I have three different ways I can go today in my blog writing, so I will pick one of them. Today I will write about my condition of being nocturnal.
You might ask why I would write an article on my being nocturnal, but as you read, I think it will help you understand a dilemma we have in our country today, and why people think wrongly about homosexuality.
O.K. you are probably wondering what in the world being nocturnal has to do with homosexuality. Bear with me for a couple of minutes and you will see the connections!
Almost always, when I am explaining the Gospel to someone, if there is time, I will explain what Genesis 3 is about. Genesis 3 holds the key to a lot of difficulties we have in trying to understand why there is evil in the world, if God is a God of love. It also helps us understand why human beings can be so kind and loving, yet so mean and hateful, at the same time. Genesis 3 will help us today in understanding the effects of the fall on our human bodies.
We all know and we all agree upon the fact that God created human beings. When Adam and Eve were first created, there was no sickness. They didn't feel pain or suffer the effects of living in a battle zone. They were healthy, but they were tempted to try to be like God. The devil wanted to be higher than God, and he got thrown down to earth. Unfortunately for us, we live in the earth, and the devil roams around to destroy whoever he can.
After the fall of Adam and Eve, when they disobeyed the God who created them, God placed a curse upon the earth. People's bodies will now die. People will feel pain. Human beings will suffer loss and growing food was now going to be a very difficult task.
Fast-forward to the 21st Century. In America, we have hospitals and doctor's offices in every city just about. Doctors have a lot to do with trying to help people get well. People go to doctors because of the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve.
So, I have gone to doctors to try to get help with insomnia. The type of insomnia I have is a type that people are born with and without any kind of intervention will live with the rest of their lives. It is called, 'Primary Insomnia'. In my case, for whatever reason, my sleep cycle is off. It is active during the night and inactive during the day. All I can do is to try to change this cycle. It is very hard to do this, but if I want to live and function in a real world, I will work toward resolving this issue.
I'm sure this brings up a lot of questions. Did God create me to be nocturnal? How can God expect me to function in a world that is opposite of normal? Should I learn to live with this and just accept it? Is there any way it can be redeemable?
In a way, this would be like asking the question, 'Did God create me with a sinful nature?' We know that all these things that go wrong with us are results of living in a fallen world. The question is really not whether God made me that way or not, but, how am I going to respond to this dilemma?
(Note: I am not saying here that insomnia is a sin! It is just a byproduct of living in a fallen world).
Since having insomnia is not a sin, perhaps I could learn to work with it. I have done that some, but, I still have work to do during the day, and need to be sleeping at night with everyone else in the family. It is not the end of the world if I have sleepless nights, but it is not convenient for living in America today.
But yes, it is redeemable and I can do things that others cannot do, because of my energy level and thinking abilities at night! I can get a lot accomplished from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m.! But which is better? Is it better to be awake and active during the day when the sun is shining and everyone else is working, or, at night when all the stores and businesses are closed?
The whole crux of this article is to point something out that should be obvious. Did God create me with a special orientation to be nocturnal?
I don't believe God created me with an orientation to be nocturnal. Being nocturnal is normal for me, but, it doesn't lend itself to functioning in a God ordained society. It is better for me to not be nocturnal, even though there are benefits to it in some ways.
If someone had to power to make me un-nocturnal, and asked me if I would like to be diurnal, would I say 'yes' to that? I sure would! If I have a proclivity toward being nocturnal, I would like to not have that anymore.
No, I was not created to have an orientation to being nocturnal. Homosexuals are not created by God with a special orientation to homosexuality. The desires for same sex attraction are real. The desires for same sex attractions seem natural for the person who is a homosexual. But those desires are just byproducts of living in a fallen world. They are not desires from God.
Although being nocturnal is not a sin, according to the Bible, homosexuality is. Homosexuality is not the only sexual sin though. People have all kinds of different sexual desires that are wrong and will be punished by God, not because of the desire itself, but because the person with the desire lives to fulfill that wrong desire.
The overwhelming desire for same sex attraction is not a desire given by God. It is not natural, in the sense of God's natural creation, although it feels natural. It feels natural for me to become irate when someone irritates me. It feels natural for me (and I do go through these spells) to want to eat a whole chocolate cake, or eat a large chocolate candy bar. Sometimes, I will be (or think I will be) so hungry that even looking at recipes leads me to believe I could consume abnormal amounts of certain foods! And if those foods were placed before me, if I didn't have restraint, I would eat all of it. Being hungry is not a sin. Even consuming a lot of food if it is there, and if the person hasn't eaten in a while, is not necessarily wrong, but going after food continually, especially food that tastes good but is not good for us to eat, is wrong. It is called 'gluttony' and it is a serious sin before God.
God gave human beings a sex drive and He also gave them the desire to eat food. It's when those things are used wrong, that is it sin. God's order for sex is in a marriage relationship between one man and one woman. God's design for eating is that we eat nourishing food. All these things are gifts from God but have been distorted due to the fall. Just because there is a reason for something, that does not justify it.
Whatever the sin issue that we struggle with is, God is more than willing to help us. He will only help us if we really want help and see the need for it. If we love our sin, then it will be hard for us to part from it. But if want to be free from it's hold on us, God can break the chains.
When Jesus died on the Cross, He defeated the devil and the armies of the devil. This is good news for us for now we do not have to stay bound by our sinful desires. But we have to know the Lord Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with Him. We can only know Him if we turn away from our sins, and trust in Him. We have to trust in His death to cover over our sins. His blood can wash away our sins, and can also set us free from the hold of sin. God will give us new hearts that will not want to sin if we trust Him.
The devil's weapons against us are fear, lies, discouragement and hopelessness. The devil will treat you like a piece of garbage. God doesn't treat us like that. When we come to Him in faith and repentance, He makes us new creatures in Christ. Old things pass away and new things come about. We live a new life in a new way, with a new power, and a new heart.
For more information on the Gospel message and how to know God personally, please go to http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com or http://test4gp.wordpress.com
Please send an email to me if you have questions. Feel free to comment as well, but please be kind and respectful when interacting with others, even those we disagree with.
* 1 Corinthians 6:9,10
* Genesis 19
* Genesis 1 - 3
* 2 Corinthians 5:17
* John 10:10
* Leviticus 18:22
* Hebrews 13:4,5
* Romans 1
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