Acel ruminates

  This is an illustration of how lust looks like and what it does:

     According to tradition, this is how an Eskimo hunter kills a wolf.
   
First, the Eskimo coats his knife blade with animal blood and allows it
to freeze.  He then adds layer after layer of blood until the blade is
completely concealed by the frozen blood. 

    Next, the hunter
fixes his knife in the ground with the blade up.  When a wolf follows
his sensitive nose to the source of the scent and discovers the bait,
he licks it, tasting the fresh frozen blood.  He begins to lick faster,
more and more vigorously, lapping the blade until the keen edge is
bare.  Feverishly now, harder and harder, the wolf licks the blade in
the cold Arctic night.  His craving for blood becomes so great that the
wolf does not notice the razor-sharp sting of the naked blood on his
own tongue.  Nor does he recognize the instant when his insatiable
thirst is being satisfied by his own warm blood.  His carnivorous
appetite continues to crave more until in the morning light, the wolf
is found dead on the snow!

………Many young people begin using
drugs, drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, and engaging in pre
marital sex for the same reason that the wolf begin licking the knife
blade.  It seems safe and delicious at first, but it doesn’t satisfy.
More and more is desired, leading to a crisis— or death.  Don’t be
fooled by the temptations of sin.  Like the wolf, we can get away with
it for a while.  Eventually, however, its true character is revealed.
Sin leads to death and destruction- “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) —— (Youth talks by Wayne Rice)

      This
is the story I shared to our small group last Jan.23.  As we start the
year, I really want to talk about what God has to say about purity and
holiness.  I read this book “ Every Woman’s Battle” by Shannon Ethridge and Stephen Arterburn, and decided to use this as a material together with the Bible in our discussion about emotional and sexual integrity.

     A
lot of women today find themselves emotionally broken, lost, with low
self esteem, and in a never ending cycle of finding and losing
relationships because of emotional and sexual compromise.  They fall
into wrong relationships and pre-mature relationships, engaging in pre
marital sex and extra marital affairs because they didn’t guard their
hearts and emotions.  To live a life of emotional and sexual integrity,
our spiritual, emotional, mental and physical should be balanced.  If
one of these are neglected or abused, the result is sexual compromise
and emotional brokenness.

Here’s a list of points we talked about:

1.    Men and women are different.
Unlike men, women’s battle with sexual integrity begins with her heart
and thoughts, while men’s battle begins with what he takes in through
his eyes, guarding his eyes to maintain sexual integrity. Therefore,
women must closely guard their hearts and minds as well as their bodies
if they want to experience God’s plan for sexual and emotional
fulfillment.

2.    God has a plan for our sexual and emotional fulfillment.  In Romans 12:1,2 “Therefore,
I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as
living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- this is your spiritual act
of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able
to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect
will. 

God’s will is definitely good, pleasing and
perfect. (I’m a witness to that.. and I know until now, God is dealing
some things in my life)   The only reason most people don’t experience
this perfect will, is because they choose their ways than God’s ways.
We have to align ourselves in God’s providential will and moral will in
order for us to be in the right position to receive God’s perfect will
in our lives. 
We have to renew our minds and see God and ourselves in the right perspective.

In Colossians 1:16b “ All things were created by him and for him”.
That means God created us for him.  Knowing that truth, we can only be
truly satisfied by having a personal relationship with God. (And that
is through accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and
Savior–Acknowledging that we sinned and that his death on the cross
saved us from sin and it’s power; Acknowledging that from now on, his
will be done as Lord of your life )

3.    Not even a hint.  Ephesians 5:3-4 “
But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of
any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s
holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse
joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.

    
You may think that the phrase “not even a hint” is impossible to reach,
but with God, all things are possible.  God in his infinite wisdom
knows that if we let an itsy bitsy impure thought stay in our heads,
this will grow and will not be satisfied.. and at the end, it will give
birth to sin.  One way to be free from lust is if we kill it — starve
it to death.  If you feed those little monsters.. it’ll become so huge
and it will make you it’s slave.  There’s also a spirit behind this,
but if we ask for forgiveness, turn to God, renounce this lust, we can
cast it out in Jesus name. ☺

4.    Virginity is not the measure of purity.
You can be a virgin yet be impure.. and not be a virgin, but be pure
(thanks to God’s amazing grace that purifies us when we confess our
sins and turn to him).  God sees the heart, and we can’t fool him.
Purity goes through the physical.  It includes our hearts, our
thoughts, our words and conversation, our actions, and even the clothes
we wear.  God sees our motives. 

5.    God’s Promise.  In 1 Corinthians 10:13 “
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man.  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
stand up under it. 
      That means, we can’t use the
cliché phrase “ I’m only human”.  If we accepted Jesus as our Lord and
Savior, his spirit now lives in us, therefore we have the fruit of the
spirit which includes self control.  As human beings, we have minds to
think and a free will to make a choice. It’s either we follow God’s
ways or our ways.

6.    Legalism vs. Love.
Having a list of do’s and don’ts won’t go too far.  This is because
they are based on what is culturally and socially acceptable.  The
standard we need is something that can withstand time, and culture—
and that is God’s truth.

In Matthew 22:37-40
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and
with all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment.  And
the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” All the law
and the prophets hang on these 2 commandments.”

   
This means that, the law isn’t what’s important.. but LOVE is.  If we
love God, our neighbor, and ourselves (in that order) then we can live
far above any rules.  We should not focus on what is allowed but what
is best for all involved.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24 “Everything
is permissible but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is
permissible but not everything is constructive.  Nobody should seek his
own good, but the good of others.”

(e.g.  There’s no law
against flattering clothes, but is our motive in wearing them to build
others up or to build up our ego?,  While it’s lawful for a married
woman to flirt with a man, is it a loving thing to do?)

Conclusion: (I got this conclusion from the book)
 
   
“Sexual and emotional integrity means that her thoughts, words,
emotions, and actions reflect an inner beauty and a sincere love for
God, others and herself.  This doesn’t mean she is never tempted to
think, say, feel, or do something inappropriate, but that she tries
diligently to resist these temptations and stands firm in her
convictions.  She doesn’t use men in an attempt to get her emotional
cravings met or entertain sexual or romantic fantasies about men she is
not married to.. She doesn’t dress to seek male attention, but she
doesn’t limit herself to a wardrobe of ankle-length muumuus, either.
She may dress fashionably and look sharp or may even appear sexy, but
her motivation isn’t self-seeking or seductive.  She presents herself
as an attractive woman because she knows she represents God to others.” (Book:  Every single woman’s battle by Shannon Ethridge)

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