I know what the word says about fornication and I try to abstain but sometimes I just get lonely. What should I do?

GREAT QUESTION. Really, this is a serious area that many ppl struggle in, but here's how to deal with this:

1) Serious prayer & increased devotion-I start off with this in practically every answer for anything, esp. serious matters, because prayer has the potential to increase both our intimacy with God & the way we are able to receive answers from God. Increased Prayer & increased devotion clears up the lines between us & God & makes His direction for us more obvious in most cases. Now, when I say devotion, that means reading & studying the Word, coupled with prayer.

2) In prayer, ask God to stabilize you & send you your spouse in His timing. Be open with God about your struggle & let Him know that you are having an issue in this area--trust me, He sees, knows & understands. So, just talking about it with Him will help & it will cause an answer to come AND/OR revelation to come as to why you may not be at that place yet & what it would take for you to get there.

3) Have some good, strong Christian friends, mainly of the same gender, that are real & that you can talk to in a trustworthy manner regarding your struggle. Ppl struggle with this area, so you are not alone, but don't let the devil come in & destroy you through this, because it really only takes one ungodly sexual encounter to throw you off-course for a long time.

4) Keep the consequences in front of you. Each sexual encounter that has you in fornication can put you deeper & deeper into a cycle that can not only prevent you from getting fully into the flow of God's destiny & plan for your life, but can also ultimately send you to hell (I Cor. 6:9-11). So, remind yourself of this each time you get lonely, esp. when you may not able to reach those friends, or if the devil is telling you not to call them because they won't understand...when that happens, remind yourself of the consequences of those few mins of pleasure...it's DEFINITELY NOT worth it at all.

5) Get more active in doing God's work...it doesn't have to consume all your time, but let it fill enough of your time to make a difference--and when you give ministry, God will CERTAINLY give back to you.

6) Find other hobbies, esp. physical activities like basketball, working out, etc. that you can occupy your time in fun yet non-sinful way. Esp. when you get together with solid, grounded, balanced believers who know how to live clean & have fun at the same time (I Cor. 15:33).

God bless you & if I can be of any more service to you, please don't hesitate to let me know--really....and trust me, I know this walk, but you can make it (I don't just speak this from what I got in a book, I am LIVING IT--and it ain't easy all the time, but it's most definitely worth it)

Ask me anything