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T he M A N Y FAC E S of DE C E P T ION STEVE G ALL AG H E R
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C A N TRUTH SURVIVE the C A NCEL CULTURE?
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A REFUGE of TRUTH NATE DANSE R
NO REPRESENTATIONS MADE OF INDIVIDUALS DEPICTED.
MAGAZINE PURE LIFE MINISTRIES is fully committed to bringing the hope, healing and restoration found only in Christ to those who have been touched by the leprosy of sexual sin. Our staff members are graduates of one of our counseling programs themselves and have responded to the call of God to freely give to others the same compassion and mercy which the Father freely bestowed upon them. They are men and women who know how to speak the truth of God in love. In fulfilling our call, Pure Life Ministries is founded upon the authority of the Word of God as the supreme and allsufficient Truth for overcoming sin. We unashamedly preach a message of repentance unto salvation. Everything we do— whether in our counseling programs, our speaking ministry or the distribution of our books and resources—is based on the Word of God, with the goal of leading others to victory over sexual sin through a deeper life in God.
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T H E WAY I S E E I T
Can TRUTH Survive the CANCEL CULTURE? BY STEVE GALLAGHER Founder and President of Pure Life Ministries
“...rise up in righteous fury and begin calling out to God in anguishing intercession for our nation.”
In May, as public support for the leader of one of history’s greatest nations began to sag, ideologues launched a violent struggle against the system. These radical students demanded change, even if it meant a complete overthrow of the government. President Trump and the summer of 2020? No, this uprising was launched in 1966 China under the quiet tutelage of Mao Zedong. The student movement he stoked to publicly challenge moderate Chinese voices became known as the Cultural Revolution. With vigor and venom they attacked anyone who dared express ideas that did not fit Mao’s radical communist agenda. The Chairman shrewdly manipulated these students to do his dirty work for him. What we have been witnessing this summer is the employment of tactics gleaned from the Chairman’s playbook by the leftist anarchists among us. Let’s be clear: What is dividing our nation has nothing to do with police brutality. The movement that began as an outcry against racism was quickly seized by the leftist leaders of Antifa for their own purposes. Millions of Americans have watched helplessly as mobs of middleclass college kids displayed such schizophrenic behavior as toppling statues and screaming at police officers. I suspect that these same young people developed their skillset a decade earlier throwing temper tantrums in their own living rooms. And their parents—like so many politicians today—quickly learned that the surest way to keep the peace was to appease them and let them have their way. These same spoiled kids would enter an academic system that eschewed old fashioned concepts such as morality, character and decency in favor of an ideology that would cater to youthful idealism. That ideology was
the same socialism that took root in Western Europe decades ago. Those young people who most vociferously championed these socialistic ideals have been taught to consider themselves as being far superior to average Americans. The upshot of it all has been to make these Antifa wannabes so self-righteous in their opinions that they simply cannot and will not tolerate divergent viewpoints. When I attended school, students were taught in high school debate class that truth and civility were considered as being more important than scoring points. However, the operating maxim of today’s socialist is that the end justifies the means; thus their attitude to lie, manipulate and win at any cost. A “shout down” culture has developed within our school system where young people are encouraged to express their outrage at forms of social injustice they deem politically correct. They consider their agenda as so vital to our nation’s future that they even physically assault those who hold different opinions. Is it possible for Truth to survive in such a hostile environment? The outcome of Mao’s systematic attacks on Chinese believers in the late Sixties provides the answer: The more the communists attacked and persecuted believers, the greater the fires of revival blazed. In spite of the polls, it wouldn’t surprise me to see President Trump reelected this November by a silent majority who has grown alarmed at the extreme positions heralded by the Democratic Party. If he should win, I would anticipate a severe backlash by leftist activists. If that happens, my hope and prayer is that a Church that has been timid far too long would rise up in righteous fury and begin calling out to God in anguishing intercession for our nation.
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PURE LIFE MINISTRIES
T h e M A N Y FAC E S of DE C E P T ION BY STEVE GALL AGHER
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“You live in a world of deception. In their deception they refuse to know Me. This is the Lord’s declaration.” —The Prophet Jeremiah (JEREMIAH 9:6)
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You and I are being lied to on a regular basis. In fact, our entire culture is riddled with deception. Things have gotten so bad that we need a “TruthO-Meter” to stay on top of what politicians tell us, a governmental agency (Food and Drug Administration) to oversee the preposterous claims made by advertisers, and a variety of independent websites to monitor the veracity of what we are being told by public figures— including Christian ministers! NO REPRESENTATIONS MADE OF INDIVIDUALS DEPICTED.
