Chapter 7 Part 4

“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children,
nor shall children be put to death for their fathers,
a person shall be put to death for his own sin.”
Deuteronomy 24:16

Sons of anger, you will be responsible for your own consequences. While God knows that you have gotten a bad start, He still requires you to acknowledge and obey Him. There is a lot of rebelliousness in your hearts, you feel like the whole world is wrong. The trials and tribulations of this world again are not to punish you but to draw you closer to God.[1] The real sin is not that we do not believe that God can change us, it is that we know He can and choose not to allow Him to. That we choose to stay enmeshed in our sinfulness. We prefer the filth of this world to the purification of God. With rebelliousness comes false pride. Our lives are a mess, but we are doing fine. We refuse to acknowledge that we need help. We refuse to say that life sometimes is too much to bear. As boys, we are not allowed to express fear, or sadness, or even to cry. The only emotions many of us are allowed to express is anger and aggression. I can not cry, but I can kick somebody’s butt. We are taught to not let anyone hit us, we must always fight back. For many of us as adults all of our emotions can be summed up into anger. When we are in pain, or fear, or we are sad, we lash out in anger. Anger has always been an acceptable emotion. This unchecked anger is fueling the epidemic of violence we as a community are now facing. Hurt people, hurt people. When we hurt, somebody has to pay. Give that anger and pain to God, we as a people have suffered enough. You not only hurt others, but you damage yourself as well.

For many of us our lives are being led by false pride. False pride says we do not need help from anyone. Many of your lives are full of disappointments, yet you refuse to seek help. We continue to suffer, yet the One who can relieve our suffering, we refuse to call on. Unfortunately, many of us stay in pain far longer than we have to. There have been times in my life when I have had pain and I have known the remedy to stop it and have chosen to stay in the pain. I wish I could say that I immediately seek a remedy for the pain, but sometimes I do not. Our pride becomes our idol, we worship our ourselves. We worship our own intellect we become wiser than God. We think that our “street smarts” will overcome the world. All we have to do is to look at our past histories to see the foolishness of this plan. All of our plans have only brought pain and suffering for our loved ones and ourselves.

“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,
but whoever walks wisely will be delivered.”
Proverbs 28:26

We must transfer that trust from ourselves to Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus said, “Who among you can add one inch to your height by worrying?”[2] Therefore if none of us can do the least thing, how can we expect to do the difficult task of fixing our lives. It will only be by submitting to God that change will take place. How can God who has the power to raise the dead, not have the power to change us? Does He not have the power to stop us from sinning? It is not that God can not change us, it is that we will not allow Him to. Then the question that each one of us must ask and ultimately answer is, “Why will I not allow God to change me?” Why do we continue to live this way? This will be one of the most important questions we will ever ask ourselves and answer. The answer will hold the key to the rest of your young lives and your eternity as well. The Lord, your God does not require our belief to be God. We should understand God does not need us we need God! The Bible tells us we must trust in God with all of our hearts and not lean on our own understanding or ourselves.[3] This is very difficult for us because we know and trust that “old man”. Let’s face it he shares all of our secrets, all our good times, and all our hurts and pains. We have been with him through thick and thin. And now just because I say so you are suppose to just trust in God who you can not see. I know it sounds crazy, but it is your only hope. If there were another way I would tell you, but all I know is Christ and Him crucified for you and me.

All I ask is for now is that you take fifteen minutes a day out for God. Take fifteen minutes to read His Word and to pray. I guarantee it will change your life. That still leaves you with twenty-three hours and forty-five minutes to yourself. I know with all your "busy schedules" it will be difficult, but you and your family are worth fifteen minutes. Just consider all that God has done for you. If you love your children are you passing along the life that you want them to live? I have a young daughter and if I had continued to live the life-style I was living, I might as well have given her the addiction I had right then. Is this what you want for your children, your cousins, or your nieces and nephews? Read a chapter of the Bible a day; remember if you do not like the change in your life you can always go back to your old life. How are things going right now in your life? What do you have to lose?

