February 19, 2025 • 29 mins
Learn More About Covenant Eyes: https://cvnteyes.co/4gb6xme
In this episode of The Covenant Eyes Podcast, Karen Potter and Rob Stoddard introduce Eden Parker from Bibles.net. They discuss the mission of Bibles.net, which aims to provide biblical resources for individuals seeking hope online.
Eden shares the importance of addressing topics like pornography, anxiety, and depression through a biblical lens, and emphasizes the life-transforming power of God's word.
Listeners will learn about the diverse content available on Bibles.net, from articles and sermons to playlists and podcasts, designed to point people to the Bible and the hope found in Jesus Christ.
VISIT BIBLES.NET:
https://www.bibles.net
BIBLE.NET ARTICLES:
https://www.bibles.net/beware-of-lady-pornea
https://www.bibles.net/freedom-from-pornography
Tune in for an in-depth conversation on the spiritual and practical resources offered by Bibles.net.
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Welcome to the Covenant Eyes Podcast
00:55 - Introducing Eden Parker and Bibles.net
01:17 - The Mission and Vision of Bibles.net
04:42 - Addressing Common Struggles with Biblical Resources
07:33 - The Christian Worldview on Pornography
11:47 - The Power of God's Word and the Holy Spirit
14:36 - Practical Resources and Tools for Overcoming Pornography
21:18 - Engaging with God's Word Through Music
24:05 - Exploring Bibles.net and Final Thoughts
#bible #anxiety #depression
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:06):
Hey, everybody, welcome backto The Covenant Eyes Podcast.
Karen Potter here,director of relationship
marketing for Covenant Eyesand one of the hosts
of The Covenant Eyes Podcast.
And of course, we have RobStoddard back.
Rob, we areglad to have you back
at the podcast seasonfor lots of years of doing this.
Oh my goodness.
(00:26):
Yeah, it goes by fast.
Does it it does, it does.
It reminds me of our old daysdoing the pastors roundtable.
That's where this all started.
Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Yeah.
So today, you know,we're all about equipping people
with tools and resourcesnot just to, you know, overcome
pornography in their life,but really to help them
grow and be sanctifiedthrough the word of God.
(00:49):
And so today's guest,I think, has a tool
that's really going to helpour listeners.
Isn't that right?
I believe so, our guest todayis Eden Parker,
and she's with Bibles.net, Eden.
Welcome to The CovenantEyes Podcast.
Thank you.
Thank you guysfor having me today.
I'm excited to talk to you.
Yeah.
Eden, could youtell us a little bit
(01:10):
about Bibles.netand your role there
and how you got started there?
Yeah, absolutely.
So Bibles.net is a websiteand it's designed for people
that didn't grow up in churchand don't have a
Christian backgroundwho are looking for hope
and searchingfor answers online.
So we believe thatso many people today are
(01:30):
looking online for hope.
Whether that's, you know,scrolling on their phone
late at night,looking for answers
to deep questionsor questions about God.
There's a lot of strugglesthat are on the rise,
like anxiety and depression,and we just find that
our world is hungering for hopeand looking and places
(01:53):
like Google to find it.
And so we just had a heartto see them encounter
God's Word as they go online.
But there's alreadyso many wonderful
Christian resources,like Covenant Eyes
being one of them, that can helpdirect people to God's Word.
And so instead ofreinventing the wheel
and answering people's questionsall ourselves, we try to look
(02:16):
for just the very bestbiblical resources online
that we can then direct peopleto according
to their needs and questions.
So our ultimate goalis to point people
to God's Word, the Bible,and to help them discover that
as the ultimate source of hope.
Because in the Bible,we hear this story about Jesus
(02:37):
and what he has done for us,and we ultimately
find our hope in him.
So our desire is that as peoplecome to our website,
they would discover the Bibleand find resources
to help them understand it,that they might encounter
Jesus and find lifeand hope in him.
So that's a littleabout what we're about.
(02:57):
And Igot started with Bibles.net.
Because I was praying for a joband I had studied
Christian formationin ministry and done
some work in biblical studiesand just really had
a desire to see,people discover God's Word as
their source of lifeand to meet Jesus
(03:19):
and to bring the wealthof resources
that we have as believersto a world
that desperately in need ofof hope.
So, my boss, bought thewebsite Bibles.net, kind of
with this vision in mindand I was praying for work
and asking the Lordwhat he would have me do.
And, throughkind of random events,
(03:42):
connected me with my boss.
And, so we have kind ofembarked on trying
to bring this visionto life together.
So, yeah, we're basedout of the Chicago area,
and it's taken us aboutwe've been working on Bibles.net
for six and a half years,and it's only really been
in the last yearthat we've begun
(04:02):
kind of sharing itwith the world, so to speak.
We spent the first five,five and a half years
just building upthe content on the site
and making sure to addressall the topics
that were on our heart.
And so that's kind ofwhere we are today.
That's amazing.
And your ministry is so needed.
I mean, people aredesperate online
and we know they're searchingbecause they're going to Google.
(04:24):
So having a resourcelike this, a site
where they can find answersto some of those things that are
really pressing on their heartand they're looking
for Scripture,they may not even be looking
for Scripture.
They're looking for answers.
But Scripture is wherewe find all of our hope
and our answers.
So I love that,and I love your heart for that.
So talk to usa little bit about, you know,
(04:45):
how did you guysdo you use like, research
to develop the topicsthat you feature on your site
because you really havea lot of topical research.
I mean, any issue that you couldthink of really, you can find,
a really sound biblical,page where you
can find answers in Scriptureand links to other resources.
(05:06):
So talk to usa little bit about that.
Yeah.