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Satan uses every sort of duplicity to lead people away from Truth and into the tangled and confusing realm of Deception. Truth has been outrageously violated in every quarter. Book One will explore numerous aspects of American life that the enemy has infused with his falsehoods. But before we begin digging more deeply into the lies of our culture, let’s take a better look at exactly what deceitfulness actually is.
DECEPTION IN HUMANKIND The word deception could be defined as communication or behavior that is meant to leave others with a false impression. We encounter it in many forms in everyday life. Consider the following synonyms, each of which conveys a slightly different nuance of this concept:
• Disinformation is information that is intentionally misleading. • Doublespeak is evasive and vague language used to deceive. • Duplicity is acting differently with one person than one acts with another. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 >>
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• Fabrication is making up a story to deceive another. • Falsehood is a statement with no basis in truth. • Fraud is using deception in a business transaction for the purpose of gain. • Half-truth is using a portion of truthful information to make a lie seem more trustworthy. • Hypocrisy is acting as though one is a godly person when actually living an ungodly secret life. • Lie is a false statement spoken in order to deceive.
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• Scam is a con game perpetrated on an unwitting victim in order to unlawfully gain money. • Subterfuge is behavior or speech used to get around a law or to avoid the consequences of one’s behavior. These are some of the more common terms we are accustomed to encountering regarding deception, but there are actually quite a few others. The point is that deception is employed by others (or even by ourselves) in a wide variety of ways. I guess it could be said that there is a lie for every occasion. Sometimes falsehood comes through brazen assertions or mendacious whoppers. Duplicity can come in the form of indirect influences meant to lead to wrong conclusions, whereas enticements are intended to lead one astray from the path of honest and upright behavior. Bald-faced lies are uttered by product pitchmen and half-truths by compromising preachers. Cover-ups, fake news, and disinformation permeate the political landscape on every level. People tell outright lies to each other, witnesses perjure themselves, and adulterous spouses cover up their secret behavior. We are surrounded by every
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form of deception, from little white lies to audacious falsehoods. Apparently, most people lie fairly regularly—at least when they are concerned about what others think of them. This assertion comes from a study conducted at the University of Massachusetts. According to this report, 60 percent of people lied at least once during a ten minute conversation—with the average number hovering somewhere between two and three stated falsehoods. According to Robert S. Feldman, the psychologist who conducted the study, people regularly tell lies in everyday conversation. The reality is that lying is fairly ubiquitous amongst humankind. “Little white lies” intended to protect someone’s feelings—“Your sermon was really powerful!”—are, perhaps, understandable. However, other falsehoods are more serious, such as purposely misleading a prospective buyer about the defects of a used car or offering a disingenuous statement to a police officer. When discussing people who lie, it is important to note that there is a huge difference between those who occasionally fudge on the truth and those who tell untruths on a regular basis. Habitual liars are so accustomed to deceiving others that they actually get to where they can no longer differentiate truth from falsehood; or, at the very least, lose track of all of the lies they have told. Such people have been termed prolific liars, chronic liars, inveterate liars, and, at the extreme end, pathological liars. And who could forget New York Times columnist William Safire calling Hillary Clinton a “congenital liar”? “They delight in falsehood,” observed David. (PSALM 62:4) In other words, habitual liars take great pleasure in propagating false narratives and perpetuating dishonest impressions. People who practice telling lies to this extent have allowed a framework of deception to become established in their minds, distorting every encounter with reality into something foreign to the truth. These people tell falsehoods consistently and habitually, even when they
have nothing to gain from such behavior. They are often quite adept at spinning colorful and convincing tales, invariably portraying themselves as either heroes or victims. Special agent John Douglas, who interviewed hundreds of serial killers for the FBI, noted: “Sociopaths often did well on polygraph tests. If you have no conscience and can lie to other people without a problem, lying to a box isn’t any big deal.” AN UNEXPECTED DANGER Let’s face it; deception has become embedded in Western culture. The more a person is deceived, the less capacity he will have to discern truth. Many come to such a place of despair of being able to distinguish truth that they simply give up hope of ever really knowing what is genuine and what is false. Yet, there is a subtle peril that can be even more hazardous and harmful than the hopelessness of this mindset. Being subjected to an unrelenting barrage of falsehood has a way of leaving people in a state of undetected cynicism. If a person’s heart is spiritually unhealthy, he can become so distrustful of others that he disparages the intentions and motives of just about everyone. The more a person is deceived, the less trust he will have for others. Such a person can easily erect an imperceptible wall of mistrust in his heart toward everyone—including the Lord. Before long, Scripture comes under a cloud of suspicion and doubts about the veracity of God’s statements become strengthened. An atmosphere of unbelief can hover over every aspect of the person’s life. It is a very dangerous mindset to allow to fester because the Christian faith is built upon trust in and dependence upon the honest and upright character of God. Cynicism has now become so rooted in American thought that even standards of honesty that have been established over many decades in our society are held in contempt. So how can believers find their way through this maze of deception? It must begin by taking an honest inventory of what our culture is actually telling us.
