THE AFTERMATH OF SEX BEFORE MARRIAGE

Genesis 2:24

For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

The desires that we have for a meaningful relationship with someone of the opposite sex do not originate from lustful desires for sex. The true goal hidden behind the worldly glare of lust is a desire to be with one special person for the rest of your lives in a marital covenant. Some tough questions really need to be asked before setting off in marriage. Am I physically, emotionally, psychologically and, most importantly, spiritually ready? I'd once read a silly story about a wife that saw her husband's frustrated face while he was reading their Marriage Certificate. She asked him, "Darling, what's the matter?" He replied, "Nothing, I’m just looking for an expiration date on this." Before you get into a sexual relationship with someone it's important to know if you're truly ready for the aftermath. After all, regardless of the circumstances, reasons or excuses, there is no expiration date on your decisions.

YOU ARE IRRESISTABLE

1 John 3:2

Yes, dear friends, we are already God's children, and we can't even imagine what we will be like when Christ returns. But we do know that when he comes we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.

The famed Indian leader, Mahatma Gandhi, actually gave suggestions to British Christians on how to lead Hindus to Christ. He suggested that Christians, “First live more like Christ because if you come to us in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, then we cannot resist you. Secondly, do not adulterate Christianity. Give it to us in its rugged simplicity and its high demands, and live out the life; and thirdly, put your emphasis upon love, for love is a central thing, in Christianity.” I find it quite interesting that a non-Christian would so accurately describe how to bring people to Christ. As children of God, we must truly and sincerely be like Him in preparation for the future. We must be prepared to live out the ruggedly simplistic high demands. Let your life's actions as a child of God speak louder than your words, let Christ shine His light through you and trust completely that His love will speak to the hearts of those that desire the Way, the Truth and the Light. Do these things and you'll be leading hordes of people to Christ and eternal salvation.

CHILDREN: A GIFT FROM GOD

Psalm 127:3

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Parents and children alike need to remember their Godly origins. The Bible says that we are all a reward from God. Simply put, it means that from our very beginnings, we have been made to be a blessing to our parents and to the world. The circumstances that we are born into are not strong enough to change this premise. If you ever reach a point in your life where you're feeling low, unworthy or like a failure, always keep in mind that the DNA of your Godly origins says something countless times more positive, encouraging and blessed. Your DNA says, "I'm a gift."

TRUE SUCCESS CAN BE FOUND

Luke 12:21

Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.

Walter Thornbury once wrote a vivid description of the Sunday worship services led by Charles Spurgeon. He said that there was, “a congregation consisting of 10,000 souls, streaming into the hall, mounting the galleries, humming, buzzing, and swarming - a mighty hive of bees - eager to secure at first the best places, and, at last, any place at all... (some) waiting more than half an hour - for if you wish to have a seat you must be there at least that space of time in advance.” Later in life, Spurgeon was asked about the secret to his ministry's success. He responded by saying, “I looked at God, and He looked at me, and we were one forever.” True success can be found in close unity with our Maker, so if you're looking for success or for your heart's desires to be realized, stay in close fellowship with the your Almighty Father.

BE A CHEERFUL GIVER

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

A pastor told his congregation about a conversation with a man that had visited his church years earlier. That man shared his story with the pastor:

The day that I'd heard your preaching... I was down and out. You see, I'd just lost what I thought made me a man: my job. My wife left me and she even took my kids with her. You said from the pulpit that, "You can't out-do God. You can't out-give God. Give to the Lord, and it shall be given you. Square your finances with God and God will square your finances with you." Well, I was penniless that day, but I filled in one of your tithe cards, promising to give back a certain percentage of all He'd give to me. Within just a few hours, I found a new job and I fulfilled my promise to the church. Today, I got my family back and we've been reunited. I've got money in the bank. I've got my own house. The best thing I've got is the joy of the Lord in my heart as I continue giving.

