Oops, I Did It Again!

Nov 21, 2005

Before I begin—my apologies to those of you who now have “that song” in your head…and you will be singing it all day! If you want to do something interesting…go around your office singing it and see how many people you can get to join in—you’ll be surprised! OR if they do not join in you will catch them singing it later—trust me!)

Sorry about that…now onto the post…

I did it again…after preaching four times yesterday I was lying in bed last night and realized that I had forgotten to say something. (Actually—this happens every Sunday night!)

Let’s be honest—yesterday was about the most INTENSE service we have had at NewSpring in a few weeks. God’s Word was preached—the TRUTH was declared…and I am sure that some people left hating me AND not feeling good about their relational status! (If you want to listen you can go here.)

I’m fine with that…as I said last night I MUST be true to God’s Word and His call. The Bible clearly tells me that one day I will have to give an account of what I teach—and when I stand before God He’s not going to ask me, “Did you make people feel good,” but rather, “Did you teach the truth!”

If you were not there and wondered what was so tense, well…I did address the singles; however, as I began to work on the message last week the Lord lit a fire in me to really come strong in regards to the married folks in the church—and challenge them to stay the course instead of looking for marital bliss in greener pastures.

Let me repeat myself—if you are married—flirting with someone who is not your spouse is never innocent—it’s wrong. Scripture says we are not to give the devil a foothold in our lives—and by flirting with someone who is not your spouse you are inviting havoc on your marriage.

Singles—flirting with someone who is married is not “innocent fun,” IT’S SIN! Think about it like this, one day you will be married—do you want someone coming onto your future spouse and declaring their innocence while doing so? I think not!

I also address the pathetic practice that some weak ego’d men are doing, you know, going onto singles websites (which I can’t stand—more on that maybe at another time) and registering themselves…all “in fun”...just to see if he’s still “got it,” to see if women still would consider him!

Men—this is WRONG…it’s not innocent—it’s WRONG! You are dishonoring your wife, if you don’t believe me then just ask her…I am sure she would be glad to tell you how she feels.

BUT what I forgot is that women do this as well…but it’s not in seeing if they are still physically attractive—but in internet chat rooms! There are many married women who feel neglected at home…and instead of trying to work on it they lose themselves in an emotional affair with a man they don’t even know.

Women—this is WRONG…you are sharing things with a man that is not your husband…and it isn’t innocent fun—it’s WRONG. (If you don’t believe me—ask your husband!)

You see, for men the need is physical…for women it is emotional…and both will seek out ways to fulfill these desires if they are not being met at home. The RIGHT thing to do is WORK on it, no matter how difficult is it instead of getting lost in cyber world and declaring that this practice will never affect your marriage.

Marriage is work—it takes communication, discipline, and honesty! And we must be very careful in the way we deal with people of the opposite sex. I personally have rules, boundaries if you will. I never travel alone—EVER! I do not ride in a car alone with a female. I am open and honest with my wife about everything…and I create an environment where she can be open and honest with me without being laughed at or told she’s “stupid” for feeling that way!

These are just some things I have done to protect myself…I am not perfect, my marriage is not perfect—but it is a work in progress…and my friends, when two people decided to go all out when it comes to being with each other forever—it just keeps getting better and better!