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[1] Romans 5:3

[2] Luke 12:25

[3] Proverbs 3:5

Chapter 3 Part 6

10) Anger of the children

“For son dishonors father, Daughter rises against her mother,
Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies
Are the men in his own household.”
Micah 7:6

The most distressing result of this epidemic of fornication to me is the pain/anger of the children. The most devastating thing I have heard is the voice of a child looking for their daddy. Are you my daddy? To see the hopeful look of that child turn to disappointment is heart wrenching. According to God’s perfect plan for the family, every child needs a father and a mother. This was always God’s plan. It was that way from the beginning and continues to this day. As much as some women would like not to believe it, children need a father in their lives. It is a painful thing for a child to grow up missing a parent. It is even more painful if the parent is still alive and is choosing not to be a part of the child’s life or not allowed by the custodial parent. To the child it is not important who is right or wrong in our little petty squabbles. They just miss the parent. With fornication, you add a different component, the child as well as the mother may not even know who the father is. We have all seen or heard about those young women on those daytime talk shows who brought a number of men on the show for DNA testing and it turns out that none of the men were the actual father. We look at the women with empathy or ridicule, but how about that child? Who can know the pain/anger that child feels or will feel in the future? Imagine a person so sexually promiscuous that they do not even know who got them pregnant. Where is the outcry? Where is the help? This person is obviously in need of some serious help.

My main concern for this book is the pain/anger of the young men in our community. We have a generation of angry young men. They have every right to be angry. When they were looking for a man to lead them and to guide them, no one was available. I blame them for their actions, but I do not blame them for their feelings. Women, no matter how many men you have been with you do not know what it takes to be a man. You may know what you like in a man or do not like in a man, but that is very different from being a man. Because of this epidemic of fornication, we have a generation of young men that do not know what it takes to be a man. Their concept and definition of being a man is askew. There have been no men in there lives when they needed them and they are angry. They are especially angry with the men of the generation that begat them. They are acting out this anger daily in our communities through the outbreaks of senseless violence. Because of their anger/pain, they do not respect their own lives or the lives of anyone else. Why do you think that they live the lifestyles they live, take the risks they take. In their minds, they have nothing to lose. Nothing to live for. The value of life for them is cheap. Our communities are not friendly places because of this anger/pain. It does not matter who the victim is. Their anger knows no bounds. The majority of drug dealers in our community are these angry young men. The level of violence is off the charts. I remember when I was a young man, all the drugs were sold by whites and there was not this violence. These angry young black men have gotten a hold of the game and with it has come this senseless violence. Back then, you brought your dope and went about your business; you and your business were appreciated. Not so today, buying drugs from these angry young men is an adventure in abasement. You are giving them your money and you are being verbally and sometimes physically mistreated. It makes no sense. It is as if you went to Wal-Mart and the clerks began to verbally assault you as you walked up to the check out line.

The bulk of the anger is reserved for the generation that gave birth to them. Their attitude seems to be you want drugs/poison, no problem. Here you go and I hope it kills you, because you remind me of my parents on drugs. They were off getting high when I needed someone to raise me and my brothers and sisters. I don’t even know who my father is. You think this generation is angry, wait for the one following it. These angry young men believe that women are nothing but “hoes” and “bitches” and are to be treated with no respect. They are not looking for any long-term relationships, let alone marriage. Look at what they have been taught by their parents. They are another generation of fornicators creating another generation of angry children. This next generation will be even angrier and even more violent. I am afraid of what their future will hold. The level of violence is going to escalate to a level that I think will be shocking to all who witness it. Everyday we are outraged by the senseless acts of violence we see or hear about. Our communities are in for urban warfare due to this epidemic of sin. In between the police and the angry young men, we are under siege. God is not mocked. We cannot continue to flaunt our sinful ways before God and not expect any repercussions. What we are doing is practicing intentional sin and God’s word is clear on those that do intentional sin. The Bible tells us that God will visit the sins of the fathers to the sons and the son’s sons. Most experts believe that addictions/alcoholism are hereditary and pass from generation to generation. I believe that for us fornication will be the same. We must begin to act on this epidemic or it will be the death of us as a people. We have become ensnared by this sin and it will be difficult to extricate ourselves from it, but we must. I hear all the time how it is a cultural thing and it amazes me how so inbred it is that we continue to excuse this sinful behavior. Our children will be cut off from God and the face of this earth if we do not act. There is no greater problem facing us today. We talk about our economic woes, and joblessness, but these issues pale in comparison to fornication. If we continue down this road it will not matter how much money we have, it will not be enough to combat the problems we will be facing. We should rally together as a people and speak to this issue. Our very lives depend on it.