Excerpted from the Introduction to Walking in Truth in a World of Lies.
Pastor,
what is theValue to your Congregation of a Transformed Life and a Restored Family? Our 9-month Residential Program is for men who are desperate for freedom and real answers to their sexual addictions. Why is this program is so effective? • • • • • •
The presence of God that brings a man into deep repentance Complete separation from old sources of temptation Regular biblical counseling by men who have overcome sexual sin themselves Structured environment where a sexual addict can learn a life of discipline Local employment covers low-cost weekly fees Two-phase program with emphasis on readjusting to life afterward
We also provide phone counseling options: Overcomers At-Home (OCAH) ~ for men, women, or mature teens At-Home Program for WIVES ~ for hurting wives NO REPRESENTATIONS MADE OF INDIVIDUALS DEPICTED.
PURE LIFE MINISTRIES
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REFUGE of T R U T H
B Y NAT E DA N S E R
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As our little chapel reverberated with the sound of 100 men and women singing heartfelt praises to God, one man’s voice stood out distinctly above them all. From my seat on the platform, I was able to see him clearly. With eyes radiating joy and a voice full of emotion, he lifted his hands high into the air and sang rapturously of the profound victory of the Cross of Jesus Christ. My heart sank. He was our newest student. Why would I be discouraged by such exuberance, you ask? Because chances are that this man is putting on the same show of fake spirituality that he has performed throughout his entire life as a “Christian.” How could his praise be sincere when he’s been harboring a secret life of
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perversion at the same time? Nevertheless, there actually is much hope for this man, but he will need to begin to get honest with himself about the fact that his “worship” has been largely falsehearted. What he needs is a sustained period of time living in the reality of God’s kingdom. In an age of microwaves, drive-thrus and quick-fixes, people often wonder why our Residential Program is nine months long. There are a number of reasons for its length. The most obvious is this: the chains of sexual addiction were forged over a period of years, and its python grip won’t release overnight. But there’s another reason why nine months sequestered from everything familiar is desperately needed if these
men’s lives would be radically transformed: because they have steeped their souls in deception. When sexual sin comes to light in a person’s life, the first thing most of us see is the outward consequences. We see damaged marriages or even divorces, financial difficulties, awkward holidays, and the wounded children. If it’s a pastor, we see the inevitable cost: a fractured church, disheartened parishioners and the mocking of the unbelieving world. But one of the most devastating consequences of sin is something that most of us would never even look for, and yet is something that Scripture is actually most emphatic about. Sin inevitably deceives its victims.
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If you’ve ever been involved in sexual sin, you know exactly what I’m talking about. One way it deceives is by holding out a promise of sweet pleasure and fulfillment, but leaves the partaker with guilt, shame and corruption of soul. Yet this is not the deadliest of its deceptions. The horrifying reality of sin is that it renders the sinner unable to discern truth. Let me give you a perfect example. Over the years, we asked those applying to our Residential Program to rate themselves on two different fronts. First, how deeply did you give over to sin? Second, how active are the Christian virtues in your life? Now observe carefully what inevitably happened.
