Take My Hand Inspirations: August 2021

Tuesday 31 August 2021

107: No One Talks About This . . .

Growing Sexually Mature - 7

It is a gross violation of the cells, tissues, and organs of the reproductive system. It is torrential assault against the healthy emotional-psycho information processing system. It is a brutal blow to the spirit-life of millions of its victims.

No matter how many ways we can come up with its kinds, or types, physical rape, emotional-psycho rape, and spiritual rape are equal acts of violence against the sexually maturing person. And its effects are like whirling tidal waves rushing out from its victims rashly spraying against any target moving in the way. Rape destroys the built-in self-esteem and confidence a person is born with to live a successful life. It slowly peels away any trust we could have for forging meaningful human relationships. Its end-product is an open wound festering bitterness in ways so subtle but actively passively aggressive.

Shirley was 22 when her “best friend” since primary school locked the door of his apartment they were studying in for an examination. Michael was barely 7 years old when a drunken uncle shattered his innocence. And Melissa (age 11) . . . Esinam (4) . . . Amina (10) . . . Joseph (17) . . . Rajid (9) . . . Manon (14). . . Javiera (19) . . . Katarzyna (6) . . . Isak (21) . . . Aaliyah (13) . . . Veeti (3) . . . Daiki (12) . . . Dmitry (16) . . . Olga (8) . . . Sanvi (10) . . . Ananya (15) . . . Eleni (25). . . Abiola (20) . . . Musa (18) . . . Namono (35) . . . . Rape doesn’t occur only in the dangerous cities of the most well-known streets in the world. Rape occurs anywhere there manifests the spirit of lewdness operating in anyone open to its possession or obsession.

Let’s not be ignorant of the existence and operation of spiritual forces of darkness. And let’s be mindful of how far we shift blame to such spirits for the havoc they wreak on mankind. As we all were made in the image of One Creator God, our Progenitor with the Seed of Life, we are given an insight into dimensions beyond what our physical senses (hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling) can register. In fact, the influence of these dark forces has become more potent as humanity’s belief in the existence of a Divine Godly Force of Good diminishes, thereby extinguishing any light of sound judgment in exchange for groping blindly in spiritual darkness.

It is in this darkness that the spirit of lewdness thrives. Lewdness is defined in the most refined dictionaries worldwide generally as the trait of behaving in an obscene manner. Obscene is anything designed to incite (create or support) indecency, or lust; is anything offensive to the mind; is anything suggestive of or tending to moral looseness.

We all know that lewdness is taking our bodies and thoughts sexually above the radar of our socially implanted moral measurement. No law ratified or adopted into any national constitution or religious doctrine can change what our Creator has put inside humanity’s genetic code of conduct: as the blood of Abel cried out from the ground after he was murdered (Genesis 4:10), so too, does everything innocent in us cry out to our Father when violated—taken without full awareness or consent.

The reason why family members seek vengeance for the unnatural death of a loved one is based on this very principle: the blood of the deceased cries for justice. Life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11a; 14) wherein lies our genetic code of conduct which regulates our moral behavior; and when morality’s measurement becomes unbalanced, it forces justice in order to get its balance back.

Our cry for justice comes from a conscience—that divine entity in all of us that marks the degree to which our thoughts, words, and actions move within ‘normalcy’ and also fires caution when such behaviors reach above the ‘normal’ temperature. To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled (Titus 1:15) . . . their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them (Romans 2:15).

The spirit of lewdness appears as a temptation to defile a person’s thoughts, or conscience. In response to that appearance, a person can either be open for that spirit to enter; or discern that spirit immediately and shut the door! What does the spirit of lewdness look like? It depends for each individual, but simply, the spirit of lewdness looks like anything designed to incite (create or support) indecency, or lust; is anything offensive to the mind; is anything suggestive of or tending to moral looseness.

