Why So Serious? The Reason Why I Decided To Stay A Virgin Before Marriage

Heath Ledger's version of Batman's archenemy, the Joker, is perhaps the scariest movie villain I have ever seen.  Every time I hear the line "Why so serious?" I get chills down my spine.  The reason why the Joker was so terrifying in "The Dark Knight" was that he was absolutely evil.  He murdered innocent people, slaughtered law enforcement officials, and even blew up a hospital just for kicks. 

The reason why I chose to stop my quest to lose my virginity before marriage and decided to stay pure for my future wife is for the same reason: sexual immorality is ABSOLUTELY EVIL.  Allowing sexual immorality to reign in your life is as destructive as letting the Joker run amok in Gotham.

As I have mentioned before, I almost lost my virginity when I was in college.  The only reason why I didn't was because my female friend knew I was waiting until marriage, went on a guilt trip, and backed off.  A few years after she spared my virginity, I saw the damage that "The Joker" of sexual immorality did to my peers after they went nuts in college (or high school). 

Three of my peers got divorced in their TWENTIES.  One of them got knocked up and went through the mayhem of juggling school, work, and being a single mom.  Another one of them rushed into a shotgun wedding after they knocked up their booty call and is constantly fighting with their spouse.  Another one of my peers got a sexually transmitted disease from one of their so-called "friends-with-benefits" and gave it to at least one other person.  At least three of my peers moved in with "boyfriends" who just used them for sex, so they basically became live-in prostitutes.  Two of my peers got so burned out by promiscuity with the opposite gender that they decided to pursue self-destructive relationships with the same gender.  These testimonies of terror are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to people I know who were demolished by "The Joker" of sexual immorality.

We have two choices: get rid of sexual immorality completely, or let it run amok in our lives.  I have made my decision based on the hell of people who've learned the hard way that forbidden sexual desires, like Batman's archenemy, are no joke.  What will your decision be?                  

Just Say No To Sexual "Drugs": Save Your Testimony By Staying Clean And Sober

At UFC 183, one of my favorite UFC fighters made a comeback after suffering a leg injury that would have ended anybody else's career.  For those of you who didn't see the injury, it was a real-life version of the shin-breaking ending of the last fight in "Undisputed 3."  At one point, most people, myself included, considered this former champion the G.O.A.T. (i.e. "Greatest Of All Time") of MMA.  However, his triumphant return fell under the dark shadow of failed PED tests when it was revealed that not one, but two of his drug tests came back positive for steroids (see the click below):

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/anderson-silva-fails-ufc-183-fight-night-drug-224159984--mma.html;_ylt=A0LEVynCS.ZU4tkAdNpXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTEzZDQ3cWVzBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDVklQNTY1XzEEc2VjA3Nj 

Ironically, if Anderson Silva had fought his opponent and lost, but tested negative, his legacy would still be intact.  But now, everything that "The Spider" has accomplished in MMA is irreparably smeared due to poor decisions made at the tail end of an otherwise glorious career.  Likewise, if we, as Christians, lead many people to salvation through the gospel, but are exposed for taking the sexual "steroids" of immorality, our godly witness will be irrepairably damaged.  In fact, this already happened to the man who was "after God's own heart": King David.  The valiant shepherd boy who slew Goliath and became Israel's greatest king is also known as the guy who seduced Uriah the Hittite's wife, knocked her up, and killed her husband to avoid scandal.  King David took his wickedness to an extreme, but the reality is that ANYONE can fall into sexual sin.  Any man or woman who doesn't believe that they can fall into sexual sin has severely underestimated their greatest opponent: their own heart. 

My worse fear is that, as I seek to honor God by staying a virgin before marriage, I will screw up in a really big way and destroy my ministry before it even begins.  I know that, under the right circumstances, the wrong woman can turn me out and make me look stupid in front of the people I am trying to reach for Christ.  I also know that this temptation won't stop even after I am married, which is why I won't ever hang out alone with a woman who isn't my wife, mother, or, if I am blessed with children, my daughters.  The last thing I need is a mistress going to my future congregation and saying:

"Hi everybody!  I am your pastor's mistress!  I rode your minister like a male harlot!  Giddity, giddity, giddity!" (Insert female version of Quagmire's voice from "Family Guy").

DON'T do sexual steroids.  This includes any kind of immorality, even that porn habit that you only indulge in "once in a while" (which we both know is really every night, and ladies, novels like "Fifty Shades Of Grey" count).  Lay off the drugs of forbidden desires and fight clean and sober for Jesus!  

Numbers 32:23 "But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out." (NIV)

Last Man Standing: My Decision To Stay The Course, No Matter What

Last week, I was seriously wavering on the issue of purity.  Due to bitterness over the fact that I am nowhere near where I expected to be in my late twenties, and am in no position to support a girlfriend, much less a wife and children, I began to wonder what was the point.  Why pursue a dream that is never going to happen?  More importantly, why avoid a life of hedonistic pleasure if my desire to serve God will never be blessed?

