Experiential Truths of Spiritual Warfare

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Who frustrates the creation, God or Satan? Posted: 07 Apr 2012 05:30 AM PDT For the last four years I have taken a keen interest in the law, which I feel many Christians overlook for various reasons.  Usually there is a mistaken impression that the law has been done away with, so why bother understanding it.  Well the religious leaders who assembled the bible felt it expedient to add Leviticus and the law was intended to make us conscious of sin.  Why should we feel it necessary to overlook that which makes us conscious of sin? In my opinion, not being well versed in the law, contributes to ignorance and does not aid our understanding in where we go wrong or why.  There is something which has been bothering me lately concerning the law, which I feel I would like an explanation for.  I have prayed into it and I would appreciate feedback from followers of this blog on my opinions.  It relates to the impurity laws which state that emissions of semen and the female monthly menstrual flow are sins.  Why does a just God who is good, righteous and loves us, create a human being with the capacity for love and sex, only to make the origin of procreation sinful? It makes little sense and it means that the root of all evil is sex.  If the law applies to all humanity, then it would mean the first time Adam ever had a sexual release, then that was sinful. How can this be possible?  For the most part, male creative thought is directed at sexual fulfilment, assisting in the procreation of the human species. Much of our instinct has a sexual component.  Sex is good for us and we enjoy it.  Why then does our good God think up a law which hinders the spread of humanity and goes against the very ethos of "be fruitful and multilply"?  Then for woman, a law is put forth which states that the female monthly menstrual flow is sinful. Are we to believe that the cyclical cleansing of the body, which one would think is a natural process designed by God, is strangely a transgression of the law?  How utterly paradoxical, perplexing and peverse. Paul in Rom 7:12 helpfully tells us the law is "righteous holy and good". I am passing through a phase in my faith walk which is opening my eyes to Satan´s attacks on human sexuality.  Apart from one "ïntimate" encounter, I have lived as a celibate since since early 2002.  I took time off to deal with depression, which I have managed to overcome through a severe spiritual struggle.  Now I am facing a libido which is raging and I recently turned 40. I feel the best years of my life are going to waste. Lately I discovered that in accordance with the Mosaic law, there is nothing which outlaws sex before marriage. I would like to challenge the readers of this blog to research the bible and present me with scriptural eveidence which proves contrary to my findings. A man takes a wife, is joined or united to her and the two become one flesh. The word marriage is not specifically mentioned.  Yes there are biblical marriage in the bible, such as the wedding at Canaan, but for the most part, there is little said about what exactly constitutes a wedding.  Instead we have a religious ceremony passed down to us where vows are made before God and rings are exchanged.  Researching marriage on en.wikipedia.org revealed a number of different types of marital arrangements which can be entered into today.  An example is the marriage which allows the woman the benefits of a roof over her head, in exchange for sexual favours.  There are other arrangements such as polyamoury, poligamy and especially group marriage.  These are obviously not for everyone.  I am not a latter day saint or mormon, but I am intrigued by the idea of variety in marriage. Personally I feel that if you love someone from your heart, that is satisfactory to God. Lately I have been considering that our human selves are predominatly sexual and we don´t always want to marry and fall in love. Very often there is a burning desire and a strong need for sex. The animalstic side of human sexuality is what we have become adept at repressing in "civilized" society.  It does not enjoy expression in church circles.  We are designed much like our ape relatives, contrary to the belief of many Christians.  Yes I am a believer in creation, but I also know that apes are alot more intelligent than we give them credit for and are more like us than we would like to accept.  Humans are very often behaving in a fashion which makes them appear less human than many simians in their natural habitat. You only have to switch on your TV and observe people protesting and in mob gatherings to recognise this. We ought not to forget that the human spirit which God created before life on earth, is an instinctual creation. The feeling and emotion component of the heart is subject to social and cultural norms and social boundaries, but the spirit has desires which are legitimate and we are supposed to live in a society which allows us to satisfy those desires in a healthy way.  Are we not entitled to have our sexual needs fulfilled?  Maybe we aren´t and we are supposed to suffer from perpetual sexual frustration.  