
Once upon a time, the garden was green. The flowers blossomed and the leaves sparkled. The dew fell on soft green grass, and the birds chirped in the nearest distance. The lions conversed with the tigers, and there was no competition in the food chain. Rabbits chased elephants, and mortals chased guerrillas. But alas, gone are those days. The days of innocence. Lost in the garden of Eden.
Today's manuscript will unravel the mysteries of "Lasciviousness" (KJV) or "Lewdness" (NKJV). These words epitomize 'the power to arouse or excite sexual desires.' This power is inherent. It is in males and females alike. It is in the young and the restless, and the bold and the beautiful. It is also in the old and the wise. It is in each of us, whether we like it or not. But has this power been misused? Yes, it has. It didn't start with this century, there is nothing new under the sun. It started even in the days of Adam and Eve. When God created Eve for Adam, automatically that power to bring forth a sexual attraction was there. But sin came into the world, and this power was averted for the wrong uses.
Lasciviousness is only a part of the things of the flesh (Galatians 5) because our bodies are very important to God. Why, you may ask? God is the Master Potter. He molded us with His hands, and as He did so, He breathed "purpose" into us. Think of a potter. The way he would mold a cup would differ slightly from the way he would mold a bowl...because they have different functions. If a cup carries food rather than drink, it's purpose (what the potter had in mind) would never be fulfilled. If a swimming pool carries sand, it's purpose can never be fulfilled. So also, if you arouse sexual desires that are not meant to be aroused, your purpose would never be fulfilled. That's how I see it. The purpose of sexual desires are for pleasures within marriage. Now, this is not to say that we won't be tempted before marriage or outside of marriage. But there's a difference between "being tempted" and "purposefully following up on temptation."
How does one get lascivious? Lewdness is a synonym for lasciviousness. To be lewd is to be obscene (either in the way we speak or the way we dress, or even in other ways). To be obscene in ways that can arouse sexual desire. The way we talk, if improper towards the opposite sex, can arouse illicit desires. That is why Solomon said in his book, "do not stir up, nor awaken love until it pleases (chapter 2:7)." Because we have the power to awaken love when it is not the right time. Obscene sexual language can arouse illicit desires. If you're really ready to follow God, then you must be ready to drop the obscene language. The way we dress is also very important. Don't let anyone lie to you, yes the times have changed, but the definition of obscenity has not changed. Obscene and improper dressing...the way we cover or uncover our bodies, can arouse illicit sexual desires. There's a proper way to dress, and an improper way to dress. There's "respectable dressing" and "unrespectable dressing." YOU decide which one you will choose, no one decides for you. I'm not saying dress like an "SU" with no appeal (e.g. no earrings, make-up, long sleeves all the time, e.t.c). But there's a way to look sexy and respectable at the same time. Oh, remember that the fact that people will be tempted regardless of the way you dress is definitely not a plausible excuse.
Again, these manuscripts are born to reveal those things of our flesh that we need to do away with. It is NOT enough to know, now is the time to DO. We need to stop being obscene, in the way we talk and dress. We need to drop the baggage we carry daily, so that we can meet God face to face. We need to clean up our houses and our temples. I'm not sure how many people these manuscripts will reach, but it's not for me to decide. It will change whoever God needs to change. It is for those who want to leave their old ways of life and follow God. It is the start of a new beginning...14 more to go...
22 comments:
I waz here
How r u love? Hope u're having a beautiful weekend...:)
sweetheart,
you def know my thought on these manuscript.
i have read and re-read everything
My conclusion;
God will bless you
loads of love!
Darkelcee...yes I do dear, lol. God bless u tooooooo!!!! :)
Ridiculous to believe I know but I have always had Lasciviouness as meaning just rowdy or improper.
I have never dissected the meaning of it to this level.
On dresssing, my view is dresses are primarily meant to cover nakedness (of course there is the making you elegant and stuff). Any clothe that does not cover your nakedness is dress abuse.
Thanks for the series o
Where have I been? Enjoying the flesh manuscripts. Like you said...it is not enough to know, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO. Loving your blog as always
profound as usual Jay,it's like having a church in blogsville! keep it up babe, i'm feeling u.
