The Five Stones of Battle, © 2014 Jericho Ventures, LLC

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The Five Stones of Battle, 2014 Jericho Ventures, LLC

http://www.Mind-Armor.com

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Then he [David] took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in
the pouch of his shepherds bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.
(I Samuel 17:40)

David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone. This is an amazing story.
It is not humanly possible that a boy could slay a seasoned man-killer, a
giant with sticks and stones, but he did! How could this possibly happen?
The weapons for Davids warfare were sticks and stones, but the
foundation for victory was already laid! David trusted in his God to win the
battle. He put five stones into his pouch.

These were some simple tools of warfare that he brought into battle;
however, he trusted God for the victory before he put the stones in his
pouch. This Five Stones of Battle tool was designed to be a foundation
as you start on your journey, fighting the battle against the pull of lust and
pornography. Many men have found these principles to be significant in
beginning to understand how lust and pornography can be such a strong
temptation. We hope that you will take the time to read the stories,
understand the principles, and practice the exercises.

1st Stone - YOUR STRUGGLE IS NOT UNIQUE

One of Satans goals is to isolate Christian men. He knows that a soldier
who is isolated is easy to attack and destroy. As a result, Satan has done
a great job - convincing many Christian men like us that we are alone in
our struggle with lust and pornography. It seems to us that other Christian
men around us live without any real temptation. We are left feeling alone,
full of shame, and hopeless.

Here is the truth: Nearly every man on the planet fights this relentless
struggle with lust. It can pull us toward the pit of pornography and
eventually, many fall into it. Some fall so deeply into the pit that they feel
hopeless and some, in fact, don't ever find their way out. We continually
hear in the news the heartbreaking stories about men who have lost
everything due to sexual issues.

Now I have read a great deal of research and statistics on pornography
use by men. Let's say that the following statistics are only half true: Over
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70% of Christian men
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and 54% of pastors
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admit that they have a
personal struggle with pornography. So you are not alone in your fight to
destroy the pull of lust and pornography. We are in this struggle together.

JOHNS STORY

John came to see me when he was 38 years old. At age 14 he had started pornography when he
found his Dads stash of magazines in the garage. He attended a Christian college, graduated,
and was married with three children when I met him. He had served on mission trips,
participated in Bible studies, and loved the Lord, but Johns use of pornography grew and slowly
it began to isolate him from his friends, church activities, and even his loved ones. He felt his
relationship with God was almost nonexistent.

John told me, I dont know anyone who does pornography. My friends would never. Those on
the mission trip would never. My pastor would never. I dont know what is wrong with me. As a
result, he thought he wasnt good enough to serve God on the mission field or anywhere else. He
stopped going to church altogether. He had started to emotionally isolate himself from his family.
John began to spend less and less time in prayer and Bible study and more and more time
feeling defeated. The enemy's lie that he was the only one was defeating him so that he was
becoming hopeless.

When I shared with John the truth about how many Christian men struggle with the pull of lust
and pornography in their daily lives, and how many I helped to be free, he was amazed. I
immediately saw a renewed vigor and enthusiasm to learn and understand how God has
provided the way to freedom. Knowing that he was not some defective, weird, perverse
hypocrite allowed him to concentrate on HOW to be free. He was no longer trapped in the lie,
What is so wrong with me? WHY am I the only one? Once John understood the truth - that this
is a common battle for men he was able to concentrate on freedom instead of hopelessness
and begin to apply the principles of the MindArmor

Training Tools.

God's Word says, No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God
is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,
he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. - 1 Corinthians 10:13

2nd Stone - DOUBLE-MINDED: PULLED IN TWO DIRECTIONS

Double-minded means that there are two minds, which are in opposition to
each other. The first mind is from God and is aware that lust and
pornography are evil. But at the same time, we have another mind, the
"mind of the flesh" that draws us toward the darkness of lust and

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April 6, 2007 poll conducted by CNN.
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pornography. James 1 tells us that a double-minded man is unstable. I
want you to think with me, unstable where? Where would we be unstable?
We would be unstable because we have a pull toward lust and
pornography and away from the truth.

