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ABSTAIN FROM FORNICATION
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14
1 Thessalonians 4:3

Genesis 39

 

“…that ye should abstain

from fornication.”

 

ABSTAIN FROM FORNICATION
 
The heart of every true believer is one that desires to seek after the will of God. As David declared in Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” The life of the Christian then is simply one that continually seeks to know and do God’s will. We must realise that the will of God is not some mysterious, nebulous thing that is hard to discern. For the most part it is about simply obeying God’s Word, for in it He has so clearly revealed His desire for us.
 
For all who are born again, the general purpose that God has for us is our sanctification, an ongoing process that happens from the point of our salvation. It is the work of the Holy Spirit, whereby we are set apart for God and transformed to become more and more like Christ. It is a change that happens throughout the course of our lives, enabling us to produce fruits of salvation and holiness.
 
One area in particular that Paul highlighted is the sin of fornication. This refers to all manner of sexual immorality and any sexual relations outside the covenant of marriage. Part of growing in sanctification then is to abstain from all manner of fornication. The word “abstain” (1 Thess 4:3) has the idea of “holding oneself off from, to refrain.” To abstain from fornication then is to have a strong separation from any hint of sexual immorality. It is not just to gently refrain from, but to very strictly disallow any untoward sexual relation to come within your range. That is the extent to which we must distance ourselves from any potential temptation that may come our way, so that we never fall prey to this sin.
 
We must be like Joseph who was so conscientious in guarding his purity. Despite the ongoing temptations that his master’s wife enticed him with, he was insistent that he could not commit this great wickedness and sin against God. When cornered by her, he physically fled and got out, endangering his life but maintaining his purity. May we all learn to abstain from fornication and continue to grow in our sanctification.
 
THOUGHT: Many lives are ruined by a fleeting moment of pleasure.
PRAYER: Father, help me to walk in purity, and abstain from anything that is displeasing to Thee.

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