I was reading and sharing this with someone but when I read it, it bout smacked me in the face…

1 Thes 4:3-8

3It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn to control his own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

My Breakdown (Thank God for My Pastor teaching us how to read the word and interpet it for ourselves - so this is my breakdown to me. You may read it and God speaks to you a different way.

Verse 3. Because it is God’s will, he desires, he wants us to do something, what? be sanctified (sanctified means made or declared or believed to be holy). That you should avoid sexual immorality (one definition of immorality is incorrect behavior)

Summary: So, it is God’s desire that we live holy and avoid sexual incorrect behavior.

Verse 4. Each of you should learn to control his own body (so this means that I do not control you or you me, but I control me - but also I have to learn to control my body, I may not know and I have to be taught to control my own body) in a way that is holy and honorable.

Summary: I and only I has to learn how to control my body because I dont know how to control the sexual urges so I can live holy and honorable.

Verse 5. Not in passionate lust (that crazy sexual feeling), who do not know God (so if you can’t learn to control that crazy sexual feeling and you act in passionate lust, then you dont know God - dont get mad at me, just reading what it is saying

Summary: Continuing from previous verse…if you dont control your body and act in passionate lust and not living right, then you don’t know God.

[PS. I know when I first read this, I was like I know God!!! But then why I am still having sex, o maybe I need to get to know God better or maybe there is another level of getting to know God that I haven’t yet experienced]

Verse 6. And that in this matter (the matter of sex and controlling yourself), no one should wrong her brother or take advantage of him (so since it is accepted that we can swap out him and her, Men should not use our sex to get women to buy things or make us feel good and vice versa). The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. (so this means that we have already been told and warned - have you ever been told to wait to have sex to marriage, I had. but we have already been warned and still do it, then the Lord punishes us - I know I have gone through some punishment)

Summary: We should never use sex or anything else to take advantage of another person and doing so warrants God’s punishment because we have all already been warned.

[PS. Know the Lord only punishes those he loves]

Verse 7. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life (so, that means God called us to something, what? to be pure and live a good life

Summary: God has called us to live a certain life, a clean and holy life.

Verse 8. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives us his holy spirit

Summary: That is pretty direct, after hearing/reading this instruction, if we don’t follow it, you aren’t rejecting me or someone else, you are rejecting God…

So, now what?

Well when I first read this verse, I was like good God. God really wants me to get this. So, what do I do. I repented from my sins (even now if something happens, I repent) and get back on track with God (he forgets my sins) and I move forward in getting closer.

1. I find a Man of God teaching the Word of God
2. I find a church that I can be in that I will grow spiritually, if you are the same person last month as you are this month, you aren’t growing spiritually.
3. I create rules/policies to make sure I dont repeat the same mistakes
4. Even If I do mess up, I repent and try again.

Just a thought.
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If you really want to get this verse —- Try reading it in the Amplified Version

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 (Amplified Bible)
Amplified Bible (AMP)

3For this is the will of God, that you should be consecrated (separated and set apart for pure and holy living): that you should abstain and shrink from all sexual vice,

4That each one of you should know how to [a]possess (control, manage) his own [b]body in consecration (purity, separated from things profane) and honor,

5Not [to be used] in the passion of lust like the heathen, who are ignorant of the true God and have no knowledge of His will,

6That no man transgress and overreach his brother and defraud him in this matter or defraud his brother in business. For the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we have already warned you solemnly and [c]told you plainly.

7For God has not called us to impurity but to consecration [to dedicate ourselves to the most thorough purity].

8Therefore whoever disregards (sets aside and rejects this) disregards not man but God, Whose [very] Spirit [Whom] He gives to you is holy (chaste, pure).