Spread the Fire - March 2008 - (Page 10)

A far more effective way of promoting sexual purity is to cast a vision for how wonderful God’s design for sex in marriage can be and then present how premature “sexperiences” can seriously compromise the joy of married sex. our lives and our relationships with others. It can sabotage a couple’s ability to enjoy a pure marital relationship later on by robbing them of the potential to share true sexual intimacy with their future spouse. One hundred percent of couples we have counseled who had sex before marriage regretted it! All of them have needed some measure of healing from the effects of premature sexual experiences. These include wrong perceptions about sex and also forms of sexual abuse, which have even resulted in demonic oppression. Rather than helping the couple to enjoy a better sexual relationship in marriage as society wanted them to believe, premarital sex inhibited sexual freedom in marriage. While God is able to heal sexual wounds with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, the best way to prepare to enjoy sex in marriage is through practicing sexual purity before you marry. Begin now by dedicating your sexuality to God and to your future spouse, committing to remain pure so that you may enter into marriage without wounds. This involves more than just bringing your virginity into the marriage. It is about complete sexual integrity. Our Grid for Sexual Purity While the media defines society’s grid for sex, our grid for it is found in God’s word. When a person embraces God’s ways, which are higher than ours, we reap the benefits of submitting to His design. God’s desire is that we maintain sexual purity so that we may enjoy full the benefits of sex within the boundary of marriage. Sex was designed by God to be one component of a lifelong intimate relationship between husband and wife who are committed to each other for a lifetime. In the book of Ephesians, Paul refers to marriage as a mystery that reflects the intimate bond between Christ and the church. Perhaps this is why our enemy is so bent on perverting sex. If God designed it, shouldn’t Spirit- filled Christian married couples be having the best sex on planet earth? They alone have the potential to enjoy it in its purest form, what we call “5- dimensional sex,” which involves every aspect of a person and adds to it the spiciest ingredient of all. Five-dimensional sex touches the heart, soul, mind, strength and places it in its intended context, under the blanket of God’s love. Godly sexual intimacy not only has the potential of creating new human life; but according to recent studies, it also has the ability to prolong life and invigorate health. Engaging in sex outside the boundary of the marriage covenant, however, can create destruction in Premarital Sexual Wounds Opening the gift of sex before God’s appointed time is a sin. It is the fruit of lust, the enemy of a pure heart. Jesus said that to lust after another in one’s thoughts was equivalent to committing adultery with them. Lust seeks its own gratification and disregards the well-being of the other person. It despises God’s ways and reduces sex to a selfish and disconnected rush removing it from the context of true intimacy. “Disconnected” sex will have a destructive impact on the marriage bed and impede the ability to enjoy sex fully later on. Premarital sex dishonors your future spouse by communicating to them that they aren’t worth waiting for. However, honoring your mate’s sexual purity communicates that you really do see them as precious and made in the image of their Heavenly Father. Sexual release is one of the most powerful forms of human S TF - 1

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Spread the Fire - March 2008

Spread the Fire - March 2008 Contents In the River Save Sex? Simon’s Story The Key To Overcoming Lust It’s Time for the Double Blessing International Itinerary Resource Center Catalogue Upcoming Events Visitor Information

Spread the Fire - March 2008

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