Pornography entraps you with lies. In contrast, God can lead us into truth.

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”{1} Those who heard Jesus say this were offended and countered, “We have never been slaves of anyone, how can you say that we shall be set free?”{2} And Jesus explained that people are enslaved to sin, but that He can set you free.{3}

Sin not only enslaves us, but it distances us from God. And no one is perfect. No one is righteous in God’s eyes. Instead we’re told that “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way.”{4}

We all deserve God’s judgment and punishment. Yet God, who is holy and loving, provided a solution for our sin, so that we would not have to be justly condemned. He personally took the punishment for our sin on Himself. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was tortured and died on the cross for our sin so that we could be forgiven. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, just as He said He would.

And He now offers you a relationship with Him. One of the most amazing statements in the Bible is this one, “If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”{5}

The Most Important Relationship
In your search for intimacy and love, pornography is an empty substitute for real love. We have been created by God to have our intimacy needs met most deeply by God Himself. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”{6}

In contrast to the darkness and destruction that pornography can bring to people’s lives, Jesus said, “I came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.”{7}

God offers you his forgiveness through a relationship with Him. Do you want to ask Him to forgive you and come into your life? You can tell Him right now. If you need help putting this into words, here is a prayer that might help:

“Lord Jesus, I am aware of my sin, and I know that you are also. I ask you to forgive me and cleanse me. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I ask you to come into my life right now and begin to work in my life. Direct my life as you see fit. Thank you for your forgiveness and for coming into my life right now.”

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This article is courtesy of AuthenticRelationships.com. Reprinted with permission of the author.

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Not too long ago I was told a terrifying tale about a young woman and a heart attack. The 40-year-old woman arrived at the emergency room of her local hospital displaying a multitude of symptoms that made it clear that a heart attack was in progress – at least it was obvious to a nurse in the ER.

After hooking the woman up to medications to help deal with the attack, the nurse alerted other doctors to the case and then went home at the end of her shift figuring all was well. When the nurse returned to work the next day, she was shocked to discover that doctors in the ER had stopped the medications, told the woman she was simply having a panic attack and sent her home. The woman suffered major damage to her heart.

Unfortunately, many doctors don’t suspect a heart attack when they see a young woman with chest pain. And, while it’s true that heart attacks are more common among young men than young women, women are not exempt . Figures from the National Center for Health Statistics show that in 1998, approximately 11,000 women under the age of 45 were hospitalized for heart attacks.

When a heart attack strikes a young woman, she is likely to suffer debilitating damage or die. In a study that looked at gender differences among heart attack victims, researchers found that heart attacks were far more likely to be deadly if the victim was female. In fact, when Dr. Viola Vaccarino and her colleagues looked only at patients under age 50, they found that twice as many women as men died in the days following a heart attack.

Part of the explanation for this frightening statistic is that young women with heart attacks often get either no treatment or they receive delayed care. Sometimes women, and sometimes their doctors, miss the attack because they don’t realize that the symptoms of a heart attack may vary with the patient’s gender, says Vaccarino, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Yale School of Medicine. Compared to men, during a heart attack women are much more likely to experience back pain, indigestion and nausea and/or vomiting, rather than chest pain, as their symptoms, according to an earlier study by Vaccarino.

And while the bigger teaching hospitals are beginning to catch on, “it’s still not uncommon for doctors at smaller institutions to miss heart attacks in younger women”, says Dr. Marianne Legato, founder and director of The Partnership for Women’s Health and a professor of clinical medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in New York City. Legato recently reviewed the records for a young woman in her 20s who showed up at a hospital complaining of nausea and vomiting, as well as chest pain. The possibility that the woman might be having a heart attack never occurred to the doctors examining her. She was dead within 48 hours.

When Vaccarino and her colleagues looked at death rates from heart attacks in young people, they found that misdiagnosis and delays in medical care could only explain part of the discrepancy between men and women. This is an area that needs further research, she says.

