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In this blog, I provide training and instruction, as well as warnings on the topics of finding a marriage partner, Christian dating, courtship, cohabitation before marriage, contraception, sex, and divorce. 

As the Scripture says, “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (1 Thes 4:3-8, NIV)

“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Heb 13:4)

Finding a Marriage Partner	Why Not Live Together Rather Than Marry	A Warning for Christian Married Couples
Recognizing Jesus	Is Contraception a Sin?	When Marriage Doesn't Work Out
Divorcing the Devil	The Father's Role in the Marriage of His Children	Christian Typology of Jewish Wedding Customs
Jacob Was 77 Years Old When He Married

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted.

Author's Note: You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Jacob Was 77 Years Old When He Married

Did you know that the Jewish patriarch Jacob (Israel) met Rachel when he was 70 years old, then served 7 years for her before marrying her a week after he was tricked into marrying Leah? So he married Leah and Rachel when he was 77, then served another 7 years for Rachel.

Rachel was barren for the first several years of her marriage, while her sister Leah was bearing sons for Jacob. Although the Bible does not state exactly how long she was barren, some ancient Jewish rabbinical sources say it was 14 years. The midrash relates that Rachel was twenty-two years old when she was married to Jacob (Seder Olam Rabbah 2), and her barrenness lasted for fourteen years (Seder Eliyahu Rabbah 18, p. 99).

Benjamin was born within the same year they left Laban’s house. Year 2302

Joseph was 6 years older than Benjamin, so he was born in 2296.

Joseph was 17 years old when he was taken into captivity.

Joseph was 39 years old when he was reunited with his brothers in Egypt.

Jacob was 130 years old when he was reunited with Joseph in Egypt.

Jacob was 147 years old when he died.

Joseph was 56 years old when his father passed away.

Subtract from Jacob’s age at death (147) Joseph’s age at Jacob’s death (56), & subtract 14 more years of Rachel’s barrenness to get Jacob’s age at marriage to Rachel (77). 147 – 56 – 14 = 77.  

Divine Coincidence

After I wrote this article, a few minutes later I happened to watch the first part of a video on Youtube about the Feast of Trumpets in 2025, after which I was quite amazed to find the following statement in the video comments, which the channel owner left in reply to one of his viewers:

"Jacob (Israel) was 77 when he took his first bride..." That seemed to me like a divine confirmation of this article.

Lesson Learned
Consider the fact that although Jacob was a full-grown man, he obeyed his father Isaac and followed his direction to go to the country of Laban to find a wife for himself. He did not disobey his father simply because he was over 18 years old, based on the false premise that since he was an adult, his father had no right to be involved in his search for and selection of a wife.

Life Application

The application for our lives today is that fathers most certainly have a God-given role in their adult children's marriage partner selection process. Deciding who to marry should not be made without the guidance and blessing of your parents, unless you have tried to work through that with great wisdom and care, and after much prayer and fasting the Lord has shown you that you are to get married without their blessing or against their counsel. If that is the case, then you should have many, well-documented confirmations that would withstand anyone's close scrutiny, and also have the blessing and approval of your church elders and the parents of the person you are marrying.

Attribution Notice: The cropped image above is of the 1652 painting by Jan Victors, called Jacob Seeking the Forgiveness of Esau, which is on display in the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Home page, such as The Father's Role in the Marriage of His Children.. You may also access other articles on the Home page for this blog, as well as my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Role of Fathers in the Marriage of Their Children

In the Church today, we have adopted many of the world’s ways and forsaken many of God’s ways. So when it comes to marriage, where nearly half of them end in divorce (even in the Church), is it possible that the Church is not approaching marriage according to the ways of God?  If that is the case, then we should find out what God’s ways really are in this matter. In order to find the answers, we need to look at how people entered into marriage in the Bible, and the role of one’s father in the selection of their marriage partner. This doctrine is found in the book of Beginnings, where all doctrine begins, in the book of Genesis.

God the Father gave his son Adam His wife Eve to be his wife (Ge 2:20-22).

Abraham got a wife for his son Isaac by sending his servant to go to his relatives and get a wife for his son there (Ge 24:2-4,7).

Abraham's servant asked Rebecca's father and brother to give her in marriage to Abraham's son Isaac, and it was her father Bethuel and brother Laban who agreed to give her in marriage to Isaac (Ge 24:50-52).

Isaac commanded Jacob not to take a wife from the Canaanites, which represent the world and the non-believers, and told him to go to his grandfather's house to the home of Bethuel and take a wife from his relatives there (Ge 28:1-2).

Isaac gave Jacob his blessing for marriage (Ge 28;3-4).

Isaac sent Jacob back to the home of Laban, but he did not pre-arrange the marriage (Ge 28:5).

When Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to the home of Laban to take a wife, and when he realized that the Canaanite wives he had taken were displeasing to his parents, then he married a daughter of Ishmael (Ge 28:6-9).

When Jacob was 70 years old, he obeyed his father, Isaac, and went to the place he was told to go to take a wife for himself, which was Paddan Aram.

When Jacob obeyed his father, God gave him a confirmation in the form of a dream to show him that he was on the right track.

