They Exchanged The Truth Of God For A Lie

Last night Dr. Wanda Turner preached a most powerful sermon at the Woman of Distinction Convention where she shared from her life. One of the most important and note worthy things she said is that what you are going through may not even be about you. It could be for someone else that you may know how to encourage them or to give them sound godly advice from experience. This morning I began to realize that my single hood was one such situation. How will they know that God can keep a single girl and prosper her without the help of a man, when so many women think of a man as their way out of a bad situation?

Further, I began to inquire of the Lord regarding my preservation. I'm not sure if I have ever shared this before, but I am a Virgin. I have never had sex. And yes, I will be 34 this month. I used to think that I had kept myself because I would say No at all the right times. This morning God showed me that his hand had been on me. That it was he who enabled me to escape the situations that others have faced. How do I explain that no one ever molested me as a child, that I was never raped even when I walked home alone in the dark? How do I explain saying No every single time with my boyfriends and never giving in even when the pressure was intense from him and my body? Or when in my riotous stage of life I went out drinking and clubbing and still came home in one piece? That was the hand of God on my life. I didn't keep myself a virgin. God kept me and I will praise his name forever more.

Funny enough, having made it through all that, I am now faced with a different kind of pressure. Society does not expect a woman of my age who has a great career to still be a virgin. Most people look at me like they can't figure out what I am waiting for. Others point out my age and tell me to hurry up and at least have a baby. The pressure is crazy. Then a few years ago the devil decided to add his own kind of pressure when I developed uterine fibroids and had to undergo uterine surgery. My Doctor looked at me and said I had about 5 years to have a baby or else the fibroids may recur and who knows how that would go? That devil is a liar!!! The pressure to go out and have sex is intense and in some cases the reasons look valid.

But what shall it benefit me to gain the whole world and lose my soul? Would I risk my soul for momentary pleasure or for a baby? When I stand before God what shall I say if I fornicate? No. Nothing is worth my saviors frown. Even if I never have sex or children I will not go against my saviors will. Today, I repented for thinking that I had preserved myself. God alone has preserved me and that for a reason that he will reveal in due time. I told him how people make virgins (especially older ones) feel out of order for refusing to indulge and asked him why it is so. He responded by sending me to Romans 1:25 the first part of that sentence reads as follows:

"They exchanged the truth of God for a lie..."

If you are still a virgin regardless of your age, stay that way until you are married. This is the will of God concerning you. Those who try to urge you into sexual sin have exchanged the truth of God for a lie. Do not join them in their futility. Romans 1: 22 - 32 reads:

²²Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools ²³and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

²⁴Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. ²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

²⁶Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones (Lesbianism). ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men (Homosexuality), and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

²⁸Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done...

³²Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

If you have not had sex yet, stay hidden in Christ. If you have already had sex outside of marriage repent and let the Spirit of God give you the strength to abstain. Retain the knowledge of God and the wisdom of God that you may be preserved. Even sex is for destiny and purpose!!

Wisdom and the Senses

Wisdom! This is one of the most vital things a Christian can have. But not just any Wisdom, it has to be the wisdom that comes from above. James talks about two kinds of Wisdom: The wisdom from above and demonic wisdom. Of demonic wisdom he says:

James 3:14-15
"But if you have bitter envy and self seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic."

The word sensual means of the senses. It is wisdom based on what you are seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting. It is based on your deduction of the situation and not on God's view. It is purely humanistic. 1 +1 = 2 and that's just how it is. This is the kind of math that led to Satan's defeat. He thought to himself, "If I can humiliate the son of God, strip him naked in front of God and the world, beat him to within an inch of his life, then hang him on the cross to die, I will have won." And truly, looking at Jesus on the Cross it would seem that the enemy had won. He looked defeated, he was groaning like a defeated man so he sounded defeated, he smelled of blood and sweat, everything said that he was defeated. Earthly, sensual, demonic wisdom.

The wisdom of God on the other hand said that even in death Victory had come. Even in the beating, healing had come. In Christ bearing my sin, righteousness had come. When he died, the devil thought he had won, until the wisdom of God showed up in hell in the form of Jesus, demanding the keys and setting captives free. The wisdom of God goes beyond what you can see. With this wisdom you can read between the lines, you can see behind the scenes. This is the Wisdom that God wants us to have.

"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy."

That word 'pure' means 'without mixture'. Without contamination. It is God's own wisdom not mixed in with demonic, humanistic wisdom. It is a pure wisdom. So the question becomes, what do I do with my senses? I can still hear, see, feel, smell and taste things. What do I do now? Heb 5:14 is the answer:

"But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil."

Begin to practice discerning by the 5 senses in the spiritual sense. Ask God to cleanse your senses from the earthly, sensual, demonic wisdom they are so used to operating in. Submit your senses to him and you will be surprised at how discernment will begin to come. Walk close to God. Submit your will and mind to him and continually and let him have control of you. With time, your senses will become acute in discernment.

All of a sudden everything will look good but something about the deal will "smell" fishy, or a meeting with a client will leave a bad "taste" in your mouth. You will be praying for someone and have a pain or tingling feeling in a part of your body and God will communicate what the real issue is. Sometimes it will just be a gut feeling, but God will be communicating through discernment, using your senses, what to do next.

May God sanctify my senses. I surrender them wholly to him. I ask Lord that you have your way with me. I give myself to you. Teach me your Wisdom. I love you my Lord and my God.

Safe from the fowler's snare!

I have that hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach. I feel like I am about to get trapped and I hate the feeling. I have been ready a while for my next level, and just when I am getting ready to step into it, here comes an obstacle. But what are you oh Mighty Mountain? Before me you shall become a plain!

Psalm 31:4
Free me from the trap that is set for me, for you are my refuge.

Psalm 140:5
Proud men have hidden a snare for me; they have spread out the cords of their net and have set traps for me along my path.

Psalm 141:9
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, from the traps set by evildoers.

Psalm 91

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection