God's Design for Passion & Intimacyಮಾದರಿ

Lie #3: My Sin Disqualifies Me From a Great Sex Life. Have you ever been given a gift that you knew you didn’t deserve? As much as you loved the gift, your guilt and sense of unworthiness kept you from enjoying it. This is the case for many regarding the gift of sexual pleasure. It seems to be too much of a stretch to accept that God would want you to enjoy intoxicating, out-of-this world sexual excitement and fulfillment. You feel as if you’ve disqualified yourself from such a gift. After all, you tasted the sweetness of sexual pleasure before marriage. Or your mind has been twisted over the years by exposure to porn. A logical consequence for your sin is that you shouldn’t have the freedom to enjoy sex with your spouse. Have you ever noticed that God doesn’t qualify what He will forgive and what He won’t? So why do we act as if some sins are beyond His redemption and cleansing? It’s true that you don’t deserve sexual pleasure. None of us do. We have all fallen short of God’s holiness and deserve punishment and condemnation. Yet, Jesus’ death on the cross means that there is now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus! Let me ask you a probing question. Are you at any level withholding sexual pleasure in your marriage because you feel guilty? You may not be consciously aware of it, but have you determined that you will punish yourself for past mistakes? My friend, there is nothing spiritual or godly about giving yourself a judgment for sin that God has forgiven! The verses you read today make it clear. Don’t deny your sin or keep it hidden in the recesses of your heart. Confess it before the Lord. When you do, accept the promise that God has cleansed you from that sin and covered you with righteousness. He has given you the gift of sexual pleasure to enjoy in marriage. It’s time to open the gift! Action Step: Get on your knees before the Lord and ask Him to forgive your sin, even sin that happened years ago but hasn’t been dealt with. Thank Him for the cleansing blood of Christ. Then, put a “stake in the ground”… something to remind you that the sin has been dealt with and has no hold on your current walk with God.