Sex is hot!
The battle for our integrity
The spiritual battle surrounding sexuality
Sex is a topic that always stirs up emotions. The media give it plenty of coverage. In recent weeks, magazines, newspapers, and TV programs have discussed the Epstein files at length. This billionaire, who welcomed his “friends” to his private island to indulge in young girls, is notorious. Well-known people, such as Prince Andrew of England and other dignitaries, fear what else will come to light. How sad that this proves once again that power corrupts, and that with money, anything that comes into someone’s sick mind can be carried out. The juicy stories are sometimes announced in large “chocolate letters” on the front page of the tabloids in England. Sex is wonderful, but at the same time, it can be life-threatening and harmful if handled incorrectly.
Deeply sad
Last Sunday I heard a sermon about pornography in our church. However, today I want to broaden the scope beyond that topic. Look at all the signals that come at us through the media. It is shocking to see how much goes wrong in this area, especially within the Christian community. Over the years, I have seen many well-known men fall. Men who were known for their powerful preaching and their enormous passion for spreading the gospel worldwide. Suddenly you hear that they have fallen from their pedestal.
They end their lives in silence because of sin. That is deeply sad. Yesterday, the preacher rightly said that a spiritual war is raging. Many people do not realize this. They do not realize that darkness is constantly trying to silence believers and destroy their testimony.
Your marriage suffers
Ephesians 6:12 teaches us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. It is a battle in the spiritual world against the dark powers in the heavenly realms. The enemy uses sexuality as an effective weapon. He uses this means to do his destructive work in people’s lives. This has enormous consequences for your personal existence. Your relationship with God is seriously damaged as a result. Your marriage also suffers. When you give in to any form of sexual impurity, you give room to a spirit from the unseen world. A power that fuels lust. Your life then becomes entangled in an addiction that ultimately only results in shame and loneliness.
That temptation makes people unhappy
God gave sexuality as a wonderful secret between a man and a woman. Precisely because it is God’s plan that this beauty should flourish within marriage, the enemy tries to tempt people to live outside God’s protection. That process already began in paradise. Although it was not about sex, temptation was at the heart of it. That temptation makes people unhappy and causes them to become estranged from themselves.
I see the consequences of this every day in the media. Today I read in the newspaper about a woman who is trying to come to terms with her rape by a church organist. She is seeking a path to liberation by writing poetry. It is heartbreaking that a girl was abused for a year in the privacy of a church organ room by someone thirty years her senior.
Double life
I have a book here by the well-known American author Mike Bickle: Passion for Jesus. In this book, he writes that the Lord looks at our sincerity and devotion, even when we fail or are weak. He states that God finds us beautiful. I would add the word “despite” to that. After all, the Bible says that whoever is without sin may cast the first stone.
Still, I don’t understand how people can lead such double lives. Someone who could speak so inspiringly, who could write such good books, such as this book with the subtitle: Growing in Passionate Love for God. I know that every person has their weaknesses. But in the area of sexuality, we unfortunately see very often that things go wrong.
Take Mike Bickle, for example. He started a huge prayer movement. He had a powerful conversion and was a popular speaker at conferences. Especially in the charismatic world, people looked up to him because of his visions and prophecies. He attracted a lot of attention and was very popular. But then he met a fourteen-year-old girl. He couldn’t take his eyes off her.
What began as spiritual mentorship ended in abuse. This woman remained silent for years. This allowed him to continue while she thought he was a man of God. She often blamed herself. He abused his spiritual authority to gain and maintain power over her. He used fear and prophecies to control her life. He always promised to do better, but each time it went wrong again. Later, it turned out that there were many more victims. He called them “the chosen ones” in his prophecies in order to get them completely under his control. He managed their schedules and isolated them from their surroundings in order to abuse them.
This is disastrous for a ministry, but even worse for the name of Christ. The outside world is now pointing the finger at the church. People say that the church is apparently no better than the rest of the world. The world accepts a lot. Nowadays, people think it is normal for someone to watch pornography or commit adultery. However, when the church claims to have moral standards but engages in the same practices, it is a great disgrace.
Clear principles
We must dare to look in the mirror. In 1 Corinthians 6:18, it says that we must flee from sexual immorality. Jesus said that anyone who lusts after a woman in his heart has already committed adultery. These are clear principles that God gives us. Ephesians 5:3 calls us to not give place to immorality in our lives.
If we say we follow the Lord, we must take these biblical principles seriously. We must keep our hearts pure. The enemy wants to tempt us, but God gives us the weapons to remain pure. That command applies to everyone. Whether you are on stage, sitting in the pew, playing the organ, or singing in the choir. Guard your heart above all else.
Sex is beautiful, but also dangerous if you ignore the boundaries. Let us handle this gift carefully within the safety of marriage. Anything outside of that causes damage. I hope these words help you to guard your heart; that is also my intention.
@wimvanputten