Being double-minded is what makes a person unstable in this area of lust
and pornography and prevents us from having victory. So if you are
wondering what the reason is that you are failing in this war against lust
and pornography, it is because there are two minds that are in opposition
to each other. Romans 8:6 says, To set the mind on the flesh is death,
but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. So the second stone in
our pouch is to know that there are two forces at war - the mind of the
flesh is at war with the mind of the Spirit.

MY OWN STORY (DR. ALS STORY):

When the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sin, and I knew that I was absolutely connected to the
pit of hell, I was broken, grateful and committed to Jesus as my Savior. I bowed my knee and
surrendered to Christ as Lord. I went all in and sold out to Jesus. At first it was easy to remain
single-minded in my relationship with God, I was filled with the joy of my salvation. I felt
innocent for the first time in my life.

About two years later, I was assaulted. Yes, assaulted! The pull of the lust of the flesh jumped
on me, grabbed me and hijacked me. I can still remember the first time I was attacked. I was
holding my wifes hand enjoying the day with her and walking through a shopping mall. I was
attacked by images that seemed to come from the ad displays on every storefront. The visuals
had always been there but passed me by unnoticed before. My brain switched on auto drive as
the images poured into my brain. I was becoming double-minded. No, I became double-minded.
The giant was right there in front of me attacking me, and I had nothing new in my bag to fight
with. I felt defenseless. I tried to fight the assaults with what I had, but my willpower was only
effective for a short time before I would give in, do shame, and repent; give in, do shame, and
repent - on and on.

I hated the entire process and yet, I could feel the pull demanding its way. So my first discovery
was that I was in a fight, and the fight was within a part of me that was pulling me toward the
lust of the flesh. The Spirit helped me to understand that I was double-minded. Being double-
minded was making me unstable and weak in my fight against temptation.

It took me three years of relentless study, prayer, and meditation to learn how I was doing
double-minded. I discovered some important truths about how God designed the human brain to
operate, and God taught me how to apply His Word in order to experience true freedom from lust
and pornography. It was during this time that God gave me the principles that have made it
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possible for me to develop tools that would destroy the pull MindArmor
Training Tools. It has

been exciting to see God use these tools in the lives of Christian men to help them find freedom
from the pull of lust and pornography. This was over 25 years ago, and I can tell you that it is so
liberating to be free. Now I can hold my wifes hand and feel connected to only her, and I can
experience a personal relationship with God, unclouded by the sins of lust and pornography.

3rd Stone - SHAME: SATANS POWER PLAY

And hope does not put us to shame because Gods love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (Romans 5:5)

Here is a spiritual truth that surprises many Christian men: shame about
our sin can never set us free. In our own minds, shame sounds simply like
the facts, doesnt it? Shame makes us ask ourselves questions like:
Whats wrong with me? How could I do that? I must not be a Christian!
There is no hope for me I am never going to be free! I am not fit for
ministry! Shame is never from God. As Romans 5:5 says, Gods love for
us will never lead us to shame. It is a destructive emotion that does not
lead to hope or freedom. Shame, in fact, leaves us disoriented and puts
us into a cycle that traps us, and we find ourselves stumbling right back
into lust and pornography.

BILLS STORY

When I met Bill, he was profoundly depressed. He felt like he was caught in a
revolving hurricane with no way out, and the cycle seemed to be spinning faster
and faster. Bill was feeling a lot of stress. He would use pornography because it
seemed to provide relief for his stress. He then would enter shame - because he
knew that pornography is sinful. He thought that shame would provide him the
motivation he needed to stop doing pornography; however, shame only
increased his feeling of stress. He would try harder, pray harder, study harder,
and use his willpower more. Eventually Bill would always find himself back in
pornography.