Doesn´t psychology tell us that sex and love which help a person to feel belonging, are middle order needs on Maslow´s needs hierarchy? 1 Cor 7:32-38, Paul tells us that an unmarried man is is concerned about the Lord´s affairs - how he can please the Lord. A married woman is concerned with the affairs of this world - how she can please her husband. The married man is also concerned with the affairs of the world - how he can please his wife. Interesting how Paul suggests that wives pleasing husbands and vice versa are features of human living which exclude God´s affairs. Paul then goes on to say, an unmarried woman or virgin is concerned with the Lord´s affairs. Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit.  Paul speaks of the man who has settled the matter on marriage in his own heart, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin - that this man also does the right thing.  He who marries the virgin does right and he who does not marry her does even better.  Paul does not specify that the virgin will remain a virgin once with the unmarried man.  Merely, that the virgin is the preferred partner. Doesn´t this stand in contradiction to Paul´s advice for men who can´t control themselves and who burn with passion, to marry? 1 Cor 7:9  Perhaps if this message were to be more widely preached in churches there would be less sexual frustration amongst Christians.  Are our sexual freedoms and ultimate fecundity stymied by God, or are they are deliberately thwarted by Satan who relishes frustrating God´s creation?  Rom 820-21 tells us that the creation was subject to frustration not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in the hope that the creation itsself will be liberated from the bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. The question is who subjects the creation to frustration. God or Satan. Are we not told, if Christ sets you free, you are free indeed? In the interests of sexual freedom, I recently carried out an interesting "social experiment" on a popular adult contact website. My main discovery was that most of the people trolling for casual relationship encounters were Christian women.  Many of them for the sake of conforming to social norms, state that they are married or only seek dalliences with married men. The main reason of course is that a man who says he is married presents a "prequalified" mate that has been "accepted" by other women and who also may be less likely to want to get involved emotionally.  If you are a married man, the single female prefers you as a target for a random sexual encounter, probably because your perceived stability is attractive and Satan working in that female seeks to break apart the love bond. Woman want what they are not supposed to have. The Social boundaries we live under present a tougher challenge for the Christian male. By exploiting relationship tactlessness common to males and by amplifying the fickleness of women, Satan delights in frustrating Christian men sexually.  There is a tendancy, especially for older single men to need a sexual outlet.  In my own experience, this amounts to thoughts  given over to repetitive considerations on seeking out prostitution.  As a man who is good looking, well-maintained and self sufficient, I have  battled inexplicable situations on dates and nights out, which result in added frustration in attracting females and can only be the work of Satan to hinder me. I was looking for a wife, because I felt that I had reached that "burning with passion" stage.  Do you think I was able to find a wife? No! and believe me, it hasn´t been for want of trying.  My desire is for a Godly, attractive, woman and I feel that patiently waiting for 10 years is long enough.  I notice enough woman who could be likely candidates, but I am shy more than anything else and having narcolepsy is no help.  I am starting to feel angry with God and I am sure I am not the only Christian man who has experienced this feeling. Interestingly, there is nothing said in the scripture on Sexual frustration being part of the sufferings of Christ.  Beatings and blows, torments, persecutions and humiliations, but not sexual frustration.  Surely this is against our Godly essence?  We are sexual beings and created for the enjoyment of ourselves in a way that is mutually caring and supportive and does not harm others.  Isn´t the creation establisehd on the principles of love, sex and touch? Now the scripture says, "flee from sexual immorality" and I agree that chastity and virtuous living are something we should uphold as Christians.   However, I feel that the desire for sex is driving me to break my celibate phase.  I feel bad about this, but what can I do.  I have taken "deny thyself" to zelous extremes.  I used to care about Godliness and virtue, but I am tired of feeling like I am going to waste.  When I was in my 30´s I used to feel proud that I had never paid for sex, because I know that many of my friends and peers had done so.  In all honesty I never knew that an educated, good looking guy like myself would find it so difficult to have sex.  I never struggled before I became a Christian, now every effort I make is rejected. What other options do I have?

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