Young Adulthood

 This woman, that is all grown up now, sighs heavily when she gets to this part of her story.  If you were to look at the remnants of her past through any other lens, some elements appear to be normal growing pains of any human being.  Anyone, looking at the fringes, can see that hers wasn’t a silver spoon kind of life; it wasn’t a worst case scenario either.

~Everyone born suffers long~

Satan’s full agenda would peak to a boisterous crescendo, revealing what he really intended when he had set this entire array of conditions in place, against one person, against her.  Coming to a full circle (illumination), when she had turned the ripe age of twenty-two and had met her first legitimate boyfriend. 

Determined and self-sufficient.  Living on her own in her first apartment, financed by her first job, enabled by her first car.  There were many first-time crossroads and decisions to be made along the way.  And it would be the first time that she had decided to engage in a sexual relationship with this young man that she had met.  She meets him some years after she has left the ‘nest.’ 

Everything in her life went steadily initially.  She was getting along, regardless to the fact that there were no adult mentors accounted for who could have offered counsel or given good advice about some of these major ‘firsts’ beginning to take place.  What’s more, she had not learned any relevant life skills for all of eighteen years or so, under the guardianship of her great-grandmother, outside of cooking and cleaning house.  And the church that she had attended since she was eight years old proved to be too evasive in most of their views, or perhaps they were too invasive.  Either way, those Moses on the Mountain, Moses Parts the Red Sea sermonettes did not help to prepare her for the real world. 

Although, her choices were not reckless, they did hasten the upcoming troubles that were to implode later.    She was a most naïve, gullible, misinformed young lady, and on her own. 

      ~As ignorant as can be~

Exhibit A.  She was most thoughtless as it regards this first real relationship.  She knew nothing about men or relationships.  Her first date with him was a disaster in her opinion.  She thought he would not be calling on her for a second date, but he did.  On top of that, her religious, antiquated, Victorian views influenced indulgent thinking, supposing that he might be the one.  He simply had to be the one, since he was the first.  A heart led by blind religion determined this. 

Ironically, she had not heard from the still, small voice, which had been her childhood comrade, for quite some time.  For some years.  Now that she was no longer a member of the church (shunned it) and had shelved her Bible (rejected it), she did not expect to hear.  She was on a quest during this time of her life to kindle a normal, traditional relationship.  She wanted tall, dark, and handsome.  She wanted three boys and three girls like The Brady Bunch.   She wanted the white picket fence.  Sadly, this genie in a bottle approach of wishing would gain little. 

      ~Now, back to the voice~

It was a most inopportune time.  She had made the decision to say yes to the request that her boyfriend had been making for the last three months.  This was certainly not a lot of time to get to know him.  Somehow, she felt obligated.  She was afraid that he would not want to be with her anymore, especially after he made that point clear.  This was that world where she was extremely inadequate while under the veil of the church and her childhood upbringing.

      ~Welcome to Rome!~

On this night, the scene is set.  The starry skies are aligned.  The boyfriend is there; she’s there.  The lights are dim in the bedroom.  Ambiance, right?  Right.  It was more like a scene from Cooley High.  But here goes.  He sits on the bed with a come-hither look in his eye.  And ring!!!  It’s the phone.  She rarely received phone calls, and never at night.  She surmised that maybe there was a family crisis (they thrived on those). 

She could hardly believe it! It is an elder from her church, the one not attended for about two years.  It was explained how they had recently gotten hold of her contact information and how they had only called to see how she was doing.  They all chatted back and forth; first chatting with the minister and then back with his wife.  A thorough, genteel, composite on the status of every known acquaintance one could think of was reported on.  The conversation lingered until reaching an awkward pause.  As Expected, it ends with the Elder reciting a lengthy, protocol prayer.  Of course, this interruption does not work to distract the cards that had been dealt on that fateful night.  So, after she is off the phone, the couple proceeds.  He is progressive with his affections, while she is enthralled to say the least, quite impressed.  And in an instant, she hears in a clear voice:

“WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT SLEEP WITH THIS MAN!!!”

Huh?  Naturally, her eyes dart around the room and then back at her soon to be lover who is oblivious to anything else right now.  She is, on the other hand, feeling vulnerable. There is no urge to push back.  She doesn’t want to say no right in the middle of ‘it.’ Had waited a long time.  No!  She was not going to allow Him or any voice thwart her potential to find first love.  Defensive impulses trigger inside her, against the voice of God.  Instead of halting, her bravado issues an affront as clear as crystal toward the interfering voice,

“YOU KNOW THAT IF I DO NOT SLEEP WITH HIM THAT HE WILL LEAVE ME!  YOU KNOW THAT’S HOW IT WORKS!  WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!”   

 There, there now.  She gets it all out in one breath. And Immediately after.  IM-ME-DI-ATE-LY after!  There rouses a silence (not in the room per say, but in her soul).   Eerie and final would be an understatement.  It was a silence that one could feel.  The voice was gone from her heart.  So would be gone her virginity.  So would be gone her peace.  From here, nothing (meaning, no thing) would happen as it ought.  The dreamy life that had been her fantasy would soon spiral downward.  Somehow the letters in her L I [f] E  had begun to rearrange.  She still wished for God to be there as He had always been, on the sidelines, waiting for her when she needed Him.  Helplessly, a bellow rises from deep within,

“Waaiiit!  Don’t goooo!” 

