Fornication is among many sins in the Bible that some church or spiritual leaders have neglected to teach about during their sermons or Bible studies lately. I believe leaders avoid this sinful topic out of fear of losing some of their congregation or audience, and/or afraid of receiving criticism from active sinners who engage in the act, and in some cases, the leaders engaging in the act. Regardless, fornication is a sin that leaders should discuss because it is one of many that prohibit people from entering heaven. People don’t talk much about heaven anymore because their focus is mainly on the materialistic, temporary things of this world. I was one of them. I would focus on everything except heaven, but heaven should be the real goal. In the end, after the world is destroyed, there will only be two places left. One is heaven; the other is hell.
Paul says in (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral (fornicators), nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”
In verse 11 Paul says, “Such were some of you, but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God.” This verse lets us know that we can be forgiven and made new through Jesus and the spirit of God.
Shortly after receiving salvation, I fornicated 5 times. I didn’t want to do it, but I was emotional. If you are not careful, your emotions can cause you to fall into all kinds of sin. I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit, so I asked God to forgive me. By His strength, those urges left me. Sex wasn’t an addiction for me, but some people do struggle with sex addiction. I’ve heard testimonies about people who struggled with it but overcame sexual immorality such as fornication, masturbation, and pornography. Deliverance comes instantly for some but may take time for others. Either way, the blood of Jesus is more powerful than any stronghold or bondage. Once you break free from that trap of the enemy, the freedom afterward feels amazing.
If you are in an ungodly relationship, living in sexual immorality, then put God first and end the relationship. If you plan to stay in it, then consider marriage. It is better to be safe than sorry.
1 Corinthians 7:2 (KJV), “It is good for a man not to touch a woman. Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.”
1 Corinthians 7:8-9 (NIV), “Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”
Now don’t try to marry everyone you fornicate with. I’m sure Paul was referring to one serious relationship built on love. There were men in the Bible who had multiple wives (polygamy) but understand that is not acceptable now. Stop looking for excuses to go against the New Testament’s principles.
Wait for marriage to have sex. Do not allow others to discourage you, including the other person. If that person is a true man or woman of God, they would respect your decision and feel mutual about it. Sex was created for a husband and wife, not the lust of the world. If you choose not to marry, that’s fine. Just refrain from sexual immorality of all kinds as we discussed earlier in (1 Corinthians 7:8-9). Do not allow the enemy to trick you into thinking that fornication, adultery, masturbation, pornography, incest, or any other form of sexual immorality is ok. IT IS NOT OK!
DID YOU KNOW?
Sexual immorality is the only sin that you can sin against your own body, and every other sin is committed outside the body.
“Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, however, God will do away with both of them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Now God has not only raised the Lord but will also raise us up through his power. Do you not know that your bodies are parts of Christ? Shall I then take away the parts of Christ and make them parts of a prostitute? Far from it! Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh…”
…But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought for a price: therefore, glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:13-20)
HERE ARE WAYS TO HELP YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY TO RECEIVE DELIVERANCE FROM ALL SEXUAL IMMORALITY:
- Get rid of any images, videos, movies, music, texts, toys/devices, or people that will tempt you.
- Prayer and fasting will help deliver you from sexual immorality. Pray to God and be specific about your struggles or addictions (fornication, masturbation, pornography, incest, adultery, bestiality/zoophilia, etc.)
- Seek help from a trustworthy source. For example, a pastor, minister, spiritual advisor, therapist, family, or friend. Ask them to pray for you and help hold you accountable for your sins.
You will overcome this sin! Ask God to reveal to you the root causes of your sexual immorality, because sometimes it is a result of child abuse or other traumatic experiences. God will reveal to you the root causes so that you can face those demons and begin the necessary steps toward healing. Do not be ashamed of whatever sin you may be struggling with. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The enemy wants you to live in guilt or shame so that you can continue that lifestyle. He is a liar and there is hope! God will reveal to you the root causes so that you can face those demons and begin the necessary steps toward healing.
As for church and spiritual leaders: It is time for you to start discussing certain sins, so you can help prepare yourself and your congregation for the kingdom of God. Are you afraid of a little conflict from the enemy? (Matthew 10:28) says, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
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