Sexual Purity (part2)

[Speaker 1] Church fellowship cannot be more spiritual than the individuals and families that constitute them. God greatly desires a godly home. These are words of restoration and instruction in righteousness from Family Tent Ministry. May you be blessed as you listen. [Speaker 2] Praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord. We thank our God again for another time in His presence. We thank Him for His goodness. We thank Him for His love. We thank Him for all who He is and we thank Him for all that He is to us. He is our God and our Father. We thank Him because He has always been there and even as we gather again today, we trust in Him that it will yet be Him in the name of Jesus Christ. This is the first Saturday in the month of October. Usually we are gathering for our Singles Club, a program meant for young people, mature adults, young couples can even have a lot of benefit from this. Even adults can benefit so much from the things that we look at here. How do you benefit? You may have younger ones you want to teach some of these things, these principles that we are looking at. Some of the things that you listen to here can be a means of discipleship in your church, in your fellowship as singles. We are connecting with our young ones. For those joining us from far and near, I say you are welcome to this month of October. As we all connect again together this morning, I pray it will be a time of blessing, a time of favor, a time of grace, a time of renewal, a time of enlightenment in the name of Jesus Christ. I trust in the Lord that the month of October itself will be to us a month of bliss. The month will be fruitful for us all in the name of Jesus. So as we gather this morning, we who are here physically and those online, let us have a word of prayer and then we pick the matter from where we left it last month. We began with "Sexual Purity: The Place of Discretion." We are to continue with that this month. Let us pray. Everlasting Father, we thank You again for another time to gather in Your presence. We give You glory and praise. We give You honor. We give You adoration. Lord, as we fellowship together this morning, brethren who are joining us online and we are physically here, Lord I pray Your Spirit will work within us among us. None of us, oh God, will go back the same. You will meet with us everywhere we need You most in our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. So we are taking the matter from where we left it. Sexual purity: the place of discretion. In the month of September, we have been able to define what we meant by sexual purity. We saw that sexual purity is not just about "I have not committed fornication, I have not slept with a woman, I have not slept with a man." No. As a young man, as a young woman, "I have not slept with anybody." We were looking at sexual purity in the month of September and we took time to explain each of these things to us. We said sexual purity is not just that somebody did not fornicate. A boy has not slept with a girl, a girl has not slept with a boy. No. We said sexual purity actually looked at four parts in the month of September. We said one, sexual purity is about what you think. What is your thought life like? Your thought life, are you pure? Are there no immoral thoughts? Two has to do with what you feel. Do you have lustful feelings? Or do you do things that promote lust? Then move on to talk about sexual purity being something that has to do with our words, our soap opera, play, smoothing, dressing and all of that. Finally, sexual purity relates to the very act of sexual intercourse. So any kind of sexual perversion is sexual impurity. It can be in thought, it can be in words, it can be in feelings, it can be in action. We looked at that in the month of September. And where we stopped in September, we were relating discretion to sexual purity. That if any young person, if any young man, any young woman, would be pure, if anybody would be pure, then there must be discretion. And we have taken time to define what discretion is. Discretion, to have to be discrete, is the ability to be able to put all things into consideration. Discretion is the ability to have understanding, to understand situations, to be able to see that this thing can lead to this, and this to this. Discretion is the ability to be wise. Ability to be circumspect, that is, being careful, being thoughtful about what you do before you do them. And we noted that in the month of September, that for any young person to be sexually pure, that person must have discretion. All forms of impurity among young people today is caused majorly by the lack of discretion. That was where we ended in the month of September. And then we looked at the implication of that. The importance of discretion, why, what the Bible says about it, what it can do in the life of a young man. And today we want to move on from there. Still looking at what the book of Proverbs says about the matter of discretion. And so we want to move on today to look at more things that the book of Proverbs says about discretion. Remember how we concluded last month, telling ourselves that any young person who does not win and be sexually pure will never win the battle of life. Any who does not win this battle of sexual purity, to be sexually pure, that young man, that young woman, will never win the battle of life. Because the battle of life is connected so much to the battle of sexual purity. If you don't win in the area of being sexually pure, you will lose so many other battles. That's what we saw in the book of Proverbs. The battle of a beautiful life, the battle of ending well, the battle of having a good marriage, the battle of having good children, the battle of being financially successful. We saw all of them last month. If you don't win the battle of sexual purity, you are going to lose other battles of life. And so we are moving on today to look further into this matter of discretion. Don't forget what we said. If God will keep you, one way that God keeps you is that God will give you discretion. One thing you must pray for as a young man, as a young woman, pray that you will have