About Pre-marital Sex

Just came across this article on how pre-marital sex makes you cerebrally bond with those not necessarily meant for you. This is an occurrence we should see as obvious, yet it’s interesting to know the science behind it. This may come in handy for me as I’ve just taken over the teen Sunday school class at church and of course sex and relationships are an important topic to address at this age. Lack of understanding has led many young people over the years to jeopardize their spiritual lives as they allow themselves to be drawn away by relationships outside of the best that God’s wants for them…

Article from www.christianpost.com, May 30th 2013

How Premarital Sex Rewires Your Brain, Affects Your Chances of Finding Life Mate

Dopamine, Oxytocin and Vasopressin are three powerful and important products released during sex between a man and a woman in a committed relationship and helps couples bond. When they are introduced in casual sexual relationships, however, they can cause much trouble.

Working together, the two hormones and one chemical produced by the human body during sex helps to bond a man and a woman together for long-term relationship.

"When someone is involved sexually it makes them want to repeat that act. Their brain produces lots of Dopamine – a powerful chemical, which is compared to heroin on the brain. Dopamine is your internal pleasure/reward system. When Dopamine is involved, it changes how we remember," notes a Conquer Series report.

Oxytocin, a hormone produced primarily in women's bodies, helps women become bonded to the object of her affection. "When a woman has a child and she is breastfeeding, she produces lots of Oxytocin, which bonds her to her child. For this reason mothers will die for their child, because they've become emotionally bonded due to the Oxytocin that is released when they're skin-to-skin with their child," explains the report.

So when a woman becomes intimate with a man, her body also releases Oxytocin and she becomes emotionally bonded to him. "Have you wondered sometimes why a woman will stay with a man who's abusing her? We know now, it's because she bonds to him emotionally, because of the Oxytocin release during sex," the report said.

Also referred to as the "monogamy hormone," men produce Vasopressin which serves the same purpose as Oxytocin. "It bonds a man to a woman," according to the report.

But while these "bonding" agents are great for marriage relationships, they don't work so well for dating relationships because "you lose your objectivity when you're searching for your potential life mate."

According to neuropsychologist Dr. Tim Jennings in the Conquer Series report: "When you have premarital sex, your reward circuitry is bonded to them now, and it will be much deeper and hurtful. Oftentimes, in breakups of people who've been sexually active, they can't tolerate the sense of emptiness, so they rush into another relationship. The neuro circuits did not have time to reset, and so they're impaired in their ability to bond with the next person, and they may become sexually active with them. This is just a repetitive cycle, and there are real impairments in bonding going on."

"Knowing how these neurochemicals interact and change the brain help us understand why sex is meant [to be kept] within the boundaries of marriage," the reported noted.

"You see the overtones here about God's design for His pure temple. This is another reason why the devil attacks our sexuality so much because in attacking human sexuality, it actually interferes with human bonding. So, for those practicing sex outside of marriage, they are creating a bond with their partner, thus inhibiting their discernment whether they should remain in that relationship. God wired and designed our brains for a specific purpose: to bond ourselves with the person we marry."

In sickness and in health...

 

     Random thought sharing...

I remember watching a documentary about people in the UK living with HIV/ aids. There was a couple who were together, despite the woman knowing that the man was HIV positive (contracted before he met her) (actually it may be the other way round; I can’t remember exactly if it was the woman or the man who was infected.) The couple was committed to one another and the non-infected one took the decision to have a sexual relationship with their spouse, without contraception. They wanted to have children together, knowing there is a drug that, if taken by the mother, would allow them to birth a perfectly healthy child in their future. The uninfected spouse did indeed become infected, but had no regrets.

Though some may question the wisdom of the one who started in health risking it for their other half – surely you can admire the love and commitment they feel toward the partner to put themselves in such a position. Especially in a day and age where true love and lifelong male-female commitment is becoming a dying myth.

Some say a similar picture is painted in Adam’s love for Eve. He was well aware he would die if he ate of the fruit, but loved her so much he ate it anyway, to remain with her. I don’t know about that exactly, but it’s an interesting thought.

And in this world full of so much to discourage, thank God that there are always people –even in dire situations- who exalt an exemplary love.

Stuff scripture makes clear as dubious...