So when we set outto create this
site, we wanted it to be,really relevant to everyone.
And so instead ofcreating a lot of
like niche subjects,we tried to pick the ones
that are most common,and we used
SEO research to determinekind of what those things are.
(05:28):
But we address thingslike anxiety,
loneliness, depression, fear,pornography, suicide,
things like that.
But then we also address issues,related to a biblical worldview.
So just the foundations of whatthe Bible teaches us about God,
about people, about, salvation,about heaven and hell.
(05:51):
And so, we found that,there are certain subjects
that are more specific,like pornography,
but they're reallywidespread in our world.
And so we felt thatthose needed to be addressed.
But as a whole,we really find that, God's word
also kind of shows us our issuesjust as much as
(06:12):
maybe research does.
And so there are thingsthat we know that
all people struggle with,like all people have seasons
of being really sad,and the Bible speaks
to depression and sadness.
All peopledeal with fear in the Bible
says over 300 times,do not be afraid.
And so,we try to approach the topics
we choose, both with what's mostimportant to people.
(06:36):
According to the researchwe find online, but also to
take into considerationwhat we think is important
based offwhat we know about people
and about Scripture.
Everything we need inour life is covered
in the Bible, and pornographyis one of those, which is
really surprises a lot of peopleon the depth of of Scripture
(06:57):
that really talks aboutour sexuality and,
all of those things that,wrapped up in pornography.
So thank youfor addressing that one,
because it reallythere's not that much
biblical based,research out there
on the issue of pornography.
So can you tell a little bitwhat you what do you find with,
(07:18):
people who canfind a resource like this,
a biblical approachto talking about pornography.
What kinds of thingsare they going to get
out of the Biblethat they might not get from,
you know, just,humanistic reading?
Well, I thinkwe don't understand the weight
of what pornographyand the evil that it is
(07:41):
without the story of the Bible.
So it's actually, I think, aChristian worldview
that most make sense ofthe evil that pornography is.
And, the Christianworldview is also, I think,
the only means of trulyfreeing a person from it.
And so I think I would beginwith talking about how the Bible
(08:02):
teaches uswho we are as persons,
and it tells us thatall of us are created
with an incredibleamount of dignity,
because we're not just a body,we're not just a mind.
And our world todayis really trying
to push the idea on usthat we are
only our physical selves.
(08:23):
Whereas the Bible paints usmuch more beautiful picture
that we are people that are madeas image bearers of God.
And so we're his representativesin the world,
and we're also calledto reign over the world
as his representativesto reign over creation.
And so if youtake pornography and,
(08:46):
what it is and you andyou hold it up
alongside that worldview,pornography is really divorcing
someone's soul from their body,and it's looking at people
not as image bearers of God,but as something to be consumed.
And as such, it'sreally an offense against God
(09:06):
and against thebeautiful creation
that he's made.
And so I don't think,we understand the weight of what
viewing pornographyreally is in the mind of God
and how destructiveit is to our humanity
and our psyche.
Because if we're created torepresent God to the world
(09:26):
and image himand treat other people as though
they bear that same dignity,then pornography is
really an affront to that.
But at the same time,the Bible says that
because we're created by God,we are thus accountable to him.
And just like theuniverse functions
according to laws, God has laidforth laws for his people,
(09:50):
and he's also given usthe freedom
to choose to obey him.
And that isanother part of the dignity
that he's created us with.
And so part of God's lawis that we would treat
other image bearers of God,with love and respect.
And one of the foremost wayshe teaches us to do that
through the ten Commandmentsis that we would
(10:10):
not commit adultery,so we would protect
the sexual integrity of others.
And Jesus lateron in the Bible describes,
adultery not merely as actually,being intimate with someone
that you're not married to,but even looking at someone
lustfully isis also breaking God's law.
(10:33):
And so the reason we understandpornography to be wrong
and destructive and evilis not just because
it rewires your brainand it inhibits your ability
to relate to other people.
And it's an addiction,not just a habit.
Like these are thingsthat the world talks about
and can even recognize.
(10:53):
But ultimately, as believerswith a biblical worldview,
pornography is an actof blatant rebellion
against God, and it's an act of,like treason against him and
against his created,image bearers.
And so God says that all sinis punishable by death.
(11:18):
And that's not just,the eternal punishment
that we face if we continueto live in persistent rebellion
against God without turningfrom that sin.
But sin also has effectsin our own lives.
It it brings on present death,the death to relationships,
the death to ourthe well-being of our psyche.
(11:40):
You know,the all the different effects
that come from engaging inwhat God has commanded us
not to do.
And so I think the Christianworldview actually, offers the
the most holistic picture of whypornography is an issue,
but it also providesthe greatest hope
because, what God promisesis that if
(12:03):
we accept his sacrifice givento us through Jesus,
on the cross,which paid the debt
that our sins oh,and broke the power
of sin and death in our lives.
If we turn from our sinand we turn towards
Jesus in faith, and we believethat his sacrifice fully paid
for the sinsthat we've committed
(12:23):
against God,God not only promises
that he's going to, forgive usand cleanse us from our sins,
but he promises usthis precious gift
of the Holy Spiritand the Holy Spirit,
as the Bible describes,as God Himself
come to live inside of us.
And, God's promise in His Wordin the book of First John
(12:46):
is that if God's seed,if His Spirit abides in us
and lives in us,then sin actually
loses its power.
And there's no sin in our livesthat can have dominion
over us ever againfor the duration of our lives.
Like since power is brokenand can therefore be conquered.
And so if there's a personthat is enslaved to pornography
(13:09):
and they long to be free,their hope is that if they
call on the name of the Lordand they ask him
for deliverance,his promise in his word
is that he will rescue them,and that he will give them
the one powerthat is great enough to overcome
the power of sinin the human heart.