The same man who plunged his wife into despair with numerous affairs rated himself an 8 on a scale to 10 in humility. The college student who shut out all thoughts of God to watch violent porn also claimed to be a godly person. And the evangelist who routinely picked up male prostitutes to cap off his “revival meetings,” described his love for God as being nearly perfect. The utter folly and indescribable outrageousness of these scenarios is immediately evident to those walking in truth. But that’s the point isn’t it? Sin’s deceitfulness silently transforms a man’s interior life into a world of lies, and he’s not even aware of it. What help is there for men in such
advanced stages of deception? Hell must laugh while heaven weeps when people proffer their 2-day intensive seminars, their once-a-week support groups, their $13.99 a month internet filters as the great remedy for such desperate situations. Don’t get me wrong, these things can offer a degree of help when they are kept in their proper place, but ultimately, the only hope for these men is a radical, sustained encounter with Truth. In 2008, I entered the Pure Life Ministries Residential Program, a veritable portrait of deception. The following period of nine months was the most transformative in my life. And I am only one of hundreds of men who share that experience. From my perspective, the Residential Program CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 >>
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makes this kind of transformation possible because of three key elements. SEPARATION FROM DECEPTIVE SOURCES In 2017, a scientific study was conducted on a group of nurses in a Finnish hospital. These nurses had been experiencing a variety of health issues including asthma, vertigo, speech difficulties, depression, numbness in the limbs and face, and a number of other symptoms. The study claimed to find a link between these symptoms and toxic mold that had grown as a result of water damage in the hospital. This provides a meaningful metaphor of the effects of sexual sin on a person’s heart. The longer he exposes himself to it, the more it wreaks havoc on his spiritual life. The seriousness of this situation
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cannot be overstated. Every single day a person subjects himself to pornography, his inner man breathes in the spores of deception. Every secret fantasy, every adulterous look, every filthy act makes him a little less able to discern truth. For this reason, it becomes immediately clear why anyone who is overcome by sexual sin will benefit greatly from being separated from their old life and then immersed into a godly environment. Our Residential Program is just that environment. Free from worldly distractions and old sources of temptation, these men can breathe clean spiritual air. Nine months in an atmosphere free of the sensual imagery coming through smartphones, social media, television, magazines, and other forms of media gives them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to wholeheartedly subject themselves to an entirely different influence: Truth.
AN EMPHASIS ON THE TRUTH Once a man in sexual sin has had the deceptive influences removed, the next order of business is that he must start to see reality the way God sees it. For far too long he has allowed the enemy to fabricate deceptions that cover him with a false peace while in rebellion to God. Let me offer a prime example. The Bible says that those who are sexually immoral will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. How much clearer can it possibly be? But reading such passages creates a massive problem: it means he is not going to heaven! Now, if he possessed truth in the inward parts, he would have only one response: he would fall on his knees and cry out to God for mercy. But because deception has been allowed to work its insidious effects on his heart, he feels a strong urge to explain away, modify, ignore
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and water-down the clear teaching of Scripture in order to maintain the illusion of being right with God. Everything about our Residential Program has been designed to bring these men face-to-face with the truths that they have formerly side-stepped. One of the more prominent goals in our Sunday messages, Tuesday night accountability meetings and weekly counseling sessions is to expose specific deceptions in the lives of our students and guide them into God’s reality. Only those who are determined to lie to themselves are able to withstand nine months of that! ACCOUNTABILITY TO LIVE THE TRUTH I would guess that if you asked a group of struggling Christian men what they most need in order to be free,
“more accountability” would probably be near the top of the list. The problem is that somewhere along the way the Church forfeited the biblical concept of accountability in favor of secular psychology’s version. Jesus said, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (JOHN 8:31-32) What else can our Lord mean except that only the man who lives the truth will know its power to liberate the soul? Men in sexual sin do not need to sit in a circle with other “strugglers,” endlessly airing out their sins. What they need is to have a mature believer help them apply the truth of God’s Word to their lives and then hold them accountable to actually living it! Our counselors can testify to the mighty change that happens when a man applies the Word of God to his life. Rather than living in secret sin while
hiding behind a Christian mask, he now begins to confront his unbelief, pride, self-centeredness, greed, laziness, fear, etc. Heartfelt obedience to God’s Word becomes his new way of life. His loved ones are surprised to see his newfound willingness to humble himself, offer gratitude, pour into the needs of others, give of his time and money, show boldness in his faith, and so on. Isn’t this what the gospel promises to all who earnestly apply its principles into their lives? What hope is there for men steeped in deception? There is great hope, because God has not left them without a way of escape. Our work at Pure Life Ministries testifies to the fact that God is still willing to confront deceived souls with truth. For those who choose to listen, His truth will prevail, and one day they will not even be able to remember what it was like to live in a world of lies. NO REPRESENTATIONS MADE OF INDIVIDUALS DEPICTED.
