Tan: Wisdom in preserving godly intimacy in marriage (Part 2)

(Continued from last week)

• BEFORE we magnify sex itself, it is really communication that is at stake here, the freedom to relate. It is not normal for married people to deny each other this exclusive privilege. Respecting each other and releasing each other to each other are important ingredients to this holy recipe of marriage. Don’t let the enemy deceive you in both ways, get wisdom in preserving this joy of marriage.

ESCAPE (abandon) THE DEVILS THAT DESTROY YOUR GODLY INTIMACY IN MARRIAGE (20-23)

Wisdom offered here is not in a fatalistic mode...the truth is things tend to be fatal when wisdom’s voice is ignored.

· You can escape being trapped

“Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman?”

The trap is not outside. The the real trap is the addiction inside.

· You are accountable to God (21)

Our accountability includes the opportunity for victory which we deny ourselves.

. You cannot escape the consequences of evil-

“An evil man is held captive by his own sins.”

An evil man can only be transformed to a godly man by faith in the Righteous One, Jesus Christ, our perfect wisdom.

“He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of His great foolishness.” (23)

Wisdom is saying there are sins committed by the wise and unwise that lead to death (1 John 5:17).

PRAYERS

ABBA, I cannot make it without stepping into the traps of the evil one. Help me confront the desire inside and detour from the opportunity outside. For those of us who are on our way to the pig pen, send Your Spirit to convict us that we may choose to go back to You before we smell like pigs and eat what the pigs eat. For those of us in the pig pen already, send a stronger conviction that we may choose to repent and return to your arms of grace. Lord, hear our prayers. Amen.

ABBA, help us discern if we are called to be married or to live singly. For those whom you call for marriage, help us protect our marriage by taking your warnings seriously, desperately calling on you and fully depending on your strength to avoid the sins of unfaithfulness. ABBA, help us overcome the guilt that is within us due to the excessive don’ts of religion. Grant us full and pure enjoyment of the pleasures of godly intimacy in marriage. Lord, hear our prayers. Amen.

ABBA, for those who have fallen into the trap of the evil one, grant us the grace of your forgiveness and help us endure the consequences of our sins. Those scars are irreversible, what is done cannot be undone. We pray for grace to be broken, so that we can still experience your gracious redemption amidst these ugly scars. Lord, have mercy on us sinners. Amen.