Jacob asked Laban for his daughter Rachel in marriage, which was his personal preference (not his father’s), and Laban agreed to give his daughter to him in marriage (Ge 29:18-19).

When the time came, Jacob asked Laban to give him his daughter Rachel in marriage (Ge 29:21).

Laban gave his older daughter Leah in marriage to Jacob (Ge 29:23).

Seven days later, Laban gave his younger daughter Rachel to Jacob to be his wife (Ge 29:28).

Hamor the father of Shechem went to Jacob, at the request of his son, to ask for his daughter Dinah to be his son Hamor's wife. This shows that even the non-believers (in this case a rapist) understood the importance of the father’s role in marriage (Ge 34:5-6,8-9).

Shechem himself also asked Jacob and his sons for Dinah to be his wife (Ge 34:11-12).

Judah got a wife for his first born son Er (Ge 38:6).

Judah also commanded his son Onan to lay with Er’s widow, and this is where the doctrine comes from that a brother must marry his brother’s widow in order to produce children (Ge 38:8).

When both of Judah’s sons had died, he ordered his daughter-in-law to go live with her father until his son Shelah was old enough to marry her. He still had authority over her even as a widow to direct her where she should live in order to be taken care of.

There is no Scriptural basis for a virgin to move out of her father’s household without his authorization or approval. The only time in Scripture that a virgin is ever allowed to move out of her father’s house is when her father gives her away in marriage to a man. That is the way it is in the Bible, although we understand that most people don’t do it that way today, and this is not intended to condemn anyone. I'm simply stating what is in God's Word, which is our sole rule of faith. 

"Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." (1 Cor 11:3)

We must be subject to the governing authorities, and a father is one of those authorities that is instituted by God (Rom 13:1; Heb 13:17). This authority doesn’t cease when a virgin daughter moves away from her father to live on her own without his approval, which has no biblical basis anyway. It still has some bearing. For example, if the father is a godly Christian man, then his counsel and approval should be sought out regarding a marriage partner, and marriage should not be entered into lightly without it. 

The Bible says, "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." (Pro 15:22). Parents are among the many, God-given advisers you need to consult with about important life decisions, and marriage is perhaps the most important life decision you could make. It would be foolish to make plans to marry anyone without the counsel, advice and approval of your parents, especially your father. That would be quite foolish to do so, and it is also completely unbiblical.

Marriage involves spiritual warfare, which should be obvious when you consider that nearly half (42%) of all marriages end in divorce (in America), even among Christians. Scripture says, "Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisers." (Pro 24:6). Be sure and obtain guidance from many advisers, including your parents, before making any decision to marry someone.

It is a father's God-given role to decide whether or not to give away his daughter in marriage to a suitor, which is why he should be directly involved in the decision. In keeping with this biblical principle, King Saul offered to give his daughter Merab in marriage to David (1 Sam 18:17). Later he also offered his daughter Michael to David to be his wife (1 Sam 18:21). Likewise, the Jewish men during the days of Nehemiah promised not to give their daughters away in marriage to the peoples around them or to take the daughters of those peoples for their sons (Neh 10:30).

Consulting your parents, especially your father, and involving them in your marital decision is both wise and biblical, and it also honors them. Although Jesus was never married, He honored his earthly parents and was obedient to them. (Lk 2:51)

Jesus honored his heavenly Father (Jn 8:49) and obeyed Him in everything (Jn 6:38; 8:29; 14:31; Lk 22:42). So too, should children honor their parents and obey them, unless it is something that contradicts the Word of God, such as their parent telling them to do something God’s Word forbids, or forbidding them to do something that God has commanded us to do. (Eph 6:1-3; Ex 20:12).

If you are blessed with a godly father, you would do well to listen to his instruction, pay attention, gain understanding, lay hold of his words with all your heart, and not forsake his teaching, as the Scripture says you should do (Prov 4:1-4).

A Sacred Principle Embedded in Culture

The whole principle of a father being directly involved in the marriage of his children is embedded in culture. We see this all over the world in various cultures that still hold to certain marriage traditions that go back hundreds, if not thousands of years. One of them is the suitor paying a dowry to the father of the bride, which is still practiced in many African and Asian cultures. Another tradition is the one in which the father walks his daughter down the aisle at the wedding. The minister asks who will be giving the bride away, and the father answers, "I do." He then gives her hand to the bridegroom as a physical act demonstrating that he is hereby giving his daughter's hand away to the man in marriage. 

Of course, in Jewish weddings traditionally, the father of the bride escorts her down the aisle, walking on her left side while her mother walks on her right. And even the groom is escorted down the aisle by his parents in the same fashion. This ancient Hebrew tradition probably dates back thousands of years, since it is based on a biblical principle that began in the time period written about in the book of Genesis.

However, we do know for sure that the Christian tradition dates back at least nearly five hundred years to the sixteenth century. A quick Google search returned this result: "The tradition of the father of the bride walking his daughter down the aisle to 'give her away' can be traced back to the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer in 1549. The text asks, 'who giveth this woman to be married to this man?' and the minister then 'receives the woman at her father or friend's hands'. The tradition likely originated from the [biblical] idea that a woman was her father's property and he was giving her away in exchange for a dowry on her wedding day. Once married, she would become the property of her husband."

