Let's talk about sex, baby!

Happy Wednesday. A few months ago, I asked my friend to write a post on purity and she delivered... a whole lot of yada! Take the time to read this post and share with your friends.
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Let's talk about sex, baby!
by Stephanie Landa
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Have you ever wondered why God wants to protect the sacredness of sex for after marriage? Perhaps you're tired of hearing all the messages about purity/abstinence. It seems as though everyone is having sex, and you question what is the point of waiting after marriage for sex. “One side says condoms and sexual freedom are the answer to youthful clamoring about sex. The other, slides silver rings on the fingers of teens and hopes these miniature chastity belts will protect them in moments of temptation. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Is there a middle ground? Can anybody claim to have clear and certain answers?” – Dannah Gresh
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What if I were to tell you that there is something no one has ever told you about sex? Would you believe me? Well, last night as I was a reading, “What Are You Waiting For? The One Thing No One Ever Tells you about sex” by Dannah Gresh, I came across a profound truth that I could not keep to myself and had to, just had to, share with you. In Genesis 4:1 we read, “Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant.” They were obviously not just laying” there! Gresh grabbed a Hebrew dictionary; she searched for the meaning of “lay” in the sentence. Gresh found the Hebrew word for sex is yada. Yes! The word we most often use to communicate a sense of boredom, is not so “blah, blah, blah.” The definition of the word yada is “to know, to be known, and to be deeply respected.”
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“Almost every woman can admit that she isn’t really yearning for a physical touch in her sexual encounters, but is seeking a deep emotional caressing. For men, most of them, want to know they have what it takes to receive your admiration. They yearn to be deeply respected.” –Gresh
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Out of curiosity, Gresh researched how many times this word (yada) shows up in the Hebrew Old Testament. It is used more than nine hundred times. Now, that’s a lot of yada! It gets even better…
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A couple of other passages that mention yada are Genesis 4:17, Genesis 4:25, Genesis 24:16, 1 Samuel 1:19-20, just to name a few. Several times, the word is used to convey a deep emotional knowing and mutual respect between a naked man and wife. The word yada is used most commonly in a verse like this: “Be still and know [yada] that I am God.” –Psalm 46:10. It’s clear from this verse that yada isn’t about a merely physical act. Yada is a word of intimacy that goes beyond the physical to describe the whole knowing of a person.
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“O Lord, you have searched me and you know [yada] me. You know [yada] when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar…” –Psalm 139 Feel free to read the rest of Psalm 139:1-4, 13-16, 23 and be prepared to be blown away and humbled by God’s grace and love. “When you are in intimate physical and emotional communion with your husband, it will be a mere picture of the passionate love of a God who has been seeking your heart since before you were born.” –Gresh
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This is the one thing no one has ever told you about sex: it’s an exquisite revelation of a much Greater Love.
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God is trying to direct our attention to a portrait that comes close to helping us understand. That portrait is pure, holy marriage. In that sacred place alone do we find a taste of the intimacy we can have with a living, loving God. Maybe that’s why the word yada can be traced from Genesis to Revelation. We must be remind us of what true intimacy looks like, for we have drifted far from the truth. 

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So there it is, Ladies and Gents!  Now go, ponder, and digest this information while falling at the feet of Christ and praising Him for His goodness and unconditional love. I hope this information has given you a greater understanding and has answered your question, “What is the point?” One more thing, please do not drown in the lies of the enemy making you feel unworthy because of your past. God is relentlessly seeking you and loves you for you, despite your past, recent, and future hiccups.

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*If you have not read the book, “What Are You Waiting For? The One Thing No One Ever Tells you about sex” by Dannah Gresh…I totally recommend it. Get it HERE. 

God's Little Girl

Hi Lovelies!
For more than a year now, I have been carrying a letter in my wallet. I'm not sure if I carry it with me to share with someone who may need the encouragement or if its more to remind me that I am loved. What makes this letter so valuable is not who wrote it but the truth behind the words written.

At the time it was written, I was preparing for a teaching on guarding our (valuable) feminine hearts. I asked a good friend of mine (whom we shall call Mr. Man), "If you could talk with my girls, what would you say to them about their value and worth?" He shared with me amazing things but in the matter of five minutes I had forgotten every point He made. So I prayed, "God, if it is your will for Mr. Man's words to be shared with my girls, place it in His heart to write it on paper." Lo and Behold, God had began that work in his heart and a few days later he asked if e he could write them a letter. I know that this letter comes not from my friend but from God's very heart. It's not only for my youth girls, or just for me, but for all of us! Be blessed dear sister by knowing and accepting your value and worth in Christ!
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Thank You Myleen for this pic of Emma! 

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To God's little girls, 
You are God's little girl. Never forget. See yourself the way God sees you, for His thoughts are what matter. No man, no boy, no one can ever take that away from you. You are worth more that your weight in gold, but even gold has no value in the mouth of a pig. Don't ever lose respect for yourself. No man can conquer you, except for He who has conquered death. He alone should reign in your heart's throne room. 
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"For your Maker is your Husband, the Lord of Hosts is His name. And your Redeemer is the Holy one of Israel; He is called God of the whole earth." (Isaiah 54:5) Guard your hearts. Men are pigs, foolish and putrid. May you be so lost in God, that in order for a man to find you, he must first be close to God. 
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You are His little girl. It is not your fault you are hurting. Rise Up! Though now you may be bleeding, never forget His Words: 

"Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction." (Mark 5:34)  "I have blotted our your transgressions, like a thick cloud, return to Me, for I HAVE REDEEMED YOU." (Isaiah 44:22) 

Never forget your first love. Never look down on yourself. You are and will forever be beautiful jewels, the apple of your heavenly Father's eyes. 
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I love you ALL, 
Mr. Man 
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