Sex: God's Beautiful Gift to Marriage

One of the most beautiful experiences in this world is the sweet moment when a person falls in love. Everything in your world changes when you finally meet the person you know you are going to be with for the rest of your life. We've all prayed to God to send us that special someone who will love us unconditionally and support us through the good times and the bad.We give God a list of everything we would like to have in a spouse. We even remind God of his word in our prayers saying "Lord, you said ask and we shall receive so please do this for me." But why do we find it difficult to maintain God's Holy Standard once we meet the love of our life? Why do we contaminate our relationship with God and our mate by blatantly disobeying the word of God whenever we give into our fleshly lusts. We kiss. We touch. We fondle. Curiosity gets the best of us and we begin to wonder "What does he look like? What does she look like?"  and eventually....we fornicate. 

I know we are living in this new age society where today's generation feel we should change with the times but the soul saving truth is while the times have changed, but God hasn't.Today's mindset condones fornication by saying "How do you know if you'll like it if you don't try it first? or "We already know we are going to be together so we might as well"... God blessed us with his perfect love and then we contaminated it with sin.

God created the heavens and the earth thousands of years ago and established rules for us to follow. As time progressed, man decided he knew better and proceeded to disregard those rules calling them old fashioned and traditional. 
Now, here we are, a whole new world suffering from high divorce rates, broken homes, sexual perversion, teen pregnancies, STDs, murder/suicides and increased atheism. The family unit is broken all because man decided he knew better than God. 

People forget, sex was never meant for courtship. Sex was God's gift to marriage. It is the consummation of a union welded together forever. It is God's gift to you and your spouse but it is to only be opened AFTER you are married. People who have sex before marriage fail to realize they are actually stealing from God. You can't receive a gift until it has been presented and God is saying "Nope, not until after the wedding."

While we have all made our share of mistakes, it 's never too late to repent and start fresh (even if you have made some not so good choices in your current relationship). Talk with your significant other and make the choice to honor God's word. If he or she is not willing to wait, then they aren't the person for you. I'll be the first to admit, keeping your flesh under subjection is a serious challenge when you are dating the person you love. Especially when you've reached the point of love. You love the God in them. You love them for loving you unconditionally. You love them for their determination and drive. You feel complete when you are with them and you literally ache when you are apart from them. A million beautiful sisters or fine brothers could stand right in front of you but all you see is your love. You are ready to spend the rest of your life with this person.

When it comes to dating someone you love I encourage you to keep it Holy. No pun intended when I say this but it's important to remember the best kiss is God's KISS.

Keep God at the forefront of your relationship and your virtue will remain in tact. Mark 10:9
Involve yourself with a man or woman who is completely sold out to Christ & dedicated to obeying his word. II Corinthians 6:14
Study the word of God together as a couple. Hold each other accountable. Remain obedient to God's word & his instructions on dating. I Corinthians 7: 1-9
Sex..wellll...."You can't have sex if you ain't married yet!" I Corinthians 7:9

The blessings of God are poured upon those who obey him. Start your marriage off right and enjoy the never ending benefits of God's unmerited favor and blessings!

What Does Watching Reality TV Say About You?

Okay! Okay! I will be the first to admit, there USED TO BE a time when I was completely hooked on reality TV. I didn't agree with any of what I was watching but I was fascinated by the inexcusable and inane behavior you wouldn't normally see in the picture perfect lives of celebrities. I got caught up in the week to week shade, girl fights and never ending drama of who said what about whom. Whenever my husband would confront me, I tried to justify my watching those shows by saying that it was a learning tool because in all honesty, I thought such foolishness only existed in the movies. My logic was "If I'm going to teach against it, I need to know something about it." I ignored my husband's advice to "turn that mess off". I ignored the constant bleeps that rang throughout each episode. As a matter of fact, after a while I didn't hear the bleeps. I heard the profanity because I knew in my head what they were actually saying.

My own children quit watching TV with me because they didn't feel comfortable with the curse words and constant fighting. It wasn't until after I had watched a full season of week to week drama when I had a light bulb moment. One of my daughters walked into my room one night and said 'Momma, why are watching this? All they do is fight and cuss." and then she left the room. I immediately felt embarrassed and ashamed. She was right just as my husband had been all along.