Somehow, something regrettable, other than the innocence of heartfelt desires would begin to unfold; her immediate future to come would be realized.  Hellish, torment comes to mind now.  Not at first, not all at once.  Gradually.  She did not have a plan.  She never had a plan.  How had she skated through life without a plan?  She had only mustered girlish fantasies in which to rely on of how she would like for her life to turn out.  Happenstance and ignorance ruled the day. Yet, no one is exempt, including this church girl.

Satan had waited for this rank moment in her life.  He knew it was coming.  Aware of what is around the bend, he bides his time.  He counts on the unsavory alliance he has with the flesh, as he operates to exploit our natural tendencies as humans.  The flesh cannot help itself.  The flesh is weak as well as limited.  It will insatiably thirst again and again for its every want to be acknowledged without fail.  He knows well that becoming sexually involved outside of God’s ordinance would break the hedge of protection that had been hers. 

b

This next section will entail how spiritual authority operates once it is granted.  As intimated earlier, it takes the act of sin to reinstate Satan’s power and influence over one’s affairs.  And we all have done so. 

      ~Done what?~

We all sin no doubt.  It is a well established fact that we all have participated in a smorgasbord of lawless deeds. Let it be further known and understood that our flesh is our weakest link to God.  It has no interest in anything spirit.  We are carnal creatures whose fleshly bodies lack spiritual content.  Our flesh is only our temporary house.  It is where our spirit cohabitates with our innate selves.  That’s all.  A simple vessel.  A flawed vessel at best.  And it requires the least amount of attention paid to it.  

Biblical law is a subject Satan has mastered in order to point out these deeds, to lay down the law.  The law of sin happens to be his mainstay.  He propagandizes massive misunderstanding that tends to render a terrible view of God concerning His laws and commandments.  The point for delegating His sovereign laws and commandments become distorted.

 In God’s defense, although He does not need defending, the basis for them is wholly to show that our God is holy and just.  God’s kingdom is a government.  A government has official rules.  These rules imply that this is how it is up there, in His domain.  And down here, which is also His domain.  He is the God of heaven and earth.  “…On earth, as it is in heaven.”

But to finish making the point, a mere earthen, clay man who would at all attempt to somehow become suitable enough to approach God would need to dot and cross every iota of the law to do so.  Impossible!  Precisely why God made the impossible possible, when the Lord says in Mark 10:27, “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.’”

Please understand that Holy is holy.  Pure is pure.  Right is right.  Wrong is wrong.  Sin is sin.  So forth and so on.  And anyone presenting less than what is requisite would naturally disintegrate upon entering God’s presence—becoming immediately consumed by His perfectness.  You can read for yourself about how Isaiah panicked once he realized that he had indeed entered Heaven, standing on holy ground, unprepared, unclean, undone (Isaiah 6:5-7).  

This passage in Isaiah stipulates to us that God is a solvent.  He is Fire.  There are not many things that can stand up to direct flames or withstand its heat; the usual response is to instantly retreat.  Man absolutely cannot abide the flame of God’s glory.  The setting where God abides is an absolute contrary proper for any of us to maintain.  Yet, God, in His mercy has prepared us a body in addition to preparing a place for those of us who are receptive.  You see, it is His “clean hands” which make it possible to approach.  Not ours.  Again, understand, “We are not consumed” is due to the Lord’s great mercy! 

Earthly kingdoms are modeled after this manner as well.  If you study history you know that no underling approached the king or entered his presence without the king’s scepter.  Without it, death was imminent. 

      ~Today, try an unplanned visit to the White House and see~

So to reiterate, God has laid out a perfect blueprint of laws and commandments to showcase how it is in His kingdom, which happens to extend down into earth’s realm.  God’s high standards basically eliminate all contenders wishing to reach this unattainable goal by using the Law. 

We each fall into at least one or several categories which breach, those same laws, which have been written on our very consciences.  Our enemy may choose to famously continue using legalese whenever pointing the finger of accusation.  Go ahead!   However, as a dependable Father, God has yielded us a prolific answer to all of these sin issues.  Our Father already knows it is true that we are in violation of His perfect way of doing things.  This is not shocking, ‘Breaking News’ that needs to be reported to God!   

Again, no one is exempt.  If you have sinned just once, consider yourself guilty as charged.  Realize it is every human being’s birthright to be a sinner, not through error on our part; it is passed on through birth.  

Generally, people fail to recognize that although Adam was made in God’s image, we are copies of Adam.  Indeed, copies of a copy.  Any time a copy of something is made, each new copy looks less than perfect in terms of the original.  Everybody knows this. 

 Though, each and every one of us did start off as “good” in the beginning, that factor is long past due, broken, trespassed, defaulted upon.  How can anyone stand on this foundation with confidence?   Funny, for some reason, we accept and identify with this in our natural world. Here on earth, going into debt or default is nothing new.

     ~See you in court! ~