If you’ve never been in a fight…how do you know how well you’ll react or what you’ll do? If you’ve never practiced or taken a single self-defense class, but step into the octagon against a trained Martial Artist, do you think you’ll win that fight?
“Well the answer is simple, Rock. I wouldn’t step into the octagon!”
Too late. You were born. You exist. Whether you believer it or not, you are on the battlefield. Life is full of victories and losses.
How many times have we heard something along the lines of, “You shouldn’t have to go outside without worrying about being profiled, or experiencing racism, getting kidnapped, being stalked, fearing for your life, worrying about your child going to school, fearing a bombing, fearing a mass shooting, getting raped, or being abused.”
“But, Rock. People are just saying you “shouldn’t” have to…”
Here’s the thing…Who told you that? Who told you that you should be able to do whatever you want, go wherever you want, and nothing bad should ever happen to you? Is it in the Bible? Are there conditions to it? Let’s put a pin in that for now. But keep it in mind as we begin.
If you’ve never been in a fight, but face off against a trained Martial Artist, you’re going to get wrecked. Why? Because you’re vulnerable to all kinds of attacks. You don’t know how to defend yourself, or how the person’s gonna attack, or what to do when you’re getting hit.
I grew up in a strict environment where my Jehovah Witness parents tried to keep me in a bubble. They had parental locks on all the channels. We couldn’t watch anything above the PG-13 rating. We weren’t allowed to talk to friends over the phone or even go hang out with peers unless they were also Jehovah’s Witnesses. They did this in their attempt to “protect us,” using the scriptural logic about how “bad association creates un-useful habits.”
But what happens when we leave the nest? How many times have you heard of the preacher’s daughter falling for the bad guy and ending up all kinds of bad situations. One case comes to mind out of Texas, where “Betty Williams” was raised by her strict overbearing religious parents…fell for the bad boy star football player, and literally requested for him to shoot her to death.
Unless you intend to keep yourself confined to dealing with just those in the same religious community you were born into, you’re likely to venture out into the world. And believe it or not, the real world is an octagon. Most, if not all, of your opponents are trained by Satan.
These opponents aren’t literal fighters looking to physically beat the snot out of you, but they are looking to defeat you, to get you to tap out and submit. These opponents come in the form of friends and enemies alike. They come in the form of substance, of money, of pleasure, of love, of fun, of lies.
My senior year in high school was the only “normal” school year I ever had. It was the only year where my brothers were all out of the house so it was just me. I had a job, had my own car, and was part of an after-school club. Thus, I was free from my parent’s supervision. Free from my parents telling me what I could or couldn’t do. I had left the bubble.
And in that 12th grade year, I learned something I’ll never forget. While my parents had kept me in that religious bubble, everyone else already had grown up with more real-world experience than I did. I was 18, but had the social skills of a 12-year-old. I was naïve, gullible, and unrealistically optimistic. Everyone else had years of learning the social cues, ulterior motives, deception, betrayal, lust, and affection.
I remember I used to tell girls all the time, “You have pretty eyes!” if I thought they indeed had pretty eyes. To me, this was just a harmless, nice compliment. Wasn’t till later that a friend pointed out how I was a “heartbreaker”. She claimed I was hitting on them, giving them the hope of my asking them out, but I never would.
I had no idea that’s what I was doing! Everything was new to me at the age of 18. It was embarrassing, abysmal. I felt stupid and subpar. Even freshmen were more savvy and experienced than I was. Everything I was taught by Jehovah Witnesses during that time living in their bubble was useless to me in the real world when it came to fitting in. And fitting in…it kinda matters to young people.
In so many ways, my parents raised us for a world that doesn’t exist. Life isn’t one big Family Matters episode. It isn’t “Saved by the Bell” or “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” Everyone else was privy to Southpark, BET, and MTV shows like “The Real World”. Thus…when I left the nest, I had to hit the ground running before taking off in a full sprint just to catch up with my peers. To try and be one of them.