And that's theHoly Spirit of God.
(13:31):
And so I think in, you know,if someone comes to our website,
they may not hear all of thatarticulated
quite so systematically.
But the goal of our websiteis to get people to God's Word.
And we know that God's Wordtells this story
that, offers hope.
(13:51):
But it also, God's word is aliveand powerful.
It says in Hebrews 412.
And so we believe thatas people encounter God's Word
and in piecesand in the full story,
that they will encounterGod Himself,
and he is able to set themfree, from their addictions.
(14:13):
But if you were tojust come to our website,
you're not going to geta counseling session.
You're not going to hearsomeone tell this story.
But our role, we feel like is,almost like someone sitting down
with a friend at a coffee shop,and we know that they might be
wrestling with pornography.
And we come at thatfrom four different angles.
(14:35):
So the first iswe have a page called
What Does the Bible Sayabout pornography?
So just in general,we point you to
some different resourcesthat will help
answer that question.
Then we have a page calledis pornography really that bad?
Because a lot of peopledon't understand that it's not a
permissible pastime.
(14:57):
It is really an evilthat causes,
pain and destructionto you and those around you.
And it's an affront against God.
But then number three,we address
the question can forgive mefor watching porn.
So we know that there are peoplethat are understand that this is
(15:17):
something that's wrongand they really feel
deep conviction,but they don't know
how to be free.
So we want toaddress that question
and let them know thatthere is hope, and that God does
forget that when we turn to Godand repent, it's
that he fully gets usand he actually begins
the processof cleansing us from our sin.
And then finallywe have a page called
(15:39):
How to Deal, How to OvercomePornography Addiction, I think.
And, that page is all aboutproviding tools and resources
that can actually help youtake steps in faith
towards obeying the Lordand killing this sin
in your life.
So that takes the formof articles
(15:59):
on our website and books.
We have podcast episodes.
So our goal is to kind of,you know, when someone
comes to our site,it's like we're sitting
across the tableat coffee with them and we say,
this resource has beenreally helpful to us,
and we think thatit will not only share
with you biblical truth,but it will apply
(16:22):
truth to your thoughtson this subject.
And that kind of,coffee table interaction
can take the formof sharing songs with them
through the playlistthat we provide, or sharing
or pointing themto specific scripture to read.
But the whole goalis to point them to Scripture.
(16:42):
Because we ultimatelybelieve that the things
that we want to be accomplishedin the hearts of people
that come to our sight,and that the thing that
God's Spirit has to do.
That's amazing and I lovehow committed you are
to providing peoplewith pointing them
towards Scripture,and then answering
those tough questionsthat are lingering
(17:03):
in their hearts.
Because ultimately, you know,pornography certainly
is a trespass against God.
And that sin, when we do it,you know, we feel terrible.
Our bodies are designedin such a way that, you know,
you view pornography,you get a dopamine rush,
and then you crash.
And because it's a superdopamine release,
you feel way worseafter you view pornography.
(17:26):
And that's really the prickof the Holy Spirit.
And so providing these,you know, answers
to their tough questions,pointing them to the Scripture
and helping to refine and shape,how they view pornography
and how they view others,I think is so important.
Why is it so valuablefor people as they're seeking
answers to tough questionslike pornography,
(17:46):
anxiety, depression,those types of things?
Why is it so importantthat Christians
have a voice out in culture,and are present in places
like on your siteand other places?
That's a great question.
I think it's importantbecause through the Bible,
God is calling out to us.
(18:08):
So we and your ministryunderstand the Bible
to be what it says it is,which is the Word of God.
And, there are so many voicescalling out to us in culture
that cater to whatwe want to hear and that caters
to our sinful nature.
And yet God is constantlycalling out to us in His word,
(18:31):
and he's calling us to himselfinto a living, lovely,
joyous relationship with himthat's cemented
through our faith in Christand without Christians
in the world.
Re heraldingwhat God has already said,
people might never hearthat voice calling out to them
in Scripture.
(18:52):
And so a, example of thisthat I love to point to
on the topic of sexual sinis in the book of Proverbs.
And in Proverbs seven,you hear the story
of this young man who's walkingat the wrong place
at the wrong time, and he'scalled out to by a, prostitute.
(19:13):
And she promises himall of these things,
and he ends up,calling her temptation.
And then it says in Proverbsthat those who
enter her chambersgo down to the house of death
and her slain.
There are a mighty throng.
And so you have this image ofsin is always calling out to us.
(19:37):
And, it's always beckoning uswith promises of life,
and its promises are lies.
And in the worldmany of those lies, are being
presented to us through socialmedia, through,
yeah, our world is at large,opposed to God.
(19:59):
And so we hear those voices.
But then in the very nextchapter in Proverbs eight,
you hear the worddoes not wisdom call.
And it talks about lateron in Proverbs, wisdom
and God's Word.
It's like this womanthat spread a feast
and invited us into her houseto eat and truly
find life there. And so,I think that's kind of a parable
(20:24):
for the presence of God'sWord in the world
that God, through the Bible,is always calling out to us
and offering us life.
And it'sreally against our nature
to choose that.
But one of the waysthat he has chosen
to bring life to the worldis to send out his people,
and he's given usthe commission.
(20:45):
At the end of Matthew,he said, go
into all of the worldand make disciples,
teaching them everything thatI've commanded.
And so God, through his peopleand through us,
going into the worldand having a voice
in our culture that,that echoes and parrots
what the Word of God saysis an extension
(21:06):
of Jesus love to the worldand of him pursuing us
and drawing out of sinand drawing us into true life.