discretion. That you will be discrete, you will be wise, you will have understanding of situations. You will be careful, you will be thoughtful about what you do, how you do it. Thoughtfulness, beginning to consider everything that comes into a situation. Beginning to say, "No, this can lead to this, this can cause this." And once again, like I did in the month of September, your life will not lack discretion in the name of Jesus. So more, looking into the book of Proverbs, more things about this matter of discretion. I want us to look at something in Proverbs 11:22. More issues about discretion that were raised in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs 11:22. Please open your Bible to that place wherever you are, whichever translation you have, just open that scripture. Let's look at that scripture together. Proverbs 11:22. Now, I will read first from the NKJV Bible. It says, "As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a lovely woman who lacks discretion." Hmm. Let me take another translation, NLT translation. "A woman who is beautiful but lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout." Do you know what a pig's snout is? That is the nose, that thing they use to dig the ground. [makes noise]. The Bible says a woman who is beautiful—the same way a young man who is handsome—but lacks discretion is like a gold ring. You know a gold ring is something very, very good, something fine, something delicate. But when you put a gold ring in the snout of a pig, now you know what the Bible is trying to say. By the time the pig put that snout into what? Into dirty and muddy water. [makes noise]. What happens to the gold? It becomes dirty. What it is saying is that beauty is useless, being handsome is useless, when as a young man, as a young woman, you lack discretion. And I'm telling you, let me expand this taking it from where we stopped last month. Financial beauty is useless, academic beauty is useless, spiritual beauty is useless. Whatever beauty you want to talk about, whatever handsomeness you want to talk about, whatever things that look handsome and beautiful about your life, whatever things you think you have gathered, that thing that seems to make your life beautiful, is useless if you're a young man and a young woman who lacks discretion. Because it is as good as putting a gold ring here in the snout of a pig. You know what becomes of that gold ring? That is even the gold ring will not even be lost. By the time he does [makes noise], inside sand it will even drop off. That is, it does not have any particular value. So what I'm trying to make you see, whatsoever value that is in your life, those valuables in your life, those things that look precious, good, wonderful about your life, those things that are of great value, those things that people see in you and say, "Wow for this girl, wow for this boy, wow for this bachelor, wow for this sister, wow for this young man, wow this is great," that thing people appreciate in you will become useless when you lack discretion. They will become useless. I'm showing you the place of discretion. Whatever endowment of God is in your life, that is why look at how several young women today have wasted their virginity on the platter of immorality. Do you know how valuable virginity is? The same thing several young men have wasted their virginity on the altar of sexual perversion. [audio glitches/inaudible] [Preacher continues referencing the story of David and Bathsheba] This woman having her bath. We need to understand that this woman was very beautiful. [Preacher imitates David looking] He says, "I have slept with her." What am I trying to bring out? What is the essence of success when lack of discretion will not let it show? When lack of discretion—he took that woman from the husband. She was married. Of course, she lacks discretion. I wish she stood up some resistance like the husband tried to put up some resistance. In whichever case, look at how everything about her life was a turnaround because she lacks discretion. On the other hand, I'm showing you David, a man who began with God at the age of 17. A young man who has been moving on, moving on, moving on, moving on, successfully, successfully, successfully. Look at how he has moved and moved, look at the ladder God has helped him to climb and climb and climb and climb until one day. I'm showing you discretion. I'm talking about discretion. David, the Bible says at a time when kings ought to go to war, discretionally, David did not use his discretion. It was a time that kings should go to war. I'm showing you the power of discretion in the life of a man. At a time, the Bible recorded it very clearly, 1 Samuel, at a time when kings go to war, David stayed back at home. Lack of discretion. Okay, let's move on again to the point of walking upon the roof and then seeing a woman bathing. Normally, if you see a woman bathing, the Bible says, the Bible now went forth to say and the woman was beautiful. My question is, if you see a woman bathing, is there any discretion in your life if you begin to watch her? What David ought to do is to look away. But David began to look and look and look until he now knew that the woman was beautiful. Through looking, David became an object of lust. He was lustful. He had several wives and concubines. What is special about what he saw in Bathsheba? What is special about Bathsheba? You have wives at home. How unreasonable you become when you don't walk in discretion. You'll be doing unreasonable things as if they are reasonable to you. You'll be doing foolish things and you'll be looking at them as if they are reasonable. You have wives at home. You have wives at home. He did not see reason to spend time with his own wives. It was one that was bathing somewhere that became important to you. I'm showing when we don't walk in discretion, we do a lot of foolish things and it will look to us as if we are wise. It will look to us as if we know what we are doing. And if I want to expand that matter further, David saw a woman, he was walking on the roof and the woman was bathing. I want to ask you today, do you know how many women—today's world is an interesting world. You know