But, while doctors are at a loss to explain why heart attacks occur in otherwise healthy young women, they have pinpointed a group who are at an elevated risk. Women who smoke, are obese, have diabetes and/or high blood pressure are more likely than others to have a heart attack, Legato says. “And diabetes is a much more important risk factor for women than men,” she adds. “Once you have it, your risk for [heart disease] is four to six times higher.”

Ultimately, women need to know the signs of a heart attack and demand proper care if they think they may be having one. If you have risk factors for a heart attack, no matter whether you are in your 20s or 30s or 40s, and you feel you are experiencing a heart attack, don’t allow the doctor to dismiss your symptoms as indigestion or anxiety. Tell them you want to be tested. If you don’t, the consequences could be deadly.

The following symptoms could signal heart ills:

1. Angina (chest pain). Can also include back pain or deep aching and throbbing in the left or right bicep or forearm.
2. Breathlessness. Also may include waking up having difficulty catching one’s breath.
3. Clammy perspiration.
4. Dizziness. Unexplained lightheadedness, even blackouts.
5. Edema. Swelling, particularly of the ankles or lower legs.
6. Fluttering. Rapid heartbeats.
7. Gastric upset (or nausea).
8. Heavy fullness. Also may include pressure-like chest pain between breasts and radiating to left arm or shoulder.

Sources: ACOG/Medical Tribune News Service

A man has a higher metabolic rate

Stacy and Mick are on a diet. They carefully watch what they eat and run three miles a day together. But Mick is losing more weight than Stacy, and it irritates her to no end. There’s good reason for it, however. A man’s internal engine for processing calories runs at a faster speed than a woman’s. Bottom line: the average man can eat a little more and exercise a little less than the average woman to achieve the same weight goals and overall health.

A man’s cholesterol is different

Cholesterol is a significant concern in the pursuit of heart health because abnormal cholesterol levels in the blood are known to contribute to heart disease. There are two designations of cholesterol: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Most people know them as “good” cholesterol (HDL) and “bad” cholesterol (LDL).You may remember that high HDL scores are good and low LDL scores are bad.

As a man, you are at a slight genetic disadvantage when it comes to cholesterol. Men tend to have lower levels of good cholesterol than women. So you definitely cannot ignore the concerns about cholesterol in your diet. A woman’s advantage in this area goes away later in life. After menopause, decreasing levels of estrogen in a woman’s system result in decreasing levels of HDL, meaning that a woman’s cholesterol profile after menopause begins to look more like a man’s. This change in profile also elevates the risk of heart problems in postmenopausal women. If your wife, mother, or another female loved one is in this age range, encourage them to go in for regular cholesterol screenings.

A man’s symptoms of heart attack and other heart problems are different generally speaking, heart-attack symptoms in men are more specific than those of women. Typically, we find that men experiencing heart attack complain of chest discomfort and numbness in the left arm. Shortness of breath and sweating may also occur. However, many men have atypical symptoms, and some may even have a heart attack with no symptoms at all. In fact, it has been estimated that 50 percent of all people with coronary heart disease have as their first event either a heart attack or sudden death. This is why coronary artery disease (CAD) is called the “silent killer.” While some women experience the same symptoms as men, others experience pain at the top of the back, a burning sensation in the upper abdomen, nausea, flulike symptoms, anxiety, and sweating. Some women who suffer a heart attack don’t even know it. A man’s telltale signs of chest pain and numbness are usually hard to miss or ignore.

Heart disease

Heart disease in men usually surfaces earlier in life. A woman’s hormonal makeup works in favor early in life. Estrogen is known to act as a type of shield against cardiovascular disease. After menopause, when estrogen levels decline markedly, is when most women show signs of heart problems. Men, however, do not enjoy the advantage of this estrogen shield. Therefore, men are more susceptible to heart disease throughout life. We have set apart chapter 5 for a thorough exploration of heart disease in men.

A man’s psychological approach to heart health and weight loss is different there are many factors that motivate persons to control their weight and pursue a healthy lifestyle. Men seem primarily motivated by increasing their strength, while women pursue these goals to enhance their appearance. While both qualities are desirable to both sexes, men tend to stay with diet and exercise to develop muscle, while women do so to look good.