Hi everyone :)

Greetings from the burgh :) May you all depend completely on the Lord through the times of life! May you come to experience His divine grace and love! Amen!

Devotional Times

(Psalm 143, Proverbs 13)

What I have learned and continue to learn:

Promise to claim:

"For all God's words are right, and everything he does is worthy of our trust." (Psalm 33:4)

This is a very important promise to remember.

When it comes to God's Word, we cannot play pick and choose. There will be stuff we may not like to adhere to but that will not change the principles in His Word.

Whether they are principles or promises to live by, they are worthy of our trust.

 A classic example is relationships:

Unfortunately, when it comes to relationships there are those who prefer not to base their life on God's standards but base it on their own idea of fulfillment. It is here that sexual promiscuity and immorality take an all time high.

When God sets principles, He has good reasons to set them. God is not in the habit of depriving people of enjoyment or pleasure, as some think God is. Everything the Father does is worthy of our trust. God never bans sex from our life. If anything, it is God who gave us sex.

Sex can be a blessing from the Lord when it is done in the context of marriage. God is all for that! God told Adam and Eve to procreate and multiply.

When sex is used outside of God's plan in each individuals life, tremendous problems can result. Of course for the time being everything may seem cool and alright but the affects take place in the long run.

Problems such as teenage pregnancies, STD, etc can be completely eliminated if each individual adhered to the standards God set when it comes to sex.

I do not know how many of you are in a relationship with somebody.

Maybe you want deep physical intimacy with someone even though you are not yet married. Yet, God knows what is best for you. He really does. Whoever you are in a relationship, make it triangular.

What I mean is, allow God to be the central focus with each of you looking to God for wisdom for your relationship. It's like an isosceles triangle.

Don't fall into the enemy's deceptions or traps when it comes to your relationships:

Common pitfalls people fall into are:

 1. "We have been living together for a long time and are really in love with each other. This is the only person I love and that person loves me back. We will continue to be together, so there is no problem if we consummate that love in sex. It is just like we are married w/o it being official."

There is a problem because God's ways are higher than ours. If God sees something wrong, it is better to avoid that action.

 2. "We are engaged and are going to be married soon so its no big deal to have sex. We are going to be married anyway. It's no big deal."

It is a big deal. Well, 'being married is in the future', 'unmarried is in the present'. God reminds us that sex is a blessing in marriage and not before that.

 3. "These are the 90's, you cannot be expected to live by some standard written in a book long time ago. Whatever gives you pleasure, you have the right to exercise it: live and let live. We should not be hindered from showing physical love to each other. It's okay."

It is not okay. Most of the diseases and relational breakdowns have their roots in the 60's and the wood stock era. It is not all about pleasure. It is about a Holy God who has given us principles to enhance our lives rather than destroying our lives.

These are the 90's but God's Word stands the test of time. His principles bring victory and success even to this day.

 Gals, I hope whatever guy you are in a relationship with and guys, whatever gals you are in a relationship with, your focus would be on the Lord Jesus Christ and allow Him to give you wisdom even in a relationship.

Keep your eyes on Jesus and your relationships can be God's way.  

If you have deviated from that path and have engaged in acts of sexual promiscuity and sexual immorality, it is not too late to change.

God loves you so much and sent His Son for you. You can turn your life over to Jesus and ask His forgiveness as you repent of your sin. You will be forgiven of all your sins whether they are sexual or other types.

"As far as the east is from the west, He has removed our transgressions from us." (Psalm 103:12)

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)

He will forgive you from all unrighteousness. Jesus loves you so much and reaches out to you. If you feel like you are facing consequences for your actions, it does not mean the Lord has not forgiven you.

At the same time the Lord can give us strength to bear through these and become a stronger person. Even in the consequences, we can find peace in the Savior, if we know Him and love Him.

There are times we escape those consequences but we need to be aware that sin has its consequences and obedience its blessings. If we have escaped consequences for the sins we have committed or commit, it is only because of the Lord's divine mercy giving us another chance. It is better to be on the safe side and stick to God's Word from the beginning.

May you all know that you are loved by the Lord and His commands and decrees are for your own good even if you don't believe it or agree with it! Amen!

Principle to remember:

"Despise God's Word and find yourself in trouble. Obey it and succeed." (Proverbs 13:13)

Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, you have given us your Word. You say stuff in your Word that can be really hard to follow at times, especially when our rationalizations make the actions we want to do not a big deal. This happens not only in relationships but any area of our lives. We ask thee for forgiveness for going our own way. We thank you for the tons of times you have pardoned us and we did not face the penalty for a certain action. Just because we did not face a penalty does not mean what we did was right. We realize how merciful you are and yet we know there are times you have to chastise us for our own good. When we do face discipline we ask you to give us the strength to bear through it and not to be angry with you. Help our love to grow stronger and help us to become closer to you always. Thank you Lord for reminding me of King David. Even though he faced loss in his life for his sin, he was still faithful to you. Thank you for reminding me of the adulterous women. Even though she deserved to be stoned to death according to law, you gave her the opportunity to live by telling her, "Go and sin no more." We trust our lives in your hands and ask you to use us to make an impact in other people's lives for the glory of your Name. Thank you Lord for hearing us. Please answer us Oh Lord. Thank you. In Your Name We Pray Jesus! Amen!

Love in Christ,

Ramesh

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