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Lust vs. Love

7/30/2020

 
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Image via Flickr cc
​Many men seek sex from a woman. They don't want to love or feel from their heart. Many women seek love from a man's heart. She gives him sex in hopes that one day he will return love with his heart. I am sure that there are women who fall into the same category as men who only want sex, but the numbers are far higher with men, as we see in the context of pornography users, buyers of women’s bodies for sex, customers at strip clubs, and modern brothels (such as massage parlors).
​
In today's secular world, lust is equal to love. They are one in the same. Some people wrongly think they love someone or that they are loved by a person, when what they are really feeling is lust. The definition of lust is "intense or unbridled sexual desire." This definition is not even close to the meaning of the word "love," as is defined throughout the Bible, God's instruction manual. Some people choose lust over love because they do not want to risk having their hearts broken. They settle for lust; an empty act; void of love.
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Many men choose to have sex with images on a screen. They engage in acts of self-pleasure. They don't have to give their heart to the woman on the screen. There's no threat of having their heart broken. It's safe. There's no love to be found here. Only lust. Some married men choose to lust after women on the screen instead of giving their heart in love to the woman in their marriage bed. Lust leads to heartless acts, void of love. Lust does not equal love, nor does it lead to love. It only leads to loneliness and lovelessness.
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"I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:28


The Gardener

7/10/2020

 

A poem for the one who tends to God's daughters

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Holly’s Garden
He calls me the gardener
I tend to His gardens
He’s trained me to care and to nurture
To bring life to His prized roses
They’ve been dead‐like and dormant
During the cold season of winter
 
A sight of disarray at first
Because they’ve been neglected
Lifeless and parched, I get busy to work
I prune and feed and weed
To bring the flowers back to life
He’s given me the tools I need
 
I’m sure to add the miracle‐grow
The essential element of Love
I place them in the light of the Son
Add the vital water of the Spirit
These are the key elements I must use
To seeing His gardens flourish
 
At times my job can be hard
Sometimes downright painful
I must dig out the bitter roots
Put to death the pestilence
Get rid of the things that deter
And keep the rose from brilliance

I care that each one grow ‘n mature
Open into full blossom
To release her beautiful fragrance
And bring glory to her Maker
This is her destiny you know
Beauty instead of ashes

A Prodigal Daughter

7/6/2020

 
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Written by a woman from our Adopting Daughters program. 
After falling into deep sin for so long, the Prodigal Daughter comes back to her Father, her first love. She starts opening her heart to Him again. Time and time again, she has fallen. But as she continues to come to the Father, asking him to help her to stand on her feet again, He comes. He always comes.
Never rejecting her. When she comes with her whole heart, He comes with his understanding and answers her. He takes her by the hand, showing her His deep compassion and love toward her.
            You see, when she fell into deep sin, she did not know how to come back to her Father. She felt so far away. She was dying. Her spirit was dying, as she was drifting, farther and farther away from the Father. Her heart wasn't as soft as before. She was not as sensitive as she once was. The cares of this world started to overtake her. Fear started to overwhelm her; much deeper than before. She was engaged to someone who didn't know the Father's love. She stayed because he always pleased her sexual desires. His kind, seductive words would take hold of her and keep her. She no longer could hear her Father speak. She felt trapped in a cage. She could not understand why she was with this person. Every time she thought about leaving, he'd come with his sweet, enticing words and lead her into the bedroom and she'd stay. She felt so torn. She was dying inside as she gave into lust. She felt like this was all that she was worth. She felt like a disappointment to God; that He'd never take her back this time. It's over. There's no way after how deeply she'd fallen, that He would ever take her back. She felt worthless. Undeserving of her Father's love.
            BUT JESUS DIED FOR HER! HE GAVE HIS BLOOD FOR HER! AND THERE WAS NO WAY HE WAS GOING TO GIVE UP ON HER! A simple cry, "Jesus,  help me!" And He came. He came. And she stood to her feet again. He left the 99 for her. The reason why she fell so deeply into sexual sin is because she came to realize that she was sexually abused as a little girl. When she found this out, she ran far away from God. She didn't feel worthy of His love. And now, coming back to her Father, she heard Him say to her, "Ok, My precious daughter, you have to let me heal you, so you can continue to walk freely in My Spirit and to help others." As she stepped forward to let the Father heal her, she felt  seduction and lust weaken their hold on her. She started to feel deeper convictions when enticed by these foul spirits. She no longer wanted to give into her sexual desires, because she desired to go deeper in her relationship with Jesus, her Bridegroom. But, even after all this, she fell one more time.
            This last time was different. She didn't enjoy it like all the other times. She felt like Jesus, her husband, was right there in the room watching. She ran to the shower to make herself clean again. Filled with remorse, she ran to Jesus. She cried out to Him with a broken heart, "Oh Jesus, forgive me! Forgive me! I'm sorry I fell into sexual sin again! I feel so convicted. I feel like I just cheated on my husband. My heart feels like it's bleeding." She screamed,  "Forgive me Jesus!" over and over. And then suddenly, she heard, "I FORGIVE YOU." She didn't expect to hear those words. But she felt them take deep root in her heart, and this filled her with renewed confidence, that she could remain faithful to love Him above anyone and anything else in this world. 

"So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him." Luke 15:20

    Author
    ​

    Holly Otten has published six books.
    She also shares her written work on the following
    Facebook sites: 

    *Love
    *Fire of God
    *Survivor of Sexual Abuse
    *Brides of Christ
    *Life in the Spirit

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