During a discussion, Tracy said that they never talk about sex, serious relationship issues or anything pertaining to abstinence at her place of worship. She said her spiritual leader doesn’t preach about subjects that might cause offense to their congregants. She made this remark when someone asked her how things were going with her significant relationship and if she had thought about seeking prayer and guidance. Tracy has been very vocal with her friends about some of the issues that she and Robert, her boyfriend of three years, were having. They’ve broken things off more than once, but this time after a few months of being apart, both have agreed to give it another shot. Tracy said, “This time we’re going to do things differently. We’re going to put our all into this relationship and let Jesus Christ guide us.” Someone then asked, “Does that mean no sex?” Tracy replied, “Wow! I never gave that any thought!”

After giving it more thought, Tracy didn’t think she could come to terms with the discipline of abstinence in the relationship that she and Robert shared. They both love God but they also believe that sexual intimacy is a major component in their relationship. They believe it brings them closer. Tracy wanted to be married, but she had thought a lot about it when she and Robert were apart. She had resigned herself to the reality that he probably wasn’t going to propose even if they got back together. He had never looked at marriage as a priority in his life, and she decided that she was going to try to accept this. So, the bottom line is that she was willing to be guided by Jesus Christ, but only if he didn’t interfere with what Robert wanted.

Ephesians 5:1(NKJV) instructs, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.” Some might read this verse and think its only for certain types of Christians, and that most believers are not held to the standard of being an imitator of God, but this directive is given to us by Heavenly Father and it is for all His children. We tend to place certain individuals on a pedestal and think that closely following the example of Christ is for them only. God doesn’t hold that view at all. His goal is for every believer in the Lord Jesus Christ to walk in His love and to live in obedience. He’s given us this earth experience to make a decision as to whether we will choose to follow Him through obedience or follow the world.

He’s also given us wonderful workers in ministry to equip us. Their responsibility is not to keep people in spiritual infancy. They are to teach, pray for, and prepare us in such a way that we all are anchored in the unity of faith. They are to help us all get on the same page when it comes to understanding the knowledge of Christ. As God’s sons and daughters, we should be motivated and determined to grow up to the full and complete standard of Christ. This is the way to please God.

Ephesians 5:2 says we can walk in love as Jesus Christ walked in love and gave himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor. This is a tremendous blessing for us. It’s not a burden to abstain from sin, but a privilege, and abstaining from sin and choosing God’s love is how we receive His rewards. Our powerful Savior has shown us an exquisite and perfect example of love, giving, service, and sacrifice. He died for us. He laid down his life so that we could live and have life more abundantly. Because of his tremendous act of love, you and I are not doomed to darkness and hell. Our honor and privilege are to do as Romans 12:1(NLT) instructs. It tells us, “give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship.”

God also instructs us through the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:1(NLT), “Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” We are called to be God’s children of light. It’s who we are and because of Jesus Christ, we can walk in this life in a manner that is consistent with who God has made us. Heavenly Father commands us in Ephesians 4:22-23 to throw off our old sinful nature and former way of doing things, because the way we used to operate was full of darkness, lust, and deception. Instead of choosing to operate the old way, we are to renew our minds and put on our new nature, which is created to be like God.

Ephesians 5:17(NKJV) tells us, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” This is what it means to be guided by Jesus Christ. It’s to seek God’s Will, not the will of some other person. Jesus Christ is the head, and he is worthy to be the head. We are not the leaders, we are followers. And we must bring ourselves under his oversight. We submit to him, and therefore, we cannot place the desires of another person over the Will of God for our lives. Doing this will cause us to deny who we are in Christ and whenever we deny our identity in Christ, we self-sabotage.

Who will you serve? Who will you sacrifice for more than anyone else? Who will you love and cherish the most? These are the questions that we are all placed on this earth to answer and by answering, we decide where we will spend an eternity. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 6:24 that no one can serve two masters. In this chapter, he tells us about the temptations we face to be worried about the things of this world, about clothes, and food; and pleasing others is in there too. He goes on to tell us in Matthew 6:33 that we can’t allow any of these things to be first in our minds and hearts. Pleasing God must be our number one priority. We must seek to please God first, and when we do this, our Heavenly Father promises to take care of our every need.

We must be ever so careful not to put our physical lust above our commitment to do the Will of God. He commands us to be holy. Will we sin and make mistakes? For sure, but we should not use God’s grace to keep on sinning. Our love for God is shown by our obedience to Him. Our faith is demonstrated when we trust that honoring God first and foremost is the key that unlocks His blessings.■

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

“The Key that Unlocks His Blessings” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!