in the days of David, David had to be on the roof to see a woman bathing. So he was high up on a tower and the woman was down somewhere bathing. Today it's a different ball game. You don't even need to climb a roof to see breasts everywhere. You don't need to climb any roof to see laps of sisters all exposed. You don't need any roof, just turn anywhere. Breasts are outside as if they are showcase, of different sizes, showcased everywhere. And unfortunately some of these people are sisters. Sister this, sister that. Skirts are so tight that pants, we can see all the lines of pants. Trousers are worn as if people are naked, so tightly sewn that you can trace all the curves and the shape of their sisters. What I mean that in today's world you don't even need to climb a roof. Just be on your low ground you will be seeing them. The Bathshebas of today, you don't need to climb roof to see them. I'm talking of ladies of today who lack discretion. Ladies who are bathing without a roof on their bathroom. They are everywhere. They are inside our fellowship, inside our churches. They are everywhere. That the difference between believers and those who don't believe, all of them display level of lack of discretion. No discretion. No discretion. The very same life of a pig's snout so is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion. No discretion. So what I'm even saying is that our today's young people, they are more foolish than Bathsheba. Because the Bathshebas of David's days, except they can climb roof, they won't see anything. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. I'm speaking very, very figuratively. What I'm trying to show brethren, what I'm trying to make you see brethren, is that discretion is a powerful thing in the life of any young man, in the life of any young woman. It says "like a gold ring in a pig's snout, so is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion." Look at how the Message put it: "like a gold ring in a pig's snout, is a beautiful face on an empty head." Yes, child. It's telling you that when a young man and a young woman lacks discretion, what is head? A head is empty. So as we buttress this matter of discretion this morning, looking at what Proverbs says about discretion, my observation as a young man as a young woman is that many things make our young people not to win the battle of sexual purity today is that they lack discretion. What makes our young people not to win the battle of sexual purity is lack of discretion. And they are losing not only their valuables in terms of virginity, they are losing so many other things with it. They are losing their life, they are losing their education. I remember as a secondary school teacher, I have many girls who dropped out of school JSS1, SS1, JSS2 because they became pregnant. And I know of a particular case of this girl who dropped out like that and could not come back again to become educated. In this particular case, there may be several other cases, but this particular case was what makes it—what makes it—was that after many, many, many, many years, that girl who dropped out of school and became pregnant became somebody who sells peppers and tomatoes in the market. Then there was another girl in her class who continued. That other person have become, I think was about completing her PhD, in a highly paid job. She went to the market to buy something and then the two of them—the tomato seller happens to be the person that they both dropped out of school. How did it happen? The tomato seller has a common—happens to be the husband of that person. So one day that other person brought her husband to her customer that, "This is my customer, anytime you want to buy..." That is, she brought the wife to the market. The husband did not know the wife and this tomato seller were both classmates in secondary school. He just asked her, he looked at her as a customer selling tomatoes. So one day the wife went with the husband to the market and the husband said, "Look, don't buy anywhere, I have a customer." So they both met. And when they met, the wife just called the tomato seller's name, that one also called her by her first name. The other one was wondering what was going on here. I'm telling you that when people don't win the battle of sexual purity, they don't only lose their valuable virginity, they also lose other precious things in life along with it. When a young man and a young woman lack discretion and don't win the battle of sexual purity, they also lose in several other battles of life. What's the point I'm making this morning? That is why the Bible says, when you see a beautiful woman, whatever is beautiful or valuable in her life, that thing will soon lose all its value when she lacks discretion. So taking it to that of a young man, we are looking at young man as a young woman. What's a young man or a young woman that lacks discretion? Because discretion—it's what will make you pure. Look at something again, let's turn now to see how it goes for a young man, this matter of discretion. Let's see how it goes. We are looking at the book of Proverbs, what Proverbs says about discretion and sexual purity. Don't forget how we started the book of Proverbs last month. I said discretion to give to the young man discretion. The book of practical wisdom, that is this book that we are reading, the book of Proverbs, practical wisdom, things you need to know, things you need to understand. Let's see, Proverbs chapter 7. Let's see Proverbs chapter 7. I read from verse 6. Proverbs chapter 7 from verse 6. It says, "I was looking out the window of my house one day," I'm reading NLT, "I was looking out the window of my house one day and saw a simple-minded young man who lacks common sense." Hey. "I saw a simple-minded young man who lacks common sense," that is, who lack discretion. Let me take NKJV for you to see that it's talking about discretion. "And I saw the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding." A young man devoid of understanding. How do you know that he's devoid of understanding? I'll tell you. It says, "he was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman." He was strolling down the path by her