What Does the Bible Say About Sex Before Marriage?

Does the Bible teach that sex before marriage is a sin?

Written by Gary Schneider on 23/04/2019

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: MarriageSexAdulteryPre MaritalPurity


“Let marriage be held in honor among all…”

Hebrews 13:4

Does the Bible even call sex before marriage a sin?

A lot of people in today’s world aren’t sure. Our culture has told us that we should do whatever makes us feel good in the moment and that we shouldn’t even consider what the moral thing to do is.

Here are several verses to consider when thinking about sex before marriage:

1. 1 Corinthians 7:2

“But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.”

In this verse, the apostle Paul describes any activity outside of marriage as “sexual immorality.” That means when we read of sexual immorality, it includes sex before marriage as one of many examples of sin.

2. Hebrews 13:4

“Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

What does an undefiled marriage bed look like? It looks likes a bed that a husband and a wife share exclusively together. Any kind of sex that is before, outside or in addition to a married relationship of husband and wife is sinful according to the Bible.

3. Galatians 5:19-21

“Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

In this long list of sins, the sexual sins that Paul includes are sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, and orgies. It would be impossible to argue that the Bible approves of sex outside of marriage. Elsewhere, (1 Corinthians 7:2-5), Paul gives permission for sex between a married man and woman, thus all other forms of sex are sinful.

4. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality, that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles, who do not know God…”

Here, Paul contrasts a believer’s self-control over his body with living out of control, burning in passionate lust. The first is living a life that is pleasing to God and is holy, while the second is living a life that does not honor God. In which group do you belong? Does sleeping with someone you meet at a club or are not married to demonstrate control over one’s body, or is it done in the passion of lust?

5. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

These verses speak to the basis of God’s claim on our body. A Christian is to refrain from sexual intercourse with anyone to whom they are not married because Christians belong to God. We have been given the great gift of God indwelling us — the Holy Spirit lives within us — so when we join ourselves to others through one-night stands or anyone we are not married to, we are violating our own body, the other person’s body and the Lord, who has purchased us by pouring out his own body and blood.

If you’ve had sex before marriage, don’t worry! Hope is not lost. God is more than able to forgive you of all of your sins — even the sin of having sex before or outside of marriage. 

1 John 1:9 promises us: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Turn away from all sexual immorality and seek to live under God’s forgiving love. 

For those of us who do struggle with burning passion, just know that it is worth it to wait for the right time to enjoy the gift of sex. Pray that the Lord will bring you a faithful and God-fearing spouse. Sex is a wonderful privilege that comes with great responsibility. You will not regret living your life God’s way!


Pray this week:

Lord Jesus, you know all the ways I have sinned against you and disobeyed your Word. Please forgive me and cleanse my body, soul and spirit with your precious blood. As your child and as a temple of the Holy Spirit, I surrender my body to you. Thank you Jesus for strengthening me and blessing my future spouse with the same blessing that you now give to me. In Jesus’ name Amen. 


How about taking a first step and asking for God’s help? Are you willing to do that?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitcoin price analysis – Say hello to 5000 as BTCUSD settles below 5200 handle

Bitcoin price analysis - Say “hello” to $5,000 as BTC/USD settles below $5,200 handle

  • BTC/USD is sidelined in a new range under $5,200.

  • The intraday RSI implies a short-term recovery.

Bitcoin is changing hands at $5,177 at the time of writing, mostly unchanged since this time on Sunday. The largest digital asset has been consolidating losses since a sudden collapse on April 25 potentially caused by Tether-Bitfinex allegations.

Bitcoin’s technical picture

Looking technically, BTC/USD managed to recover from the recent low of $4,968. An upward-looking intraday SMA implies that the coin may continue moving higher, however, the further upside is limited by the broken channel support currently at $5,245. This barrier serves as a strong initial resistance that needs to be taken out before we can proceed to the next bullish aim at $5,300 closely followed by SMA50 (4-hour) at 5,311.

On the downside, the initial support is seen at $5,100. This area, strengthened by the lower boundary of 4-hour back inside the range. Once it is cleared, the sell-off may be extended towards psychological $5,000 and SMA200 (4-hour) currently at $4,964.

BTC/USD, 4-hour chart

 

 

Tanya Abrosimova

FXStreet

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Receiving Blessings from God

The Receiving is the Blessing!

Written by Susan on 10/05/2016

Series: Weekly Devotional

Tags: BlessingsGodHoly Spirit


Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.

Ephesians 1:3-4

God has already done it all!

If God has already provided all of His spiritual blessings for us, how do we get those blessings? Ephesians 1:3-4 and 2 Peter 1:3 say we have what we need already. “We have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power, when we learned that he had invited us to share in his wonderful goodness.” His provision is here – now. We need to understand and use the blessings He has provided. How do we do that?

How do we receive blessings from God?

