I describe the earth in which we live as ‘Paradise Lost’. It’s the place where it’s normal for everyone to lose something and everything, including their lives. Everything? Yes… but with one exception!

I’m not someone who’s in the habit of buying magazines from news agencies. In my view, most are a waste of money. There was a time, however, when living at the small country town of Dungog, New South Wales, that I came out of the local news agency with a magazine tucked under my arm. The message on the front cover caught my attention – It promoted ‘safe sex’ among teens and enclosed between its pages was a complementary pack of condoms. This was 1993!

The general view and practice of sex by today’s so called ‘progressive generation’ has morally degenerated to the level of the infamous ancient Middle Eastern towns of Sodom and Gomorrah – notorious places where the sexual norm of the day was ‘anything goes with anyone’ (Genesis 18:20). In my eyes, the world in which we live today is Sodom and Gomorrah re-emerged!

In our ‘paradise lost’ estate it’s normal for everyone to lose everything – things, such as, house and car keys, money, jobs, children, marriage, loved ones, pets, self-respect, memory, sanity… our lives, etc.  The one thing, however, that no one can lose is their virginity! Virginity may be willingly thrown away, forcefully taken away, or gifted… but, virginity is not something that can be lost!

With God’s help, virginity can be viewed by everyone for what it is – a precious, sacred, God-ordained, one-time gift that is reserved for the special person in their lives, presented to them on their wedding night… not before! Without God’s help, however, virginity is being discarded as something of a social stigma. In my younger days, all my Christmases would have come at once if a girl simply glanced my way with a smile. Today, it’s hot sex first then, “Sorry, what’s your name?”

A condom may protect the user from sexually transmitted diseases but ‘Latex’ cannot offer protection from feelings of personal shame, disappointment, guilt, regret, and, worst of all… God’s judgement!

Friends, there’s no such thing as secret sex. God sees everything and no one gets away with anything! The good news for us who have failed in this area through weakness or ignorance is the availability of God’s unfailing love and redeeming grace. If necessary, come to Him now and seek His forgiveness… ask Him to cleanse your mind and heart. Doing so will set you free from all guilt and shame. This is good news… because, He is Good News!

Best wishes

Bill Joukhadar