Because that’s what we’re supposed to do, right? Try and be one of them? People talk a good game about how it’s cool and acceptable to be “different.” But I dare say, pedophiles and serial killers are “different”? Doesn’t mean society accept and tolerate them, does it.
That’s a bit extreme, but you can tell where I’m going with this. True believing Christians ARE different from the majority of the world. Yes, you’ll see stats about how most people “claim” to be Christians or Catholics, but I think they’re mistaken. Anyone can claim they’re a Christian but barely know what it means or what Jesus taught. I could say I’m a biker because I’m wearing black leather and gear…but if I don’t own a motorcycle or know how to drive it…am I really a biker?
Succinctly put…a Christian is an individual who voluntarily chooses to believe in Christ as our Lord and Savior, and follows the teachings of him and his Apostles. This “believing” goes beyond a mere a “yes” or “no” box when someone asks you. Your belief is demonstrated in the way you live your life.
Let me put it this way. “Belief” as a Christian is like a gift wrapped box on the table. I believe there are millions who know that the box is there. They pass it every day. They acknowledge that it’s the gift Christ gave us….but that’s it. They don’t go near it. They don’t touch it. They won’t open it up. They’ll pass down knowledge of that box to their children. And thus, their children know the box is there…but they have no idea what’s inside.
The Christians I’m talking about who are different from “most,” are the ones who not only acknowledge that the box is on the table, but they opened it up, found out what’s inside, and choose to carry it with them wherever they go. These Christians aren’t the type to say, “There is no place for religion in school, politics, or business.”
These Christians truly view Jesus as their Lord, not a puppet figure, or powerful in name only. They see Jesus as their actual ruler who gave commands and guidance through parables, sermons, and apostles about how we should live our lives.
Can you imagine it? That there are real people among you who serves a real Lord, here in America. This Lord is not money, sex, popularity, pleasure, or the president. It’s Jesus Christ. In everything they do, every decision they make, whether they will or won’t do something, they consider what Jesus Christ taught them. Yes, they sometimes fall short. But they “strive” to put Him first. It’s the conviction in their heart and the effort they put in.
Juxtapose that with the Christians who say things like, “Alright! We know you’re a man of God! Now shut up! Dang. I don’t want to hear about the Bible right now!”
“Well, Rock. There is a time and place for things. Maybe some Christians aren’t ready to hear the truth. It doesn’t make them any less Christian.”
Whether it does or doesn’t, isn’t my call. I’m not the one you’ll have to answer to. But remember what Jesus said at Matthew 7:13-14, that the path of righteousness is a narrow gate. The gate that’s wider is easy, but it leads to destruction and those who enter it are many. The narrow gate is hard, but leads to life and those who find it are few. “Many” meaning “most.” “Few” meaning “less than.”
If the narrow gate is hard, why would anyone want to go through it? Why is the path of righteousness not easier? I used to ask myself those questions. If God wants us to love, serve, and obey him…why would he make it so hard?
Well, the answer to that brings us to Satan and his Wicked Demons.
Put it this way…If you were alone on a beautiful island. The animals won’t hurt you. There’s plenty of food and fresh water and it was all created for you to enjoy it. And the only rule God gave you is that you can’t drink “beer”. If there is no beer and you don’t even know how to make it, it sounds like an easy rule to follow, right?
Then one day, a ship captain visits and he brings a ton of beer, with party music and the hottest women you’ve ever seen. You love women. These women are into you. They want you. But they won’t give you the time of day unless you drink beer. The captain’s telling you, “Dude, go for it. Just take one chug! You’ll be fine! You want those hot women, don’t you? Then drink! Chug! Chug! Chug!”
Suddenly God’s rule about not drinking beer is extremely difficult…isn’t it. And what’s sad is that instead of blaming this ship captain…humans are so quick to blame God. This isn’t even an exact analogy for the Garden of Eden, because in the garden, not only did God provide, food, water, and peace with animals…but even there he provided a beautiful wife for man. And even there…we couldn’t obey. We fell for temptation and listened to the metaphorical ship captain.