Fortunately, I came to my senses and remembered that that life of "hedonistic pleasure" leads to death, divorce, or Baby Momma Drama.  I also remembered that God always blesses a servant who seeks Him with all His heart, even if that doesn't happen in this life.  So for that reason, I have decided to stay the course, remain a virgin until marriage, and use my chastity to lead others to a saving relationship with Christ, no matter what happens in my life. 

Royal Rumble! How Anthony Johnson Inspired Me to Continue My Battle For Purity

This past Saturday, Alexander "The Mauler" Gustafsson and Anthony "Rumble" Johnson faced off to decide who would get the next title shot against Jon Jones.  I thought that Gustafsson would pick Johnson apart to win a unanimous decision.  I was wrong.  Johnson smashed him within the first round.  As much as I was disappointed that Gustafsson lost, Johnson gave me hope.  The man known as "Rumble" is my age and on his way to accomplishing his dream, despite being cut by the UFC a couple of years ago after being crushed by Vitor Belfort.  This event taught me that, if it's God's Will, it's never too late to turn things around.  That's why I'm grateful to"Rumble" for inspiring me to continue my quest to stay pure for my wife, in spite of the fact that I am turning 30 this year and have no romantic prospects whatsoever. 

I Have A Dream: Please Pray That I Become Purity's Martin Luther King, Jr.

Happy Early Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Everyone!

I just watched Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech.  As a Christian black man myself, I truly admire the fact that Dr. King lived out his faith through using the gospel to fight for Civil Rights.  He wasn't obsessed with racial pride, nor did he create an "Evil White Guy" boogeyman as a tool to exploit his own community for personal gain.  Instead, he fought not only for equality for all, but also for fellowship and brotherhood between people of all colors.  The reason why he was so effective was that he used the power of the gospel to change America for the better.

And that's why I am asking you all to pray for me tomorrow, on Dr. King's birthday, so that I am empowered to change people for the better with the gospel.

My mission is to free people from slavery to lust by encouraging them to wait until marriage before having sex and to stay faithful to their spouses "Til Death Do Them Part."  I want them to reject the world's lie that "sexual freedom" means recklessly screwing everything that moves.  Many of my peers have believed that lie and guess what it got them?  Divorce, addiction, Baby Momma Drama, and death of either themselves via disease or their kids in abortion clinics.  Some of my peers are so "burnt out" by repeatedly having their hearts' dismembered that they don't even want to get married in the first place.  Others are so traumatized that they have become suicidal.

I want to show people what true love and sexual freedom is by remaining a virgin until I am married and staying faithful to my wife "Til Death Do Us Part."  In particular, I want to reach young men, because we receive very little encouragement from the church and our parents to stay pure so that we can truly love and lead (yes, that's right, LEAD) our families with integrity and truth.  I want to free us from evil influences on TV and the internet who want to turn us and our female friends into a generation of perverted psychopaths that they can exploit for financial gain.

I have a dream that, through the gospel, my generation, and the one after it, can experience "The Sexual Force Unleashed" and "Romantic World Peace" within Christ-centered marriages.  Please pray that the Holy Spirit purifies me and uses me to help young men and women achieve this goal, so that, one day, in God-honoring, OPPOSITE-sex marriages, they can say:     

"Free at last!  Free at last!  Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"  

     

Spiritual Jiu-Jitsu: Rolling With God To Stay Pure Through Devotionals

When I taught Krav Maga, my fellow instructors and the adult students would often "roll" (the grappling equivalent of sparring) with each other to practice the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu aspect of the Israeli martial art.  Rolling was not only lots of fun, but it also helped us develop our groundfighting techniques.

For twelve days straight, I have been "rolling" with God through doing Spiritual Jiu-Jitsu, which is better known as devotionals.

This is something I have not yet mastered.  For the majority of my life, I primarily cried out to God if I wanted something or was in a crisis situation where I was completely screwed.  That, quite frankly, is as shallow as only talking to your wife when you want sex (or, if you're a lady, only talking to your husband when you want him to buy you stuff).  This year, I decided to change that and develop a meaningful relationship with Christ, not least because I want to be a pure and godly husband for my future wife.  Other reasons why I got serious this year was because:

1) I turn 30 this year and realize that I have accomplished very little for God (or in any other area of my life) during my young adult years.  My last major success was getting a Christian short story published when I was 25.  While many crises have happened in my life which were beyond my control, I also did a lot of stupid things and squandered many valuable opportunities, which made my situation even worse.  I will write the full story in a memoir called "That Was Then, This Is Now."

In other words, keeping my virginity is the only victory I currently have, which is one reason why I am clinging on to it so adamantly. 