house at twilight, that is, around evening when the sunlight is going away. At twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. A woman approached him, dressed seductively and sly of heart, that is, a deceitful heart. She was brass, rebellious type, never stays at home. She's often seen in the street, market, soliciting at every corner. Describing what immorality is to you. I'll soon—but let me finish reading. It says, "she threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said, 'I have offered my sacrifices and just finished my vow. It is you I was looking for. I came out to find you and you are here. My bed is spread with colored sheets, sheets of the finest linen imported from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let's drink our fill of love until morning. Let's enjoy each other's caresses. For my husband is not home, he is away on a long trip. He has taken a wallet full of money with him. He won't return until later in the month.'" So she seduced him with pretty speech, with her flattery she enticed him. He followed her at once, like an ox going to be slaughtered, or like a trapped stag that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. Listen to me my sons, pay attention to my words. Do not let your heart stray away towards her. Don't wander down her away—wayward path. She has been the ruin of many numerous men, of many, numerous men have been her victims. Her house is the road to the grave, her bedroom is the den of death. I'm showing you what the Bible says about immorality. I'm showing you how the Bible defined immorality. You see sometimes people don't really look at the Bible that there is nothing the Bible did not teach. They say, "Why? We are under grace, I'm at liberty to..." Who says you are not at liberty? You are at liberty. We are talking about discretion. We are talking about being wise. We are talking about not being devoid of understanding. We are talking about—we are talking about—not trading away your valuables. What's the point I'm making this morning? That's why the Bible says, when you see a beautiful woman, whatever is beautiful or valuable in her life, that thing will soon lose all its value when she lacks discretion. Look at how the Message put it: "like a gold ring in a pig's snout, is a beautiful face on an empty head." Yes, child. It's telling you that when a young man and a young woman lacks discretion, what is a head? A head is empty. So as we buttress this matter of discretion this morning, looking at what Proverbs says about discretion, my observation as a young man as a young woman is that many things make our young people not to win the battle of sexual purity today is that they lack discretion. What makes our young people not to win the battle of sexual purity is lack of discretion. And they are losing not only their valuables in terms of virginity, they are losing so many other things with it. They are losing their life, they are losing their education. I remember as a secondary school teacher, I had many girls who dropped out of school JSS1, SS1, JSS2 because they became pregnant. And I know of a particular case of this girl who dropped out like that and could not come back again to become educated. In this particular case, there may be several other cases, but this particular case was what made it—what makes it—was that after many, many, many, many years, that girl who dropped out of school and became pregnant became somebody who sells peppers and tomatoes in the market. Then there was another girl in her class who continued. That other person have become, I think was about completing her PhD, in a highly paid job. She went to the market to buy something and then the two of them—the tomato seller happens to be the person that they both dropped out of school. How did it happen? The tomato seller has a common—happens to be the husband of that person. So one day that other person brought her husband to her customer that, "This is my customer, anytime you want to buy..." Just sorry, brought the wife to the market. The husband did not know the wife and this tomato seller were both classmates in secondary school. He just asked her, he looked at her as a customer selling tomatoes. So one day the wife went with the husband to the market and the husband said, "Look, don't buy anywhere, I have a customer." So they both met. And when they met, the wife just called the tomato seller's name, that one also called her by her first name. The other one was wondering what was going on here. I'm telling you that when people don't win the battle of sexual purity, they don't only lose their valuable virginity, they also lose other precious things in life along with it. When a young man and a young woman lack discretion and don't win the battle of sexual purity, they also lose in several other battles of life. What's the point I'm making this morning? That is why the Bible says, when you see a beautiful woman, whatever is beautiful or valuable in her life, that thing will soon lose all its value when she lacks discretion. So taking it to that of a young man, we are looking at young man as a young woman. What's a young man or a young woman that lacks discretion? Because discretion—it's what will make you pure. Look at something again, let's turn now to see how it goes for a young man, this matter of discretion. Let's see how it goes. We are looking at the book of Proverbs, what Proverbs says about discretion and sexual purity. Don't forget how we started the book of Proverbs last month. I said discretion to give to the young man discretion. The book of practical wisdom, that is this book that we are reading, the book of Proverbs, practical wisdom, things you need to know, things you need to understand. Let's see, Proverbs chapter 7. I read from verse 6. Proverbs chapter 7 from verse 6. It says, "I was looking out the window of my house one day and saw a simple-minded young man who lacks common sense." Hey. "I saw a simple-minded young man who lacks common sense," that is, who lack discretion. Let me take NKJV for you to see that it's talking about discretion. "And I saw the simple, I perceived among the youths, a young man devoid of understanding." A young man devoid