It’s not God that’s making it so hard to serve him. It’s Satan and his Demons. Growing up, I used to hear all the time that this world is dominated by Satan and his wicked demons. But what does that mean? Who is Satan? Exactly how much control does he have and how much damage has he done since the beginning of human existence? And more importantly, why would God create Satan?
The answer to that question would answer the question of why God created you. Why aren’t you a program with one specific function and no barrier to deviate, but to do that said function and then expire? Why is it that you have the ability to choose what you want to do?
People who hate accountability will say they have no choice, but that’s false. Even if you have a gun to your head, you still have a choice. It’s a difficult, messed up choice. But a choice nonetheless. In everything we do, there’s always a choice. Being born isn’t a choice, because we didn’t DO that. Our parents procreated so that we now exist.
All of it stems from free-will. Without free-will, you would not be you. You would be a toy. A machine. An object.
WHO IS SATAN?
Satan was an Angel. There are millions, if not billions of invisible Angels that exist, watching over us, doing God’s bidding. And like us, they have free-will. They can choose to obey God or rebel against God. Satan chose to rebel. Even Jesus had a choice, in Matthew Chapter 4, when he was tempted during the 40 days after his baptism. He could’ve rebelled like Satan did. Starting in verse 8, Satan showed him all the kingdoms of the world and promised to give Jesus the kingdoms if Jesus bowed down to worship him. Jesus chose to remain faithful to God.
Satan is called the Great Deceiver, the Father of the Lie, because it was Satan who took the form of a serpent and lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Eve was well aware that God warned, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Gen 3: 3)
That’s when Satan told her, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
This was a lie. The first lie. It was enticing. And Eve fell for it. She ate from the fruit. Convinced Adam to do the same. And thus…sin entered the world. Thus, we all grow old and sick and die. So when you hear people complain and cry out, “WHY!!! WHY DO THESE TERRIBLE THINGS KEEP HAPPENING!”
It’s because of Satan.
Sometimes when I talk to people who haven’t read the Bible, they often complain about the world and how messed up everything is. They like to blame God or religion, saying things like, “I don’t believe in God. Because if there is a God, why would he allow this to happen?”
If I baked a batch of cookies and told you not to eat the burnt one because it’s awful…but someone else came and told you that the burnt one tastes good and gives you lots of energy…why would you blame me and not the one who lied to you, if you CHOOSE to eat the burnt one and incur the results of an awful bitter taste?
“Well, Rock. I’d just throw away the burnt one.”
Clever answer, but it doesn’t exactly fit the scenario. If one person tells you that it tastes awful, but another person tells you actually tastes good and gives you lots of energy…Let’s use a real world example. If one person says sex outside of marriage is good, but another person tells you that sex outside of marriage is immoral, what will you do? And please don’t tell me you’re going to kill everyone you’re attracted to.
My point is, one person is lying to you. And you demonstrate who you have faith in by your actions, the choices you make.
In reading the Bible, it does instill a certain level of respect for the greatest adversary ever created. By respect, I’m not talking about reverence and admiration, I’m talking about the acknowledgement of one’s power, influence, and deeds. Kind of like Hitler.
We know it’s taboo to utter a single praise about the man, but one can’t overlook how he was able to unite Germany, stand atop a tyrannical regime and demand a God-like reverence from his subordinates to commit unspeakable crimes against humanity. Regardless of “how” he did it, he still did it, sad to say. It’s my opinion that if to bury your head in the sand and refuse to acknowledge any of that…you’re making yourself vulnerable to history repeating itself.
And when it comes to history, Satan has been around since before Adam and Eve. He’s witnessed, studied, and observed humankind for an eternity, observing our behavior, our wants, our desires, our needs, our pleasures, our goals, our ambitions, our hatred, our love.