The truth is, there is nothing positive, uplifting or edifying about 99% of the reality TV shows many of us watch. Reality TV is centered around sexual perversion, promiscuity, broken friendships, betrayal and lies....in other words..SIN. A few weeks ago, I posted a question on Facebook asking my friends to name a TV show they wouldn't mind watching in the physical presence of Jesus. Out of 23 comments only two named reality TV shows and those two shows were Shark Tank and House Hunters. The rest named shows from the 80s and 90s. So, what does that say about the quality of TV today?  What does that say about how God would feel about what we are watching? Why are we supporting and watching the very thing that displeases God?

As children of God, we are commanded to stand firm on God's word and maintain his standard but sometimes we lose focus and fall prey to satan's clever ploy to distract us from his wicked agenda by entertaining us through ungodly means. We foolishly promote his wickedness by increasing the ratings each time we tune in. We help satan gain TV ad sponsors with those same ratings. We make him rich from the acquired TV ads. We encourage Reality TV stars, music artists, actors and actresses to continue in their lifestyle of sin whenever we watch, buy, listen to and/or "Facebook like" their blasphemous and abominable work. We help them sink farther into their lifestyle of sin when we add them to our "christian" albums and movies by using their name and status for our own personal gain. We give satan free advertisement whenever we have online Scandal, Empire, Power and Being Mary Jane parties. We do all of this even though the word of God tells us to Abstain from all appearance of evil. (I Thessalonians 5:22) And then we have the nerve to complain about the world going to hell in a handbasket!!!

Long story short, anytime we support anything that displeases God, we are supporting what he hates...SIN! I know you are probably thinking, "If I quit watching everything that displeases God, I won't be able to watch any TV." And you are right, the vast majority of television shows, movies and music contain a hideous amount of profanity, sex and lured material. And guess what! We are part of the blame. According to gallup.com, 77% of Americans identify as Christian, still we have the LEAST amount of influence in the world today. Over the years, we have conformed to the ways of the world. We accept whatever they gave to us instead of taking a stand and boycotting anything that we knew would displease God. Imagine how much better this world would be if we would have continued to take a stand without wavering. God knew in the last days men would become lovers of themselves; choosing to satisfy the flesh rather than stand strong in his word so he sent a prophetic warning through his word. I had to repent for my part and I encourage you to do the same.It is vital we do not become complacent in this world. We are to be of this world but not in it. We must pay CLOSE attention to what we are allowing in our homes via the television, music, conversation and even friends.

The next time you are watching reality TV, a movie or even listening to music...ask yourself "What does me watching this say about me or my commitment to God?'

My Very First Herb Garden!

Did you try something new this summer? My daughter decided to try her hand at gardening. She grew tomato, okra and red potatoes. I decided to give growing herbs a try and I must admit, I like it!! I never realized how much of a difference fresh basil makes when cooking spaghetti. Now if I can only get my parsley and cilantro to ante up! Sooo TELL ME TELL ME...What did you try new this summer?

BASIL

CILANTRO

OKRA

CILANTRO

TOMATO

You Are More Than An Option!

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! You don't have to hurt anymore!!! We've all heard the saying "Never make a person a priority in your life when you are only an option to them." Sometimes that can be easier said than done..This is how you do it...

My Most Embarrassing Moment and Why I Started Teaching Etiquette Classes...

I just had the honor of teaching my etiquette class to 70 plus amazing young women today at Girl Talk. I had a blast doing what I love....teaching young girls how to become extraordinary women! Check out the clip below of me telling one of my embarrassing moments which inspired me to eventually learn about and start teaching etiquette classes.

19 Years and Counting!

I am so blessed to say today my husband Pastor-Travis Mack and I will celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary! This year I decided to do something a little different. Instead of posting our wedding pictures or any of our cute couple pics, I've decided to post two pictures that display the core of our marriage. This me 18 years ago. I was seven months pregnant and in the hospital with Pre-eclampsia. I was bedridden and my blood pressure was so high I could barely see. The doctors were uncertain about whether or not our daughter would survive because her lungs were underdeveloped and premature labor was imminent. I was scared...But my husband was my strength..I would doze off and wake up to him praying for me and our baby. I had no idea I looked like the Michelin tire man..LOL.. because he kept telling me how beautiful and strong I was. Out of all of our photos, these two are my favorite because they show affirmation of our vows...for better or for worse...in sickness and in health.... Travis, I love you with everything in me and I love God even more for giving me you. Happy Anniversary and I look forward with many many many more!