In fact, this God-honoring practice is so important, that there have even been fathers who were paralyzed, who still walked their daughters down the aisle using walkers or wheelchairs, and even terminally ill fathers who walked their daughters down the aisle as they lay in a hospital gurney, being wheeled down the aisle beside their daughters. Let that really sink in. This is very touching to me, and expresses beyond words the point I am trying to convey.

Evidence from Biblical Words

There are a couple of Greek words found in the New Testament that provide further evidence of this biblical concept of a father giving his daughter away in marriage.

The first one is the Greek word "ekgamizō" (ek-gam-id'-zo), meaning "to marry off a daughter: - give in marriage." (Strongs). The root word is "gamizō," meaning "to give in marriage, permit to marry." This proves that in order for a daughter to be married, she must first be given in marriage by her father, who has the God-give authority to grant permission or not. These words are used in Mat 22:30, 24:38; Luke 17:27; and 1 Cor 7:38. There is another Greek word, "ekgamiskō" (ek-gam-is'-ko) found in Scripture that means the same thing as "ekgamizō." The existence and use of both of these words further proves that this is a biblical, God-ordained practice.

Conclusion

Some may say that the examples given in this study are all arranged marriages, but that is not true. The spouses in these biblical accounts of marriage were not all pre-selected by the parents without any input or preference by the children. This study does not lead us to the conclusion that we must advocate arranged marriages, or that they are the only way to get married. Arranged marriages may work in some cultures and for some people, but that is not the only way to do it. In fact, they can be disastrous, especially if God is not consulted and the one getting married has no say in the matter, whereby they can express their own preference. 

However, from this study in God’s Word, we learn that the father clearly has an authoritative role in the marriage of his children, and he is never bypassed or ignored in that decision, but rather he is directly involved. The father is always the one to give his daughter in marriage, and she does not make this decision on her own, nor does the son make a marriage decision on his own, but with his father's approval. The father is also the one with the authority to give his blessing or not to his child’s marriage. All doctrine begins in the book of Genesis, so from these examples, we need to understand that this is the will of God, the ways of God, and the Word of God for us to live by. 

Attributions: Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Images subject to copyright. First image of father walking bride down the aisle is copyright Anna Grinets Photography, all rights reserved. Images used per Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only. 

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Finding a Marriage Partner, Jacob Was 77 Years Old When He Married, and the other posts on the Home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

Christian Typology of Jewish Wedding Customs

Dear friends,

The Jewish wedding customs are laden with many types of Christ and the Church, and we find many references to these in the New Testament Bible, as well as throughout the Old Testament. Let's take a look at these customs. 

Bride selection by groom’s father 

The bridegroom’s father would choose a bride for his son, either on his own or through a servant or messenger at his direction, who would do so with God’s help and guidance (Ge 24:2-4,7, 50-52; 38:6). Or the groom’s father would direct his son where to find a wife, as well as where not to do so (Ge 24:2-4), and allow the son to pick one for himself from that candidate pool that would surely receive his father’s approval (Ge 28:1-2,5).

Asking for the bride’s hand in marriage

The bride’s father would be asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage (Ge 24:50-52; 29:18-19,21; 34: 5-6,8-9,11-12), since it was her father’s decision whether to give his daughter away to him in marriage, and he alone had that authority to do so (Ge 29:23,28; 1 Sam 18:17,21; 1 Cor 7:36-38, NASB; Rom 13:1; Heb 13:17; 1 Tim 3:4; Eph 6:1-3; Ex 20:12).

The father’s blessing

The bridegroom’s father would pronounce his blessing upon his son’s future marriage (Ge 28:3-4).

Agreement by bride’s father & dowry set 

If the bride’s father agreed to give his daughter in marriage to the man, he would set the bride price, which the groom’s father was required to pay to the bride’s father—essentially buying her for his son (Ge 34:11-12).

Betrothal ceremony 

Once the terms were agreed upon, all parties would come together for the betrothal ceremony. 

At this point the bride price would be paid the bridegroom’s father (Ge 24:10,22,53).

The bride and groom would sign a contract or covenant, called a “ketubah,” signifying their agreement to marry.  

They would then drink wine as a symbolic sealing of the marriage.

At this point they were betrothed, which basically meant they were married, except that they had not yet consummated the marriage. Only death or a decision on the part of the groom’s father could dissolve the betrothal.

Groom returns to his father and prepares a home

"After they drank the wine and signed the ketubah, the groom would return to his father’s house and would work to build an addition onto it, preparing a home for his bride. He would continue to work, sometimes for over a year, until the day when his father approved the work and gave him permission to go and bring back his bride." -- Catherine Parks.

Bride waits and prepares herself for her groom and remains pure

"When the groom would go home to prepare a house for his bride, the bride would remain in her father’s home to prepare herself. And when she went out in public, they all knew she was spoken for...She was saving herself for her bridegroom, which was part of the betrothal agreement. She had been bought at a great price, and therefore she had to remain pure for her groom." -- Catherine Parks

Purity During Betrothal Period

According to Jewish law, a man and a woman who are not married to each other may not be in a room or other private spaces by themselves. 

Virgins wait for the bridegroom 

The bridesmaids, who were all virgins, would attend the bride, at the father of the bride’s house, where they with their lamps would await the coming of the groom. 

