From 61ce269c60dc29143f730fbb37fd0378c0868357 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Pheng Heong TAN
This account of my pursuit of God is me bearing fruit as well. May it encourage people in this world to reconcile themselves to God, their maker - if they are willing to pay the cost of following the Christ. +
+ ++Have you ever gotten kicked out of a bar + (as in alcohol) before? Before I knew +Christ, I was someone who harassed women +in bars. I pestered a lady for a kiss and + before I knew it, she had told fellow +customers about me. And the staff threw me + out and refused to let me re-enter. + + +
++ + +That was about seven years ago. I was twenty-four years old. + + + +
++We read in the Bible, "the kingdom of God is about self-control". I say Amen to that. Now I can have respectful friendships with women I meet on the Internet and "in real life". Thanks be to God. I find these friendships more rewarding and satisfying than a reluctant kiss from a stranger at a bar. + + +
++Does that mean I don't feel temptation? Yes, I do. On the MRT, I see women wearing figure-hugging clothes. My flesh tells me to squeeze their butt, even without their permission. But do I act on the desires of my flesh? No. I walk by the Spirit, instead of the flesh. I thank God that I am not one of those young men who appear in the news for stealing ladies' underwear, or touching women without permission. + + +
++It is written in the Bible, "it is no longer I who live, but the Christ in me." + + + +
++And, "I have crucified the flesh with its desires." + + +
++God calls me to a higher life. It is my duty and honour to obey that call. +