There were times when Bills wife caught him. She felt deeply hurt and
betrayed. This caused even more shame. He attended various groups that
talked about the problem, but felt shame every time he confessed. One group
even kicked him out for failing. SHAME and more SHAME! So he committed to
trying even harder. The more shame he felt, the harder he would try, but trying
harder just meant more stress, and this stress would eventually bring him back
to the only thing that he knew to find some relief - pornography.
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Sometimes he would win for a couple weeks - even a couple of months - but
was never able to escape the cycle. The very shame that Bill was trying to use
as a motivation to live righteously, Satan was using to repeatedly drag him back
into the destructive cycle of lust and pornography. Satan has deceived the
Christian community into believing that shame will help us and motivate us to
righteousness. Satan has created a powerful trap to keep us stuck on a
destructive merry-go-round of sinful choices.

4th Stone - INJECTING THE PORNOGRAPHY DRUG

Your brain is wired to enjoy sex! Enjoying sex with your spouse is a gift
from our God. We are designed to enjoy sex and experience this act of
love that binds two people together. God has designed sexual love to fill
the brain and body with intensely pleasurable emotions. These powerful
emotions come from a number of chemicals that are released into the
brain and give us the feelings we call sexual pleasure.

The brain reacts to visual information more quickly than from any other
source. The pleasure center of the brain, the limbic system, processes the
visual stimuli in nanoseconds - much faster than the response to heroin or
cocaine. Like narcotic drugs, pornography releases powerful chemicals
that take control of the rational parts of your brain. It can quickly become
an addiction for every man who consumes it.

When we take the drug called pornography, it affects how the brain
works and changes the functionality of our microscopic brain cells. Our
brains are made up of tiny chemicals called neurotransmitters. These tiny
chemicals drive our emotions, feelings, and behaviors. In essence, the
only difference between a heroin addict, a cocaine addict, or an addict to
pornography is the way the drug enters the system. When you view
pornography it is like injecting a needle of toxic chemicals into your brain.

I have worked with thousands of people over the past twenty-five years,
and I want to make it clear - lust and pornography are not just a spiritual
problem. It is also a brain chemistry problem. Remember that when we
consume lust and pornography, the effect on our brain is the same as
consuming a drug like heroin or cocaine.
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Take a look at all the seven powerful chemicals that are injected into
your brain when you do pornography:

Epinephrine - also known as adrenaline. Epinephrine is a hormone that
prepares the body for action while suppressing its other non-emergency
needs. It is involved in long-term memory and is one reason why
pornographic images can be imprinted in the mind.

Testosterone - the human bodys self-created steroid. An increase of
testosterone leads to an increased sexual desire. Because of
testosterone, viewing pornography and masturbating may increase your
sexual desire rather than suppress it. Testosterone is also linked to
aggression.

Endorphins - the human bodys self-created morphine. Endorphins can
directly cause feelings of euphoria or ecstasy.

Oxytocin - a bonding chemical involved in sexual arousal. It is associated
with feelings of love and bonding with another human being. Tragically,
when one views pornography and masturbates, one bonds to an image
rather than another human person. Beginning at age 8-10, oxytocin
begins to be released into the brain. This is a person-to-person bonding
hormone. It has also been scientifically proven to create feelings of
bonding; it can also reduce or block stress. This chemical is known as the
cuddle chemical and the love hormone - the glue that bonds parents to
children and lovers to each other.

Dopamine - a neurotransmitter. It plays an important role in behavior,
reward, and feelings of pleasure. This is the I need, I want. I crave a lot
more of this because it feels so good drug. It gets us out of bed to
accomplish our goals, and sex gives us plenty of this pleasure chemical
so that we want more and more of it.

Serotonin - a neurotransmitter directly related to your emotional state.
Higher levels of serotonin have been associated with feelings of relaxation
and euphoria.

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Phenylethylamine - a substance chemically related to amphetamines. It
has been called the love chemical because it mimics the brain chemistry
of someone in love. It can also produce euphoric moods.