Eden, you mentioned that,you have a playlist,
I think, that is availablethrough Spotify.
Can you explain how thatrelationship there works
and how that,what you're delivering
there through Spotify?
(21:26):
So we have a Spotify accountthat is called Bibles.net
And any page that we createdon the website,
whether that's God or, how didhow to deal with pornography.
Or.
YouTube that we've createda playlist to go with that page.
(21:48):
And that was kind of begunbecause,
people engage with contentin all sorts of ways.
We all learn differently.
And the wealth ofChristian content that we have
that has been inspiredby God's Word
takes a lot of differentmedia forms.
So we've got podcastslike this one.
We've got Bibles,there are books
(22:10):
that have been written,but music is another way
that we can actually receiveGod's Word.
And in fact,in the book of Ephesians,
I believe it is God actuallyencourages us to engage
with His Word through song.
So he says,oh, it's Colossians one For
Christ dwell in you richly,teaching and admonishing
(22:31):
one another in all wisdom,through songs,
hymns, and spiritual songswith thankfulness
in your hearts to God.
And musicis such a powerful tool.
And so there's lots of music.
I can think of a couple songsby like Christian rap artists
that have kind of, sung throughwhat it's like to feel
(22:53):
the pull of temptationand to Christ instead,
we have songsthat just like celebrate
who Jesus is and like, remind usthat the life that he gives
is so much better than the lifethat's it offers.
And so we've just found thatone way that we can
minister God'sWord to people through song.
And so I think it also providesa great kind
(23:15):
of supplemental resourcewhere people could
be on our website. But then,if they are driving in their
car on their way home from workand they've been thinking
about this subject,they can put it on a playlist
that will sing to them.
Truth inspiredby the Word of God
that relates to their,their kind of crisis.
And so that's kind of yeah.
(23:37):
I love that.
I think that's greatto incorporate
the different mediumsthat people, you know,
are using nowadays.
And I love that,you know, really
it is our call to go outand to disciple to the world.
And, you know,using platforms like podcasts
and your websiteor the Covenant Eyes, you know,
our ministry outreach teamsand different ways
(23:57):
of reaching people.
It comes in alldifferent shapes and sizes.
So we all have a jobto do and a role to play.
And I think this isreally incredible.
So, you know,if a listener is interested
in checking you guys outand learning more
about the ministry and even justresearching topics
so that maybe,maybe they're just
new to the faith,or maybe they're they stumbled
(24:18):
on this podcast by accident.
Where would youdirect them to go?
And how do they get started?
What's a good place for them?
Yeah. Good question. So,we titled our ministry
Bibles.net in the hopesthat people would
it would be easy to find.
So if you just typein Bibles.net on your,
into Google,it should come up for you and,
(24:43):
Bibles.net also has a podcastso you can
look up the Bibles.net podcast,on Apple and Spotify
and YouTube.
But when you get to our website,there's the option to sign up.
And if you sign upwith our website,
you'll get monthly updatesas to new content
(25:04):
that you can exploreon the website.
You'll also,be wrapped into kind of
receiving a weeklydevotional for, from us,
and you'll kind ofjust be in the loop
as to new content.
But if if you want to startexploring on Bible.net,
we pray that that's prettystraightforward.
You could either do thatthrough the navigation,
(25:25):
which if you click on topics,you'll see all the different
types of topicsthat we have available.
So there will be,topics related to the Bible,
to a biblical worldviewor to life
challenges like pornography.
You'll see, page for everybook of the Bible
if you want to explore those.
(25:45):
But then also if you just typein whatever you're interested
into our search barthat will pull up,
any content on our siterelated to what's on your mind,
and our, our websitehas kind of a unique structure.
So if you go to the pageon pornography, for example,
or one of the four pages on it,what you'll find is not just one
(26:09):
kind of one article of content.
What you'll findis a kind of social media
looking pagethat has sermons, articles,
podcasts, song books,scripture verses, etc.
on it.
And what our search doesis it actually searches
every individual pieceof content on every page.
(26:29):
So that's a great way to explorewhat you're interested in
and just type in,you know, whatever it is.
Pornography, anxiety,the Book of John, God's heaven,
into the search barand Lord willing, you'll find,
somethingthat will be helpful to you.
You can also follow uson social media.
We have accounts on,Instagram, Facebook.
(26:51):
We have a YouTube channel.
And soyou can also find us there.
It's incredible.
I love I was poking around just,you know, looking up topics.
And I went to the pagethat talks about depression
and, you know,just going on here,
the wealth of resourcesthat are at your fingertips,
you know, as you're thinkingthrough like depression and,
(27:13):
and how you're feeling and,and how to deal with
it also directs you to like,you know, grief, because grief
could be tied into how,you know, your struggle
with depression.
But thenyou scroll down the page,
and I love thatthere are songs in hymns
that really speakto what you're experiencing.
I just could see how this isso beneficial to someone.
(27:33):
Not only are you gettingthe scripture,
but then you go farther downand you've got, you know,
an articleabout Charles Spurgeon
and his depressionthat he had struggled
with and just,it's amazing to me.
I really think this isa great tool and resource,
and not only for peoplethat may be struggling
with pornography,but we know that pornography
(27:54):
is just a symptom.
And oftenthere are many other triggers
and things that have led youto this place
of using pornography.
And that could be, you know,not dealing with,
trauma from the pastor depression and anxiety.
Those things can all leadyou into pornography.
So I feel like there'sa wealth of resources
for our listeners,but they could really take
a journey.
Tears site and reallyglean a ton of great information
(28:16):
and all centeredaround biblical truth.
It's it's quite incredible.
So thank you.
That's so encouraging to hear.