Groom returns for his bride

The bridegroom would go for his bride, who was waiting expectantly at her father’s house, not knowing when her bridegroom would arrive. 

Wedding feast

The bridegroom would bring his bride back to his father’s house where they would enjoy a feast lasting up to seven days (Jdg 14:10,18). 

Bridesmaids allowed into wedding feast

When the bridegroom came, attended by his friends (groomsmen), for his bride (Jn 3:29), the virgin bridesmaids with their lamps would follow the couple (Ps 45:14), lighting the way with their lamps, and would be allowed into the wedding feast with him and the bride, since they were known to the wedding couple (Ps 45:15).

Consummation of Marriage

The nuptial couple would finally get to be alone together in a secluded place only after the official wedding ceremony (Ge 24:67). The consummation of the marriage would soon follow. 

The bride would forsake her parents' house (Ps 45:10) and remain with her husband in his house, while he would leave his parents and be united to his wife (Ge 2:24) in a loving relationship for the rest of their lives. 

Typology Explained

Let me say a few closing words to explain the typology of Christ and the Church, which I'm sure you were able to see in these Jewish customs.

The bride selection by the groom’s father symbolizes the way the Heavenly Father has chosen a Bride for His Son, the Bridegroom (Mt 9:15; 25:1-13; Mk 2:19-20; Lk 5:35; Jn 3:29; Is 62:5NIV). The bride price represents the price that Jesus paid for the Bride, which He purchased with His own blood (Ac 20:28). The Father was directly involved in this payment, since gave His only begotten Son to purchase His Church as the Bride of Christ (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 4:14-16; Gal 4:4-5). 

Those of us who have agreed to the terms of following Jesus have entered into betrothal with Him. For He has betrothed us to Himself forever (Hos 2:19-20). We are pledged to Him as His Bride in a covenantal relationship, and when we partake of the Lord's Supper, we are confirming that covenant with Him.

As the Bride of Christ (Eph 5:31-32; Rev 21:2,9,17; Is 62:5NIV), we are to prepare ourselves and keep ourselves purely devoted to the Lord (2 Cor 11:3; Eph 5:25-27; Rev 19:7), as we wait expectantly for His return. We belong to Him and no other. We are not only the Bride, but like the five wise virgin bridesmaids (Mt 25:1), preparing ourselves in advance, we are to buy extra oil by being continually filled with the Spirit (Mt 25:1; Eph 5:18), keeping our lamps burning, as we eagerly await the coming of Jesus the Bridegroom. 

He said He would return to his father’s house to prepare a place for His Bride, and promised to come back and take us, so that we may also be where He is (Jn 14:2-3). He will return only at the time of his Father's choosing to go and bring back his bride (Mt 24:36). When Jesus our Bridegroom comes in clouds of glory with all His holy angels, the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are ready will be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thes 4:16-17).

Then we will go into heaven with the Lord, where we will participate in the wedding supper of the Lamb (Mt 25:10; Rev 19:1-9). We will be married to Him at last in a loving relationship, and so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thes 4:17).  

Watch a video of me giving a message on this topic.

Attribution: The foregoing document contains excerpts from an article by Catherine Parks called Watching and Waiting: Jewish Wedding Traditions in the New Testament. Another source is Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Bible.  

Author's Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Role of Fathers in the Marriage of Their Children, and the other posts on the home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

Divorcing the Devil

Sometimes we may experience conflict with others or even come under attack by people. We need to understand that our battle is a spiritual one, and that we battle not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of evil. Paul said it like this:

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Eph 6:12)

Your Spouse is Not the Devil
You need to realize that your husband is not the devil. Your wife is not the devil. Your brother or sister is not the devil. Your son or daughter is not the devil. Your boss is not the devil. Your neighbor is not the devil. Many times a person may get a divorce from his spouse, because of the conflicts between the two of them, but then later, if he gets get remarried to someone else, he finds he still has the same problem. The reason is that his spouse was not the problem, the devil was the problem, and since he didn't deal with the actual root cause of the problem, he encounters the same thing with his next marriage partner.

If one or both parties are walking in the flesh, then they are pathways for the devil to work through them in various ways. You cannot be walking in the flesh and in the spirit at the same time, since the flesh and spirit are diametrically opposed to each other. But if we deal with the sin in our lives by repenting and asking God for forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ, then we will be cleansed and set free from all kinds of bondage. If both marriage partners do that, then there can be a new beginning for their marriage and a renewal of love. The same goes for any relationship, not just the one between a husband and a wife.

Renunciation of the Devil
What you need to do is divorce the devil, rather than divorce your spouse. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, then here is how you can pray to divorce the devil: "I renounce satan, and all of his works and pomps, and all of his minions. I cancel every contract with hell, every covenant with death, and I break every tie with darkness, in Jesus' name!"

You could further shout, "The devil stands condemned already. The Lord rebuke you, satan! In the name of Jesus, get thee behind me, satan! You have lost your place in heaven. Jesus Christ has triumphed over you at the cross and made a public spectacle of you there. He has disarmed you." (Jn 16:11; Zech 3:2; Jude 1:9; Mt 16:23; Rev 12:8; Col 2:15).