of understanding. How do you know that he's devoid of understanding? I'll tell you. It says, "he was crossing the street near the house of an immoral woman." He was strolling down the path by her house at twilight, around evening when the sunlight is going away. At twilight, as the day was fading, as the dark of night set in. A woman approached him, dressed seductively and sly of heart, that is, a deceitful heart. She was brass, rebellious type, never stays at home. She's often seen in the street, market, soliciting at every corner. Describing what immorality is to you. But let me finish reading. It says, "she threw her arms around him and kissed him, and with a brazen look she said, 'I have offered my sacrifices and just finished my vow. It is you I was looking for. I came out to find you and you are here. My bed is spread with colored sheets, sheets of the finest linen imported from Egypt. I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. Come, let's drink our fill of love until morning. Let's enjoy each other's caresses. For my husband is not home, he is away on a long trip. He has taken a wallet full of money with him. He won't return until later in the month.'" So she seduced him with pretty speech, with her flattery she enticed him. He followed her at once, like an ox going to be slaughtered, or like a trapped stag that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare, little knowing it will cost him his life. Listen to me my sons, pay attention to my words. Do not let your heart stray away towards her. Don't wander down her wayward path. She has been the ruin of many, numerous men, of many, numerous men have been her victims. Her house is the road to the grave, her bedroom is the den of death. I'm showing you what the Bible says about immorality. I'm showing you how the Bible defined immorality. You see sometimes people don't really look at the Bible that there is nothing the Bible did not teach. They say, "Why? We are not under the law, we are under grace, I'm at liberty to..." Who says you are not at liberty? You are at liberty. We are talking about discretion. We are talking about being wise. We are talking about not being devoid of understanding. We are talking about—we are talking about—not trading away your valuables. What I'm trying to make you see today is because see that if you are taking young people together, one in every three will be involved in some kind of immorality. If you are—if the—what we are trying to make you see is that you find a large number of young people today that have been caught in the web of sexual impurity. And I've defined sexual impurity for you, it's not only just that I've not had sex with somebody. It is all kinds of sexual perversion. Impurity in the thought, impurity in lustful feelings towards the opposite sex. All kinds of caressing, indecent... Look, look at—I've taken time to look at that. Please go and listen to that of September. So it is so crucial. The what I'm trying to make you see today is that, please listen to me, young man, young woman. The Bible is saying that when you see a young man or a woman who is taken by any form of sexual impurity, know that that woman or that young man, they may call him president, they may call her sister's squad, they may call him bishop, they may call him pastor, they may call him associate prof. They can call him anything. He may be successful, and that's why I mentioned that earlier, he may be a successful doctor, a successful engineer, he may be anything. But if he is caught in the web of sexual impurity, he is a young man who lacks common sense. Because he does not realize that all those valuables that they have acquired, not winning the battle of sexual purity will ruin all those things for him. He does not realize it. She does not realize it. And that is what David—the story of David—everything was wasted with one five minutes' pleasure. Just five minutes' pleasure on the lap of Bathsheba ruined everything that David had worked for. Almost took the kingdom away from him but for the mercies of God. Ruined all his children. God said the sword will not depart from your house. Amnon slept with Tamar. Absalom killed Amnon. Amnon ran away, Amnon ran away. Joab killed Absalom. Adonijah rose up, killed by Solomon. Look at how the sword began to devour everything that David had raised. And look at our sister Bathsheba. Look at how she ruined her marriage. Look at the kind of husband that this lady had. Look at how she ruined everything. Just because she lacks discretion. Just giving cheaply, just giving like that because he's the king. But it is clear that she had no right to be married once. Everybody knows that in Israel. Why did she act as if she is not married? Why did she put up some opposition? At least we saw a man like Naboth, when the king was to go beyond his limit, he told the king, "I can't give you what belongs to my father." Why couldn't Bathsheba say, "I can't give what belongs to my husband?" Which would have saved that marriage, that would have saved that David's kingdom. The Bible says, "I saw a man, I perceived among the youths a young man devoid of understanding." I pray for you among the youth not to be devoid of understanding. I pray for you among the youth you will not be a young man, you will not be a young woman who is devoid of understanding in the name of Jesus. He said, "I saw a man devoid of understanding," and how do you know them? How do you know young people who are devoid of understanding? He said, "passing along the street near her corner." You know what the Bible is trying to make you see? They position their life in a situation that will lead to it. It begins with—when somebody lacks discretion, they begin to position their life. The way they will position their life, it will be in a situation that can lead to it. He says, "passing along the street near her corner." The first thing about any form of impurity, it begins—he's saying that the boy was devoid of understanding. The reason why he was saying that is that for immorality to take place, it is first the way you position your life. How are you positioning your life? He says, "passing along the street." While other youth, while