Daily Delight
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5, ESV)
Lust is one of the Enemy’s favorite weapons. As Jon Bloom writes, ‘few sins wield as much power to blind unbelievers and seduce Christians, and then immobilize them with shame’. Indeed, when I look at my own experiences – intimate relationships as a non-Christian; lifestyle choices as a single woman after coming to Christ – I see the damaging aftermath of when I have been enraptured by the false promises of the Enemy’s distortion of sex.
The truth is that together with men, created in the likeness of God, our sexuality is part of our being. It is to be embraced in anticipation of sex as a stunning picture of purity, love and unity and to point towards the grace and great authorship of our God. Like other areas of sin, we fail to be good stewards of our sexuality when we use it for reasons that are self-serving rather than God-serving. God desires more than simply ‘sex after marriage’. Our Lord desires us to preserve our bodies, which were made to be temples for Him (1 Corinthians 6:13-20). Our Father desires not just ‘chastity’ but a purity of heart that keeps us in relationship with Him. Our Savior desires a sacrificial love that honors His nature and reflects the finished work of the cross.
If this is an area of struggle for you, know that you are not alone. Not just because I, along with many other Christian women similarly struggle alongside you, but because “we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15). So focus not on your failures but look to Christ for help and salvation. Ask Him to redeem your mind so that the question of “How far can I go before I sin?” becomes “How far can I go to honor you?” Ask Him to reveal older, wiser women whom you can share and be accountable to. Ask Him for courage, perseverance and prayerfulness.
The road to healing and repentance may be a long one. For me, as a lover of darkness, there are moments when I am vulnerable to temptation even in my current relationship. But by the grace of God alone, I have begun to delight in these struggles, knowing that He is training me in the way of love that is founded on sacrifice and commitment and that these struggles are but signs of my continuous sanctification on this side of eternity.
Rebecca Wong≫ ≫ Raised in a non-Christian family in Singapore, Rebecca encountered the boundless love and saving grace of Jesus Christ at university in London. While it has not always been easy to remain faithful, God has been unwavering and relentless in His pursuit of her.
An aspiring lawyer-in-training, Rebecca believes in the power of words, especially those fueled by the Word of God. When she's not reading and writing for work, she enjoys being outdoors, from scuba-diving around Southeast Asia to taking long walks around reservoirs while contemplating the Psalms with her boyfriend.
Over the next few months, Rebecca hopes to grow in sensitivity to the Lord's Spirit so as to serve the Daughter of Delight community through ways in which He intends.