Knowing this, I’ve come to terms with the fact that Satan’s intelligence is superior to our own by far. You can’t outwit the most skilled manipulator, the great enticer. Paintings and movies often depict Satan as this scary figure that haunts our nightmares, but that doesn’t make sense. Looking like that would ward off the sheep, not entice them closer. I believe Satan is most likely the most beautiful and seductive creation that ever existed.
By voluntarily choosing to be Christians, we make ourselves the biggest targets to his schemes. In Luke 5:31, Jesus said that “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick do. 32 I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
He said this when he was being questioned about why he was cavorting with sinners and tax collectors. Today, wicked people will often use this scripture to justify calling themselves Christians while openly celebrating, embracing, and condoning immoral behavior and lifestyles that God himself called abominations.
Jesus didn’t come for those who were already righteous, but to target sinners and get them to repent. Similarly, Satan targets Christians, those who endeavor to put God first. Repent means to “turn away.” Jesus wanted sinners to repent, to turn away from their worldly immoral lifestyles. Satan wants Christians to repent or “turn away” from God.
Even when it comes to Atheists and their rejection of the belief in God…someone once said that it’s in human nature to worship something and I agree. Atheism is a relatively new thing, coming about in the aftermath of the French Revolution. Before then, societies have always had some kind of deity or religious system of reliefs. So if you’re not worshiping God, who are you worshiping. I think some worship their fandoms, their movements, their cause, their street code, money, sex, beauty, politics, and in most cases…people worship themselves.
The reason why Satan wants us to turn away from God is because Satan knows his end is near. The Book of Revelations tells us that Satan’s going to be destroyed and he’s trying to bring down as many as he can with him. Without God in our hearts, we are lost to Satan. The devil’s tactics and ideologies have worked since antiquity. I believe, the best way we can guard ourselves, is the same way any fighter learns to defend themselves..through training, discipline, and knowledge. Through knowledge, we have faith.
That knowledge…comes from the Bible. If you know how a person attacks, you can guard against it. This is what they mean when they call on the Armor of God. In Ephesians 6: 10-20, the Apostle Paul uses beautiful language to describe it.
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.
16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;
17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
In verse 10, Apostle Paul mentions the Schemes of the Devil. What are the schemes of the Devil? Here, I take caution to teach, because I have read scriptures about how we shouldn’t be experts of evil. I don’t proclaim to be a professor of evil ways. But as a Witness of history (and an author who’s done a ton of research on criminal behavior), I can identify many tactics used by the devil to get people to fall away.
If it wasn’t for Satan, an entire generation of Israelites wouldn’t have had to perish the forty years in the wilderness after leaving Egypt. If it wasn’t for Satan, Jim Jones wouldn’t have convinced over 900 people to kill themselves in a little place called Jonestown. If it wasn’t for Satan, 6 million Jews wouldn’t have been exterminated in the Holocaust, or the Rwandan Genocide.
Throughout history, with Satan’s influence, mankind has twisted and manipulated religion to serve their own wicked agenda, to lure sheep away from the flock. People will say things like, “all sins are the same” or “we’re all sinners” as if one has no place teaching someone else the error of their ways.
“He who is without sin cast the first stone!”
…They love that line…
That right there is a huge reason why, especially these days, our generation is so messed up and backwards. By backwards, I mean how morality and virtue are seen as something undesirable and lame, while the celebrating and encouragement of sexual immorality, vice, and corruption is approved. Hip hop culture comes to mind right away. Even if people openly “say” they admire those who are virtuous and upright, if you ask that same person if they would behave virtuously or upright, they’d be like “nope…I like sex/weed/vice/partying/having fun” too much.
Just recently, female rappers who’s names shant be mentioned, put out a song about their wet genitals and it reached millions of views on Youtube in a single day and jumped to number 1 on Spotify. When conservative pundits pointed out how immoral and the negative influence it has on young women, those pundits were called misogynists who were intimidated by strong women to discredit their message. Well played, Satan.