You receive God’s blessings from His spirit. We must remember that spiritual blessings aren’t usually what we picture. The purpose of spiritual blessing are to make us “holy and blameless.” You have to know what pleases God before you can put His spiritual blessings into practice.

The “Fruit of the Spirit” is a great example of this: “God’s Spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled…” (Galatians 5:22-23I Corinthians 13:4-8a tells us “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails…” Do you want to love like that? You can! But it is not the fruit of your own heart. It is poured out by God’s Spirit. It is literally His fruit.

God’s Work, God’s Way

Think of it this way: if you own a business, paying all its expenses, you would not let your business sell a product people should not have. In the same way, God’s promised blessings are for living the life that pleases Him, not a life that opposes Him. Living by faith (1 John 5:4) means understanding what pleases God (Ephesians 5:10) and counting on Him to “hold back nothing good from those who walk in the way that is right.” (Psalm 84:11)


Pray this week:

Will you pray this week: Help me to begin to see Your provision of blessing in my area of greatest need. Make me able to see Your blessings in my life, and not lean on my perceptions.


Have you thanked God for His very specific presence in your life today? He is present, are you choosing Him over all else today?

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitfinex Alleged Missing 850 Million Puts Pressure on Crypto Markets

Bitfinex Alleged Missing $850 Million Puts Pressure on Crypto Markets

 

Bitfinex Alleged Missing $850 Million Puts Pressure on Crypto Markets

Bitcoin took an unexpected dive on markets overnight with pundits pointing at the New York State Attorney General’s investigations into a Bitfinex cover-up of missing Tether.

Major exchange Bitfinex allegedly attempted to cover missing funds totaling USD 850 million by raiding its Tether reserves in order to pay out customers. Between May 2015 and August 2016, Bitfinex was reportedly attacked by hackers who stole BTC 1,500 in 2015 and USD 72 million worth of Bitcoin in 2016.

The dent in the Tether cap was no mean figure according to stablecoins producer Paxos, suggesting that the dip into the funds would account for at least 27% in Tether’s dollar reserves. The news was not lost on the market causing a significant dip which is still trying to recover with Bitcoin dropping 6% at one stage.

The lawsuit refers back to previous messages from Bitfinex which indicates that all was not well as far back as August of 2018. The following message from a Panamanian payment processor to which it had transferred funds indicates the degree to which the exchange has found itself in deep water:

“THE SITUATION LOOKS BAD. WE HAVE MORE THAN 500 WITHDRAWALS PENDING AND THEY KEEP COMING IN … [T]OO MUCH MONEY IS PARKED WITH YOU AND WE ARE CURRENTLY WALKING ON A VERY THIN CRUST OF ICE.”

Further, the attorney general suggested that Bitfinex uses a network of money agents including “human being friends of Bitfinex employees that were willing to use their bank accounts to transfer money to Bitfinex clients”.

The actual investigation into Bitfinex has been ongoing over a period of months in its attempts to uncover if Bitfinex and Tether have impacted customers through fraudulent activity; an operation which involves the FBI and other US federal agencies.

 

By Harold Vandelay Posted on 27/04/2019

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitcoin Price Analysis Are We Heading for a Breakout or a Fadeout?

Bitcoin Price Analysis – Are We Heading for a Breakout or a Fadeout?

Bitcoin Price Analysis – Are We Heading for a Breakout or a Fadeout?

I want to have a closer look at bitcoin technical analysis and the levels that are important to keep an eye on over the next few weeks.

Bitcoin is up 45% since I posted an article back in February about how I think the tide is turning.

Prices have been mirroring the 200-day moving average shown in red in the chart above. Previously, we can see that bitcoin got close to the 200-day moving average, but failed to break through and then fading back down.

As we can see now bitcoin has now rallied past the 200-day moving average for the first time in a long time.

Bitcoin now has resistance at the $5300 level, where it has roughly been since the earlier this month, but rather than fading as it did in the past, it is holding in a tight range.

This shows the action is bullish and is likely going to have its next move be another push higher. The next resistance level is up just north of $6000.

So, is this a sign of a breakout coming or will bitcoin once again fail to climb the ladder?

As long as bitcoin holds above the line (currently about $5,100), then the odds are in favor a shaper move higher over the coming weeks.

The chances of bitcoin making a break higher up to the $6000+ level is significant, but for those who want to protect themselves, putting in a stop order at $5000 will allow them to capitalize on the probable upward move while applying protection in case the position breaks down.

To see how I have been able to uncover bitcoin prices swings correctly over the last several years join my next presentation where I outline my favorite cryptocurrency trading strategy and what I look for to give myself the best opportunity to profit. Click here to learn more.

 

Disclaimer: This is not trading or investment advice. The above article is for entertainment and education purposes only. Please do your own research before purchasing or investing into any cryptocurrency.

 

By cdouthit – April 26, 2019

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

What is God’s Blessing?