other youth, took the other side of the road, they did not come to her corner. They took the other side of the road, that is to position their life in a way that will not give a chance to the devil. They position it in a way that will not make them break edge. They position their life in a way they place their life. So it's about how you position your life. And look at it, look at what the Bible now says in 13. It says, "passing along the street near her corner." Look at the next thing is that once you go near her corner, he took the path to her house. Are you seeing something? Because I want you to note that the first thing was not the path to her house. The first thing was that she was near the corner. He was doing one thing that just—I don't know—I was discussing with one young man one day and he said, "Sir, I find myself watching pornography." I said, "How did this happen?" "Well, I don't even know. Actually, I was doing my assignment on the internet. And then one thing just came up like a short menu. Was just doing 'tap tap tap tap', 'like to see friends around, click here'. So he continued, it came again, 'tap tap tap tap', 'like to see friends around, click here'. He was wondering, 'friends around, friends around, I like to see friends around'. He just clicked to see what even these things said." [inaudible] At the corner, then to the path. What you must understand is that what makes a trap a trap is that it must ever appear as a trap. The power of a trap is that it never appeared as a trap. That thing that wants to trap your life, that thing that wants to trap your destiny, that thing that wants to trap your calling in God, that thing that wants to waste you and waste your destiny, when they are coming, they will not come like a trap. They will come like something attractive. They will come like something good. They will come like something okay. They will come like, "Wow, this is enjoyable, this is fun." But once you go towards what is enjoyable, because don't forget it's a trap. So once you go near her corner, the next thing is that you will take the path to her house. What I'm saying is this, young man, young woman, listen to me. Let me show you the same thing in the book of Exodus. See, most times people don't understand, people don't understand these principles. Life is about principles. I pray for you, may you be guided by godly principles. May godly principles rule your life in the name of Jesus. You see, life is about principles. Every sphere of life, they are governed by principles. Once you break the principles of any sphere, then you will fail, you will suffer. So it—that's—look at this matter in Exodus chapter 3. I want to show you this principle that we are looking at in that place. Going in her corner, he went her path. Going in her corner, he went her path. Sexual purity: the place of discretion. I'm just trying to look at—still looking more at this matter of Proverbs and the book of—the matter of discretion for the young man and the young woman. Look at Exodus chapter 3. Now, look at what the Bible says. I just want you to follow this story. It's like an ordinary story. It's actually an ordinary story, but I want to show you the principle of what you are looking at in Proverbs. It says, "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian." Now, what was Moses doing? Was he an industrious young man? Was he busy doing what was good? That was what he was doing that. That was his intention. That's what he was doing. He led the flock to the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. He came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. Follow this principle. So he looked and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, "I will now turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush does not burn." Verse 4: "When the Lord saw that he turned aside," when they got his attention, "He called unto him." The burning was to get his attention. I'm just showing you the principles of life. What wants to destroy you or make you, first gets your attention. It will present something to catch your attention. So the purpose of the bush was to do what? Was just to do what? Get his attention. So when he said, "Ah, what is this? What is this?" That is the case of the young man that I just told you while he was doing his work. "Click here, click here, friends around. Click, click, click." And then he clicked. And then "What are they even doing here?" Before he knew it, he found himself a pornography site. And then, "Ah, these people self," he said he now said, "These people self, why are they even doing this?" Curiously, and he was watching. "Look at these people, hey." And then, and then, he said he settled down. He settled down. What am I trying to bring out? I'm talking about the whole "click here, click here, friends around" that has come as a bait. "Click your go," would that brother have clicked? He would not have clicked. If bondage comes and says, "See, I am bondage. I'm going to tie your life down so that when you want to stop, you'll not be able to stop. Now click on me to start," how many would click? How many would click? That is what the Bible is saying. That anyone who would be caught in a web, be like that rat who saw trap but they put akara. Akara is not a fine food, you know. Smoked fish, smoked sauce. You know when we were children, that's what made most of us to become thieves. When they have smoked the thing, you always almost be watching when your mommy will just leave when she's smoking it and then you can just cut small and throw in your mouth because of the smell of the fish. And I remember too when we were children then, when they fried meat like that, put under the bed, you look here, look here, look here, look here whether your mommy is not there, and then you crawl like rat, enter... I remember my brother would stay outside and be watching whether they are coming. Me, I will go inside to go and pick the meat and then once he says they are coming, you jump out, run out from under the bed. What I'm trying to bring out? You know when you get the rats you just put the thing. When the rat sees the thing, you know the thing will not be like a trap, it'll