How does it operate? Spirits of darkness can operate by taking possession of the words, thoughts, and actions of its fleshly host. That human behaves with the spirit’s tendencies—speaking, thinking, and doing whatever that spirit intends and publicly for all to examine. Another way spirits of darkness operate is called obsession: when a person it not totally taken over by this spiritual force, but instead, chooses times to allow it to operate in his or her human carnality, or flesh. Superficially put, these are folks who comport themselves ‘well’ in public, but in private, live in total darkness.

Whether possessed or obsessed, the spirit of lewdness keeps such persons imprisoned in darkness as they feed off those with spiritually weak consciences. “Feeding off” spiritually weak consciences involves forcing others to “like me, accept me, approve me” or I will label you “phobic”, meaning “afraid of me”, or a hater. This dark spirit (along with a host of others) bullies societies to conform to its tendencies by making the behavior of its human host appear “normal”, whereas those who have eyes to see things pure affirm such lewd behavior as perversion.

Rape is a crime—against anyone’s body, mind, and soul. Its effects can cripple the life of its victim in how he or she fosters human relationships by either entombing them in a jail cell of isolation, or propelling them into even worse acts of lewdness in unsuccessful attempts to suffocate their own personal trauma. Remember from our previous conversation that when two bodies sexually unite, spiritual influences are transmitted, or shared.

Every day a rape happens to males and to females, and comparatively few are reported due to social “stigma”. We cover such attacks in silence so that we aren’t labeled “rape victim” while the rapist, the one who committed the crime, lives without any social “stigma”. How illogical and ironical is that? That’s how the spirit of lewdness operates—the victim becomes more fearful to speak out against the one possessed or obsessed.

But do not fret. That rapist will meet divine justice, for the cry of the raped will never keep silent. Divine justice has its own timing, but it will surely be sent back to sender!

If you have experienced any kind of rape, and are still living, your status changes today from “victim” to “overcomer”. Get up and walk out of the darkness of disappointment and distrust in the goodness of man. It is true that all men are created equal. That means you are not allowed to debase yourself, or make yourself smaller than any other human being. However, based on our choices, not all men remain equal. You are now the “victor”. Let your brilliant, beautiful light shine!

The raped live in whirlwinds of guilt and shame, bitterness, and fear; while the rapists live with inner torment. Both the raped and the rapists need to be shown the way to flee out of this all-consuming darkness and enter into the light of total liberty (from pain): Jesus said, I am the light of the world. Whoever comes to Me, I will never refuse, because I love you, yes, especially you (John 8:12, 36; John 6:37; Romans 5:8).

© 2021 by Patience Osei-Anyamesem. All rights reserved. Published by The Light In Me Enterprise. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews or other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Take My Hand Inspirations

Tuesday 24 August 2021

106: Abortion is Not a Choice, Abstinence Is

Growing Sexually Mature - 6

They “did it”. Yes, just that one “first” time, and then another and another. It felt so good to feel “loved” and it felt so good to . . . . Well, sex is not a sin. It is a natural act—that’s why girls have girl reproductive parts and boys have boy reproductive parts. Those parts fit perfectly together, male and female, for the purpose of procreation, or reproduction.

But here’s the deal: From our last “real talk”, it was revealed that there is a perfect time for everything; and, with that time, the perfect “purpose” attached to a level of maturity to cope with the consequences of using your reproductive organs for copulation (having sexual intercourse).

At 14 years of age, she’s pregnant. At 16, he’s impregnated. She feels the impending burden and pressure about to pour down on her the moment her parents get wind of her condition, then all of the school community, from the Head Teacher to her classmates, and the neighborhood, everybody! She stopped going to church, but now she wishes she could run to her pastor and get . . . . HELP!

Embryo at 7 weeks:
A newly developing human (1st Trimester)

Every year, millions of embryos get mutilated and flushed down toilets, thrown into land refuse dumps, tossed out into large and small water bodies, or burned in fires flamed especially for their cremation. Millions of “unborn” are murdered for the sake of “holding on to a good reputation.”

