on February 17, 2011
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 – “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
In a day and age when there is so much sexual immorality, the believer needs to maintain a clear and godly understanding regarding his/her sexuality. This is not accomplished by merely understanding how we ought to act. It is more important to appreciate how human sexuality reflects the very inner life of God and how it gives Him glory when we embrace His plan and purpose for it.
SEX is not an END in itself. It is more like a gate. And just as a gate leads to somewhere, sex is intended to lead us to something grand and glorious, more amazing than we can imagine. The Apostle Paul gives us a hint of this grandeur when he asks the question, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” The Bible reveals to us that sex is a God-given instinct that leads us to an experience of awesome significance. Sex is a gateway that allows us to enter into the very heart and nature of God. Those who pass through this gate discover that it leads to intimacy and union that produces family. Family, in turn, leads to community, instruction, training, creativity, joy, worship and many other deep things that are not about sex – yet that’s where it all began! Now there are those that just like to hang out at the gate and never come to experience the richness and wonder that God created it for. Those who remain at the gate can easily get caught up in all kinds of perversions that corrupt the understanding and meaning of this amazing gift of God. It is here that many stumble and lose their way. Sexual sin violates the sacredness of our bodies – these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for “becoming one” with another.
In the same way, PRAYER is not an end in itself. It is more like a gate. And this gate leads us to somewhere amazing – the very THRONE ROOM of God. It is here that we enter into the very life and Spirit of the Almighty! It is here that we experience intimacy and communion that reproduces His life in us! Our bodies are the very temple where God’s Spirit dwells, and that should be reason enough to honor God with our body. Prayer can become perverted and corrupted in the same way as sex, when it is only self-serving and we fail to get past the gate to where God intended it to lead. Sex is more than skin to skin contact. It is a wondrous mystery that is best expressed in the scripture, “The two shall become one.” We must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids intimacy and commitment – the kind of sex that can never “become one.” Nor should we pursue the kind of prayer that avoids intimacy and commitment – the kind of prayer that never allows us to “become one” with God.
Thursday:
- Meet together with at least 1 or 2 other believers to enter the Throne Room of Grace.
- Join our 6:00pm Thursday night prayer team.
Friday:
- Ask God to increase your appreciation of what it means that your body is His temple.
- Pray for the Good News families of the week: Kathleen Bauman, Bonnie Bitetti (Samantha, Denny, Chris) (Alberto Jr.), Brandon & Sandy Burtner (Elijah).
Saturday:
- Praise God for the sacred and precious gift of your body. Consecrate it to His glory!
Sunday:
- Ask God to increase your understanding of this mystery and His plan for “becoming one.”
- Join in with our Sunday prayer services to pray for God’s presence and blessing.
Monday:
- Make prayer meeting, worship, fellowship, Bible study, and serving Christ a declaration of your commitment and oneness with Him.
- Attend “In Touch” Prayer meeting at GNCC at 10:30am or join in prayer at that time.
Tuesday:
- Pray that others will see the rich level of intimacy and commitment in your life and desire the same kind of relationship with Christ that you are enjoying.
Wednesday:
- Ask God to unite your heart, mind, body and will, more and more with His own nature!
Prayer Challenge: Recognize the sacred union you have with Christ. Cherish the gifts of prayer and sexuality, and do not let the influence of the world pervert or corrupt God’s plan and purpose in each.