You could boldly command him, "Devil, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I command you to get your hands off of my life, off of my marriage, off of my children, off of my health, off of my finances, and off of my property! I am bought by the blood of Jesus and my life is not my own, but it belongs to Him."

You could further add, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I cut off every evil spirit that has attached itself to me!. Away from me, you evildoers, that I may obey the commands of my God! I have nothing but hatred for you! I consider you my enemies!" (Ps 119:115; 139:22).

You could further shout, "I call for a sword for the Lord and for [state your own name]! Get them, holy angels, leave no survivors!" (Josh 10:30, 40; Judg 7:20).

You could top that off by shouting, "In the name of Jesus Christ, I bind every evil spirit within the sound of my voice! I command you to depart from me and return to the pit from whence you came, reporting failure to your master, and I forbid you to return to me or send reinforcements. Holy fire!"

Closing Words
Go ahead and divorce the devil and cut him off from continuing to wreak havoc in your life. Then be sure and close all doors in your life that are open to the enemy, or else he will just come right back in. Repent of all known sins in your life, depart from all iniquity, and cling to Jesus. Ask Him to forgive you and put all those things under His blood, so that they will not count against you. Don't give the devil any opportunity to get a foothold of any kind in your life, but follow Jesus with all your heart. Feed on His Word daily. Believe in Him and do what He says. Then watch how He begins to bless you and turn your life around.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV. 

Author's note:  I also recommend reading When Marriage Doesn't Work Out and Speak to the Storm. I invite you to visit the Home page for this blog, and you can also find my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Gift of Celibacy

Although I am personally happily married and do not have the gift of celibacy, I want to highlight singleness, since it is not very popular in today's culture, and yet it is found in Scripture. These days it seems like married life is promoted as the best possible way of life. Things are geared toward couples, and romance is the subject of many movies and books, as well as a target for the advertising campaigns of businesses. It is as if singleness were a bad thing or at least second best. There is even pressure for single people to get married in some cultures, or at least an expectation that they should do so.

Even in the church we see this mentality that favors married life and people who are married. Events may be geared toward couples or toward singles who are seeking to be married. Even when the Church is considering someone as a potential pastor, they may have rules in place that require him to be married as one of the necessary qualifications. While Scripture teaches us that it is wrong to forbid people to marry, it is not wrong or somehow less than God's best for anyone to remain single. I am not at all diminishing the gift of marriage and children, because I think they are wonderful, but I want to focus in this post on what the Scriptures say about celibacy.

God's High Standard for Marriage
When Jesus spoke of the high standard for marriage and the rare exception for divorce, teaching that God requires married couples to remain together for life, it sparked a reaction among His disciples, who probably could not see how most people would be able to achieve that standard.

In that passage, some Pharisees had asked the Lord if it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason, and Jesus had asked them what Moses said. They replied that Moses commanded them to issue a certificate of divorce. But Jesus replied that Moses only allowed that because their hearts were hard, but that this was not God's will from the beginning.

"Jesus replied, 'Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.'” (Mt 19:8-9, NIV).

The disciples, as I said, were amazed to learn that this was God's high and holy standard for marriage. "The disciples said to him, 'If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.'" (Mt 19:10, NIV). They thought that it would be better for people not to marry, since they knew how challenging it can be to maintain a healthy, harmonious marriage, and how common it is for couples to divorce. Apparently they realized that many people were not staying married and felt it would be best, in light of what Jesus said, for people not to get married in the first place.

Listen to the Lord's response to their assumption. "Jesus replied, 'Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.'” (Mt 19:11-12, NIV).

Jesus first made it clear that not everyone can accept the notion proposed by His disciples that it would be better for people to remain celibate. He said that only those who have received their celibacy from God can do so, and He gave examples of such people.

Three Kinds of Celibacy
There are essentially three kinds of celibacy. First there are those who are born that way. These are people who are either born without a desire to be married or are created by God to be single. This could include those rather unusual cases in which people are born without healthy reproductive organs. It could also include people who are better suited to be single. But the point is that they were actually born that way. Marriage is either something they are not interested in or are incapable of doing. He called them eunuchs.

Then there are those who have been made into eunuchs by others. This would include people who have had certain reproductive organs removed, as in the case of a man who has been castrated, typically early enough in life for it to have major hormonal consequences. In Bible days there were men who were made to be eunuchs in order to serve in the king's courts in certain roles that required them to be single. One example would be a eunuch in charge of the king's harem (Esther 2:15). It was pretty typical for kings and queens to have eunuchs serving in their courts. One example is in 2 Kings 9:32, where two or three eunuchs threw Queen Jezebel out the window to her death at Jehu's request.

A third type of eunuch that Jesus mentioned is the kind who has made a personal decision to remain celibate for the sake of the kingdom. He said, "there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." In my opinion there may be far more of this third type than there are of the first two types of celibate people. The Lord did not forbid anyone to marry, but said that there is a kind of self-imposed celibacy that one can choose in order to better serve God. In fact, He actually encouraged this by saying, "The one who can accept this should accept it."