5th Stone - HOW NOT WHY: BECOMING THE OBJECTIVE
OBSERVER OF YOUR MIND

When we ask ourselves questions like Why? or How? - our brains do a
search looking for the answers. In counseling, much effort is often put
into the question of why we act the way we do. Why questions create a
completely different search in our brains than how questions. Why
questions can become an excuse for what we are doing. Lots of reasons
can come up when we ask the why questions, but none of the answers
change the fact that we are consuming pornography. We can discover lots
of information about ourselves and about brain chemistry; why men are
different than women and why men struggle with lust and pornography.
However, this kind of information does not create transformation.

If we ask ourselves why we do pornography, the answers are just as likely
to spin us into feelings of shame or hopelessness. We may begin to
believe them as facts. The why answers can become excuses that
actually convince us that we are powerless to change. It is because I am a
man. It is because men are more visual. Men are just made this way. I just
need to try harder. I need more faith. The answers to the why question
can be one of the enemy's dangerous and purposeful, deceptive tactics
that wrap around our minds making us feel more confused, defeated, and
hopeless - choking the life of freedom right out of us.

When we ask ourselves how we do something, it creates a completely
different search for the brain. For example, asking, How do you change
the oil in your car? is quite a different search than asking, Why do you
change the oil in your car? I can know why but never know how. The
following statement is profound, and some of you will understand this
more than others. Take time to really think about this statement. When
we ask ourselves the how questions, we become outside objective
observers of our own minds. We literally are able to observe how our mind
works. And as we learn how our mind works, we become encouraged that
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we can learn a new way. Knowing how we are doing something means
that we can change.

God has provided a way to transform. We highly recommend that you
invest in MindArmor
Training Tools. The training program provides a

systematic process of becoming the objective observer so that you can do
the truth of God's Word.

VICKS STORY

Vick was referred to me when he was 49 years old. He was a Christian who had seen three
different psychologists and participated in several mens groups over 20 years. He worked in a
very highly pressured job. As a result, Vick often found himself very stressed and angry. He even
suffered from an ulcer.

Vick had been involved in several affairs and was addicted to pornography. He had shared his
struggle with stress, affairs, and pornography many times with the counselors and men's groups
he had been in. Because of his experiences with counselors and mens groups, he assumed that I
was going to deal with the question of why he was in this horrible state. He shared with me that
he would always end up feeling worse after counseling sessions - like he was defective and
might not even be saved. Vick was shocked when I told him that I didnt really care about why he
was doing what he was doing. I wanted to know how he did stress and anger.

Vick learned how to become the detective of his thoughts. This helped him know how he did
stress and anger. (It may be difficult to understand the concept of "how he did stress" but be
patient, and you will be like a light bulb turning on.) Vick learned that stress happened to him
when internal snapshots popped into his head that showed him all the deadlines he had to meet.
He then saw a video of himself scrambling, trying to keep up and barely making it, disappointing
everyone in his life. He also heard an internal voice telling him that he was a loser and no one
appreciated him. This quickly turned to anger, and he would become extremely demanding of
those around him.

What Vick discovered was that pornography was his way of finding relief from the horrible
feelings of stress and anger. Lust and pornography filled his brain with chemicals that felt
wonderful. . . even amazing. Of course, the relief was temporary and always turned back into
shame and more stress. But while he was doing pornography, it felt good and seemed to relieve
the stress and anger.

By using the MindArmor
Training Tools, Vick learned how to become the detective of his

thoughts. This taught him how he did stress and anger. He was able to retrain his brain to have
healthy ways of dealing with the issues in his life.

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Exercise to Practice

In order to become the object observer of your own mind, it is essential to
understand how you do the specific thoughts of lust in order to combat
and win the battle for freedom. Once you have identified how you do the
thoughts of lust, you will begin to lay a foundation for destroying the false
promises of pornography and replace these lustful thoughts with truth. I
have prepared a simple exercise for you that is designed to help you learn
how to be the objective observer of your own mind. Repeat these
exercises regularly until you begin to understand how your mind is
processing pornography.