Meanwhile over 70% of black children are born into single parent homes. And while there are success stories with a lot of those children growing up to live productive lives, one can’t overlook the glaring similarities of those who are incarcerated, who abuse drugs, who end up in gangs, who end up as serial killers, kidnappers, rapists, or ultimately go on to perpetuate the cycle of birthing children out wedlock.
Even in the Black Lives Matter manifesto (which was recently removed), it called for the dismantling of the “patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.” Didn’t say anything about encouraging two-parent homes, or fathers in the home.
And if you’re a Christian who believes in the Bible, then you know that this is what marriage is for. Fathers, men are to be the heads of the household. Wives are to submit to their husbands. In 1st Corinthians Chapter 7, the Apostle Paul teaches that marriage isn’t just about raising children, but to keep ourselves from engaging in sexual immorality. (1st Corinth: 7:9)
No one likes to talk about that, because you’d be hard pressed to find a single person who isn’t celibate or waiting till marriage to have sex. On the contrary, there’s an increase of pressure on young men to have sex out of fear of being called Incels. There’s pressure on young women to have sex or else they’ll lose their guy to a girl who will…again, well played, Satan.
And of course, I’ll never forget my first time reading the Bible all the way through and read how God feels about homosexuality. The world is telling us to be more accepting and tolerant of all lifestyles. People are losing their jobs, their careers to even speak against the issue. They’re called bigots and homophobes and I was like…how did this happen?
I asked on my Facebook wall long ago, “There’s no right or wrong, only popular opinion. Is this true? If it’s not true, then who decides what’s right or wrong.”
Many said there is a right or wrong, and God decides. Then again, I ask…HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
If God decides what’s right or wrong, how has it come to the point that revealing what God deems to be wrong…can get you fired? Even on a Seinfeld episode where there was misconceptions about Jerry and George being gay, they kept clarifying that they weren’t gay and cautiously followed up with, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that.”
“Because, Rock! Not everyone believes as you believe! Not everyone is religious.”
Bingo…You’re absolutely right. Most people aren’t.
“Rock! How could you possibly know that most people aren’t! Who do you think you are!?”
I’m just a man who believes in the Bible. The scripture I mentioned about the narrow gate is just one example of this. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 22:14, “many are called, but few are chosen”.
When asked about the time before the end, Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24:9-12:
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Perhaps my favorite parable Jesus taught was about the seed sower in Matthew Chapter 13. I encourage everyone to read. (Add clip from Gospel of Mark Video)
Reading the Bible arms you, equips you with the knowledge to cut through the lies, the tactics and fend off against Satan’s enticement. It’s enticing because “popular opinion” and “Woke Mainstream Culture” has become a religion in of itself with the advent of social media.
Just recently, I read/watched the account of a man who’s going through a divorce because his Wife joined Onlyfans. His wife, Nikole Mitchell, is a mother, who also claims to be a pastor and a life coach and came out as bi-sexual…now she’s selling images of her body on Onlyfans. There’s so much to unpackage there. But suffice to say, she’s but one example of millions who have fallen prey to Satan’s enticements. The example here, being fast and easy money.
And when it comes to today’s “Woke Mainstream” culture, it really is quite similar to religion. Because the Bible says if you do good in God’s eyes, if you seek first the kingdom of heaven, all things will be added onto you. (Matthew 6:33) With Satan’s world, it’s the same way. If you follow the preaching of popular opinion, embracing all lifestyles and indulgences and show yourself to be less Christian, to be less religious, you will do well, you will be accepted and loved, you’ll have all kinds of fun and excitement! This is the enticement of the lie.
For some Christians, attacks against don’t just come by way of enticement. Sometimes, they come through an attempt to inject doubt and disbelief, to cripple our faith.
For instance, a couple years back, a friendly Atheist sent me a picture of an Egyptian demigod as a way to cast doubt about Jesus’s authenticity.
At first, the image did stumble me. My default was to simply dismiss the image and not even think about it, kinda like closing my eyes and ears and saying “nope, nope, nope. I believe in Jesus, I believe in Jesus, I believe in Jesus.”
