two stem-cell transplants, to no avail.

The Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Stephen Russell said of the treatment, “We recently have begun to think about the idea of a single shot cure for cancer. And that’s our goal with this therapy.”

For the original article, visit cbn.com.

When I was a teenager, I went on a missions trip to England and stayed in a “host home” with a lovely British couple. I’ll never forget a poster they had hanging on their wall that reported the results of a survey given to 10 groups of people.

There was a group of 10-year-olds, 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds, all the way up to 100-year-olds, and each was asked the same question: “What is your number one regret at this point in your life?” All the answers were interesting, some were funny, but the only answer I remember was from those who were 100 years old.

For some reason it is burned into my memory, and I can never forget it. After living a long life, they said their No. 1 regret was that they “should have taken more risks.” I determined then, as a very young man, that when I come to the end of my life I don’t want to look back and realize that I never really lived at all because I was too afraid.

To many people, fear seems to be a legitimate reason not to do something. But I want you to see that the master in Jesus’ parable was not sympathetic toward the servant who buried his talent. When the servant said, “I was afraid,” the master did not put his arm around him and say, “There, there, it’s all right, you poor little servant. I’m sorry I put you in such an uncomfortable position.” No, the master rebuked him sharply with anger and said, “You lazy servant!”

Why did the master accuse the servant of laziness? Because rather than facing his fears and taking a risk for his master’s sake, he chose to take the easy path: bury the talent, stay at home, and relax.

If you think fear is a good excuse for not doing God’s will, you’d better think again. If you want to know how to overcome your fears, there is only one way—face them! Most of the time fear is like a mirage; as you walk toward it, it will become more and more transparent until it disappears completely. But to face your fears requires courage.

After Moses died, his protégé, Joshua, became the new leader. God promised to be with Joshua as He had been with Moses. God promised to give Joshua every place upon which the sole of his foot would tread. God promised to prosper Joshua wherever he went.

But there was one requirement: “Be strong and very courageous,” the Lord said (Josh. 1:7). Imagine you are about to embark on the most challenging undertaking of your life. You have no idea what lies before you, and then the Lord comes to you and says, “Be very courageous.” That would scare me! Why? It’s because courage is needed in the presence of danger. Courage is not the absence of fear. In fact, there is no courage without fear. Courage is the willingness to face fear. All the promises, victories and destiny awaiting Joshua were dependent on his willingness to face his fear.

If fulfilling God’s will for our lives were just a matter of promoting our own names, reputations and personal destinies, I would say, “Don’t even bother. Stay home, watch television and enjoy a comfortable, quiet life.”

But we must remember that what is at stake is God’s eternal kingdom! Our talent does not belong to us—it belongs to the master. He has entrusted it into our hands. But one day He will return, and we will have to give an account for what we did with His investment.

Daniel Kolenda, a missionary evangelist, has led more than 10 million people to Christ face-to-face through massive, open-air evangelistic campaigns in some of the most dangerous and remote locations on earth. He is president and CEO of Christ for all Nations and hosts an internationally syndicated television program.