Giving back to the Lord is one of the most important principles for Christians to live by. There are countless instances of faithful tithers whose lives have absolutely been blessed. If you faithfully believe the Bible, then cheerfully bring your tithe to the Lord so that He can bless the remaining money and your use of it. Get ready though, His blessing will be so good that you won't even know how to catch it as it's pressed down, shaken, spilling over and poured right onto your lap.

LOVING OUR UNLOVABLE NEIGHBORS

Mark 12:31

The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these.

The best way to show love to your neighbor is to choose an everlasting unity with them. When this great commandment is obeyed, we find that it works wonders. God knows that we already love being with our friends, family and loved ones, but what about our unlovable neighbors? For us to love the unlovable, we need to walk closely with God. We have to share the Good News about the saving grace of Jesus with the unlovable so that they may experience the eternal promise of God. Face it, loving the lovable is easy. The real challenge is in loving the unlovable.

THE ENEMY ON THE INSIDE

Jude 1:19

Now they are here, and they are the ones who are creating divisions among you. They live by natural instinct because they do not have God's Spirit living in them.

It's difficult to state this, but Godly Christians aren't the only attendees at Sunday church worship services. Some that are sitting in the pews may be sent by the devil with a goal to set up division within the body of Christ. Satan couldn't be more pleased than when people stop praying to God or when Christians stop seeking His will. History teaches us that the battle principal of "divide and conquer, then rule" never achieves permanence because any principle of division couldn't come from our heavenly Father, but rather of the devil. God's principles are based upon unity and love, as He taught in John 17:22, "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one." Christians everywhere need to come to a realization that petty differences, gossiping and jealousies are really tools that the devil will use to trip believers into sin. Keep your eyes on the prize, stretching to the goals set before your life and keep the body of Christ unified.

CAN'T BUY ME LOVE

Ecclesiastes 5:10

Those who love money will never have enough. How absurd to think that wealth brings true happiness!

A newspaper conducted a survey that asked the question, "Who do you feel are the happiest people on Earth?” Surprisingly, the top four answers were, “1. A craftsman or artist whistling over a job well done; 2. A little child building sand castles; 3. A mother, after a busy day, bathing her baby; and 4. A doctor who has finished a difficult and dangerous operation saving a human life.” It's really quite interesting that "an excessively wealthy person", "a member of a royal monarchy" or "a very successful business person" weren't among the top answers. You see, in the depths of our hearts, we already know that money can't truly be the real source of happiness. Money just leaves you wanting for more and more and more of the things that you probably don't really need to begin with. Stay focused on the Lord and He will guide your steps toward His purpose for your life. Then and only then will you have the satisfaction that can make you one of the happiest people on Earth.

READY TO SUFFER FOR WHAT'S RIGHT

1 Peter 2:20

Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing right and are patient beneath the blows, God is pleased with you.

Author Howard Whitman once said that, “Life is composed of waiting periods. The child must wait until he is old enough to have a bicycle, the young man until he is old enough to drive a car, the medical student must wait for his diploma, the husband for his promotion, the young couple for savings to buy a new home. The art of waiting is not learned at once.” God, however, doesn’t ever have to wait for anything because at this very moment He already knows everything. He even knows whether or not you will remain faithful to Him later in life because He is simultaneously knowledgeable of the past, present and future. For believers, you still don't know what lays ahead of you, so you need to be ready to suffer for doing what is right to have patience during that suffering. Do this in obedience to the Word and our omniscient Father will be pleased with you.

BELIEVE AND SEE THE GLORY

John 11:40

Jesus responded, "Didn't I tell you that you will see God's glory if you believe?"

Sometimes because of the choices we make, we might live a somewhat schizophrenic lifestyle of Christian versus non-Christian. While living with the choices we make, we might even begin to see that what we faithfully know isn't being reflected in how we live or behave. We move knowing full well that hell is real, but we behave as if it isn't a threat to those around us. We know that there are people around us that will be headed to hell without knowing Christ, shouldn't we warn them? We know the truth of Jesus Christ, but we behave deceitfully by allowing lies to come from our mouths and exist in lives. Jesus taught us that if we would just believe, we would get to see the glory. Without a doubt, it's no wonder that people don’t see the glory since they're not living like believers. Take some time today to figure out if you're living like you're a believer. It'll definitely be time well spent.

