(Photo by Selma Komisky)

WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS CONTENT FOR MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY

Honoring Your Commander-in-chief

By Ashley Scriven

Sex. The three-letter word that is absolutely taboo. The word that immediately catches everyone’s attention. It’s found in books, movies, and the jokes that get the loudest laughs. It seems to happen just about everywhere, to just about everyone.

But if you’re a good church going guy or gal, it feels like you have to sit on the sidelines while everyone else does this. You have to miss out on certain movies, and you have to be careful what you read. You can’t have “as much fun” as everyone else. It doesn’t seem fair. You have a whole list of rules to follow, and everyone else gets to do whatever they want. Who made the rules anyway?

Funny you should ask. This order to stay pure comes from God On High. See, you are not like everyone else. You are a soldier of God, not a civilian. Like a soldier, you have duties and responsibilities.

When a soldier enters the army, they change their lifestyles. They can’t live the same way that civilians do. They have to obey orders and bring honor to their commander-in-chief. Their commander-in-chief trains them to live a certain way so that they are always prepared for battle. Soldiers learn to trust their commander-in-chief completely and honor them at all costs. When a commander-in-chief gives orders to his soldiers, he fully expects them to be obeyed and respected. God, your commander-in-chief has given the order to not have sex until marriage and, as a soldier of Christ, you must honor Him.

Every soldier has weapons, and you, as a soldier of the Lord, have been given weapons also. Ephesians 6:10-20 talks about the armor of God which is to help you in battle against any situation. The armor includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel of peace, and finally the sword of the Spirit. You can use this armor as you strive to obey your commander-in-chief’s orders to stay pure. Imagine yourself putting on this armor as you face a situation in which you may be tempted to go astray. As you are thrown arrows of fire and temptation by movies and magazines, hide behind the shield of faith. Protect your heart with righteousness and your head with the knowledge of your salvation. Finally, turn to your Bible, the sword of the Spirit. Reread the orders from your commander-in-chief to stay pure. Then, read the verses that talk about His goodness and love so you remember why you signed up to fight in the first place.

Sure, it may be hard and frustrating to keep saying no, and you may want to just give in to get some peace of mind. But think of it this way – every time you say no to sex, you are saying yes to God. Every time you say no to temptation, you win a battle and all of Heaven applauds. You have been called into service by the King of Kings and you must live it out. Someday, if you keep on fighting the good fight, you will find your reward in Heaven when you gaze into the loving eyes of the King and hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”