And yeah, we know that,ultimately, any resource that
they encounterwill give them a little piece
of the word of Godand, exposure to God's Word,
(28:37):
is healing and life givingkind of no matter what
we're going through. So.
Well, Eden, that's,all the time we have today,
but we wantedto thank you for joining us,
and thank you for your ministry,as Karen put it.
So.
Well, it'sthere's so much richness
of so much depth there.
But, as you've unpacked today,God's word is powerful
(29:00):
and we need that in our lives.
So to our listeners,thanks for joining.
And, certainly, please like thisand, share it if you can,
but please do visit this site.
The links will be in thein the show notes,
whether you're a pastoror a Christian,
there's just a wealthof information there.
So check it out.
That's it for today.
Thanks for joining us.
(29:20):
Take care.
Hey, everybody, welcome backto The Covenant Eyes Podcast.
Karen Potter here,director of relationship
marketing for Covenant Eyesand one of the hosts
of The Covenant Eyes Podcast.
And of course, we have RobStoddard back.
Rob, we areglad to have you back
at the podcast seasonfor lots of years of doing this.
Oh my goodness.
(00:26):
Yeah, it goes by fast.
Does it it does, it does.
It reminds me of our old daysdoing the pastors roundtable.
That's where this all started.
Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely.
Yeah.
So today, you know,we're all about equipping people
with tools and resourcesnot just to, you know, overcome
pornography in their life,but really to help them
grow and be sanctifiedthrough the word of God.
(00:49):
And so today's guest,I think, has a tool
that's really going to helpour listeners.
Isn't that right?
I believe so, our guest todayis Eden Parker,
and she's with Bibles.net, Eden.
Welcome to The CovenantEyes Podcast.
Thank you.
Thank you guysfor having me today.
I'm excited to talk to you.
Yeah.
Eden, could youtell us a little bit
(01:10):
about Bibles.netand your role there
and how you got started there?
Yeah, absolutely.
So Bibles.net is a websiteand it's designed for people
that didn't grow up in churchand don't have a
Christian backgroundwho are looking for hope
and searchingfor answers online.
So we believe thatso many people today are
(01:30):
looking online for hope.
Whether that's, you know,scrolling on their phone
late at night,looking for answers
to deep questionsor questions about God.
There's a lot of strugglesthat are on the rise,
like anxiety and depression,and we just find that
our world is hungering for hopeand looking and places
(01:53):
like Google to find it.
And so we just had a heartto see them encounter
God's Word as they go online.
But there's alreadyso many wonderful
Christian resources,like Covenant Eyes
being one of them, that can helpdirect people to God's Word.
And so instead ofreinventing the wheel
and answering people's questionsall ourselves, we try to look
(02:16):
for just the very bestbiblical resources online
that we can then direct peopleto according
to their needs and questions.
So our ultimate goalis to point people
to God's Word, the Bible,and to help them discover that
as the ultimate source of hope.
Because in the Bible,we hear this story about Jesus
(02:37):
and what he has done for us,and we ultimately
find our hope in him.
So our desire is that as peoplecome to our website,
they would discover the Bibleand find resources
to help them understand it,that they might encounter
Jesus and find lifeand hope in him.
So that's a littleabout what we're about.
(02:57):
And Igot started with Bibles.net.
Because I was praying for a joband I had studied
Christian formationin ministry and done
some work in biblical studiesand just really had
a desire to see,people discover God's Word as
their source of lifeand to meet Jesus
(03:19):
and to bring the wealthof resources
that we have as believersto a world
that desperately in need ofof hope.
So, my boss, bought thewebsite Bibles.net, kind of
with this vision in mindand I was praying for work
and asking the Lordwhat he would have me do.
And, throughkind of random events,
(03:42):
connected me with my boss.
And, so we have kind ofembarked on trying
to bring this visionto life together.
So, yeah, we're basedout of the Chicago area,
and it's taken us aboutwe've been working on Bibles.net
for six and a half years,and it's only really been
in the last yearthat we've begun
(04:02):
kind of sharing itwith the world, so to speak.
We spent the first five,five and a half years
just building upthe content on the site
and making sure to addressall the topics
that were on our heart.
And so that's kind ofwhere we are today.
That's amazing.
And your ministry is so needed.
I mean, people aredesperate online
and we know they're searchingbecause they're going to Google.
(04:24):
So having a resourcelike this, a site
where they can find answersto some of those things that are
really pressing on their heartand they're looking
for Scripture,they may not even be looking
for Scripture.
They're looking for answers.
But Scripture is wherewe find all of our hope
and our answers.
So I love that,and I love your heart for that.
So talk to usa little bit about, you know,
(04:45):
how did you guysdo you use like, research
to develop the topicsthat you feature on your site
because you really havea lot of topical research.
I mean, any issue that you couldthink of really, you can find,
a really sound biblical,page where you
can find answers in Scriptureand links to other resources.
(05:06):
So talk to usa little bit about that.
Yeah.
So when we set outto create this
site, we wanted it to be,really relevant to everyone.
And so instead ofcreating a lot of
like niche subjects,we tried to pick the ones
that are most common,and we used
SEO research to determinekind of what those things are.
(05:28):
But we address thingslike anxiety,
loneliness, depression, fear,pornography, suicide,
things like that.
But then we also address issues,related to a biblical worldview.
So just the foundations of whatthe Bible teaches us about God,
about people, about, salvation,about heaven and hell.
(05:51):
And so, we found that,there are certain subjects
that are more specific,like pornography,
but they're reallywidespread in our world.
And so we felt thatthose needed to be addressed.
But as a whole,we really find that, God's word
also kind of shows us our issuesjust as much as
(06:12):
maybe research does.