DON'T TRUST A GOSSIP WITH SECRETS

Proverbs 20:19

A gossip tells secrets, so don't hang around with someone who talks too much.

A small town lady was reprimanded by the only pastor in town because of her constant meddling into her neighbors' affairs. She would defend herself by saying, “Oh well, just meddling into my neighbors’ affairs isn’t as bad as what Mrs. So and So is doing. That woman gets drunk and does all sorts of dreadful things!” It's sad to say, but many Christians have a lot in common with this lady. Gossiping is so bad that the Bible actually places it right alongside sins like murder and theft as we learn from Romans 1:29, “Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.” Be VERY leery of gossipers and be even more careful to not become one. It's sad to say, but big mouthed gossipers usually have a reputation that is well deserved.

WHAT'S BURNING? OH, THAT'S JUST YOUR SOUL

Psalm 89:2

Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

There's a story about a priest by the name of Charles Chiniquy who appeared one Sunday morning before his congregation saying, “My people, I resign my priesthood, though I have been here thirty years. Last night I spent all night praising God. I read the Bible and I saw that salvation is in Jesus Christ, and is the gift of God’s eternal love. I knelt in my room and accepted the free Gift of God.” Chiniquy came to understand that all of his good works as a priest would never be enough to save his soul from the burning fires of hell and that all he needed to simply do was accept the gift of salvation from Christ. In Jeremiah 29:13, God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” The Bible is clear. Jesus is the only way to heaven's salvation. There is no deed, work or religion that can save your soul. You can't save yourself from hell, but the way out has already been gifted to you, all you have to do now is accept that gift.

NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN YOU STAY AT HOME

Hebrews 10:25

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.

Attending a church for worship and being a part of a Bible study is essential for every Christian. I've often heard people say that worship can be done anywhere, by anybody and that worship doesn’t even have to be with believers or in a church body. Former U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, shared his personal thoughts on why he went to church, “Yes, I know all the excuses. I know that one can worship the Creator and dedicate oneself to good living in a grove of trees, or by running brook, or in one’s own house, just as well as in church. But I also know as a matter of cold fact the average man does not thus worship or thus dedicate himself. If he stays away from the church he does not spend his time in good works or in lofty meditation. He looks over the colored supplement of the newspaper.” Face it, when you're not spending time in church during worship, it's highly unlikely that you'll be using that time for worship of the Lord, to pray deeply while meditating or to doing anything remotely close to Christian fellowship. Be obedient and get yourself to church, preparing your heart for worship and expectant of His blessings.

HANDLE YOUR LADY WITH CARE

1 Peter 3:7

In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. If you don't treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard.

A happy home features each and every member of the family living and working in cooperation with one another. There's a silly story that I'd read about a husband that was complaining about having to wash the dishes after a large family meal. He looked at his wife and said, “Washing dishes isn't a man’s job.” His wife very coyly responded, “Oh yes it is. In 2 Kings 21:13 is says, 'I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down.'” In the eyes of God, Husbands and wives are a single being, and they ought to cooperate with and serve each other to produce a happy and helping home. A parent's behavior will influence their children, and their children's children, for years to come. If you've ever wondered why some homes are broken, divided and seemingly unblessed, it would be wise to remember that the Word tells us that in a family where a husband doesn't treat his wife as he should, his "prayers will not be heard". Couples, be obedient to the Lord and love each other as He loves the church. Do this and your prayers will never fall upon deaf ears.

PORNOGRAPHY & SEXUAL SINS

1 Corinthians 6:18

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

Addictions like alcoholism, drug addiction and smoking can all be treated. Your system can actually become free of narcotic-dependency after a lot of time and effort. People who were freed from these types of addictions hope and pray for the day that they feel no desire, but rather are nauseated by their old addictions. Sexual sins, however, are a much different type of beast. The Apostle Paul tells us that sexual immorality is a sin against your own body because those carnal acts will be with you forever, never to be erased from the steel trap of your mind. This is why we were given a straight command to take action and flee from this entrapping, addictive and carnally indulging sin. You are ordered to do one thing when it comes to sexual sin: RUN in the opposite direction. Get away from sexual immorality, pornography and carnal activities. You'll find that your life will be all the better for it and that your obedience will be rewarded graciously.

