Sex (Drugs) and God
The civil war in America ended on April 9th, 1865. (April 9th happens to be my birthday.) But the battle against lust in my heart is not a battle won on a particular day. The battle against lust or any other sin in my heart is won or lost every day, even every hour or minute.
Drug and alcohol addicts can be clean for many years. But there may be times when their desire to be intoxicated is great. And there may be a time when they do get intoxicated after many years of sobriety. The desire for immoral sexual "intoxication" is little bit different.
When I was a teenager all I had to do was think about women and I would get an erection. I could sustain that for a long time and the pleasure was no small thing. It may be that this kind of sinful sexual pleasure is less problematic than drugs or alcohol. No one is likely to get run over or die from an overdose if I nurse my erection for an hour. But in terms of God's call to holiness sinful sexual activity may be more problematic than drugs and alcohol. And it may be connected to drug and alcohol use. Alcohol and/or drugs can lead to sinful sex. And sinful sex can lead to alcohol and/or drugs. Alone or combined with other addictions sexual sin can produce a rapist, a date rapist, a voyeur, a prostitute male or female, a pimp or madam, a pornographer, a pedophile, and a sex slave trafficker.
A Christian who is addicted should feel shame for the guilt of their sin. But they should not be in despair for that shame. Thank God that you can be ashamed. God rebuked his people because they had lost their sense of shame for their sins. Jeremiah 6:15 and 8:12. "they did not know how to blush..." I believe that your shame is proof that you understand God's displeasure with sin, with your sin. Shouldn't we keep that in mind always? That God is displeased with our sins?
God created us for His pleasure! Revelation 4:11. Only the King James version translates the word as pleasure. Other versions translated as "will" or "purpose". But it's impossible to imagine God who is good carrying out His will and purpose without taking great pleasure in it. Isn't the difficulty in discovering God's will, purpose and pleasure for my life caused by the corruption of my will, purpose and pleasure? And not to be trite or silly, doesn't Father know best?
I believe that the final end of unchecked idolatry comes as a person worships him or her self. That is what Satan did. He thought so much of himself that he decided he could be God. Isaiah 14:12-20. In the garden Satan had to lie and deceive in order to become the god of this world. But God, who is taken by surprise by nothing, who has a superior and perfect will and purpose, God does take pleasure in creation and is greatly pleased when His creation takes pleasure in Him. And He is most pleased when His we who are created in His image and likeness find that our purpose and pleasure is to please God our Father. The Father Son and (Father Daughter) relationship in Agape and Phileo are the goal. As someone said, heaven is not the goal, heaven is the guarantee! So I will make my goal to remember God everyday, and remember him frequently in the day, and do only the things which please Him.
"Owe nothing to anyone except to love and seek the best for one another; for he who [unselfishly] loves his neighbor has fulfilled the [essence of the] law [relating to one’s fellowman].The commandments, “ You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet,” and any other commandment are summed up in this statement: “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself .”Love does no wrong to a neighbor [it never hurts anyone]. Therefore [unselfish] love is the fulfillment of the Law." - Romans 13:8-10 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans13:8-10&version=AMP
I can't think of any better way to please God than to love my neighbor. And I can't think of anything more necessary to be able to love my neighbor then to have great love for God.