Fetus at 14 weeks (2nd Trimester)

Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo (human life up to nine weeks) or fetus (human life after week nine). An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or “spontaneous abortion”. When deliberate steps are taken to end a pregnancy, it is called an induced abortion, or “induced miscarriage. Today, we shall address the topic of induced abortion. About 56 million deliberate, or induced, abortions are performed each year in the world through surgical means (suctioning or cutting), or by ingesting traditional medicines or herbal concoctions (1).

Why destroy life after creating life? Was she raped? Was the pregnancy begotten by her father, brother, uncle in a nasty nest of incest? Must she bear the reminder of an unspeakable pain and give birth to its memory? These questions have rattled the moral and religious conscience of the concerned for centuries and have not disappeared.

Our discussion centers on the motive of teenagers having abortions in order to cover up their sin—the blatant disobedience of having sex outside of the maturity to care for a newborn if the sexual act leads to pregnancy. If a Christian adolescent understands the concept of sin, why do even non-Christian adolescents also find themselves inducing abortions? It is because we are one people with the same Creator who breathed life into every one of us. We are made in His image, and we all know when we have disobeyed the will of our Progenitor—our moral thermometer registers the degree to which our actions rise beyond “normal”.

Abortion is termination of life. Some would argue that after having an abortion, there is little or no physical or psychological (emotional) effects. Trauma is a severe emotional shock and pain caused my an extremely (often unexpected) upsetting experience. Trauma for young people can be anything which shatters their confidence in themselves and their hope for a better life (2).

There are effects to every action we commit. Abortion’s physical trauma to the body is that it alters the body’s natural functioning. If repeated, induced abortions can lead to “spontaneous” miscarriages later on because the body is a living being and registers every impact it experiences. Once the body recognizes that when it’s pregnant, its embryo or fetus must be aborted, it can begin to do it without your help. Addictions become addictions because the body was introduced to an alternative way of functioning and so expects to keep on being in that altered function registering it as “normal”.

Abortion’s psychological trauma is evidenced in how a young girl behaves after going through the ordeal of terminating a pregnancy. Outwardly, she may appear relieved that she no longer has to face all the “pain” of being caught pregnant.

Inwardly, however, she is rattled with the guilt of destroying life: “Will I be forgiven?” “Will I be cut off from God?” She is beset with fear that, one day, she may not be able to have children because of what she did to her body. She may find herself lost, confused, and depressed with nowhere to let out her feelings because she “feels” there is no one to talk to who would keep her secret. She may find herself wanting to commit suicide because she knows deep down she has committed murder in her own body, so why not kill herself, too?

Being caught pregnant? Pregnancy is not a sin. Pregnancy is the beautiful expression of the union of a man and his wife. Since there was no godly permission for her to willingly unite with a young boy under the guise of ‘love’, she feels her shame must be removed by having an abortion.

The young boy, also, wants nothing to do with the pregnancy either. He is thinking about his future, his friends, his family. Pregnancy would be a “trap” for him at this time in his life because he is neither mature enough, nor prepared enough to take on the emotional, social, and financial weight of responsibly raising a child and caring for the mother of his son or daughter. What happened to the ‘love’?

Literature upon literature is written about the “how” of abortion. Very little is written about the “why”, and nearly none addresses the “spiritual” repercussions of abortion. So let us get clarity right now: Life begins when the sperm fertilizes the egg, day one. That life grows inside the reproductive organs designed to carry and nurture that embryo then fetus (a son or daughter) while its being develops from day one. Any deliberate action done to stop this natural process bears consequences in the spiritual realm of our being. To terminate life is murder. Young girls later on grow up to become women who have given up on aspiring to live their dreams because they feel they do not deserve to be “happy”. Others push through their pain and live their dreams, yet, when they are alone, their smiles turn to tears.