Chapter 3 Part 5

8) Violence

“Behold I am against you, says the Lord of hosts, I will burn
your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your
young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the
voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.”
Nahum 2:13

The epidemic of fornication has led to an epidemic of violence and lawlessness in our community. In our community, the value of life has never been cheaper. Our young men (young lions) are dying; for no better reason than a pair of sneakers or looking at someone the wrong way. This epidemic of violence and lawlessness continues to rise. It is not just in our major urban centers but has made it’s way into the rural communities. In addition, fornication reduces the value of a human being and turns them into an object. It no longer becomes murder to the predator, because we are no longer human. You are not a person; you are an object, a non-entity. Women become less than human and therefore are expendable. Through fornication and pornography, their status is sub-human in the minds of the sexual predators and can be disposed of with little or no remorse. As more of these predators are caught, they have given us insight into how these sexual sins have perverted their minds and their consciences. Granted these men represent the extreme of our society, but how much longer will that be the case? As we have become more insulated to these horrors, we become more accepting of these sins. The problem with sin is that it never gets harder to commit it always gets easier. The toughest sin to commit is the first one. The Bible says we are tempted not by God, but by our own selfish lust. The more we sin the more we want to sin. There is a reason we live in the most violent society in the industrialized world. I believe the main reasons are fornication and other sexual sins.

9) Loss of usefulness to God

“But I discipline my body and bring it into
subjection, lest when I have preached to others,
I myself should become disqualified. “
1 Corinthians 9:27

How can I give to others what I do not possess? How can I preach against what I myself am guilty of doing? The Bible says that in order for me to be used by God I must live a certain way. I must be free from the wickedness that I preach against. Jesus Christ did not sin though sinners surrounded Him. We are to bring the message, but not the mess. I have always been amazed at the “dope house” preachers. These are people who while in the “drug houses” getting high, want to quote scripture to you or the “drunk” who preaches, he can quote the Bible front to back, but cannot stay sober. There are going to be many surprised “so called” Christians on judgment day. They will think because they were in church, read the Bible, and other "saintly" things, they are going to be saved. They will not. Jesus Christ said that in that day not everyone who calls Him Lord will be saved.

“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name? And then I will
declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness!”
Matthew 7:22,23

According to Jesus Christ, what saves us is not what we do, but that personal relationship with God. If I read the Bible all that makes me is a Bible reader, if I go to church all that makes me is a churchgoer. None of these things will save me. What saves me is my personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Without that relationship all my deeds are worthless, no matter how noble the cause. If I am immersed in sin how can I hope to lead others or be used by God? I use to sell drugs. I wanted to be a good and fair drug dealer. I did not want to hurt anyone. I would even front to people and not “sweat” them too much if they were late. I still prayed and meditated every morning. In my mind, I was not hurting anyone. All my customers were adults; I was not forcing them to take the drugs. Everything was cool according to me. I was going to be a “Godly” drug dealer. Well guess what, God does not need drug dealers. See, I was selling poison to my brothers and sisters. Eventhough they were adults, what about there children, who counted on them. Who did get the things they deserved because the parent was spending all the money on drugs. Am I responsible for that? I think today that I am. There are those who would say if I do not someone else will and my answer is let him or her. I was ruining lives, not just the lives of the users, but their children’s, and my own as well. If someone had “jacked me” on the streets I would have had to make a decision on whether I would retaliate or get out of the business. Because if I did not retaliate then I would have had no respect on the streets and everyone would “jack me” or rip me off. I would not have been able to continue in that business. Whatever you choose to be, be true to it. If you are going to roll with the drug lifestyle then be true to that lifestyle. If you are going to roll with God, then be true to God. Choose you this day whom you will serve......

