For some reason, the topic of sex and sexuality is often avoided by the church. When sex is being talked about at all, it is only spoken about in a negative way. The preacher chants the same old song to singles “Don’t have sex!”; failing to completely present the biblical perspective of sexuality. The church is just the right place to talk about sex; after all God invented sex and “our sexuality is deeply rooted in the nature of God himself”.
Romans 11:36 says that everything comes from God and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. Sex and Sexuality are included on this list of “everything” that is created by God and designed for his glory.
Most people make the mistake of thinking that unmarried people are the only ones who have to honor God with their sexualities especially since by God’s design they should not be having any sex until they are married. However, this perception is wrong because God requires that married people honor him with their sexuality too.
So if you are married and were about to run off, please don’t. Stay awhile and keep reading.
Whether married or single, we ought to use our sexualities to bring glory to God and this would involve a great deal of self-sacrifice and discipline
Here are three ways you can honour and glorify God with your sexuality:
Redefine your perspectives on sex and sexuality
The first step to honoring God with your sexuality involves Seeing Sex and sexuality through God’s eyes.
Romans 12:2 (NIV) says “Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…”
Notice the sequence: your mind has to be renewed first and experience a transformation and then you’ll understand God’s will.
In other words, it is only when you ask God to transform the way you see sex that you can understand God’s will and design for it. The good thing is God’s genuine design for sexuality is not a mystery and can be easily found in his written word, the bible. So get digging into the word and you will gain a good understanding of God’s purpose for your sexuality.
The world has so many negative perceptions of sexuality and that is why it is being abused and misused. Many people including believers see sex as dirty, wrong and evil; the word that must never be spoken.
Sex should not be shrouded in secrets, guilt, and shame. How are we any different from the world if our view on sexuality is informed by what the world says? How can we ever understand the purpose of a thing if we never ask the maker or read through the maker’s manual?
As a church girl, I witnessed how even the church mostly spoke of sex and sexuality from the perspective of sin rather than speaking of the good purpose God created it to fulfill. It took the grace of God and the entrance of his word to help me understand what God intended sexuality to be.
Recognize that your body is God’s temple and treat it as such
Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 charges us to honor God with our bodies because our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
God designed sex for a bond much deeper; more powerful than anyone who goes around having a one night stand could ever bargain for.
As women and men of the God kind, we are free in Christ but not at liberty to use our bodies however we choose.
What does treating your body as the temple of God look like? It means staying within the boundaries which God has placed you.
For Singles, you need to stop asking how far is too far in your dating relationships or courtships and just honor God with total obedience. God’s word is clear on sex being a privilege for the married (not the engaged, not the almost married) 1 Corinthians 7:8-9
For the Married, it is God’s will that you sexually desire only your spouse and enjoy sex with them; without any third parties, physical or digital. I say this as I am not ignorant that some married folks think it is okay to use all sorts to “spice things up”…but that’s a topic for another day.
Before I got married, I always viewed my body as God’s temple and that the man I was going to marry would be the ONLY PRIEST assigned to this temple. Now that I’m married, I still have that view and it’s even more sacred to me now.
Choosing to keep your body as a living sacrifice unto God is a form worship, a form of worship that God delights in.
Guard your heart with all diligence
…for out of it flows the issues of life. (Proverbs 4:23)
Your thought life is crucial to honoring God with your sexuality because your thought life influences your sexuality one way or another.
For me, I wish I had listened less of those seemingly harmless secular songs with lyrics heavily laced with sexual innuendos or explicit sexual language. I wish I was a bit more careful about the things I let into my mind.
Sadly, these days you don’t have to intentionally go looking for porn and sexual content online, they come to you easily. You have to be proactive about protecting your heart from such seeds that the enemy tries to sow to feed lust in you. If you have to block that twitter follower or Facebook friend who has the habit of tweeting or reposting raunchy pictures and videos, please go ahead! Make haste and join the Block & mute ministry!
Don’t Hide your struggles from God
When God created you and your sexual desires, he already knew that you might struggle with temptations; he knew that you would need his grace to overcome those temptations. If you’re struggling, feel free, be honest with God and communicate your weaknesses to him. His word says his grace is sufficient for you, for his power is made perfect in your weakness! (2 Corinthians 12:9)
God is not looking to have you suppress your sexuality, he wants you to celebrate it but use it to glorify him.
Your sexuality should be used as a weapon of righteousness for it was made for a purpose higher than self-gratification.
God configures sexuality with every human being from when they are created not when we walk down the aisle or say our wedding vows. You see this in scriptures, where it is written that God made humans in his likeness, male and female, he made them.
God was intentional about making our sexualities part of who we are and he is longing for a generation of women and men who will be intentional about honoring him with their sexualities.
If you have been blessed by this blog post, please share it with others on your social media pages. I would also like to hear your thoughts on this topic, your struggles and how best you have been able to honor God with your sexuality.