Take Your Clothes Off?

To Take Your Clothes Off Or Keep Your Clothes On

Today I had the incredible privilege of having coffee with a brilliant college student who loves Jesus more than anything else. She shared a deep, personal, and very emotional answer when I asked what God had taught her this semester. She updated me on her friendships, especially those with boys. I've heard much about one boy and was eager to listen to all the significant updates. Sadly, the updates were not good. The guy asked her to do things she believed were not Christ-honoring. Simultaneously, their relationship quickly unraveled and ended. She concluded, "While Facetiming with my mom and hysterically crying, I asked her, 'How did I get here?'"

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Have you ever asked yourself, "How did I end up here?" 

You fall in love with a guy or girl, and they are perfect: everything you've always dreamed of and more. Then, all of a sudden, you break up, leaving your heart shattered. All you can do is ask, "What happened?" 

You have vivid memories of beautiful times with your spouse, only for them to cheat on you and be completely absent from your life. 

Here is what we can learn from this young lady's story: Hell has an assignment against your life (and against my life). Heaven also has an appointment in your life.

Here is what you must recognize: the enemy will only ask you to do what is OPPOSITE of what the Lord is asking you to do.

Let me put it this way, way too many Christians are satisfied with having God in their Instagram bio but having the Devil in their bed. Far too many Christians are living out the Devil's assignment on their life while ignoring God's assignment. 

Could this be you, too? 

Maybe it looks like this: 

When you are dating (not married), the enemy tells you to:

Take your clothes off.

Take your clothes off.

Keep kissing.

Touch them there.

Take their clothes off.

Take your clothes off.

When you are married, the enemy tells you to:

Keep your clothes on.

Keep your clothes on.

Don't kiss them.

You are too tired to want them.

Keep your clothes on.

The enemy will only ask you to do what is OPPOSITE of what the Lord is asking you to do.

If you listen to the enemy's instructions over your life, you will be disappointed and ask, "How did I get here?" 

If you listen to the Lord's instructions, you will find freedom and love - no matter what life throws at you. 

We see this to be true in Job's story in the Old Testament. 

Job had been lying in unrelieved misery for months with open sores all over his body. During this time, he bore the grief of seven dead sons and three dead daughters. All of his wealth had vanished in one afternoon. He had become repulsive to his wife, loathsome to his brothers, and even little children despised him as he lay on the ash heap outside town. Life left him asking, "How did I get here?"

Job's dilemma - like your dilemma - is frustrating because he did not know the conversation between God and the Devil. Like you and me, Job was searching for a reason why suffering was happening to people who didn't deserve it. 

Job followed the same patterns we observe today. 

Job got his friends and family's opinions first rather than going directly to God. Much of Job's story is a debate over "How did I get here?" 

Ultimately, Job never received an answer from God on why he suffered. 

You, too, won't receive a satisfying answer on why you suffer occasionally. 

The key verse in Job is Job 19:25, "I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end, he will stand upon the earth." 

Job, unlike too many Christians today - possibly unlike you and me - remained unwaveringly faithful to God despite his many calamities. 

Thankfully, the young lady I enjoyed coffee with today remained faithful to God's assignment despite intense pressure and temptation. 

She, like most of us, followed Job's strategy. She asked her friends and family about the boy she liked before going to God. Many, including myself, shared concerns. Yet, her love for this boy's attention blinded her. 

You see, we often find ourselves in and out of relationships with people we once found essential. And I have found that for so many people, the lifeblood of their relationship is an alignment of priorities. And when those priorities cease to match up and become misaligned, the relationship deteriorates. Far too often, however, and in the name of love, we bend our priorities to appease the other person(s). When we do this, we often find ourselves eventually saying, "How did I get here?" 

If you find yourself asking this question, and when you do it again in the future, you must ask these questions: 

"How will I remain or abide in my Father's love?" (John 15:5) 

How will I choose obedience and faithfulness to God daily over falling to the Devil's temptations? 

What can I do today to ensure my priorities align with God's priorities?

These questions and their subsequent answers are critical to you remaining in your Creator's love for you. 

The enemy's goal is to confuse you. The enemy will only ask you to do what is OPPOSITE of what the Lord is asking you to do. 

The Lord's goal is to love you. The Lord will only ask you to do what is good for you and others.

With the Lord as your helper, may you remain in His love (John 15) through obedience to His Word and how you love others.