YOUR ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDLY

1 Peter 5:3

Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example.

Baseball legend Babe Ruth was once offered a small fortune to be an advertising spokesperson for a beer company. The Babe, however, had a particular problem when it came to being photographed with a bottle of beer in his hand. Ruth told interviewers, “I've autographed too many baseballs for young boys of America to think of helping advertise the sale of beer. Many of these boys regard me as a hero, and I’ll not do anything to lessen their esteem of me.” In the same way, Christians need to remember to not sell their integrity off for whatever the world might offer. Keep in mind that you and your actions are being carefully watched by a lot of people and some are young children, while others are people with unsaved souls. At the end of the day, there's no amount of money that can outweigh the precious lives that follow your examples.

THOUSANDS IN SILVER & GOLD

Psalm 119:72

The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

The job market loosely measures someone's value as a possible employee according to that person's résumé. When a person receives a job offer, their pay grade is typically a reflection of their experience, education and face-to-face interview. It's safe to assumes that greater scholastic achievement combined with greater experience can equate to a higher salary. The ability to learn, whether by experience or formal education, is part of what makes us valuable creations. King David said that the Law or the Word from your mouth is more precious than gold or silver to the Lord. The Bible teaches us that, “the Word was God.” Interestingly, if the law should come out of your mouth, God would have to be dwelling in you to begin with. Let the Word of God flood your heart and your value will be increased beyond countable riches. Let the Word flow from your mouth and you then become precious to Him and His heart.

ARE YOU EASY TO FOOL?

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent.

In the simplest of terms, your days are filled with moments of choice. Sometimes the choices are easy, and other times the choices are nearly impossible. When it comes to your spiritual health, you'll be faced with choices that can bring you closer to God and everything that pertains to Him or options that would bring you closer to danger and death. As Christians, we have to try and stay focused on God, His desires for our lives and our movement toward Him. In 1898, Johnson Oatman, Jr. wrote the lyrics to the famed hymn Higher Ground, and my favorite lines are, “I want to live above the world; Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled; For faith has caught the joyful sound, The song of saints on higher ground.” Make it your mission to make the right choices, to move in the right direction, to stay focused on the higher ground and to refrain from slipping into sinful ways.

THE VALUE OF SUFFERING

Romans 5:3-5

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Suffering is by far the greatest testing ground for one's character and development. The famous American banker, Herbert V. Prochnow, once wrote, “O Lord, Make me sympathetic with the fellow who has broken in the struggle. Keep me from taking an unfair advantage of the weak, or from selling my self-respect for a profit. Blind my eyes to the petty faults of others, but reveal to me my own. And when comes the sound of low music, the scent of sweet flowers, and the crunch of footsteps on the gravel, make the ceremony short, and the epitaph simply — Here lies a man... one who was of service to others.” As you go through life's daily grind, difficulties will constantly arise, challenge you and occasionally even take you down. Remember during those down times that the suffering you go through has value. The suffering will teach you perseverance, it will develop your character and best of all, it will teach you how to hope and pray for the blessings of the Lord.

A LONGING IN MY HEART

Psalm 142:5

Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, "You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life."

Dr. Alexis Carrel, a Nobel Prize recipient for Physiology, once said that, "Prayer is the most powerful form of energy that one can generate. The influence of prayer on the human mind and body is as demonstrable as that of secreting glands. Its results can be measured in terms of increased buoyancy, greater intellectual vigor, moral stamina and a deeper understanding of human relationships." How is this possible? Why is this possible? Simply, prayer's positive results occur because when we're engaged in sincere prayer we are literally connected to The Source of eternal resource and wisdom - the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent, and the Omniscient God. The reason that David wrote, "You are all I really want in life," is because He is all you really need in life. Being completely honest with yourself, is your prayer life the best that it could be today?