And so there are thingsthat we know that
all people struggle with,like all people have seasons
of being really sad,and the Bible speaks
to depression and sadness.
All peopledeal with fear in the Bible
says over 300 times,do not be afraid.
And so,we try to approach the topics
we choose, both with what's mostimportant to people.
(06:36):
According to the researchwe find online, but also to
take into considerationwhat we think is important
based offwhat we know about people
and about Scripture.
Everything we need inour life is covered
in the Bible, and pornographyis one of those, which is
really surprises a lot of peopleon the depth of of Scripture
(06:57):
that really talks aboutour sexuality and,
all of those things that,wrapped up in pornography.
So thank youfor addressing that one,
because it reallythere's not that much
biblical based,research out there
on the issue of pornography.
So can you tell a little bitwhat you what do you find with,
(07:18):
people who canfind a resource like this,
a biblical approachto talking about pornography.
What kinds of thingsare they going to get
out of the Biblethat they might not get from,
you know, just,humanistic reading?
Well, I thinkwe don't understand the weight
of what pornographyand the evil that it is
(07:41):
without the story of the Bible.
So it's actually, I think, aChristian worldview
that most make sense ofthe evil that pornography is.
And, the Christianworldview is also, I think,
the only means of trulyfreeing a person from it.
And so I think I would beginwith talking about how the Bible
(08:02):
teaches uswho we are as persons,
and it tells us thatall of us are created
with an incredibleamount of dignity,
because we're not just a body,we're not just a mind.
And our world todayis really trying
to push the idea on usthat we are
only our physical selves.
(08:23):
Whereas the Bible paints usmuch more beautiful picture
that we are people that are madeas image bearers of God.
And so we're his representativesin the world,
and we're also calledto reign over the world
as his representativesto reign over creation.
And so if youtake pornography and,
(08:46):
what it is and you andyou hold it up
alongside that worldview,pornography is really divorcing
someone's soul from their body,and it's looking at people
not as image bearers of God,but as something to be consumed.
And as such, it'sreally an offense against God
(09:06):
and against thebeautiful creation
that he's made.
And so I don't think,we understand the weight of what
viewing pornographyreally is in the mind of God
and how destructiveit is to our humanity
and our psyche.
Because if we're created torepresent God to the world
(09:26):
and image himand treat other people as though
they bear that same dignity,then pornography is
really an affront to that.
But at the same time,the Bible says that
because we're created by God,we are thus accountable to him.
And just like theuniverse functions
according to laws, God has laidforth laws for his people,
(09:50):
and he's also given usthe freedom
to choose to obey him.
And that isanother part of the dignity
that he's created us with.
And so part of God's lawis that we would treat
other image bearers of God,with love and respect.
And one of the foremost wayshe teaches us to do that
through the ten Commandmentsis that we would
(10:10):
not commit adultery,so we would protect
the sexual integrity of others.
And Jesus lateron in the Bible describes,
adultery not merely as actually,being intimate with someone
that you're not married to,but even looking at someone
lustfully isis also breaking God's law.
(10:33):
And so the reason we understandpornography to be wrong
and destructive and evilis not just because
it rewires your brainand it inhibits your ability
to relate to other people.
And it's an addiction,not just a habit.
Like these are thingsthat the world talks about
and can even recognize.
(10:53):
But ultimately, as believerswith a biblical worldview,
pornography is an actof blatant rebellion
against God, and it's an act of,like treason against him and
against his created,image bearers.
And so God says that all sinis punishable by death.
(11:18):
And that's not just,the eternal punishment
that we face if we continueto live in persistent rebellion
against God without turningfrom that sin.
But sin also has effectsin our own lives.
It it brings on present death,the death to relationships,
the death to ourthe well-being of our psyche.
(11:40):
You know,the all the different effects
that come from engaging inwhat God has commanded us
not to do.
And so I think the Christianworldview actually, offers the
the most holistic picture of whypornography is an issue,
but it also providesthe greatest hope
because, what God promisesis that if
(12:03):
we accept his sacrifice givento us through Jesus,
on the cross,which paid the debt
that our sins oh,and broke the power
of sin and death in our lives.
If we turn from our sinand we turn towards
Jesus in faith, and we believethat his sacrifice fully paid
for the sinsthat we've committed
(12:23):
against God,God not only promises
that he's going to, forgive usand cleanse us from our sins,
but he promises usthis precious gift
of the Holy Spiritand the Holy Spirit,
as the Bible describes,as God Himself
come to live inside of us.
And, God's promise in His Wordin the book of First John
(12:46):
is that if God's seed,if His Spirit abides in us
and lives in us,then sin actually
loses its power.
And there's no sin in our livesthat can have dominion
over us ever againfor the duration of our lives.
Like since power is brokenand can therefore be conquered.
And so if there's a personthat is enslaved to pornography
(13:09):
and they long to be free,their hope is that if they
call on the name of the Lordand they ask him
for deliverance,his promise in his word
is that he will rescue them,and that he will give them
the one powerthat is great enough to overcome
the power of sinin the human heart.
And that's theHoly Spirit of God.
(13:31):
And so I think in, you know,if someone comes to our website,
they may not hear all of thatarticulated
quite so systematically.
But the goal of our websiteis to get people to God's Word.
And we know that God's Wordtells this story
that, offers hope.
(13:51):
But it also, God's word is aliveand powerful.
It says in Hebrews 412.
And so we believe thatas people encounter God's Word
and in piecesand in the full story,
that they will encounterGod Himself,
and he is able to set themfree, from their addictions.
(14:13):
But if you were tojust come to our website,
you're not going to geta counseling session.
You're not going to hearsomeone tell this story.