David spent many hours practicing with his slingshot before he walked
into battle. Before he ever faced the giant, he learned to fight by protecting
the sheep in the pasture. Paul said in Philippians 4:9, Keep putting into
practice all you learned and received from me - everything you heard from
me and saw me doing. This is not a quick-fix that will instantly solve the
lust and pornography problem, the more you practice becoming the
objective observer of your thoughts, the easier it will be to become the
master of your thoughts.

5 Stones to Battle the Giant

Practical Exercises Learning to Observe How My Mind Does Pornography

Did you know that God has created us with a very unique skill? We can be
the observer of what is happening in our own minds! All animals have
thoughts, but God has uniquely created the human race with the ability to
watch and analyze our own thoughts. You can become the detective of
your thoughts. This exercise has been designed to begin to teach you to
observe how your mind does the thoughts that produce the emotions that
draw you to pornography.

The principles you will be learning and practicing in the exercise are
probably different from what you have heard in church. I would encourage
you to approach these exercises with an open mind, asking God to reveal
the truths He wants you to learn and understand. Ready?
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2 Corinthians 10:5 says that we should take captive every thought to
make it obedient to Christ. Have you ever heard a sermon on this
principle? Most of us have heard pastors preach on this verse many
times. I have asked thousands of people to define the words in this verse.
Even though we have heard many sermons on taking our thoughts
captive, we have missed the significance of how to do what the Word of
God is clearly telling us we can do. Lets take a closer look. . .

As you complete this exercise, take a minute and really think about each
question below before you continue to read. Write your answers in the
space provided.

1. What is a thought? Think about this for a minute. What is your best answer?

How did you do? Many people will define a thought as memories or
experiences or ideas. Though it is true that when we put thought
together they construct memories, experiences, and ideas - this doesnt
help us understand what a thought is. Neuroscientists become technical
about how neurons store information, the synaptic gap, etc. Though these
answers are useful for understanding how a thought gets established in
the brain, unfortunately they do not get us any closer to a helpful definition
of what a thought is.

So, what is a thought? I asked my friend Tom, who thought for a long time
and finally said in frustration, I can only think of definitions that include the
words thought or think! So most of us havent even been taught what a
thought really is - let alone how to take it captive. God has given us the
powerful tools we need to take thoughts captive to be the master of our
thoughts. But most believers - after hearing passionate and moving
sermons about taking thoughts captive - still do not know how.
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This grieves my heart! It is no wonder that we continue to be stuck in our
same problems. We need knowledge that will actually teach us how to
take thoughts captive.

OK, I want to help you understand what a thought is.

2. Think of someone you love. (It may help to close your eyes and think of
someone you love.) Who is that person?
3. Can you see a picture of them in your mind?
4. Now, take a minute and think the Lords Prayer. (Recite it to yourself.)
5. Can you hear the words as you recite them?

Isnt that amazing? God has created our brains with the ability to see
pictures and hear words in our minds! So we can experience from this
exercise what a thought is. The internal picture you see of the person you
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love is the thought. The internal words you hear when you recite the
Lords Prayer are the thoughts. So every internal picture is a thought and
every internal word is a thought.

Lets learn a little bit more about our thoughts.

6. This time remember a pleasant memory - a vacation you went on or some special event
you were in that you enjoyed.
Notice the details that are present in the pleasant memory or event. Is the picture big or
small?
Is it black and white or is it in color?
Does it look like a still snap shot or a moving video?
How does the picture make you feel?
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So what is the significance of this exercise you just did? You just
experienced the way God has created us to observe our thoughts. God
created us with the amazing ability to observe our own thoughts. We all
know that we think our thoughts, but now you know that we can actually
observe and direct our own thoughts.

When most people think their thoughts, they are only able to do the
thought. Most people do not observe or evaluate the thought. They just
think the thought and respond automatically to the emotions the thought
generates; however, God has given us the ability and responsibility to take
every picture and word (thought) captive. Unfortunately, many Christians
have not yet learned how to observe their own thoughts. It is like being
given a sharp axe with a dull steal cover. We are trying to chop down
trees, but no one has taught us to take the cover off!