Young boys, who knew she was pregnant and denied that pregnancy or insisted she get an abortion, experience that same ordeal. Regret is a spiritual consequence, as are guilt and self-shaming and blaming, that often leads to death of inner joy, peace, and attainment of the highest quality of life.

However, as any father on earth actually picks up his child who has fallen, so, too, does our Heavenly Father want to lift you up, dear son or daughter, if you have fallen into the sins of premarital sex and inducing abortion. Our Creator is a forgiving Father to those who come repentant and humble asking for forgiveness: The Lord is not being slow in doing what He promised—the way some people understand slowness. But God is being patient with you. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. He wants everyone to change their ways and stop sinning (2 Peter 3:9).

Zygote (Blastocyst): Human life from Day 1

Make a commitment of renewal by promising to value human life—from day one.

(1) History and Statistics on abortion: http://en.m.wikipedia.org; and www.who.int.

(2) Osei-Anyamesem, P. (2020). Multiplying Our Children’s Church with “Real Talk”: Application of Wholistic Christ-Centered Education for the Practical Mentor-Teacher. Kumasi, Ghana: p.83-84.

Take My Hand Inspirations

Tuesday 17 August 2021

105: What Should I Do?

Growing Sexually Mature - 5

Delving into the spiritual ramifications of the choices we make takes us through a journey toward self-discovery. How we recover from mistakes usually cautions us on how to make future decisions with thoughts like, “Oh no, I will never do that again.” or “I tried that once, and look where it got me.” Every person was inborn with the breath of our Creator. No human being living today just appeared out of nowhere, but all were fertilized by a man and born of a woman giving us our physical (natural) characteristics. We all were made in the image of our Supreme Progenitor and given our divine (supernatural) characteristics.

It is these supernatural characteristics that we shall discuss today. Simply put, in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Apostle Paul prayed, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Whether you believe it or not, Jesus is coming. In fact, the prophesies in the Bible have come true, one by one, over the lifespan of humanity on earth. For those with ears to hear, let them hear; for those with eyes to see, let them testify.

Here we pause to examine our spiritual, or supernatural, being: But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14; Read 1 Corinthians 2:6-16). It is not by human logic that this blog is written. Be open to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in this conversation.

As a spirit-being, man comes to realize that there is an effect to every action he commits, whether positive or negative. Science has expounded on Isaac Newton’s Third Law (of motion): Action and Reaction—that for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. Sir Isaac Newton’s laws of motion explain the relationship between a physical object and the forces acting upon it. Understanding these laws provides us with the basis of modern physics. In fact, these brilliant thinkers, Newton and Kepler, were able to explain why planets move around the sun in elliptical or oval-shaped orbits rather than in perfect circles.

Now, if man can “figure out” how God made the planets move along orbits invisible to the human eye, cannot man also deduce that every thought, word, or action he makes also comes with an equal or opposite result?

Your thoughts, words, and actions are spiritual forces (unseen), but which have clear repercussions (results) that affect your life. “Throw a stone against a wall, it bounces back to you.” “The good you do, you do for yourself; the evil you do, you do for yourself.” Adages like these can be found in almost every culture on earth, and can be encapsulated in this simple phrase: You reap what you sow. So let’s take the blinders off and spiritually discern, or clearly see, that:

1. We are created in the image of God. We have a divine nature that instantly tells us when our thoughts, words, or actions are positive or negative (right or wrong).

2. Our divine nature realizes why things are going on in our lives, good or bad, and how these circumstances came into being. The negative “why” is what we often deny and mostly ignore because of the pain or guilt or shame that comes with it.

3. Our divine nature wants communion or desires to have a close relationship with our Creator. Opening our heart to allow God’s Spirit to steer our lives means that we must surrender (or give up) all that we understand in our human “logic” and allow Someone Else to “take the wheel” and drive us safely home. Most of us have a problem with giving up control over our lives and can never submit to anything or to anyone, even the Holy Spirit.