In reading the Bible, it prepared me for the challenge. It’s one of many. I simply prayed to God and told him what he already knew, but in conversation form, as I would with my own father. I asked God for guidance and understanding, to make sense of that picture. Not just for my own confidence and stronger faith, but also to help others who are stumbled by the same tactics, and if that Atheist is open to it, to provide him with the truth as well.
After much thought and God blessing me with the knowledge, I came to learn the above image about Horus isn’t exactly unique when it comes to religions and false Gods across the world. Thankfully, I learned a lot about Greek Mythology in my youth and even there, you see many similarities between Jesus and half-gods and deities. The image of Horus claims the story was written 5,000 years ago. But it was discovered on the Pyramid texts in the 1800s. That’s 1800 years after the word of Jesus Christ’s teachings spread throughout the Western World. How do we know the Pyramid texts can be deciphered to mean what is written? Or could it be that Satan manipulated men to create these similarities to stumble us. One can’t be sure.
And lets’ say the Pyramid Texts are true and accurate, that the story of Horus existed and coincidentally Jesus had so many similarities. What now? What if I told you, Jehovah God allowed these tests to prevail to challenge us, the heart of the believer? And these tests…they’re to serve as an illustration to us. Because already knows our hearts. But unless we’re put to the test, whether we succeed or fail, how well do we really know ourselves? How well can we really say our faith in God is strong?
Back before I started reading the Bible, I was tested when I was introduced to Scientology at the age of 23. The School of Scientology is very enticing because it stresses the importance of self, and “what’s true for you is true for you,” an ideology I loved very much, because at that time in my life, I never fit in with any stereotype or culture. So if these Scientologists accepted me for me, it was something I wanted to be a part of. It’s the same with this popular “self-love movement.” And of course, Apostle Paul warns us that “lovers of self” will be one of many signs of the times of the end. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Thankfully, the thing that caused me to reject Scientology was my own solid Christian foundation. I barely knew God at that point, but at the very least, I knew he was a jealous God who has a strong dislike for idolatry. Personally, I felt there was a lot of idolatry going on in Scientology, and so I left.
After I started reading the Bible at the age of 28, I was tested when two of my peers stressed how important it was to go out and have sex. They were very much into the hook-up culture, the promotion of having casual sex with anyone without the strong commitment of a long-term relationship or marriage. I was still a virgin.
They claimed that until I had sex, I wasn’t really alive, I wasn’t really a man. They said getting laid changes you, you just feel different. And the older you get, the worse it’ll be for virgins because women won’t want to be with you. They acted like time was of the essence and it really hammered at my core.
I’ll never forget that night. I can’t tell you how much it felt like Satan was prying at me in the form of those two “friends”. No matter how much scripture I used to ward off their attacks, they were so persistent. It was an exhausting battle and though I came away with my faith intact…I confess, sometimes I still feel the lingering sting of sadness that they may be right.
Finding a beautiful wife has always been my greatest weakness because it was my greatest desire. We could crash land on an island far removed from society with no money, electronics or materialistic things, and if all we had was just each other…that’s would still be a blissful life.
God knows this because I prayed for it every night. But just because I want it, it may not be what God intends for me. I submit to his will and authority, that his will be done first and foremost.
But my point is, if God knows that I wanted this most of all…Satan and his Demons know it too. If you’re going to entice a target like me to turn away from God, what better way to do it than through a drop-dead gorgeous woman.
One of the most beautiful women in the world…I could have had her if I had let go of this notion of waiting till marriage to have sex. But I chose God over her. I’ll continue to choose God over women. Which means, it’s increasingly likely that I’ll spend the rest of my life alone.
“But Rock! There are thousands of Christians who would love a handsome Christian virgin like you!”
Would you? Did you? And of those thousands, how many of them are not single mothers, overweight, and easily swayed by worldly trends. Recently, a friend suggested setting me up with a woman. She sent me her picture and while she did seem sweet and kind, her face was not pleasing to the eye, to say the least.