Therefore, while He acknowledged that not everyone can accept this, He did say that the one who could accept celibacy for the kingdom should accept it. He was certainly not expecting all people to be able to remain celibate, since for some people it would simply not be a wise decision, but He seemed to indicate that this is actually His preference for His disciples, who are able to accept it, to remain celibate. After all, He Himself was celibate for the sake of the kingdom, so He led by example.

Celibates in Scripture
In addition to the Lord Jesus Himself, there are others in Scripture that were single. One is the apostle Paul. Some people believe he may have actually been married at one time, but somehow either through the death of his wife or divorce he ended up single again. They probably assume this because of the way he was able to teach so well on marriage as if he himself had personal experience with it, and also perhaps it is because it would have been most likely for a Pharisee in those days, such as he was, to be married rather than single. According to Matthew Henry, "The Jews, more than any people, valued themselves on their early marriages and their numerous offspring." We don't have any proof that Paul was ever married, so it is certainly not necessary to believe that he was, and it is fine if you want to assume he was always single.

However, we do know for certain from Scripture that Paul was not married during the part of his life after he became a follower of Christ. We could assume that he made a personal choice not to marry. But even if he had ever been married before coming to Christ, and his wife either died or the marriage ended in divorce, there is no record of him being married, and he spoke of himself as an unmarried man, so it seems reasonable to assume that he chose of his own free will to remain single afterward as either a widower or a divorced person. The less likely possibility, in my opinion, is that he had never been married and when he came to Christ he made a commitment to celibacy for the sake of the kingdom. No matter which scenario you assume to be true of him (having once been married or never having been married), Scripture makes it clear that he had chosen for the sake of the kingdom not to marry, once he became a follower of Christ (1 Cor 7:7-8).

Besides Paul, others that seemed to be celibate in Scripture include his missionary traveling companion and fellow apostle Barnabas, as well as Silas. Then, of course, there is the Ethiopian eunuch, who came to Christ through Philip's ministry, who was an important official in charge of all the treasury of the queen of the Ethiopians (Ac 8:26-40).

Another example of a eunuch in Scripture is the prophet Jeremiah. The Lord specifically spoke to him not to marry or have children (Jer 16:2), because of the desperate times he was living in. It also seems that the prophets Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist were celibate. There is no biblical record of any of them having a wife or children. The same is true of the prophet Daniel, as well as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He and the three Hebrews were all appointed to the king's personal service in the royal courts of Babylon, and may have actually been made into eunuchs for that very purpose (Dan 1:5-7).

Scriptural Teaching on Celibacy
Paul taught about celibacy himself. He said:

"Now for the matters you wrote about: It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman. But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.” (1 Cor 7:1-2, NIV).

Here Paul said that abstinence is good, but that both singles and couples should avoid sexual immorality. While he recognized that some people need to be married in order to avoid sexual immorality, he taught that married men should only have sexual relations with their own wives and women with their own husbands. But for single people, unless they get married, abstinence is the only way to remain pure, and Paul preferred that for himself and others.

He said, "I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." (1 Cor 7:7, NIV). Here we see that though he wished the Corinthians were single like he was, he realized that while some people have the gift of celibacy, others don't.

He said, "Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this." (1 Cor 7:25-28, NIV).

Paul explicitly taught single men not to look for a wife, because those who marry will face many troubles in life, and he wanted to spare people from that.

He wrote: "I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.  (1 Cor 7:32-35, NIV).

From this passage we learn that Paul wanted the Corinthians to be free from concern, so they could focus on pleasing the Lord. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord's affairs -- how he can please the Lord. So is an unmarried woman or virgin. Her aim is to be wholly devoted to Jesus bodily and spiritually. Paul's desire for the Corinthians was that they may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord, and that is God's desire for each one of us.

I do want to point out that Paul was clear that it was not a sin to marry, and he never forbade anyone to marry. In no way did he want to restrict anyone. In fact, he taught elsewhere in his epistle to Timothy that it was wrong to forbid people to marry. He wrote: "But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth." (1 Tim 4:1-3).

Paul also taught that while a widow is free to marry a believer, she would be actually happier if she remains single. He wrote: "A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God." (1 Cor 7:39-40).

On the other hand, he recognized the needs of younger widows to remarry, since they have been married before and once again find themselves single. He said, "So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander." (1 Tim 5:14, NIV).  Part of his reason for counseling younger widows to marry is to avoid giving the enemy an opportunity. He understood that if someone felt the need to be married, and did not have the gift of celibacy, but after being married for a time they lost their spouse and ended up single again, the best thing for such a person may be to get married again so as not to give opportunity to the enemy.

Therefore, from these passages, we can see that Paul had a strong preference for celibacy over marriage, whenever possible. Yet he was not rigid about singleness, nor did he require it of everyone.

Virgins
There is a beautiful verse in the book of Revelation about those who remain virgins, which is specifically speaking of men that follow Jesus. "These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb." (Rev 14:4, NIV)

Remaining a virgin for the Lord is an honorable decision for one to make. God places great value on that. For those who do so, they can truly claim the promise of Isaiah that says, "For your Maker is your husband-- the LORD Almighty is his name-- the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." (Is 54:5, NIV).

