“Most of the major social ills in America are caused by, or fueled by, the misuse of our sexuality.”
A
thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-04-23) from his book, The Best Question Ever (p. 108). The Doubleday Religious Publishing
Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the
book.)
Andy
continues, “If issues related to sexual impurity—adultery, the shrapnel
associated with adultery, addiction to pornography, AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases, abortion, the psychological effects associated with
abortion, sexual abuse, incest, rape, and all sexual addictions— were to
suddenly disappear from society, imagine the resources we would have available
to apply to the handful of issues that would remain.”
Andy
continues, “If issues related to sexual impurity—adultery, the shrapnel
associated with adultery, addiction to pornography, AIDS and other sexually
transmitted diseases, abortion, the psychological effects associated with
abortion, sexual abuse, incest, rape, and all sexual addictions— were to
suddenly disappear from society, imagine the resources we would have available
to apply to the handful of issues that would remain.”
But
there is more to it than that. Maybe one
of these has hit you somewhere and you understand the great pain and deep
regret that comes from the misuse of our sexuality. And there is deep pain that comes even to the
innocent with this misuse. It is something that we all need to come to grips
with and do all we can to keep from it happening in our own lives.
To
do this Andy shares that “Wisdom dictates that each of us set standards that
keep us out of harm’s way. These should be boundaries that are so far from the
line of regret that, were we to cross one, we would suffer little or no
consequence. When these are in place, a fascinating dynamic occurs: Your
conscience actually latches on to the artificial standard you have set. When
you violate one of your self-imposed rules, you feel guilty. And that low-risk
guilt serves as a reminder that you are venturing out into dangerous territory.”
But
you might ask, why do we go to such impractical lengths? Andy says, “Because every regretful moral
decision is preceded by a series of unwise choices— unwise choices that don’t
raise an eyebrow or infringe upon our culturally programmed consciences.” So we strive to keep those unwise choices
from leading us to that place where great damage and deep regret occurs not only
in your life but in the lives of those you really love.
The
Enemy is a deceiver and he wants to do all he can to damage your life and hurt
those you love.
So are you making unwise choices in this area with someone who is not your spouse?
So are you making unwise choices in this area with someone who is not your spouse?
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