The Heart of a Harlot

From the moment we are little, we are taught by our Christian mom’s how to act like a lady, sit like a lady and talk like a lady.  Of course you could replace the word lady with Christian but it meant the same thing regardless of how your mom said it.

One way, as a lady, we were NOT raised to be like....is a harlot.  Unless it's like Rahab.  Rahab was a harlot but more importantly she was a believer in God and His power.   She had heard of all the stories reported of God’s power and might, like when the Israelites crossed the Red Sea.  So when Joshua sent two of his men to Jericho to spy out the land and they sought shelter with her, she knew what she had to do.  She hid the two spies from harm on her roof because she knew they were men of God.  We can also note that she had great faith in God that even as the city would be utterly destroyed she and her household would be saved as long as she did what was commanded of her.  Rahab’s heart was faithful to God by her obedience. 

Hebrews 11:31

³¹ By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace.

You would think, being a harlot, Rahab’s heart wouldn’t be in the right condition for obedience to God.  But unfortunately we can find our hearts being hindered more so than a harlot’s.  In the midst of cleaning, cooking and caring for our kids we sometimes forget that marriage is an awesome gift from God.  

A gift that man and wife can seek comfort in each other, satisfying each others mental, physical and sexual needs.  This blessed gift was so important to get right that it was given with commandments, so our prayers would not be hindered. 

1 Peter 3:7

⁷ You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

As young wives we are often hindered through the teaching of this particular part of God's gift (sexual needs).  Why... because it was taught accurately as being wrong before marriage, however taught so much though, that we have a mental moral block when it comes to intimacy with our husband.  An unconscious block put there because it was never taught again how sex is good and pure after marriage.  

Basically we have the idea intimacy should be put in a closet and never played with, like that ceramic tea set you received as a gift when you were little.  We are taught that a “lady” who enjoys being intimate with her husband must be a harlot or maybe another dude. =0) But we should keep in mind, according to the scriptures the marriage bed is defiled through fornication (sex outside of marriage) and adultery.    

Hebrews 13:4 

⁴ Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

So we can conclude from this passage that a wife is then NOT judged by the wearing of sexy clothing for her husband nor dare I say it, no clothing at all in the bedroom.  Nor is she judged by her actions with her husband even if they do seem to you more fitting… for the “heart of a harlot”.   Just as Peter was instructed, that which is considered clean by God's word... let not man or woman call it unclean.