4. Our divine nature searches to be in contact with its Creator, the God of peace, to give our souls and bodies rest—peace, joy, abundance, beauty: “I must find God; He is calling me.” Our carnal nature fights against that divine connection for it knows it will lose control over being the driver of our life; this is also where the force of evil thrives—in the flesh of men (Read Galatians 5:19-23).

Briefly, these are four of our spiritual, or supernatural, characteristics.

Knowing that forces of good (godly) and evil (ungodly) are always acting upon the human body, soul, and spirit, we must take careful consideration when making choices for our lives.

Take My Hand Inspirations

Tuesday 10 August 2021

104: Should I Do It?

Growing Sexually Mature - 4

Divided we fall. In our last discussion, Growing Sexually Mature – part 3, this point was made: For boys, the drive for sex is very strong. For girls, the drive to be loved is very strong.

This question was asked: Who is the driver to steer them in the direction toward healthy living?

Growing sexually mature requires a period of adjustment for the early adolescent: time to learn how to live with the physical changes of the body, time to reflect on how these changes make you feel, and a time to know who to reach out and talk to in order to cope within your particular society and its rules. The maturity the early adolescent needs in order to make wise and healthy decisions regarding what to do with their sexuality is found in the presence of the sexually mature person or people in their lives.

Oil Painting by 16 year-old Dimiitri Milan

Rosalyn is a quiet girl, but keenly intelligent. She is at the top of her class and a high academic achiever. She started her menstruation cycle at age 10, and, after reading everything about menarche and menses, and even menopause (out of curiosity to know what she should expect later), she feels she doesn’t have to talk to anyone about it. After all, her books and internet research gave her enough to cope with in her mind. Her mother and aunty are aware she has started her menses and are helpful in providing pads for her each month.

Acrylic Painting by Anna Rose Bain; Being Sixteen

Richard is an athlete who also loves playing electrical guitar in the school band. He’s very active in student activities, including playing for the school choir. He also plays acoustic guitar for his church choir. Once puberty kicked in, he began feeling “funny” about girls. Before puberty, he could sit in class and joke with his female classmates without thinking about anything. But lately, he sees ‘himself’ differently, too. When he cracks jokes now, is it to get a laugh as usual, or is it to get attention from the cute girls? He questions why his feelings about girls are changing, and why he feels a strong emotion for Rosalyn. But he’s shrug it off, and goes out to play football with the guys.

Over time, Richard drew closer to Rosalyn, and their friendship grew: Their trust in each other to share secrets and to solve challenging personal problems also increased. They felt that they didn’t need advice from any parent or older sexually mature person because they were “grown enough” to figure it out all by themselves. As adolescents often do, they sneak around finding moments to be “intimate”—a little kiss here, a touch or a squeeze there. Later on, Richard’s drive to have sex, and Rosalyn’s expectation to be loved met face-to-face.

“I love you, Rosalyn.” She looked in his eyes with her heart pumping its beats, yes!, yes!, yes! “I love you, too, Richard.” The embrace lasted for a long time, then Richard experienced an erection, as usual when he was around Rosalyn. But this time, he found himself wanting to act on it. Rosalyn felt his erection and became worried that Richard wanted to have sex with her, but she didn’t know how she felt about “doing it”.

“Doing it” is how the act of having sex is described. Of course, there are other terms which vividly characterize the action of the penis inside the vagina until ejaculation climaxes the event.

We pause here to listen to the voice inside the head of Rosalyn: “Should I do it?” Reproductive health involves the hormone of estrogen in girls to help our bodies prepare to produce the ovum (egg) needed to create a child and to carry that baby in the womb for about a nine-month gestational period. Each month (approximately every 28 days), an egg is released from my ovaries and enters the Fallopian tube where it waits for one spermatozoa to fertilize it. When no sperm is present, it flushes out of my body with the lining of the uterus (womb) for about a period of 4 to 5 days as menstruation.