Satan is indeed cruel. But that’s alright. In reading the Bible, you understand that life is hard. But it doesn’t need to be. At any point I could have given in to my own desires, lowered my Christian standards and embraced the next sexy thing that passed my way at the gym or at the grocery store.
“Why don’t you? If you run into beautiful women all the time, why don’t you just approach them.”
MeToo Movement. That stupid Cat-Calling video, and I confess…my own prejudice. One of my exes was a good Christian woman. But even she, who wasn’t a virgin, couldn’t wait until marriage (six or more) to have sex because she already had it. This prejudice I suppose I have, it assumes that if I come across a woman who’s attractive enough to make me want to risk a sexual harassment allegation to go talk to her, she’s probably 10x more sexually active than the Christian woman I courted who couldn’t wait.
“So basically…you’re saying you think every hot woman you come across, won’t want to be with you if they have to wait until marriage to have sex?”
…yep…These days, I’m saying the likelihood is high. It used to be the norm that sex came after marriage. Now…it seems like it’s more of a prerequisite to marriage.
As I said…none of this would even be an issue if I just abandoned my vow of waiting till marriage to have sex. But I remain steadfast. I put my trust in God despite the many temptations. I submit myself to his will.
“That sounds like a cop out!” – The Arrow
“Think what you want. Just like you don’t have to answer to me for your actions…I don’t have to answer to you.” – the Shield.
Remember Jesus’s words in Matthew 16:24-26, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?”
And let’s not forget what he said in Luke 9:26, “26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
These words aren’t meant to scare you…but to encourage you. Remember, Satan is trying to take as many down with him as he can. He has this world in the palm of his hand. You have a choice. You could choose to serve God or this world.
As long as you’re alive, you still have time. The Bible has many examples of people who lived sinful lifestyles, yet received God’s forgiveness and grace. Consider the prostitute Rahab who aided the two Israelites before the fall of Jericho. Consider the great Judge Jephthah, who was the son of a prostitute.
The key is to repent. Turn away. If you were used to hitting up clubs and getting drunk, bringing a girl back to the flat for a one-night stand…you can turn away (repent) from that lifestyle. If you’re a Feminist hellbent on destroying the gender roles, taking advantage of dating sites for sex and free food, you can turn away from that lifestyle. If your whole life has been the pursuit of money, pleasure, and fame, you can repent and strive to do what’s good in God’s eyes.
One last tactic I’ll expound on is this notion that all sins are the same. Sinning is sinning. This is false. Some sins are more grave than others.
Recently, we’ve had all these “acceptance” movements. People preached for tolerance and by “acceptance”…we all know that they don’t merely mean live and let live…they demand your approval and condoning them.
“That’s fat-shaming!”
“That’s slut-shaming!”
“You’re shaming me!”
All words to silence anyone who disagrees or disapproves. But when you read the Bible cover to cover, these tactics shouldn’t be too surprising. The Book of Jeremiah explains in Chapter 6 when Jerusalem was facing certain destruction. Starting in verse 13, he says:
“Everyone is greedy for unjust gain, and from the prophet to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying ‘Peace, Peace!’ when there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they committed abomination? They feel no shame at all! They do not even know how to feel humiliated. So they will fall among the fallen.”
Sound familiar? Do we not see the very same thing going on these days where our new cultural leaders are telling us how we shouldn’t feel ashamed of this or that? Don’t be deceived. If the world tells you one thing, but God says another…who will you listen to?
I’ll leave you with this, my fellow Christians…This is a good sign that you can use to evaluate yourself. In 1 John Chapter 1-5, the Apostle John explains how you can overcome this world. Starting in verse 2, it says “2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”
In my essay about the dating culture, I talk about how I don’t find God’s commandments or Christ Teachings to be all that strict or burdensome. I really am glad that I’m waiting until marriage to have sex, that i don’t value money and materialistic things, or lose myself in drugs, alcohol, and partying. I delight in following Christ’s teachings. If you don’t…there’s still time to change.
Stage In The Sky 