A Special Promise for Eunuchs
The Lord has given a special promise to eunuchs through the prophet Isaiah. He said, "Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, 'The LORD will surely separate me from His people.' Nor let the eunuch say, 'Behold, I am a dry tree.' For thus says the LORD, 'To the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant, To them I will give in My house and within My walls a memorial, And a name better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name which will not be cut off.'" (Isa 56:3-5).

I believe that those who are eunuchs, as well as bachelors who choose to live like eunuchs, can claim this promise for themselves. If they keep His sabbaths, choose what pleases the Lord, and hold fast to His covenant, to them He will give a memorial within His walls and in His house, and a name that is better than having sons and daughters. Whereas normally if a man does not have sons, he has no one to carry on his family name, and he may consider his name to be cut off. But the Lord has promised these eunuchs who meet these conditions that He will give them an everlasting name that will endure throughout eternity and never be cut off.

In my opinion, women who choose a life of celibacy for Jesus can claim this promise given to eunuchs. If a woman is led to remain single, then she may also be led by the Spirit to see how this passage applies to her and to claim the promise for her self.

Vows
I don't necessarily advise anyone to make vows of celibacy. I think one can decide before the Lord to remain single for the sake of the kingdom without making any kind of vow to do so. One could simply decide that unless the Lord shows him otherwise, he is going to assume he is called to a life of singleness for the kingdom. He could proceed with pursuing the plans and purposes that God has for him without any regard for marriage, unless the Lord would speak to him to become married one day. This applies to both men and women.

Putting it All Together
The Lord Jesus, who Himself was celibate, taught that those who can accept celibacy for the sake of the kingdom should do so, and the apostle Paul essentially said the same. Paul taught abstinence for singles and believed it was best not to marry, in order to spare people of troubles associated with marriage, and to enable them to serve the Lord in undivided devotion, but he did allow for the fact that not everyone has the gift of celibacy as he did. He did not forbid people to marry, nor did he require marriage of anyone, including those in ministry. I hope that this message has served to encourage those who may be considering a life of celibacy for the sake of the kingdom.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, where noted.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Covenant Prayer, Led by the Spirit - Part I, Led by the Spirit - Part II, Walking in the Perfect Will of God, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Accountable, correctable, and teachable, Restored Truth, The Ways of Life, and the other posts on the home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

Lusting After Your Spouse

In my previous article, A Warning for Married Christian Couples, I published a message the Lord gave to a pastor in England, that I have come to know well, warning about damnable sins that defile the marriage bed. One of those sins is lust, which I would like to address in more detail here in this present article. Perhaps you are wondering, "Is it possible to lust after my wife?" Please allow me to try and answer that question.

Lust Defined
First of all, we need to understand the definition of the verb “lust.”

LUST, v.i.

1. To desire eagerly; to long; with after.

Thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Deu 12.

2. To have carnal desire; to desire eagerly the gratification of carnal appetite.

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart. Prov 6.

Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Mat 5.

3. To have irregular or inordinate desires.

Lust not after evil things as they also lusted. 1 Cor 10.

Scriptural Warning Against Lust
Having defined the word lust, let’s see what the Scripture says about lusting after one another. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians:

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification.” (1Th 4:3-7)

He said God’s will is our sanctification and specifically to abstain from sexual immorality. In order to do so, we must each know how to control our own vessel in holiness and honor. J. Smith argues in “1 Thess 4:4 - Breaking the Impasse,” BBR 10 (Fall 2000), that “vessel” in this context is very likely a delicate reference to the sexual organs. Since it is forbidden by God to use the sexual organs outside of marriage, this passage has definite application for married couples in their conduct with one another, as well as for single people to warn them against immorality outside of marriage.

The Greek word translated “vessel” is “skeuos,” meaning “vessel or implement.” "Vessel" was a common Greek metaphor for "body" since Greeks thought of souls living temporarily in bodies. If you translate the Greek word “skeuos” to mean “body” rather than “vessel”, in the context of controlling your body with regard to abstaining from sexual immorality, it still refers to the use of the body in sexual activity. In other words, it does not change the meaning of the passage.

The Greek word for “lustful” in this verse is “epithumia”, meaning “desire, craving, longing, desire for what is forbidden, lust.” It comes from epithumeo, which means “a longing (especially for what is forbidden):-concupiscence, desire, lust (after).” Concupiscence is a “strong sexual desire; lust.”

The Greek word for “passion” in this verse is “pathos,” meaning "1) whatever befalls one, whether it be sad or joyous 1a) spec. a calamity, mishap, evil, affliction 2) a feeling which the mind suffers 2a) an affliction of the mind, emotion, passion 2b) passionate deed 2c) used by the Greeks in either a good or bad sense 2d) in the NT in a bad sense, depraved passion, vile passions.”

Therefore, we could define “lustful passion” as “a feeling that the mind suffers due to a craving, longing, or desire for what is forbidden;” or “a depraved passion one feels while experiencing a craving, longing, or desire for what is forbidden;” or “a depraved feeling arising from irregular or inordinate desires to do that which is forbidden;” or “suffering emotionally intense feelings due to a carnal desire;” or “a feeling that the mind suffers while desiring eagerly the gratification of carnal appetite.” If we define lustful as behavior that is characterized by concupiscence, then we could define “lustful passion” as “intense, wicked, corrupted, or impure emotions arising from a strong sexual desire.”

