1 Corinthians 6:16-20 (The Message)
16-20There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever——the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please; squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.
It took me entirely too long to “get”, I mean really get, what the above verses mean and just how intensely important the message its giving us. As I was speaking to the awesome high schoolers from First Baptist in Van Buren last night I told them that I wanted them to “get” it before they left there. I have looked and looked at this passage, especially verse 18. Paul is not merely suggesting that we flee from sexual immorality. He isn’t saying, “hey, it might be a good idea if you stay away from sexual immorality”. He is outright commanding it. He is giving us a very clear warning! There really is no other sin that does to the mind, the body, the soul and the heart what sexual sin does. A year ago I sent out a private message on facebook to about fifty of my high school friends and asked one simple question; did you wait for marriage to have sex? If you did are you glad you waited and if you didn’t do you regret it? Of course the ones who waited did not regret waiting. In fact, they said it was so worth the wait. What broke my heart were the responses of the ones who didn’t wait. The pain, the regret and the shame was still there even after all of these years and that just proves that God is serious about what He tells us about sex outside of marriage. He created it to be an amazing and beautiful thing and it is when it is within the safe boundaries of marriage. Outside of marriage sex is devastating, heart breaking and nothing good. As I spoke last night I searched the faces of each one. I believe God has given me discernment when it comes to reading facial expressions as I speak. I could definitely see that there were some who are still very pure in the eyes of God. But I also saw the faces of a few of the girls and what I saw all over their broken faces was shame, guilt and regret. I saw the hearts of these few as well and what I saw was brokenness. I offered them hope, hope that can only be found in Jesus. I made sure that each one there last night knew and believed that Jesus will absolutely heal their hurting heart and wounded soul and will restore them back to how it was meant to be. God did his thing last night, just as He always does.
With all that said, when I first totally submitted myself to God three years ago, I was really focused on talking to teens but then as I got deeper into the abortion recovery ministry I felt that God no longer wanted me to focus so much on teaching sexual integrity so I somewhat put it on the back burner but now, after this past week, with speaking last night, and starting Chastity Challenge with two girls at the PHC, God is lighting a fire within me for this ministry again. Truth is, it is badly needed. These kids are totally missing a huge picture and its simply because they just don’t know. Why are we not taking the time to talk with them? Why are we not taking the time to show them and educate them? Why are parents so afraid to just be real with their children? These kids just need to be equipped and informed of what it’s all about and as I visit with these teens, especially the girls, well mainly just the girls, I am finding that they simply just don’t understand. They are out there thinking they have it all figured out when in fact they don’t and their spirit is being shattered in the process. Girls want a hero, they want a prince and the fairy tail but what they are not getting is that Jesus is that Hero, He is their Prince. He is all they need and the only Source of love they so desperately want. Instead they keep searching, going from guy to guy, looking for fulfillment that they will not find. So, these are precisely the reasons why I will continue to speak to teenagers whenever I have the opportunity to do so. At first I really didn’t know that I could speak on both abortion recovery and sexual purity but God is helping me to see that with Him in control that all things are possible so I am trusting Him and I will follow Him where ever He leads me.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Search me, God, and know my heart.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
What can I say, I have prayed this A LOT lately and trust me God is searching and He is finding anxiousness and offensiveness in my heart. Satan is throwing situations my way that are frustrating and oh so annoying. Nothing major but in a sense it is major because the enemy is succeeding with his plan to take my focus off of God and the things and people that are most important to me. What’s worse is that I have been allowing this to happen. I was warned of this and I have read over and over again of how the enemy is out to ruin those who are in the ministry. Again it’s nothing major. It’s the little things that irritate me and then after time the irritation gets to a boiling point and before I know it I find myself totally missing opportunities that God lays before me. So here is what I am going to do from this point on; I am going to start each day by asking God to search me and to know my heart and to point out any bitterness within me. Once He searches me and shows me I am then going to lay it before Him and just allow Him to take it off my hands. And through the day should something arise that will no doubt annoy me then I just ask that He will jolt me, with force if needed, before it even gets to that point. There is nothing I want more than for the end of the day to come and hear God whisper to me, “your thoughts and your actions were pleasing to me today daughter, well done”. From this day on, I will no longer allow the actions or the words of my co-workers get to me. I will no longer allow that idiot driver who drives in the slow lane or pulls out in front of me cause me to sin with ungodly thoughts and words. I will no longer allow my 12 year old son (who is just like me by the way) push my buttons to the point I am yelling at him. Is this all going to be hard? Uh, yeah, it is but this is something God has so been convicting me with and I just want my every thought and my every action to please Him and honestly, here lately, He has not been pleased with this daughter. I realize that I am being pretty gutsy by making these declarations and no doubt I will fail at times but this is something God has really been showing me lately and I have to be obedient and I will be obedient.
So as I close, I just encourage anyone who is reading this, do you struggle with this same thing? I pray that you pray the above verses each day and just see what happens.
Until the next post....:)
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
What can I say, I have prayed this A LOT lately and trust me God is searching and He is finding anxiousness and offensiveness in my heart. Satan is throwing situations my way that are frustrating and oh so annoying. Nothing major but in a sense it is major because the enemy is succeeding with his plan to take my focus off of God and the things and people that are most important to me. What’s worse is that I have been allowing this to happen. I was warned of this and I have read over and over again of how the enemy is out to ruin those who are in the ministry. Again it’s nothing major. It’s the little things that irritate me and then after time the irritation gets to a boiling point and before I know it I find myself totally missing opportunities that God lays before me. So here is what I am going to do from this point on; I am going to start each day by asking God to search me and to know my heart and to point out any bitterness within me. Once He searches me and shows me I am then going to lay it before Him and just allow Him to take it off my hands. And through the day should something arise that will no doubt annoy me then I just ask that He will jolt me, with force if needed, before it even gets to that point. There is nothing I want more than for the end of the day to come and hear God whisper to me, “your thoughts and your actions were pleasing to me today daughter, well done”. From this day on, I will no longer allow the actions or the words of my co-workers get to me. I will no longer allow that idiot driver who drives in the slow lane or pulls out in front of me cause me to sin with ungodly thoughts and words. I will no longer allow my 12 year old son (who is just like me by the way) push my buttons to the point I am yelling at him. Is this all going to be hard? Uh, yeah, it is but this is something God has so been convicting me with and I just want my every thought and my every action to please Him and honestly, here lately, He has not been pleased with this daughter. I realize that I am being pretty gutsy by making these declarations and no doubt I will fail at times but this is something God has really been showing me lately and I have to be obedient and I will be obedient.
So as I close, I just encourage anyone who is reading this, do you struggle with this same thing? I pray that you pray the above verses each day and just see what happens.
Until the next post....:)
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