Breathes there a person who doesn’t know what LOL in texting language means? OK, you may be a baby boomer-plus without young kids, or grandkids, and don’t know, so for the record it stands for “laugh(ing) out loud.” How about IWS or GNOC? Take a deep breath if you’ve seen this on your child’s phone, while looking over their shoulders. Those secret codes stand for: I Want Sex and Get Naked on Camera. And suppose that IWS is followed by actual sex or that GNOC means your child’s smartphone has images of them, or another peer, stark naked? And even if there’s nothing of the sort that you see, beware the number 9 on their screen, which is a warning that parents are watching, and they need to switch screens or delete quickly.
Like all things internet, such messages, and the images that may follow, never ever really disappear. But beyond the usual concerns that any alert parent would have, as Christians this matters is more serious. The child who abbreviates sexual activity, such as GYPO (“Get your pants off.”) OR CU46 (“See you for sex.”) has opened a door to the devil. They may argue that cyber-sex isn’t real sex, if it’s only images on a screen or that they never actually acted out the solicitations. But the Bible places a high standard on intent as well as actions. Consider the words of Jesus: “Whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). Then, there are the legal ramifications if your son, for example, is 18 or older and sexts an underage girl. He could be looking at prison time!
Considering my calling and ministry, you may want to ask, “Can someone get a demon by sending a sexually explicit text abbreviation? I answer, “Why not?” Its obscene, in the case of text messages, and its porn via erotic images, even if it only lasts for seconds on Instagram. Remember that 1 John chapter two tells us that the “lust of the eyes” is “of the world,” and not of God. Open that door to the devil, and he’s going to send demons your way, to oppress and even possibly possess. If you have indulged in smartphone sex, delete those images and abbreviations NOW and replace them with PTL (“Praise the Lord”) and OITNOJ (“Out in the Name of Jesus”)!
For additional information about immoral use of cell phones, consult our previous blogs “Sexting Statistics,” November 16, 2015 (To read CLICK HERE.) and “Sexting in Church,” published February 19, 2015 (To read CLICK HERE.)
An encouraging word: DO NOT LOVE THE WORLD
“Do not love the world,”
1 John 2:15
commands. But the apostle John gets more specific about what he means by
“the world.” That designation includes, “the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” Do you love the world, in
any way, more than Jesus? Here is the test. If Christ is truly first, put aside
sinful cravings, protect what you allow your eyes to see, and stop boasting of
the material possession that you have. Doing these things will put your focus
on eternity and the things which do not pass away.
Bob Larson has trained healing and deliverance teams all over the world to set the captives free and Do What Jesus Did® (Luke 4:18). You can partner with Bob and support this vision to demonstrate God’s power in action by calling 303-980-1511 or clicking here to donate online.