SELF DECEIVERS
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There are two classes of hypocrites that occupy two extremes. The first class make religion to consist altogether in the belief of certain abstract doctrines and lays little or no stress on good works. The other class makes religion to consist altogether in works and lays little or no stress on faith in Jesus Christ, but hopes for salvation by their own deeds. [He refers here to the social gospel of liberal denominations.] I said that these two extremes are equally false and equally fatal. Those who make religion consist altogether in good works, overlook the fact that works themselves are not acceptable to God unless they proceed from faith. For without faith it is impossible to please him. And those who make religion consist altogether in faith, overlook the fact that true faith always works by love, and invariably produces the works of love. [He then turns his attention to those who have no good works that would testify to having true faith.] The doctrine which I propose to consider now is this — that professor of religion who does not practice what he admits to be true, is self-deceived. They are orthodox in sentiment, but loose in practice. They seem to suppose religion to consist in a parcel of notions, without regard to practice, and thus deceive themselves by thinking they are good Christians while destitute of true holiness. They are hearers of the word but not doers. They love orthodox preaching, and take
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great pleasure in hearing the abstract doctrines of religion, and perhaps have glowing feelings [about] the character and government of God, but they are not careful to practice the precepts of God’s word, nor are they pleased with the preaching of those doctrines which relate to human practice. If you are that character, you are the persons I am speaking to, just as if I called out your names. I mean you. You hear the word, and believe it in theory, while you deny it in practice. I say to you, that “you deceive yourselves.” The text proves it. Here you have an express “Thus saith the Lord” for it, that all such characters are self-deceivers. In the first place, you do not truly believe the word. You hear it, and admit it to be true, but you do not truly believe it. And here let me say, that persons are themselves liable to deception on this point. Two things are indispensable to evangelical, or saving faith. The first is intellectual conviction of the truth of a thing. And here I do not mean merely the abstract truth of it, but in its bearing on you. The truth, in its relation to you, or its bearing on your conduct, must be received intellectually. And then true faith includes a corresponding state of the heart. This always enters into the essence of true faith. When a man’s understanding is convinced, and he admits the truth in its relation to himself, then there must be a hearty approbation of it in its relation to himself. Both these states of mind are
B Y C HA R L E S F I N N E Y
indispensable to truth faith. Intellectual conviction of the truth is not saving faith. But intellectual conviction, then accompanied with a corresponding state of the affections, is saving faith. Hence it follows that where there is true saving faith, there is always corresponding conduct. The conduct always follows the real faith. Just as certain as the will controls the conduct, men will act as they believe. The wickedest devils in hell love it, if they can see the gospel without interfering with their own selfishness, they would heartily approve of it. All hell, if they could view God in his absolute existence, without any relation to themselves, would heartily approve his character. The reason why wicked men and devils hate God is, because they see him in relation to themselves. Their hearts rise up in rebellion, because they see him opposed to their selfishness. Again. It is further manifest that you are deceiving yourselves, because all true religion consists in obedience. And therefore, however much you may approve of Christianity, you have no religion unless you obey it. True faith works by love and produces corresponding action. There is no real obedience but the obedience of the heart; love is the fulfilling of the law; and religion consists in the obedience of the heart, with a corresponding course of life. The man, therefore, who hears the truth, and approves it, and does not practice it, deceiveth himself. Condensed version of a Charles Finney sermon found in AGES Software.
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• How to properly understand sexuality.
both pastors and members like.
20 TRUTHS THAT HELPED ME
in My Battle with Porn Addiction In this series, Steve Gallagher lays out the foundational solutions the Lord gave him as he struggled for freedom from sexual sin 35 years ago. These videos form an excellent overview of the nature of sexual sin and what it takes to truly walk in victory.
SACRED THINGS:
Hope for Struggling Marriages Kathy Gallagher is no stranger to the pain of betrayal. In this series, she offers women the same hope and wisdom that God gave her as she struggled to find her way through the devastation of her husband’s addiction.
ASK THE COUNSELOR
There are a host of peripheral issues a sexual addict faces. The biblical counselors at Pure Life Ministries have dealt with them in their own lives and also in the lives of the men they minister to. Many of these will be addressed in this ongoing series.
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In addition to the series we mentioned, we regularly post sermons, testimonies, ministry updates and other helpful content on our channel. To be notified when we post a new video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel.
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