just be meat. Traps will just—just the meat. He'll say, "Wow, this is good." Because if I put the thing there and I say, "Rat, this sent you to death, eat," no rat will come. What you need to understand, that the things that are designed by darkness to finish us, they must never appear as our finishers. They will appear like our starters. They will appear like our developers. They will appear as if they want to make us. And so we say, "Ah, this thing," all they just want to do with that is to get your attention. Same thing David saw David—same principle you found here. Same principle is here. The bush was burning, the bush was burning. He said, "Ah, what is this? Let me now turn." The Lord just caught him. Now that He saw that he turned, He caught him. What am I trying to say? Once we are by the corner, once discretion, lack of discretion brings us to the corner, then be sure the next thing is what? You will turn into the street. That's what I'm showing in that place. You will turn into the street. You find yourself turning into a street. And when you turn into a street, that is when it looks as if nothing follows, but things now begin to follow themselves after the other. Look at what it says. He says, "took the path to her house in the evening, as the day was setting in, the day was fading off." What now happened? The woman approached him. Do you see that? The woman approached him, dressed seductively and of a sly heart. So the matter was not first a woman. The matter was first the way he positioned himself and then entered the street. Go and check this same principle in the book of James. He says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you." I'm showing you principles. It depends on which one you are taking for your life. If you draw near to the devil, what does he do? He draws near to you. That is the same thing you will find. It's the same thing you find. So when you see a young man, "I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that," you are seeing a young man who has discretion. Because as he begins to draw, what happens? God will draw near to you and then the young man is taken. He becomes a spiritual giant. You're saying, "Ah, this boy! God's grace." Oh no, no, no, no. It was because he had discretion. Discretion is first the primary thing. He said she approached him, dressed seductively and of a sly heart. She was brass, of a rebellious type, she never stays at home. What is he trying to make—to tell us about—about immorality? What's he trying to make us see about immorality? If you think immorality is something weak and not something strong, you are deceiving yourself. The spirit of immorality, the spirit of impurity, is something rebellious. It's ready to take anything. It's something set to carry anything away. It's something set to sweep anything off its feet. It is not something shy. It is not something shy. It's something out there, wanting to take anybody that is available. That's what he's saying about immorality. And one thing he is also trying to make us see is that immorality is dynamic. She does not stay at home. It is everywhere. You can become immoral even inside church. You can become immoral in fellowship. You can become immoral. Look at that young man, he went for what? To do online assignment. But he found himself a pornographic site. Immorality doesn't stay at home. It's everywhere. It's here, it's there, it's there, it's there, it's there, it's there, it's there. It's just—you can find it in any situation. It can occur anyhow if you are not discrete and careful and watchful. It can happen in the most innocent situation. I was watching one of these Mount Zion films, I don't know, I can't remember the title now. And it was that they were in a relationship and one of them lost the mom. I don't know, I can't remember what happened. But what they tried to make us see in that story, in that play, was that the young man went to—they both went for the wake keep of that person that's dead. They stopped, they passed through the sister's house or the brother's house either to drop some things. They were now both talking. So the brother was comforting the sister, "It is well, the Lord will take control." Before they knew it, they knew it. Before they knew it, the sister pressed her head on the shoulder, was so, you know... And brother was comforting her about the case of the father's death. And before they knew, they were going beyond. What they're trying to make you see is it's everywhere. It's a dynamic thing. It doesn't stay at home. These are things you need to understand. And so when we are talking about it, people should not just feel that, "Eh, I know what I'm doing." The Bible is making you to understand what this immoral thing is. It's already 11:30 now. Technical people, please if you have questions, brethren online, if you have a question we should be taking questions. If you have questions, please send your question. Brethren who are here, if you have a question please send your question. Let's have it written so that we can answer your question. Technical people, please if there's questions, let us have it. [A question is read] The question says, "Why would people still want immorality even though they are aware of the consequences?" Why would people still want immorality even when they are aware of the consequences? Okay, thank you very much. Why would people still want to be immoral even when they are aware of the consequences? Do you know why I'm smiling? My response to the question is very, very simple. The real truth about a matter is that awareness does not mean understanding. You may be aware of something but you may not understand it. Let me give you a good example. Why is it that people are aware of hellfire and they are still sinning? People who go to church—and let's take that one now. People who go to church and they do tithe and offering, do all those things, they are aware that those who tell lies, those who do this will go to hellfire. Why are they still doing it? They are aware, but they don't understand. You see, understanding is the thing. Awareness is not. That is one. Number two, I'm going to give many quick answers. Number one, people may be