But our role, we feel like is,almost like someone sitting down
with a friend at a coffee shop,and we know that they might be
wrestling with pornography.
And we come at thatfrom four different angles.
(14:35):
So the first iswe have a page called
What Does the Bible Sayabout pornography?
So just in general,we point you to
some different resourcesthat will help
answer that question.
Then we have a page calledis pornography really that bad?
Because a lot of peopledon't understand that it's not a
permissible pastime.
(14:57):
It is really an evilthat causes,
pain and destructionto you and those around you.
And it's an affront against God.
But then number three,we address
the question can forgive mefor watching porn.
So we know that there are peoplethat are understand that this is
(15:17):
something that's wrongand they really feel
deep conviction,but they don't know
how to be free.
So we want toaddress that question
and let them know thatthere is hope, and that God does
forget that when we turn to Godand repent, it's
that he fully gets usand he actually begins
the processof cleansing us from our sin.
And then finallywe have a page called
(15:39):
How to Deal, How to OvercomePornography Addiction, I think.
And, that page is all aboutproviding tools and resources
that can actually help youtake steps in faith
towards obeying the Lordand killing this sin
in your life.
So that takes the formof articles
(15:59):
on our website and books.
We have podcast episodes.
So our goal is to kind of,you know, when someone
comes to our site,it's like we're sitting
across the tableat coffee with them and we say,
this resource has beenreally helpful to us,
and we think thatit will not only share
with you biblical truth,but it will apply
(16:22):
truth to your thoughtson this subject.
And that kind of,coffee table interaction
can take the formof sharing songs with them
through the playlistthat we provide, or sharing
or pointing themto specific scripture to read.
But the whole goalis to point them to Scripture.
(16:42):
Because we ultimatelybelieve that the things
that we want to be accomplishedin the hearts of people
that come to our sight,and that the thing that
God's Spirit has to do.
That's amazing and I lovehow committed you are
to providing peoplewith pointing them
towards Scripture,and then answering
those tough questionsthat are lingering
(17:03):
in their hearts.
Because ultimately, you know,pornography certainly
is a trespass against God.
And that sin, when we do it,you know, we feel terrible.
Our bodies are designedin such a way that, you know,
you view pornography,you get a dopamine rush,
and then you crash.
And because it's a superdopamine release,
you feel way worseafter you view pornography.
(17:26):
And that's really the prickof the Holy Spirit.
And so providing these,you know, answers
to their tough questions,pointing them to the Scripture
and helping to refine and shape,how they view pornography
and how they view others,I think is so important.
Why is it so valuablefor people as they're seeking
answers to tough questionslike pornography,
(17:46):
anxiety, depression,those types of things?
Why is it so importantthat Christians
have a voice out in culture,and are present in places
like on your siteand other places?
That's a great question.
I think it's importantbecause through the Bible,
God is calling out to us.
(18:08):
So we and your ministryunderstand the Bible
to be what it says it is,which is the Word of God.
And, there are so many voicescalling out to us in culture
that cater to whatwe want to hear and that caters
to our sinful nature.
And yet God is constantlycalling out to us in His word,
(18:31):
and he's calling us to himselfinto a living, lovely,
joyous relationship with himthat's cemented
through our faith in Christand without Christians
in the world.
Re heraldingwhat God has already said,
people might never hearthat voice calling out to them
in Scripture.
(18:52):
And so a, example of thisthat I love to point to
on the topic of sexual sinis in the book of Proverbs.
And in Proverbs seven,you hear the story
of this young man who's walkingat the wrong place
at the wrong time, and he'scalled out to by a, prostitute.
(19:13):
And she promises himall of these things,
and he ends up,calling her temptation.
And then it says in Proverbsthat those who
enter her chambersgo down to the house of death
and her slain.
There are a mighty throng.
And so you have this image ofsin is always calling out to us.
(19:37):
And, it's always beckoning uswith promises of life,
and its promises are lies.
And in the worldmany of those lies, are being
presented to us through socialmedia, through,
yeah, our world is at large,opposed to God.
(19:59):
And so we hear those voices.
But then in the very nextchapter in Proverbs eight,
you hear the worddoes not wisdom call.
And it talks about lateron in Proverbs, wisdom
and God's Word.
It's like this womanthat spread a feast
and invited us into her houseto eat and truly
find life there. And so,I think that's kind of a parable
(20:24):
for the presence of God'sWord in the world
that God, through the Bible,is always calling out to us
and offering us life.
And it'sreally against our nature
to choose that.
But one of the waysthat he has chosen
to bring life to the worldis to send out his people,
and he's given usthe commission.
(20:45):
At the end of Matthew,he said, go
into all of the worldand make disciples,
teaching them everything thatI've commanded.
And so God, through his peopleand through us,
going into the worldand having a voice
in our culture that,that echoes and parrots
what the Word of God saysis an extension
(21:06):
of Jesus love to the worldand of him pursuing us
and drawing out of sinand drawing us into true life.
Eden, you mentioned that,you have a playlist,
I think, that is availablethrough Spotify.
Can you explain how thatrelationship there works
and how that,what you're delivering
there through Spotify?
(21:26):
So we have a Spotify accountthat is called Bibles.net
And any page that we createdon the website,
whether that's God or, how didhow to deal with pornography.
Or.
YouTube that we've createda playlist to go with that page.
(21:48):
And that was kind of begunbecause,
people engage with contentin all sorts of ways.
We all learn differently.
And the wealth ofChristian content that we have
that has been inspiredby God's Word
takes a lot of differentmedia forms.
So we've got podcastslike this one.
We've got Bibles,there are books
(22:10):
that have been written,but music is another way
that we can actually receiveGod's Word.
