RUN FROM TEMPTATION

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 New Living Translation

“Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

       Sex sells! We see it all around us in sitcoms, movies, advertising, magazines and real life.  Scantily clad women prance about with no shame on their face as they seek to draw attention to themselves.  Sex was designed to be a beautiful and essential ingredient of marriage, but the devil has taken it and made it a cheap, spur of the moment, anything goes type of thing.  Under the notion that we have needs that must be fulfilled, many of us give in to our baser impulses and end up in a big hot mess as a result.  I’m not judging anyone, though it may seem like it.  I’m human and I speak from experience.  Sex is one temptation that can grab a hold of you when you least expect it.  It takes God-given self-control to ward it off.  If we fall to such a temptation all is not lost, however, we must endure the consequences.  That’s not the way God intended it to be at all.  

       Nowadays it seems odd, by societal standards, to not sleep with everyone you meet.  This precious gift is given away so carelessly and once the deed is done there is no undoing it.  God loves us so much and wants us to know that there is nothing in this life that could ever take that love away.  That doesn’t give us the right to do with our bodies whatever we choose.  Sure, we can do whatever we want, but those who have ignored the warnings from the Lord in scripture have paid a heavy price.

       Some might say that God is a killjoy, taking all the fun out of life.  If you knew the future as God does you wouldn’t say that.  He is protecting you from your own flawed decisions. It’s difficult to admit that we don’t know what we are doing most of the time.  We need rules or standards to follow.  God’s standards are the only ones that never change and only have our very best interests at heart.  You are not being cheated out of fun or some physical satisfaction by walking away from such a temptation.  God knows that pure, lasting enjoyment and full satisfaction free from guilt is yours for the taking if you would only listen to him. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!

Resource: The Life Application Study Bible; published by Tyndale House.