Who Gave You Permission?

  Who gave you permission to do what you are doing? In this note, I am thinking of something specific. When I was a kid, whenever we wanted to do something or have something, we had to ask permission first. Either our parents said, 'yes' or they said, 'no'. It was as simple as that. Of course, it wasn't easy receiving a 'no' answer. We didn't have permission for a lot of things we wanted to do.
  So I ask this question today, in the 21st Century, 'Who gave you permission to do what you are doing?' I was looking at a letter written by a woman who was asking, or rather justifying her reasons for having an abortion. She pointed out all the reasons why she 'needed' to have an abortion. One of them was that she didn't know how her husband would respond, if he found out. You see, she is pregnant by a man other than her husband, and she has been separated from her husband for a long time. Also, the man who got her pregnant already has children, and can't afford to take care of any more. There were a host of other reasons why she felt the need to have her baby aborted.
   But there is something deeper here, than just wanting an abortion. Why did she get pregnant in the first place? Obviously, because she had a relationship with a man. But the question remains, and this is for all of us, not just this woman, where did she get permission to have a sexual relationship with a man who she wasn't married to?
  People used to call this, 'the new morality', but down through the centuries, this activity has taken place as well. For example, my ancestors came from Austria/Germany, and they were known to have children out of wedlock. I was studying Hitler's ancestry and realized that he came from this same type of situation. A mom who had a relationship with a man who she wasn't married to. It seemed to be common for that era, in that area of the world.
  The Bible is very clear on relationships. We are not to have sexual relationships out of marriage. If we are married and have a relationship with a person who were aren't married to, that is called, 'adultery'. If we aren't married, and we have a sexual relationship with someone, that is called, 'fornication'. But these sins are a form of immorality. "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God." 1 Corinthians 6:9,10 ESV. Jesus said that if you look at a woman with lust (He was talking to men, but the principle applies to both men and women), you have committed adultery with her in your heart. This is serious! We don't realize how much credit we are earning for God to punish us for our sin as we freely live this kind of lifestyle. Our sins are piling up each time we lust and flirt with people!
   The Bible also has a lot of things to say about marriage. It gives direction and instruction to both men and women. God blesses the marriage relationship and we must keep it pure.
   When I was a teenager (40 some years ago), we were taught that it was wrong to have a sexual relationship outside of marriage. When a woman got pregnant outside of wedlock, she was labeled as a 'bad girl' and many times you didn't see her until after the baby was born and given up for adoption. My point here is that during that time period, people knew the difference between right and wrong. Today, we don't. If our daughters want to have a sexual relationship with a man, we think it is ok, as long as she doesn't get pregnant or end up with an STD. But that is exactly the point. We think it is ok to sin, as long as we don't get caught! Why have we forgotten about God? Why do we think its ok to sleep around and do our own thing? Where did the 'fear of God' go? The Bible says, "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God." (Psalm 9:17) We are becoming a people who are forgetting God. What will we do? http://www.icr.org/article/4051/
   Abortion is a symptom of a very deep problem. The questions asked above is 'Who gave you permission?' No one has permission to sleep around. Men, you don't have permission to read Playboy and be a 'girl watcher'. God has a very good plan for sex in the lives of people, but we have taken this gift and misused it. We have taken liberties to do things with our bodies, that we don't have permission to do. Period. Women, when your boyfriend gives you this talk about how he loves you and you are obligated to share your body with him, get rid of him! He doesn't fear God, and you don't want a man who is not God fearing. 
   Yes, abortion is murder, and two wrongs don't make a right. You might think you are hiding your wrong actions from your parents or those you look up to, but you are not hiding from God. He sees your sin. One day, He will punish all sin, whether it be lying, hating, stealing, murdering, or immorality. You don't have to live in sin anymore. You don't have to believe the lies of the devil either. If you truly want to change, and be changed by God's power, He will give you the ability to repent and turn to Him. He will help you say, 'no' to sin. He will help you live for Him. That is why Jesus died on the Cross; to pay for your sin and mine. The question is, 'what will you do with that?' Will you repent and trust in Jesus, or will you continue to live in sin? The choice is yours. Remember, God wants to help you to not live in sin. But you will not receive that kind of help until you turn to Him. 
   For more info on this, please go to: http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com  or http://test4gp.wordpress.com   . Send questions or email to: RUgood@mail.com