Desires of the flesh

Yes I am!
I'm gonna go there.
I'm gonna talk about sex.

I walk every day.
I had reached a distance that I was pretty satisfied with,
but I push myself to pick up my pace each day.
Faster! Faster! Faster!
Then recently, I discovered that
I would likely be doing a lot of mountain hiking in the future.
(Ahhh, the joys of loving an active man!)
So I decided more distance was needed!
So I rerouted,
adding several more hills to my walk.
And I expected to be able to keep up my pace.
What I discovered was that attempting to pace five miles
the same as three miles
was foolhardy!
And so, difficult as it has been,
I have dropped my pace by three minutes per mile.
I still push to increase,
but for now,
the pace is slower in favor of distance.
So what does this have to do with sex?
Well, I'll tell you!

Sex is a wonderful, glorious gift from God.
But it has caveats.
It is a gift reserved for marriage.
The Bible is very clear on that.
Nowhere does it say, "try it out, see if you're compatible"
or "it's okay as long as you're in love"
or "it's only a physical act and doesn't really matter"
or "a person has needs that must be met and if you're single you still have those needs".
No, it says,

"But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, 

each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. 

                                                              ~~ I Corinthians 7:2 ESV ~~

"Drink water from your own well - 

- share your love only with your wife [or husband].

Why spill the water of your springs in public,

having sex with just anyone?

You should reserve it for yourselves.

Don't share it with strangers.

Let your wife [or husband] be a fountain of blessing for you."

~~ Proverbs 5:15-18 NLT ~~

These verses specifically state that sex is intended to be
between husband and wife to avoid sexual immorality. 

That indicates that sex outside of marriage is immoral.

And there are multitudes of Scriptures that talk about avoiding sexual immorality!

"You may say,

'I am allowed to do anything.'

But I reply,

'Not everything is good for you.'...

But our bodies were not made for sexual immorality.

They were made for the Lord,

and the Lord cares about our bodies...

And don't you know that if a man joins himself to a [woman],

he becomes one body with her?

For the Scriptures say,

'The two are united into one.'

But the person who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Run away from sexual sin!

No other sin so clearly affect the body as this one does.

For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.

Or don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,

who lives in you and was given to you by God?

You do not belong to yourself,

for God bought you with a high price.

So you must honor God with your body."

~~ I Corinthians 6:18-20 NLT ~~ 

"Let there be no sexual immorality, impurty or greed amony you.

Such sins have no place among God's people...

You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person

will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God...

Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins,

for the terrible anger of God comes upon all those who disobey Him."

~~ Ephesians 5:3-6 NLT ~~ 

Now, lest you think that I think sex is bad,
let me assure you that the Bible is also full of Scripture
that sex is God's gift to married people.
The entire book of Song of Songs (Solomon)
is a love story about the desire and fulfillment of the marriage bed!
And:

"Let your wife [or husband] be a fountain of blessing for you...

She [he] is a loving doe, a graceful deer.

 Let her [his] breasts satisfy you always.

May you always be captivated by her [his] love."

~~ Proverbs 5:18-19 NLT ~~ 

Sex is a generous and private gift to married people!

We often look at a man's sexual desire as a weak link or an Achilles' heel. 

The promise of fleeting pleasure has the power to strip us of all that we value in life.

Outside of the marriage bed,

sex can fatally harm the relationship of a Christian couple.

Guilt and regret set it.

Determination not to let it happen again.

Failure.

Looking into the face of one's own shame

after making love is not the image I want to have

or to leave.

But given into the hands of God,

anticipation and eventual fulfillment are wondrous!

Desire for your beloved is a natural and healthy thing!

Sexual desire is only an Achilles' heal when acted upon outside of marriage.

Now one would think that at 58 and 66,
sexual temptations would be pretty easily resisted.
One would be wrong!
It is just as hard now -
no, harder, because we have been married, sexual,
we know what we are wanting, missing out on! -
as it was at 18!
But it is still just as wrong now
as it was then!

Walking is a daily commitment!
Each day, I am tempted to say,
"Skipping one day won't hurt anything!"
But my endurance is harmed when I do.
The same is true of committing to obedience to God.

James, a great handbook for a Godly life, says in chapter 2, verse 10:

And the person who keeps all of the laws except one 

is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God's laws."

And in chapter 4, verse 17:

"Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it!"

And it is also sin to know what you ought not to do and do it anyway!

So here I am.

Baring my soul.

Telling the world that I am struggling.

And why?

Because we all struggle!

Because it might help strengthen someone else!

Because it will strengthen me,

give me something of my own study and thought

to refer to when I am weak.

Because this gives me a measure of accountability!

Because it is my commitment to my Lanny Love -

as it is his to me -

to remain pure,

to protect our precious relationship with each other,

and more importantly,

with God!

When I am walking and I face a hill that is difficult to climb

and I am tempted to slow down,

or stop and rest,

I have a mantra.

"Lanny at the top! Lanny at the top!"
because that is where Lanny will stop when we are backpacking!
And the view from his arms will be worth the climb!

That is my new mantra when tempted by sexual immorality
or to push for a faster pace!
"Lanny at the top! Lanny at the top!"
Patience is not one of my virtues!
This isn't easy!
But it will be worth the wait when God's time has been fulfilled!

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in Him,

and He helps me.

My heart leaps for joy,

and with my song I praise Him.

                                                                 ~~ Psalm28:7 NIV ~~