Many of the words and pictures that are in our minds are lies that come
from our sinful nature. As children of God, we have the ability to observe
these thoughts and judge whether they are obedient to Christ. It is a gift
that comes from God and allows us to become the detectives of our own
minds, the objective observer of our thoughts.

Now lets apply this principle specifically to the issue of pornography.
Because we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), we are aware
that pornography is sinful, and our spiritual minds tell us that we should
not do it. But when we do pornography, our minds are following a pre-
programmed pattern. This pattern is coming from the mind of the flesh,
which is feeding legitimate needs in inappropriate ways.

Think about . . . would we do pornography if our brains first told us it was
going to hurt us, destroy our ability to love, put us in shame, and give us
more stress? If I told you to take your pen and jab it into the back of your
hand, would you do it? Of course not! Then why do we do pornography if
we know it is wrong? Our brain is giving us the opposite message. Our
brain is showing us and telling us that pornography is going to feed us
what we need - right now. We have been hijacked by our own thoughts.
These kinds of thoughts pull us into the pit of pornography. It feels good,
but we are hurting others and destroying our lives. (Galatians 6:7-8)
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We will be doing another short exercise. It is one that you can practice
repeatedly as you begin to learn how to become the objective observer of
your own mind. The purpose of the exercise is not to understand why you
do pornography. It will help you understand how your brain does
pornography.

Remember one of the last times that you were tempted by lust and pornography.

1. What are some of the emotions that you were feeling at this time (stressed, angry, happy,
lonely, afraid)? Think about each emotion. Did this emotion make the temptation feel stronger?
How?
2. Were there any physical conditions that contributed to the temptation (hungry, tired, sick,
energetic, etc.)? How did each physical condition make the pull of lust and pornography
stronger?
3. Were there any circumstances that contributed to the temptation (alone, time of day or night, a
specific place or activity)? How do these circumstances make the temptation feel stronger?
4. In order for lust and pornography to be tempting, your brain must tell you that it is going to
help you in some way. Remember your thoughts while you were being tempted. How did your
brain convince you that pornography would be helpful?
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Repeat the above exercise several times. Draw from several different
memories. As you become the detective of your own mind, you may find a
single pattern that your brain follows every time. Or you may find that your
brain has more than one strategy to get the pornography that it wants.
Observe your thoughts and learn how your brain has been doing lust and
pornography.

Again, the purpose of the exercise you just did is to help you learn to
become a detective of your own mind. This will lay a foundation for you as
you begin your journey to true freedom.

I hope that as you continue to practice this you will consider continuing
with the full MindArmor

Training Tools program (http://www.mind-
armor.com). It is a proven, step-by step methodology to true
transformation that destroys the pull of lust and pornography. These
training tools are designed to be completed in only 30 days. To ensure
that you have the time you need to complete the training, your purchase
will give you one year with access to the tools and support materials. The
entire training package includes:

A 60-minute interactive Internet video training that teaches you how to destroy the pull of lust
and pornography
The video delivered in seven individual segments for your convenience and continued learning
experience
Downloadable workbook and scripture verses to use with each of the seven segments of the
video
Daily Tune-Ups that will give an in-depth understanding of how to train your brain to do what
you want it to, as well as built-in accountability
Thirty exercises that develop your skills to win the battles and the war

It is something I had to learn myself. Paul says in Philippians 4:11-12 that
he learned how to get along with little and how to handle abundance. It is
safe to assume that at one time he did not know how to get along. . . he
had to learn how. Each of us needs to learn how to be the objective
observer over the lust of the flesh. I pray that you will develop the tools
that you need to give you freedom from the pull of lust and pornography.

- Dr. Al Larson

The Five Stones of Battle, © 2014 Jericho Ventures, LLC

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The Five Stones of Battle, 2014 Jericho Ventures, LLC

Training Tools. It has

Training Tools. The training program provides a

Training Tools, Vick learned how to become the detective of his

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