“Is that all?” she asks her friend. Later, she secretly convinces herself, “If I keep track of my 28-day cycle and know when this and that and the other will occur, I can have sex at this time without getting pregnant. Then he will love me forever.”

We pause here to get inside the head of Richard: “Should I do it?” Reproductive health involves the hormone of testosterone in boys to help us produce millions of sperm each day in my testicles. The vas deferens and the prostate help in healthy erectile function and ejaculation. Once acted upon, sex is easy, and I’m told by other guys that it feels really good. I won’t get her pregnant because I will use a condom, then I will pull out of her before I ejaculate into the condom. He secretly convinces himself, “I will be a real man, and the guys will stop teasing me about being a virgin.”

Adolescents have the ability to reason and can identify the cause and effect of real life situations. “Before I do this, what can happen?” is easy to answer in theory. What is missing from their reasoning process is experience. Growing sexually mature requires making right choices and handling the consequences (the effect) of every decision you make with what you do with your body sexually.

Breaking your virginity is a very serious matter. Even if you live in a “pop” culture where a boy brags about how many “chicks” he has laid, or where a girl uses her sexuality to get boys into her bed, it still remains a matter of life to handle your virginity with utmost care.

Having sex is more than a physical activity. For girls, sex creates a very emotional connection to the one entering your body. You may hear or say, “I love you”, yet, at this stage of life (as a teenager), what do these words mean? The feelings you have are normal because your body is preparing you to have sex in order to reproduce (copulate). Hence the word PREPARE. It is not at this time for your body to PRODUCE a new life. That new life is to be produced in the context of marriage.

Do not live on the lie that it’s o.k. to have sex without being married. Pre-marital sex creates a spiritual marriage that can last for a lifetime, even if later on you marry another person. The one who breaks your virginity is attached to you spiritually even if he or she is no longer in your life. That is why the Bible tells us that:

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). One flesh means the two bodies are united sexually as one unit now given permission to produce a new human being. A human connection is not physical only. We are body and soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). When one body sexually connects with another body, they share their soul (emotional) parts and their spiritual (godly or ungodly) parts (1 Corinthians 6:16). Even when they separate, the one person still carries whatever soulful and spiritual “energy” that was transmitted by the sex partner.

When is it right to “do it”? When a male becomes a man, he is able to leave his father and mother. This means that he can manage his own life as a responsible adult which includes providing and maintaining a nurturing and comfortable home, a sufficient income, and the ability to love himself and his wife and children. The female is to be joined to this able and responsible man as a wife. Therefore, in the meantime, she must take time to develop her character in order to meet the challenges of living with this man in matrimony. She must have the stamina to go through good times and tough times without breaking the relationship. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate (Matthew 19:6).

Is it that God put Richard and Rosalyn together in a pre-marital relationship involving sexual activity? Or is it the will of Richard and Rosalyn to join themselves together to satisfy emotional and sexual lust? There are three kinds of “drivers” that can steer your life. The first is the ungodly will (or negative, unhealthy, evil influence) working inside the human heart which debases sex to mere physical pleasure to be enjoyed anywhere and in any ‘manner’ without thinking of its consequences (effects). The second is the human will: This is the influence which speaks, “I” will do this because it brings “me” pleasure, it makes “me” feel good. Human will is selfish and does not think about how our actions can hurt our own lives and the lives of others. The third is God’s will, or godly will, which wants only the highest and best outcome for your life.

Do not blame God when you allow the first two drivers to steer your life and things go off course (wrong). We grieve our Creator when we make choices that do not involve seeking His will first. We were made by Him, therefore, our bodies belong to Him. Do not believe the lie that your body belongs to you, so you can do whatever you want with it (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Richard is experiencing what is normal to all males who have reached puberty and so is Rosalyn. However, this does not mean he must act upon these new urges or sensations rolling round inside the body. His maturity will be found when he is able to show his love to Rosalyn by declaring, “No. Our virginity is very precious. If we truly love each other, let us wait.”

Take My Hand Inspirations