Uriah and Loyalty Part II

Pastor Pender discussed Uriah and Loyalty again this Sunday. Uriah had to explain his loyalty, was tested for his loyalty, and was exploited for his loyalty. First, Uriah had to explain his loyalty to God to a king, who backslid. David liked to party, drink, and have sex. He did not understand where Uriah was currently at. David did not understand why after a battle, Uriah did not want to go home to his wife. Loyalty to something can cause others to feel uncomfortable and out of their element. Sometimes when you are loyal to something, like celibacy or a marriage, loyalty can bring out the worst in people. People may not like you any more. People may see you as problem because you deviated from their norm. People want you to do what they are doing.

Next, Uriah was tested. David asked Uriah to stay for two days and then he will release his soldier from something. David invited Uriah to some party, where Uriah had plenty of food and drink. David may have tried to get Uriah drunk to impose his will on Uriah. Uriah still did not go home. He still was dedicated to God. Uriah was a better man drunk than David was sober (Pastor Pender). David tested Uriah so that Uriah will fail. Sometimes people will invite you to partake of something, not because they care, but so they can tell everyone you failed and ruin your testimony.

Finally, Uriah was exploited. David took advantage of Uriah's loyalty. Uriah's loyalty cost him his life. Some people look to pray on others. There are manipulative, deceptive people everywhere.

I don't know where you are in your celibacy journey. I don't know what caused you to take this path. You will have to explain to some people why you are celibate. You will be tested for your beliefs. All sorts of heathens, former sex buddies, wannabe sex buddies will come out of the woodwork. You may have to change your behaviors, attitudes, and approaches to the opposite sex. You may have to delete some phone numbers; delete some pics (others and yours); avoid particular settings; avoid particular conversations; disable/deactivate some websites, and yes avoid some people. But first, you need to know why you chose celibacy. Knowing the reasons why, Knowing your purpose, will keep you more focused. Know your purpose and the rationale and write it down (whether in your phone, in a tablet, in Google Docs, in word). Coming into celibacy is not an easy journey and if you need more support, let me know.

Stacie D. Wyatt
wyattstacie@gmail.com

Uriah and Loyalty

I wrote this piece two weeks ago for a different forum. Now I am posting it here. I started attending FallBrook Church four weeks ago. The church is wonderful. The pastor is a man of God. The messages so far have been truly uplifting. I have been celibate since 2010 for personal reasons. On the internet, there are a lot of forums, groups, websites, where sex is the primary focus. When sex is not your primary focus, not everyone will understand what you are doing because you are moving from the norm. This is encouragement for the celibate folks. Part 2 is coming soon.

May 6, 2012

In church today, the message was on Uriah’s loyalty to God. Uriah was the husband of Bathsheba and was killed in Battle. David was having an affair with Ms. Bathsheba. The pastor discussed how Uriah postponed having pleasure with his wife to serve the Lord. David wanted Uriah to go home, after returning from the field, to lie with his wife, but Uriah obeyed the Lord instead. At that time, David was controlled by sex, pleasure, drinking, and partying. David did not understand Uriah and what Uriah was trying to do. What controls you, consumes you. Sex used to control me. I had little to no moderation. If I went two weeks without sex, I would have withdrawal symptoms. I was cranky, very cranky. I would sleep with whoever just to break the cycle. Now I am almost 2 years into being Celibate. Not everyone will understand the reasons why you chose this lifestyle. You may needed peace of mind; maybe having sex conflicted with your religion; maybe you simply needed a break. People will not understand because sex is one of their primary focuses. The enemy, whoever it may be, will gnaw at you, reminding you of what you used to be or used to do. You may get a text or phone call at 2 a.m. from Him or Her. Him or Her may want to reminisce about the days of old, causing you a weak moment. You may have to let folks go to continue on this journey. If every time he or she contacts you and wants to discuss sex, maybe your relationship needs reconsideration. You do not need exposure to something, which contradicts your current purpose (even if you have to give up porn, erotica, and yes, self-pleasure). This journey of celibacy is a hard journey, with plenty of rocks, mountains, cliffs, forks to cause a quick detour. And if you slip, dust yourself off, and get back up again.   As previously stated, sometimes you have to postpone instantaneous pleasure to obtain what you need mentally and physically, to elevate yourself to the next level.

Stacie D. Wyatt