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Chapter 3 Part 1 Why Is Fornication So Bad?

“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does
is outside the body, but he who commits sexual
immorality sins against his own body.”
1 Corinthians 6:18

According to the bible fornication causes us to sin against ourselves, against our own bodies. It opens our bodies to the very nature of sin. It allows demons to use our bodies against themselves. It also brings the contamination of sin into our bodies; sexual sin opens our bodies up to the disease of sin like nothing else. It causes us to view our bodies with contempt, instead of the temples of God that they were created to be. When we are going against our own bodies this can only breed contempt. We are at war with ourselves. My own body is being used against me, against my will. The bible says that a house divided against itself will not stand. How can I stand for God when my body is divided against itself? The bible goes on to say that our bodies are no longer our own, they have been purchased for a price. They now belong to God. Of course in truth they were always God’s. My body houses the Holy Spirit of God.

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple
of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you
have from God, and you are not your own.”
1 Corinthians 6:19

The apostle Paul goes on to state that our bodies are members of Christ and shall we join the members of Christ with a harlot? Certainly not! Are we to unite the Spirit of God to perversion? God forbid! Fornication reduces my status as a person in my own mind. I lose respect for myself, my body, and the other person when I fornicate. You profane the temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body becomes a toll against itself. Many times I have awaken in the morning laying next to someone I didn’t even know and felt perverted. What do I say to this person I do not know? It all felt so awkward on a deep spiritual level. Yet we just shared the most intimate moment two people can share according to God. There is something wrong here, my thinking is not right. We have taken something good and honorable and have turned it into something cheap and tawdry. There is no love without commitment. Without love, the sex act is just a common act between two beasts in the field. However, even the beasts of the field take care of their offspring. Animals after procreating, at least raise their young. Are our young any less important? God thinks not.

Let’s look at the cost of fornication on our people and society.
1) Loss of innocence and purity
2) Violation of God’s law
3) Illegitimate children
4) Guilt
5) Sexual diseases
6) Lack of respect
7) Deterioration of society
8) Violence
9) Loss of usefulness to God
10) Anger of the children

1) Loss of innocence and purity

“To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled
and unbelieving nothing is pure, but even their minds and
a conscience are defiled.”
Titus 1:15

It is God’s plan that we come to our marriages pure in body and heart. In God’s healthy plan of marriage and relationships being pure is highly valued. According to the bible, any woman who married and was found not to be a virgin would be stoned. The woman is the vessel by which life comes into this world. How are things brought into this world? They are borne into it. In order for Jesus to be fully human, He had to be borne into this world, thus the need for Mary. Therefore, it is for all things. A woman’s body is one of her most precious gifts. Only a woman in natural sexual activity is penetrated, this gives the woman a very different perspective on the sexual act. For a man the act of sex is external due to his organs and thus his attitude towards sex reflects that. A woman due to her physical organs is usually more conservative concerning sexual matters than men. Women usually require an emotional connection for sexual activity. Because of the emotional nature of the sex act to a woman, it tends to have more meaning. Women tend to have more of an attachment to their partner than men do. I remember every female virgin I ever “deflowered” had a deeply emotional attachment unlike any other of the women I was with. In some cases, that attachment may even persist to this day. Losing that purity and innocence can have a lifetime effect for not only the woman, but also the man. We live in a society that only promotes the pleasure of sex without the commitment of love and marriage. Our moral standards have been compromised.