Lust is a big problem in society today and I don't have to tell anybody that. It is obvious that you pass the objects of its affections on billboards, on everything from internet to television to magazine ads, you see it in the mall on store front windows and you see it walking the halls at school or at work. It is a struggle that I have personally gone through and a battle that I face every day, as most of my faithful readers know. I have talked about this subject a lot in the past, but today I am going to touch on something different (feel free to look back at my previous posts for more). It's not something you should hide and it's not something you should be embarassed about because let's be real - 99.9% of people go through it. That statistic is made up, of course because there is no real way of knowing unless I am God. The point I'm trying to make is that your church may not be talking about it or they may be judging you by it, your parents might be acting as if they have no idea that you're going through it, and at some point in your life as a Christian you probably were or are getting mad at God that sex before marriage is sin.
I am familiar with that "logic". I am familiar with wanting it. I am familiar with not caring anymore. I'm familiar with thinking my relationships will work despite it being in the mix. I'm familiar with it, period. I'm also familiar with the mind of Christ, thinking upon things that are holy, admirable, lovely, and pure. I am familiar with the struggle of going back and forth. I'm familiar with wanting the things that God wants for me. I'm familiar with the pain it brings when those relationships don't work out. You hear a lot of people tell you to not focus on the negative, but when it comes to sin looking at the negative can become an advantage because the negative effects always outweighs the seemingly positive effects of it. Most of us have developed this addiction based on not feeling loved or even because of insecurity or greed. Well guess what? God doesn't want to see you mask these problems with more of them. He wants to heal you, completely heal you and He doesn't want to strip away your fun either. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says - "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who practice homosexuality..."
I am familiar with that "logic". I am familiar with wanting it. I am familiar with not caring anymore. I'm familiar with thinking my relationships will work despite it being in the mix. I'm familiar with it, period. I'm also familiar with the mind of Christ, thinking upon things that are holy, admirable, lovely, and pure. I am familiar with the struggle of going back and forth. I'm familiar with wanting the things that God wants for me. I'm familiar with the pain it brings when those relationships don't work out. You hear a lot of people tell you to not focus on the negative, but when it comes to sin looking at the negative can become an advantage because the negative effects always outweighs the seemingly positive effects of it. Most of us have developed this addiction based on not feeling loved or even because of insecurity or greed. Well guess what? God doesn't want to see you mask these problems with more of them. He wants to heal you, completely heal you and He doesn't want to strip away your fun either. 1 Corinthians 6:9 says - "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who practice homosexuality..."
Those are not my words especially because most of my life I would not have been inheriting the kingdom of God for walking in habitual sin concerning this. Not inheriting the kingdom of God is the bigger picture, but there is also a smaller picture. Why does He tell us this if not to protect us? He tells us this for so many other reasons. Take masturbating, my biggest struggle. If we're so used to pleasing ourselves then when we do have a husband/wife it will be harder for them to fulfill our sexual desires. A friend gave me a great quote a couple of weeks ago or so: "If you keep masturbating and stimulating yourself, when your husband (or wife) comes, you will be fighting in the bedroom because you are so used to pleasing yourself" - Dr. Lorneka Rahming Joseph. It is the same with having sex before marriage or looking at pornography. If you really love the person that you have married then you are going to have such a hard time when these images pop into your head. You will constantly have to be rebuking these. Even in something as basic as having an ex who you've never slept with can be dangerous if you do not rebuke the temptation to compare everyone with them and the temptation to dwell on them.
God doesn't want you to date or entertain just anybody, for your own sake. Think about it. It can be hard even to be in a healthy relationship if you've had an ex, or even if you've had somebody that you've entertained hurt you. You have to go through a long, painful process of God healing you of trust issues, insecurities, wounds from any kind of abuse and more. It is so much easier when your first relationship is your last relationship, but for those (including myself) who have already been in an unhealthy relationship, or even in many unhealthy relationships, there is still hope. I know because I see healing in my own life. It sure does kill, but I know that sand doesn't become a pearl without the clam going through a painful process. I believe that one day, I will see complete healing from those wounds and that I'll see that healing also happen in many of you. So I will end this post with saying that listening to God never fails no matter what He's speaking to you about. Trusting God to heal you never does either. We're all striving towards the finish line. We're all facing some sort of battle. Why not be here to uplift and help each other along?
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