2) Joseph, one of my favorite historical figures, became Prime Minister of Egypt at 30.  This was after Joseph spent at least 2 years languishing in jail.  His master's wife got him imprisoned because she wanted to screw his brains out and he wouldn't let her.  So she lied and claimed he tried to rape her (which is why I always tell guys never to hang out alone with a girl-whatever she says happened, happened).  This was already after his own brothers sold him into slavery to begin with.  When Joseph was 30, God vindicated him for always staying faithful, particularly in regards to his purity, by making him Prime Minister of Egypt.  I don't think I'll ever run for public office, but I do believe that this is the year that God will vindicate me as well IF I remain faithful to Him.

3) Jesus, my Savior, started His ministry when He was 30.  Since I want to honor Him, 30 sounds like a good age to get everything back on track.

Obviously, doing this is no cake walk.  The last thing our culture wants is another godly man who refuses to join or condone the antics of the Lewd World Order.  Satan and his demons don't want an authentic Christian who will rescue more soul-trafficking victims from their "Brothel of the Damned" through the gospel.  On top of that, my own heart will continue to wage the fleshly jihad of lust against my soul until I die.  In order to succeed, I must continue to do my Spiritual Jiu-Jitsu sessions with God for the rest of my life.  If I do, not only will I experience "The Sexual Force Unleashed" and "Romantic World Peace" within marriage, but I will also lead others to Christ, the only One Who can give eternal life.   

Genesis 32: 24-28, "So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.

Then the man said, 'Let me go, for it is daybreak.'

But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.'

The man asked him, 'What is your name?'

'Jacob,' he answered.


Then the man said, 'Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.'” (NIV)
 

               

Stop Being Fake: Why Being Authentically Pure Is Important For Your Christian Witness

At UFC 182, a world champion, who is also a professing Christian, fought a man with whom he's been feuding for years.  He prayed before entering the cage and prayed one more time before the start of the final round.  About five minutes later, not only did he sucker-punch his opponent after the bell, but he also did the D-X "Suck It" gesture to him in front of an audience which included women and kids.

This champion has long faced criticism for acting like a nice, wholesome guy in public and behaving differently behind the scenes.  His opponent once gave him a backhanded compliment by saying that he was really good at being fake.  At this fight (and events leading up to it, including a brawl at a publicity event), not only did the champion's actions validate what his detractors said about him, but it left a bad taste in the mouth of a public that has already become suspicious and hostile towards anyone who claims to be a Christian.

In a similar manner, when a Christian claims to be sold-out for Jesus, but their sexual behavior says otherwise, they publicly embarrass the Savior Whom they claim to worship.  A google search on your smartphone will bring up an entire Rogue's Gallery of pastors and priests who've destroyed their testimony through affairs.  This doesn't even include the ones who have taken it even further and committed unspeakable criminal acts against their congregation members.  It's not just the men, anymore, either: on several Christian radio and TV programs, I've heard testimonies of women who've cheated on their husbands, often with another church member.  When it comes to young people, many of my peers in the church have admitted to throwing away their V-card before marriage, usually in their teens or early in college.  Suffice it to say that many of them haven't learned their lesson.

Even though I am a virgin, I tried very hard to lose my V-card in college.  I even joined a frat and drank heavily in repeated attempts to get equally drunk young women into the sack, all of which failed due to divine intervention and really bad social skills.  During this time, I met several fellow Christian "Two-Faces" and my reprehensible behavior validated theirs.  I am ashamed to say that I embarrassed Jesus on a nightly basis, leading my frat brothers and other drinking buddies to openly ridicule me whenever I tried to witness to them.  Their mockery was their way of letting me know that I was really good at being fake.

You may be really good at being fake, but sooner or later, your true colors will reveal themselves.  In particular, if you try to have a lifestyle of fake purity, you will get busted.  At the very least, your ex-lovers will gossip about you to all of their friends and your reputation will turn off anyone whom you try to witness to.  Rest assured, that kind of slander spreads faster than an angry celebrity's rant on Twitter.  If you are really unlucky, you may get exposed by a paternity test, getting knocked up, or prescription slips for STD meds.  And thanks to the Internet, you can get busted in all sorts of new, hi-speed, wireless ways.  Your ex might Instagram photos of you in various states of undress or put them on Facebook.  That "private video" of you two going at it might even wind up in cyberspace.  Try witnessing to someone after they see you bending the new Sunday School teacher over a desk on Youtube and see how far that gets you.

Needless to say that, if you decide to take it even further and commit criminal acts, a simple 911 call will result in you giving your testimony to Big Bubba (or Big Bertha), in the prison showers (Ouch...).

So don't be good at being fake!  Be authentic and dedicate yourself fully to a life of purity so that you can lead others to Christ.

Rev 3:15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!  So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (NIV)