Since a healthy sexual desire is central to any stable marriage relationship, we know that this in itself is not a sin. It is given to us by God and the apostle Paul commanded Christian couples to "stop depriving one another" of normal marital relations. He said:

“The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.” (1Co 7:3-5)

God wants married couples to enjoy their relations together. So it is ideal for couples to enjoy marital bliss in their relations with one another as Adam and Eve did before the fall. They should do so as often as they wish. It only becomes sinful if it involves a misplaced or illegitimate desire of some kind. One example would be to insist upon having your own way to satisfy your longing in such a manner that is selfish and inconsiderate of your spouse and his or her needs. Another example would be to desire to do some sexual act with your spouse that is unloving and solely for the gratification of your carnal appetite. I think some other obvious ways a couple could lust sinfully in marriage would be to video tape themselves and play it back or photograph each other and look at those in order to become aroused; to watch pornography together as a way of becoming aroused for sex; to crave oral sex or ungodly sex positions; to desire to perform sadomasochism (e.g., tying each other up and inflicting pain and pleasure), which is satanic bondage. Or some couples use sex toys on each other, while other couples involve animals. Still others bring other couples into their marriage bed. There are many countless ways to sin in the marriage bed, and it would not be possible to state every single way. However, God is willing to open our eyes and hearts into these sins as we desire to be holy and live for him.

Even in the marriage bed we must do everything with love, for the glory of God, as unto the Lord, and in the name of Jesus. We must treat our spouse the way we want to be treated. We must prefer one another in love. There are certain acts that are forbidden by God between couples, and it is not possible to perform such acts with love, or for the glory of God, or in the name of Jesus. they are not pure and holy. They are acts of vanity and bondage with the enemy. Therefore, a longing or craving to do such things with your spouse is considered lusting and is indeed sinful. Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. They will end up in hell.

Righteous Desire in Scripture
Now that I have explained the possibility of sinful lust in marriage, as well as the non-sinful, healthy aspects of sexual relations in marriage, let’s look at one more thing. There are other uses of the Greek word for "lust" in the Bible that have a good connotation, which indicates that there is a way that we can crave or desire strongly something that is not sinful.

When Jesus taught about "lust" in Matt 5:28, the Greek word there is "epithumeo", meaning "to set the heart upon, that is, long for (rightfully or otherwise): - covet, desire, would fain, lust (after)." That same Greek word "epithumeo" is used in a positive sense in many passages, including Lk 17:22; 22:15; Heb 6:11; and 1 Pe 1:12. So that teaches us that it is definitely possible to lust in a non-sinful way. The following are some examples:

"And He said to the disciples, 'The days will come when you will long (epithumeo) to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.'" (Luk 17:22)

"And He said to them, 'I have earnestly desired (epithumeo) to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;'" (Luk 22:15)

"It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires (epithumeo) to do." (1Ti 3:1)

"And we desire (epithumeo) that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end." (Heb 6:11)

"It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven--things into which angels long (epithumeo) to look." (1Pe 1:12)

In the Law, we also see this same word epithumeo used in a positive light in the Greek Septuagint. Moses said, "Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart." (Deu 12:15)

The Hebrew word for "lusteth" is "'avvah" meaning "desire, lust, will (not necessarily evil)." It comes from a root word "avah" meaning "to wish for:-covet, (greatly) desire, be desirous, long, lust (after)."

Granted none of these uses of epithumeo in Scripture refer to lusting after a woman. At no point do the Scriptures teach that it is pleasing to God when you lust after your spouse. But they do show us that it is possible to set one's heart upon, that is, long for or desire something rightfully. It is similar to the expression, "We covet your prayers," which uses the term "covet" in a righteous way.

Putting it All Together
Therefore, it is certainly possible for one to lust sinfully for his own wife, and many people are in hell today because they did so. I want to be sure and warn you about that. Please don't miss my article, A Warning for Married Christian Couples, in which I cover this in more detail and share some revelations that others have received from the Lord about this. If you have been lusting after your spouse, please repent now before it is too late, and forsake your sin.

On the other hand, there is also a righteous way to earnestly desire and long for your wife that is not sinful. In order for it to be holy, it must be motivated by love and not be forbidden in Scripture. In fact, the Bible actually calls it love, not lust, since lust is not one of the fruit of the Spirit, but love is (Gal 5:22-23). The Scripture commands husbands to love their wives (Eph 5:25). What we need in marriage, which pleases the Lord, is love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith (1 Tim 1:5), but not carnal lust that simply feeds the flesh.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, except where otherwise noted.

If you enjoyed this post, you may also like A Warning for Married Christian Couples, Woman Saw the Demon of Cupid Leading Christians to Hell, Adultery According to Jesus, The Forgotten Sin of Worldliness, Ezekiel Moses Testimony of Heaven and Hell, Is Obedience Optional?, Holy Living in a Perverted World, Is Contraception a Sin? -- a Divine Revelation, Avoid Becoming a Corrupted Christian, Sins That Will Keep You From Heaven, Restored Truth, Testing the Spirits of False Prophets, A Warning to the Nay Sayers, The Ways of Life, and the other posts on the home page. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org