aware but they may not understand. Number two, there are those who are aware at a point but they don't understand. When they now became—when they enter the path of immorality, some are still doing it because they are now trapped. They are aware of the consequences now, they are beginning to understand the consequences. They are not just aware again. They are beginning to see how it is draining their life. I give example of a man who is a drunkard. We were just talking, he said, "Ah, his prayer, the prayer to God, that none of his children will be a drunkard like him." But he couldn't stop. That thing wasted his family. You will see this man sometimes you find him inside the gutter in the street. I mean, having a conversation and he was saying that he praying none of his children take after him. You see, he has come—at a point he was aware, he didn't understand. Now he understands, but he's trapped. So there are people who are trapped. And that is why I keep saying that immorality begins as an attraction, but the attraction is to trap. The attraction is to trap. Some people who are now understanding, but they are trapped. They are trapped. They now want to stop, but they just could not bring themselves to stop. And for such people, anywhere you are, you are listening to us this morning, either on Mixlr, either on Telegram... By the end of the program, our telephone number will be out there for you. Please call any of the numbers. You'll either be calling me or you'll be calling my wife. Call any of the two numbers, let's have a personal discussion. You can be set free. You can be set free. Jesus is the answer. We too, we have once been bound. Bound by the chains of masturbation. Bound by the chains of drug addiction. I started smoking Indian hemp in Primary 3. We have been bound too, but Jesus was the answer. You can be free. Don't sit to it. If you really want to be free, call any of those numbers. Let's have a personal discussion. You can be free. Come. Become righteousness in the name of Jesus. Be righteousness in the name of Jesus. And may the officers who preside over you be peace in the name of Jesus. Today that is my story. My taskmaster is no more immorality. My taskmaster is now righteousness. It's now righteousness. And I believe that you can get there. So for some people they are not aware, for some people they are trapped. I think we have been able to answer that question. Let us begin to close for today. We pick this matter from here. Sexual purity: the place of discretion. We have been able to describe—we are trying to describe—immorality, the spirit of immorality and how it catches people. We are trying to look at that and we will continue our talk from Proverbs chapter 7, from verse 14, next month of November. Let us go ahead to pray this morning. Let us thank the Lord for a time like this again to learn, to hear the Word of the Lord. Let's talk to the Lord, let's pray, let's ask the Lord. Let's pray, let's pray, let's pray. My taskmaster will not be—will not be—any form of immorality. My taskmaster will be righteousness. I will not be wasted. I will not be wasted on the platter of any form of sexual perversion. I will not be wasted. I will not be wasted. My purpose in life will not be wasted. My destiny will not be wasted. Oh God, my office another will not take. It was covetousness that makes another to take the office of Judas. It was immorality that makes Samson to become a blind victor. I want to pray, I want to pray, that God Almighty, my office another will not take. My office another will not take. On account of sexual immorality, on account of immorality, my office another will not take. It will not be my portion. Discretion will preserve me. Understanding will keep me in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus. Almighty God, we thank You for this morning. To You be all praise, to You be all glory and honor. We worship Your holy name for Your mercies, we worship You for Your goodness towards us. We say blessed be Your name, Abba Father. Thank You, eternal Father. Lord, we pray for every young person, oh God, listening to us this morning, either on Telegram, physically. I pray for you, your officers shall be peace, your taskmaster shall be righteousness in the name of Jesus Christ. Where others fall, you will stand. Where they stand, you will stand out. Where they stand out, you will outstanding in the name of Jesus Christ. I pray for every young man or young woman who is in one bondage or the other of any form of sexual perversion. Lord, I pray that in the name of Jesus Christ, by the reason of this Word coming to them, there shall be liberty. There shall be liberty. There shall be liberty. Liberty shall come your way. Liberty shall come your way. Lord, the Lord will surround you with helpers of destiny in the name of Jesus Christ. You shall be loosed. You shall be set free. You shall be set free from every cage and cave, from every cage and cave of immorality. You shall be loosed in the name of Jesus. Thank You, eternal Father. Blessed be Your holy name, oh Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Let's share the grace together in fellowship. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us now and forevermore. Amen. [Speaker 1] This message is coming to you from Family Tent Ministry, a Christian ministry involved in enriching the lives of singles and married through preaching and teaching of God's Word, discipleship, family life enrichment, social and community development and mission aid. Our regular activities are: Discipleship Class every Monday 5:00 PM, Adolescent and Singles Club every first Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, Marriage Forum second Saturday of every month at 10:00 AM, Family Life Seminars, regular school outreaches and everyday counseling. For further counseling, you can reach us at our location: Life Camp by the First Bridge, Ilere Community, opposite Rejoice filling station along Igbara road, Akure, Ondo state, Nigeria. You can also reach us through our social media handles: familytent@yahoo.co.uk, familytentministry01@gmail.com, www.familytentministry.org. Our phone numbers are 08033861136, 07033613848. God bless you all.