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FLEE FORNICATION!!!
Posted : 16 Jan, 2012 10:11 AM
Flee fornication and every appearance of evil
January 28, 2010 by Admin
Filed under Latest News From GoodNews
First Thessalonians 4:3-5, �For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you abstain from fornication; that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who know not God;�
Most Christians are not prepared to fight against the sexual sins of this world. The issue is still at some churches thought to be inappropriate to openly teach on, but the necessity of teaching on this subject is clear with apparent sexual immorality running through all of Christendom.
The Christian man who can honestly say that he has never lusted after a woman is rare if such a man exists. Women will certainly find these words useful too. This post is specifically to do what most of the dozens of books and websites have not done to provide the knowledge necessary to stop this prominent sin. Telling someone to read more, pray more, be saved, go to church, and live right are good things to do, but are of no use unless some others steps are accomplished too. Keeping from sin has got to be done. Fornication is not to be named among Christians being that Christians are saints (Eph. 5:3). How will the blood of Christ wash away our sexual sins unless we walk in the light (1 John 1:7)?
There�s not really any one particular person or generation to blame besides ourselves individually. Yes it would have been nice to have been isolated and kept from exposure and even abuse. Still we have to take responsibility for ourselves. Many Christians are willfully ignorant of the Scriptures, lacking in self-control, and are not living by the Spirit. Not that sexual sins have been easy to deal with. It is true that the previous generation had it easier and the one before that even easier being less exposed to sexual sins being openly unacceptable. Therefore it is understandable that this sin has crept up on ignorant Christians across the world in an openly sinful society with media advertisements of sex everywhere. Let�s address this problem asking �What actions are sexually immoral?�, and see what the Spirit teaches in the Scriptures on how to prevent sexual immorality.
What Actions are Sexually Immoral? Sadly, many Christians debate this or rather justify sexual sins. Sexual sin like most sin is rationalized. The New Testament Scriptures present sexual immorality, �fornication� from the Greek �porneia�, as already defined and it has been in the Law of Moses. In Leviticus 18, 19:29, 20; Deuteronomy 22:5, 22-30; fornication is: adultery, extra-marital sex including premarital sex, incest, rape, sex during menstrual period, homosexuality, bestiality, and prostitution.
The New Testament simply defines fornication as any defilement of the marriage bed [including homosexuality] (Gen. 2:24; Matt. 5:27-28, 19:5; 1 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 5:31; Heb. 13:4). Sexual immorality includes lust, polygamy, and all mutual arousal and stimulation, like oral sex, which all are outside of marriage. There should not be any debate concerning these things.
How to Prevent and Overcome Sexual Sins - *You have to recognize that your heart is the source of this sin. It is not just your flesh warring against your mind. Your heart is corrupted by giving in to sin and it is filled with sin despite that you attend church every week, read the Bible everyday, pray at every meal, and have your mind continually on the spiritual yet you drift into this sin without warning. Know the source of sexual sin. It is in your heart. Fornication comes from the heart. Jesus said in Matthew 15:19-20
�For out of the heart come forth evil imaginations, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, railings: these are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands defile not the man.�
Know the path of sin. �But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire� (Jam. 1:14). What can be done? How can we change our hearts?
*You have to accept fornication as a sin and set your mind against sin. Without a commitment and desire to live sinless, then stopping oneself from sexual sin cannot be accomplished. Romans 12:1-2,
�I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed according to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, and you may prove what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.�
Obedience to this Scripture is essential. Commit yourself to be a living sacrifice. Offer yourself before God. Continue to renew your mind on this resolve, so as not to be conformed to this world. CHANGE YOUR MIND TO BE TRANSFORMED! Accept that ��the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body:� (1 Cor. 6:13).
Follow Galatians 5:24, which states, �And they that are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with the passions and the lusts thereof.� In changing the heart and setting the mind, one good thing to do that is effective is to recognize the cravings and the lusts of your flesh as separate from you since you should have crucified the flesh. Why should your soul, your spirit, worship and serve your flesh? See the mind and its imaginations are critical here to prevent and overcome sexual sins as Romans 8:5 states �For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.�
CAST DOWN YOUR EVIL IMAGINATIONS BY TAKING EVERY THOUGHT CAPTIVE! This is easy to say, but hard to do. You can take captive your imaginations more than you think. Second Corinthians 10:5, �casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ�. Remember that when Jesus was tempted that He countered the thought with a better thought from Scripture, and not by blocking the thought. Don�t feel guilty about being tempted with bad thoughts. Jesus was tempted by bad thoughts. This is comes down to purifying imaginations like fantasies and daydreams. Purity in thought is a part of obeying Christ. See Philippians 4:8 teaches, �Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things�.
*Have godly sorrow for your sins since �godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation� (2 Cor. 7:10). You�re salvation is on the line and guilt works repentance. Everyone should be relieved that the punishment for fornication and adultery is no longer execution (Lev. 20:10-12, 21:9, Deut. 22:21-22), but still know that fornicators will go to Hell suffering the consequences of spiritual death (1 Cor. 6:9-10, Gal. 5:19-21, Eph. 5:5, Col. 3:5-6, Rev. 21:8).
*Really obey the Gospel. Of first importance, the three components of the Gospel that Paul presents in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, by which Christians are saved. This Gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection. Obedience is presented in Romans 6:3-6 and Colossians 2:12-13 as dying to one�s sins, being buried in the waters of baptism, and being resurrected to the new life. There�s the commitment and a necessary change of the mind to die to your sins and live the resurrected life in Christ. You�re not going to get anywhere without obeying Jesus� command to be baptized (Matt. 28:19). �Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord� (Acts 22:16).
*Walk in the Spirit. The Christian life is one of walking by the Spirit. Galatians 5:16, �But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.� You have to live the life. Know the fruits of the Spirit and keep them: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). Live the Christian life in prayer, reading Scripture, doing benevolence, evangelizing, and assembling. Now these things of having your mind set against the sin and living a good life may not be enough since things are not complete for some to prevent sexual sin, so let�s continue unto the most neglected actions to prevent sexual sins.
*Make no provision for the flesh. In other words, don�t leave even one path open to fall back into sexual sin. This is essential. It�s time for many Christians to quit trying to stand face to face with sexual sin. See, �fleshly lusts�war against the soul� (1 Pet. 2:11). This is no easy battle. If Christians can stand down sexual sin, then why do the Scriptures say, �Flee from sexual immorality� (1 Cor. 6:18)? You have to retreat to flank sin and the wicked one. Why do you think Joseph fled from Potiphar�s wife (Gen. 39:8-13)? Was Joseph not spiritually strong? He was strong enough to flee.
http://www.goodnewschurch.net/flee-fornication-and-every-appearance-of-evil
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