Redeeming love is an awesome book! i loved every page of it. i've read practically all Francine River's books and i must say, for someone who player-hated for a long time, I'm now a believer! she's too much!
Hey jaycee, I have been out of touch for sometime.
How u been dearie?
Very bold post.
Will read up the earlier ones.
We really should learn to be decent in our dressing and comportment. My mum says… “ if your goods are not for sale, don’t display them”.
hey... just wanted to say hie. My songs are on myspace. more infos on my blog.
I do intend to read your blog, when my maddness goes. *muah on the cheek*
Excellent! To dress appropiately is to dress respectively and worthy of good honour but with an air of elegance and good style still. I am proud noble...lol. By the way, saw ur comment on my blog...u can use it anytime.
Love it, we are to be holy so we can enter the presence of His holiness. The bride presented without stain for the bridegroom. We kill the carnal mind and the flesh, and let the Spirit dwell comfortably within. Our bodies are really not ours, they are on loan from the most High, we are spiritual beings.
Thanks for the manuscripts, pray for our generation for what is now seen as acceptable by the world.
funny thing(don't laugh!) is that I have been seeing the word "lasciviousness" in the bible since I became old enough to recite memory verses, I never knew the meaning or (shamefully) bothered to look it up on my own!
Thanks for "the education of bumight vol 1" *ligtbulb moment!*
Lovely as always. My take is that your manner of dressing reflects what sort of person you are. I dont take people on face value but there is a message in your dress.
Thanks Jaycee
funny, wen i started reading this post, it was dat Solomon's quote dat came 2 my mind. It's well.
Speaking obscene, i notice, isn't lady-like or gentleman-like. but these days, wot was considered obscene a century ago, is just part of everyday speech. Like i use d F-word once in d while, some years ago dat will b outrageous. Now, no1 blinks an eye (well, some pple). 'Dressing 2 kill', like wot we see in music videos, r just razzzzzzzzz
This piece is so true.. thanks for sharing..
Word! We are in this world but not of this world. And our communication should not be corrupt...we as children of God have been allowing ourselves to be influenced by the ways of the world, i'm guilty of a few things (i don't dress improperly but sometimes i say things i am ashamed of)...i will make amends!
Thank you!
30+...lolll @ dissecting the meaning of 'lasciviousness' to a higher level. You know, they say Knowledge is golden.
Believer...yeah u've been in hiatus. And yes, NOW is the time to DO!!!
Smaragd...loll @ church in blogsville...I hear u dear...can't help but spread the love I guess! ooooooooohhhh.....I cannot describe the joy I felt after reading that book!!! Lolll...
Princesa...I like your mum's words.
Mak...k, make sure u read it later, k? Mwahh too...:)
Jem...thanks for the permission. I already did (lol)! "Dress respectably and worthy of good honor, but with an air of elegance and good style still." WORD!
God's child...killing the carnal flesh will really make it easier to move forward in a personal relationship with our Father...
Bumight...I'm laughing o...lol...
A kel...wow, very nicely said. I've noticed that the way a person dresses reflects their personalities and their values.
Free-flowing Florida...loving ur honesty girl. We must always investigate the meanings of the words we speak. Some things may not be considered a taboo in this age, but do these words now mean something good? Philippians 4:8 still says (and it hasn't changed), "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things..." Some words are not pure, and neither are they praise-worthy.
Aworan...it's my pleasure :)
Writefreak...I believe that hearts like yours, that can be mended so easily, is what God is searching for. Beautiful words!!! I'm also hoping to make amends in some areas of my life as well...hence these manuscripts! Yes, we CAN!!! :)
Your posts always make me think very deep...
The other day, i was talkin to 'jaybaba' and i said 'These bloody sexual feelings and all, why didnt God keep them for (from) us and release them to us when we found and married 'the one', like on the wedding night or sumn.
At least it'd hv been one less thing to worry about...
'ef babe'
lasciviousness is a lack of self control...
In all areas
Post a Comment