Some 'Christmas' traditions

Don't get me wrong -I like Christmas. Although it is generally known Christ was not really born on this day, I’m happy the world at least has a time where people –some who wouldn’t otherwise- think about the birth of Christ. I like the gift giving, I like the carols, I like the egg-nog : p

-These are harmless traditions. However, we must stay aware that the day we call ‘Christmas’ is pasted over what was previously known as a pagan celebration, so we must be careful to avoid residual traditions which are purely idolatrous in origin. Namely –the setting up and decorating of a 'CHRISTMAS' TREE in the home. Even if you have never researched pagan traditions to know that this is one, I hope you’ve read your Bible, which shows you this has always been a purely heathen tradition.

So, Jeremiah 10 tells us to “learn not the way of the heathen”. Then in verses  3 and 4 it describes the Christmas tree tradition.

³ For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

⁴ They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not.

-You see, the pagans of ancient eras noticed that the fir tree is evergreen and lives even throughout Winter when everything else dies. Thinking they live forever, they began to worship such trees as gods. And the symbol remains prevalent to this day.

Kissing beneath mistletoe is another one. Because mistletoe has a phallic appearance, it has always been looked upon as a symbol of fertility by pagans. Thus kissing beneath it is to procure success from the gods in ahem, the bedroom.

Guys, I’m not making this up! Even if you’ve never had a pagan work colleague as I have to confirm all this...you have the internet  –Look it up!

Punto numero dos...

Celebrating Halloween...

I can almost understand following some of the pagan Christmas traditions which may seem so innocent to the uninformed. But following Halloween can just have no good excuse.

I was troubled to learn that there are UPC member assemblies in the US which join in celebrations of this dark festival. This is another old pagan celebration, but its satanic connotations are very much apparent.

I’d love to aske a Jesus name follower who chooses to celebrate Halloween- “how can we find dressing up as a witch, wizard or ghost etc and sending children out at night to garner candy hunky dorey?”...“Have you considered what exactly you are celebrating when you exalt Halloween?”...“How do you find a way to tie it into holy living and faithfulness to God?”...“Have you considered the reason why horror films, witchcraft activity and séances are focused around this time?”
N.B. we must “learn not the way of the heathen”.

‘Divorce...

If a dire situation were to occur in the marital home, in some cases separation (-not actual divorce) may even be necessary. For example, if a husband fell away from God and began beating his wife...she should no way stay to endure this.

However we must accept that the actual marriage covenant is for life. Divorce and re-marriage are not an option (unless sexual unfaithfulness has interfered with the union -Matthew 19:9).

     A hugely important element to be replicated from God’s marriage to His Church by man’s marriage is the permanency (Matt 19:6). Marriage is ordained to last as long as both parties are living. Spiritually, we live forever, so the marriage of Christ and His Church lasts for eternity. Naturally, we pass away, and only then is a man’s marriage covenant ended. Before Christ came, before the new covenant, before the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus, before men were filled with the Holy Ghost and were ordained to live a new way of holiness: God allowed Moses to reluctantly tell men they could put away their wives, because their hearts were too stubborn to be able to treat marriage with the seriousness with which God had intended (Matthew 19:8, Genesis 2:24, Mark 10:6-11).

Jesus made it clear that marriage lasts for as long as you live; it is an irrevocably permanent covenant (read Matthew 19:4-9). If a Christian tries to practice the act of divorcing, they are disregarding the commandment of Jesus and the truth of marriage reflecting the everlasting nature of Christ’s marriage to His bride.

If one gets married before they were Christian, this marriage does not count in the same way, as it was not done before God and by His ordination. However, if possible, it can be good for someone to stay with the spouse they married before they got saved; they can help them to get saved too, by showing them their renewed lifestyle and character (1 Peter 3:1).

Any serious commitment takes you through a course of ups and downs. Those who are blessed with the Spirit of God have access to all grace, strength, humility and love (which soothes over so much of the imperfection each of us have -1 Peter 4:8) to make sure their marriage is a continual blessing …When you consider it is ordained and sustained by the one who is Love Himself, there is no reason for it not to be so!

I'm writing this post being aware it is most probably futile; those who follow traditions such as erecting Christmas trees will continue to see it as a harmless tradition that 'everyone' does, that they've grown up with and wouldn't want to give up; and if they are part of a church that is good and sober yet breaches by this one thing, understandably most people won't feel the need to address it. Though it is a shame if people wouldn't go all out to ensure they aren't practicing traditions that don't please God

Love and blessings. & holy xXx

#Stay conscious