And in fact,in the book of Ephesians,
I believe it is God actuallyencourages us to engage
with His Word through song.
So he says,oh, it's Colossians one For
Christ dwell in you richly,teaching and admonishing
(22:31):
one another in all wisdom,through songs,
hymns, and spiritual songswith thankfulness
in your hearts to God.
And musicis such a powerful tool.
And so there's lots of music.
I can think of a couple songsby like Christian rap artists
that have kind of, sung throughwhat it's like to feel
(22:53):
the pull of temptationand to Christ instead,
we have songsthat just like celebrate
who Jesus is and like, remind usthat the life that he gives
is so much better than the lifethat's it offers.
And so we've just found thatone way that we can
minister God'sWord to people through song.
And so I think it also providesa great kind
(23:15):
of supplemental resourcewhere people could
be on our website. But then,if they are driving in their
car on their way home from workand they've been thinking
about this subject,they can put it on a playlist
that will sing to them.
Truth inspiredby the Word of God
that relates to their,their kind of crisis.
And so that's kind of yeah.
(23:37):
I love that.
I think that's greatto incorporate
the different mediumsthat people, you know,
are using nowadays.
And I love that,you know, really
it is our call to go outand to disciple to the world.
And, you know,using platforms like podcasts
and your websiteor the Covenant Eyes, you know,
our ministry outreach teamsand different ways
(23:57):
of reaching people.
It comes in alldifferent shapes and sizes.
So we all have a jobto do and a role to play.
And I think this isreally incredible.
So, you know,if a listener is interested
in checking you guys outand learning more
about the ministry and even justresearching topics
so that maybe,maybe they're just
new to the faith,or maybe they're they stumbled
(24:18):
on this podcast by accident.
Where would youdirect them to go?
And how do they get started?
What's a good place for them?
Yeah. Good question. So,we titled our ministry
Bibles.net in the hopesthat people would
it would be easy to find.
So if you just typein Bibles.net on your,
into Google,it should come up for you and,
(24:43):
Bibles.net also has a podcastso you can
look up the Bibles.net podcast,on Apple and Spotify
and YouTube.
But when you get to our website,there's the option to sign up.
And if you sign upwith our website,
you'll get monthly updatesas to new content
(25:04):
that you can exploreon the website.
You'll also,be wrapped into kind of
receiving a weeklydevotional for, from us,
and you'll kind ofjust be in the loop
as to new content.
But if if you want to startexploring on Bible.net,
we pray that that's prettystraightforward.
You could either do thatthrough the navigation,
(25:25):
which if you click on topics,you'll see all the different
types of topicsthat we have available.
So there will be,topics related to the Bible,
to a biblical worldviewor to life
challenges like pornography.
You'll see, page for everybook of the Bible
if you want to explore those.
(25:45):
But then also if you just typein whatever you're interested
into our search barthat will pull up,
any content on our siterelated to what's on your mind,
and our, our websitehas kind of a unique structure.
So if you go to the pageon pornography, for example,
or one of the four pages on it,what you'll find is not just one
(26:09):
kind of one article of content.
What you'll findis a kind of social media
looking pagethat has sermons, articles,
podcasts, song books,scripture verses, etc.
on it.
And what our search doesis it actually searches
every individual pieceof content on every page.
(26:29):
So that's a great way to explorewhat you're interested in
and just type in,you know, whatever it is.
Pornography, anxiety,the Book of John, God's heaven,
into the search barand Lord willing, you'll find,
somethingthat will be helpful to you.
You can also follow uson social media.
We have accounts on,Instagram, Facebook.
(26:51):
We have a YouTube channel.
And soyou can also find us there.
It's incredible.
I love I was poking around just,you know, looking up topics.
And I went to the pagethat talks about depression
and, you know,just going on here,
the wealth of resourcesthat are at your fingertips,
you know, as you're thinkingthrough like depression and,
(27:13):
and how you're feeling and,and how to deal with
it also directs you to like,you know, grief, because grief
could be tied into how,you know, your struggle
with depression.
But thenyou scroll down the page,
and I love thatthere are songs in hymns
that really speakto what you're experiencing.
I just could see how this isso beneficial to someone.
(27:33):
Not only are you gettingthe scripture,
but then you go farther downand you've got, you know,
an articleabout Charles Spurgeon
and his depressionthat he had struggled
with and just,it's amazing to me.
I really think this isa great tool and resource,
and not only for peoplethat may be struggling
with pornography,but we know that pornography
(27:54):
is just a symptom.
And oftenthere are many other triggers
and things that have led youto this place
of using pornography.
And that could be, you know,not dealing with,
trauma from the pastor depression and anxiety.
Those things can all leadyou into pornography.
So I feel like there'sa wealth of resources
for our listeners,but they could really take
a journey.
Tears site and reallyglean a ton of great information
(28:16):
and all centeredaround biblical truth.
It's it's quite incredible.
So thank you.
That's so encouraging to hear.
And yeah, we know that,ultimately, any resource that
they encounterwill give them a little piece
of the word of Godand, exposure to God's Word,
(28:37):
is healing and life givingkind of no matter what
we're going through. So.
Well, Eden, that's,all the time we have today,
but we wantedto thank you for joining us,
and thank you for your ministry,as Karen put it.
So.
Well, it'sthere's so much richness
of so much depth there.
But, as you've unpacked today,God's word is powerful
(29:00):
and we need that in our lives.
So to our listeners,thanks for joining.
And, certainly, please like thisand, share it if you can,
but please do visit this site.
The links will be in thein the show notes,
whether you're a pastoror a Christian,
there's just a wealthof information there.
So check it out.
That's it for today.
Thanks for joining us.
(29:20):
Take care.
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