GRIEVING FATHERS & BITTER MOTHERS

Proverbs 17:25

A foolish child brings grief to a father and bitterness to a mother.

I'd recently read a story about an unhappy and frustrated schoolteacher that resigned her post. When asked of her thoughts regarding her reasons for her feelings, she made the following statement, “In our public schools today, the teachers are afraid of the principals, the principals are afraid of the superintendents, the superintendents are afraid of the board, the board members are afraid of the parents, the parents are afraid of the children, and the children are afraid of nobody.” The Bible teaches us in Proverbs 22:6 to, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” It's quite obvious that when we disregard the guidance from the Word on raising children, vicious cycles rear their ugly heads. Christian parents need to remember that if they raise their children as the Bible teaches them, their children will bring heaps of happiness into their homes and wisdom into their later years. Parents, do you really want to be grieving and bitter? The right choice can be made, just choose it.

BROKEN HEARTS, PAIN, SICKNESS OR MONEY PROBLEMS?

Romans 14:17-18

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too.

There is a specific Kingdom lifestyle according to Romans 14:17-18. Life in the Kingdom means you get to live a life of goodness, peace and Joy through the Holy Ghost. Whenever bad circumstances you could be going through - whether it be a broken heart, pains, sickness, or financial problems - your spirit and morale could be brought way down. However, for as long as the Holy Spirit and our personal spirit are in fellowship together, we can rise above the circumstances and live in the spiritual realm where there is goodness, peace and joy. Are you serving Christ with this attitude? Are you in fellowship with the Holy Spirit?

WHEN MIRACLES ARE ALL THAT'S LEFT

Mark 6:35-37

That evening the disciples came to Jesus and said, "This place is like a desert, and it is already late. Let the crowds leave, so they can go to the farms and villages near here and buy something to eat." Jesus replied, "You give them something to eat." But they asked him, "Don't you know that it would take almost a year's wages to buy all of these people something to eat?"

Never ever underestimate what your neediest situations can do for you when it comes to blessings. The Lord Jesus Himself was moved with compassion when He saw the people's need for food, and He was inspired to give a challenging command to His disciples that was seemingly impossible to implement. Commands from God typically carry the weight of impossibility, however, you'll see from Mark 6 that the key to tackling seemingly insurmountable tasks is obedience and communion. Recognize your general inadequacy to complete His will in your power and then allow Him to use you to make the miracles happen. That's how the disciples fed the masses that day. How do you respond when you feel that God has placed you in an uncomfortable situation with a command that you would deem difficult to follow? Do you find yourself truly prepared for God's will, come what may?

FIRST WILL BE LAST & LAST WILL BE FIRST

Matthew 20:26-27

But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must become your slave.

You know that you're on your way to being a good leader if you're aware of how the least among your people is feeling. The difficulty behind being a "servant leader" is that as a true servant, you must be present at all times to serve, while as a leader one must always be aware that people are following you. Amazingly, our Lord Jesus Christ has lived this type of leadership up to this very present moment. He told us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and “I will be with you always unto the end of the world.” To lead as Jesus would, you must always be present to lead and to serve. Your presence and service are inseparable, and the results of the combination are utterly miraculous.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

2 Corinthians 5:20

We are Christ's ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, "Be reconciled to God!"

In today's world of diplomacy and state departments, there are ambassadors from every nation deployed to different countries all over the world. FDR was once quoted saying, “I have come to know that the finest of Americans we have abroad today are the missionaries of the Cross. I am humiliated that I am not finding out until this late day the worth of foreign missions and the nobility of the missionaries. Their testimony in China, for instance, during the war there, is beyond praise. Their courage is thrilling and their fortitude heroic.” As ambassadors of the cross, our job is to spread the love of Christ. The love of Christ can break down language and cultural barriers, as well as political and military differences. When a Christian missionary is sent into a difficult situation, we can say for certain that spreading love and ending strife will be key priorities. What are your day to day priorites as an ambassador of the cross? Are you accomplishing what God has set out before you?