Questions

 

I’ve asked myself why unholy sex (and abortion) is the only genre of sin that clamors for acceptance in American society today.

Why has a “date” almost become synonymous with going to bed together?  Why do even Christian couples have sex on their dates? Why do even Christian couples live together before marriage? Why do even Christians commit adultery? STOP IT! Sin grieves the Holy Spirit, brings trouble into your life, destroys families, and impacts society too. It is not the way of the abundant life from Jesus. That path leads to destruction in all its forms. “The way of the transgressor is hard.”(Proverbs 13:15, KJV) “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2)

As a Christian, you do not have the right to your own body; it is the Lord’s. “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Corinthians 6:18-20) “Each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion or lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God. . . For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.” (I Thessalonians 4:4, 7 & 8)

And why does such a small percentage of people who make up the LGBT community get so much attention by the news media? Why are they seeking to invade churches and overthrow God’s moral law against homosexuality?  Why all the pressure for deviant sexual behavior to be accepted by society and the church? I have even read reports that NAMBLA (North American Man/Boy Love Association) wants acceptance and protection now, too. Is sex trafficking being protected by too many judges who secretly help themselves to a piece of the pie? Next in line is the protection of bestiality—unless America changes course.

Why does the LGBT community target Christian bakers who, for conscience sake, refuse to bake so-called “wedding” cakes for a gay ceremony? A number of Christian bakers have been sued, lost their businesses, have had all their bank accounts illegally confiscated by their state, targeted with death threats, spewed with vulgar language and harassment. Yet, when someone asked an LGBT bakery to make a cake with the words, “Gay Marriage is Wrong,” the owners went ballistic. So much for the LGBT rhetoric of equality and tolerance. You can do an online search for Christian bakers targeted by LGBT community and see those articles for yourself.

Why are there no hate-filled demonstrations with insistence on the acceptance of murder? Lying? Rape? Child abuse? Thievery? Adultery? Drunkenness? Wife-beating? Jealousy? Why is the genre of sexual sin the only category targeted for acceptance by society and the church? Why do far too many Christians thumb their noses in God’s face and want to erase the Word of God that talks about sexual sin?

We’ll look at Answers in my next blog post.

Note: all scripture is from the NKJ version unless otherwise stated.

Copyright © 2016 Elaine Beachy

Orlando

 Anytime a tragedy strikes humanity, there are always diverse voices that claim to know the reason why. Such has been the case since creation of time.

Adam blamed his wife, Eve, for the tragedy of disobedience that led to their eviction from Eden, the Garden of God. Eve blamed the serpent for beguiling her with smooth talk. (Quite a weapon, yes? Who said, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me?”)

There are some people who declare that the 49 killed and the 53 injured inside a gay bar, in Orlando, Florida, was the consequence of their own sin of homosexual behavior. In essence they seem to be saying those people deserved to die. But I ask you, if that is true, how many of us would be alive today for sins we have committed in our lifetime? We all deserve to die for our sins, but Jesus paid the debt we owed God when He died for us, and arose from the dead. No, I don’t believe it was God’s judgment on those people. I believe God wept when they were murdered. The cry in my heart is, “Where are those souls now?” He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9)

I think it’s despicable that some try to raise funds and make political hay from this and other violent tragedies. They fall back on their erroneous worn-out rhetoric, saying if guns were outlawed in the United States, the killing would stop.

Really? I beg to differ.

Criminals and terrorists will always be able to find weapons on the black market. Are we to ban the making of all guns, swords, knives (kitchen knives too), and sling shots? Consider: countless tools, including rocks, pillows, baseball bats, bricks, poison, glass, and so forth, ad nauseam, can be weapons of murder—including the human hand.

I contend with every fiber of my being that the root of the issue is not the weapon: it is the condition of sin in the human heart.

God said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Matthew 15:19) And again, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man unclean.” (Mark 7:21-23)

No, my friends, it’s not a gun control issue. It is a heart control issue. And no one can change the heart but Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jeremiah 17:9 states, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”

What happened in Orlando was not the judgment of God. It was the evil of men’s hearts doing the will of their master, Satan, who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Jesus came that we may have abundant life! (John 10:10)

I think of Jesus’ words to His disciples when the Samaritans wouldn’t welcome them on their way to Jerusalem. “And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’ But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’” (Luke 9:54-56)

“. . .Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no. But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” (Luke 13:4)

I rejoiced when I heard how Chick-fil-A showed Christ’s love by opening their restaurant that Sunday (they are never open on Sundays) and distributed free sandwiches and iced tea to those standing in line for hours to donate blood for the wounded, and also to the hundreds of law enforcement officials who were at the scene of the murders. http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/158700906-story That’s something Jesus would do—not call down fire on the gay night club, Pulse.    

Copyright © 2016 Elaine Beachy

Humble Pie

How does Jesus spell love?

R. E. S. P. E. C. T.  Respect for His Word, respect for the way we talk to Him, and respect for the way we relate to and treat one another. The Lord recently opened my eyes to how I sounded when I responded to a directive He gave me—something I really didn’t want to do. I struggled for some minutes before I said, “Okay, Lord, I will do it because I love you, but I’ll reserve this certain time frame for myself.”

Often, the Lord speaks to me in my thoughts when I’m doing my hair or makeup. A day or so later (probably when I was doing my hair), I thought about what I’d said to Him and how it sounded. I told Him I was sorry for being disrespectful and self-willed, and I prayed, “Father, I would like to have that certain time for myself. May I? Is it okay with You?” Immediately, I sensed His pleasure and a smile on His face at my change of attitude. I still don’t have an answer, but that’s okay. I don’t (yet) know exactly why He asked this certain thing of me. And I don’t have to know why before I can obey. It was the first time in my life that I actually heard the Father’s voice in my spirit. I knew it was Him. And I told Him because I love Him, I will obey. (I am not at liberty to disclose more of my lengthy story here.)

That morning I prayed, “Lord, let Your kingdom expand greatly in the earth today! Let Your kingdom expand in my heart!” Then I asked Him what was on His mind that I could pray about. The thought came that He wanted His people to respect and honor Him, and not go their own way. So I prayed for all of us, His redeemed, that we would respect the Lord and honor Him from our hearts. I thought of the scripture in Matthew 15:8 that says, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”

I prayed, “Lord Jesus, deliver us all from attitudes of pride—from thinking we will do what we want, go where we want, when we want. Deliver us from the pride that closes us off to Your fellowship.”

I thought of the scripture in Revelation 3:20 that says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (When I was growing up, my parents’ living room wall had a picture of Jesus knocking on a door.)  I used to think that scripture referred to those who are not born again, those who need to come to Jesus for salvation. But the Holy Spirit has shown me that is not the case. Jesus desires fellowship with those He redeemed with His precious blood.

                                                                    Internet Photo

Recently I read somewhere that water typifies the Holy Spirit. Water always flows to the lowest level: it never flows uphill. Just so, the Holy Spirit will not flow where there is pride—an exalting of self. No wonder God said He resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. I Peter 5:5-6 reads, “. . .and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.”

Lesson learned. You did well on this test, Elaine. Father God is proud of you.

Copyright © 2016 Elaine Beachy