What does Jesus say about being blessed?

Written by Joy on 29/08/2015
Series: Weekly Devotional
Tags: Blessings, Favor, Jesus, Money, Wealth
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God…..” Matthew 5:3-12

To be blessed by God means having God’s favor and goodness. We often think of blessings as riches, high position, health, and happiness. However, Jesus’ famous words about blessings show us that God has a different definition of being blessed.

Who is Blessed?
Jesus’ list of blessed people in Matthew 5 include the needy, sad, meek, and persecuted. This might offend us since we value strength, confidence and independence. But Jesus says we must realize our need for God in order for us to receive His blessing. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.” (Isaiah 66:2b). Those who show mercy and bring peace, who desire righteousness and a pure heart, show they are true followers of God’s Word.

What are the Blessings?
Jesus never mentions wealth or position, health or happiness as blessings. Instead, he says the greatest blessing is to have a place in the kingdom of heaven and to be called a child of God. To be shown mercy by a Holy God, to know His grace and love in our lives, to know God in an intimate relationship — These are true blessings. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1a).

Jesus paints a picture of a person that is more interested in spiritual rewards than things of this world. “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:20). Jesus had no personal wealth, but he was still blessed. How? “It is more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts 20:35) Jesus gave his life for us. The blessing of giving is not material prosperity but an inner joy and peace that God gives us when we imitate His loving sacrifice for others.

How are We Blessed?
When Jesus tells us to hunger and thirst for righteousness, it reminds us of his words in John 6:35 – “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Jesus is our ultimate blessing or gift from God. He is the only one who can cleanse us of sin and give us a pure heart so we can see God. (John 6:40) Through Him we become co-heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, which is our greatest blessing.

Pray this week:
That God will reveal the amazing blessings He has given you through your faith in Christ.

Are you willing to give up the riches of this world for a great reward in Heaven? Talk to someone about the riches you might need to consider giving up.

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitfury and Swiss Investors Launch Bitcoin Mining Fund

Bitfury and Swiss Investors Launch Bitcoin Mining Fund

Bitfury and Swiss Investors Launch Bitcoin Mining Fund

Bitcoin mining technology firm Bitfury Group, recently valued at USD 1 billion, has entered an alliance with Switzerland-based investment firm Final Frontier to launch a regulated Bitcoin mining fund, as reported by Reuters.

Under the supervision of Liechtenstein’s financial regulator, the Financial Market Authority, the fund was developed for both institutional and professional investors to claim access to “the esoteric world of bitcoin mining”.

Bitcoin mining is basically the means by which the Bitcoin network is secured and transactions validated, using computing power to solve extremely difficult cryptographic puzzles. A computer, or a collection of computers connected to a node, credited with solving the next puzzle will have built a block. New blocks will include verified transactions and are added to a chain of chronological blocks, hence adding on to a blockchain. The node credited with finding a new block also receives a block reward of freshly minted bitcoin, so this is also a way of minting new coins, hence, Bitcoin mining.

It has proven to be a profitable business for almost a decade now, with home mining on personal computers very quickly switching to more powerful processors, and eventually companies like Bitfury manufacturing highly specialized equipment called ASICs. Bitfury’s part in this new deal will be to supply the hardware and end-to-end services for the Bitcoin mining fund. It will also be responsible for scouting out the new sites for the activities, deploying equipment and servicing them later.

Ultimately, the fund hopes to invest in mining sites operating with the lowest costs featuring Bitfury data centers. Final Frontier co-founder Imraan Moola aid:

“WITH THE BITCOIN PRICE DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY FROM ITS ALL-TIME HIGH, YET INSTITUTIONAL INTEREST GROWING EVERY DAY, NOW MAY BE AN OPPORTUNE TIME TO CONSIDER INVESTING IN BITCOIN MINING.”

 

By Saloma Posted on 24/04/2019 3 min read

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Technicals Trends Say Bitcoin BTC Bottom Is In Prominent Analysts Agree

Technicals Trends Say Bitcoin (BTC) Bottom Is In, Prominent Analysts Agree

Technicals Trends Say Bitcoin (BTC) Bottom Is In, Prominent Analysts Agree

RSI Reading Hints Bitcoin Bottom Is In

 

I’m sure you’ve heard the popular adage: “great minds think alike.” While this seems true in scientific contexts, in the case of finance, even cryptocurrencies, this is far from the case. If you don’t get what I’m referring to: the question “has Bitcoin (BTC) bottomed?” has pained crypto investors since BTC plummeted to $3,150 in the middle of December.

While some, especially those subscribed to the Hyperwave theory, claim that cryptocurrencies are poised to head lower, leading analysts across the board to claim that bears have bitten the dust at last.

In a recent Twitter post, a trader going by “Mr. Anderson” claimed that if history is followed, Bitcoin established a long-term bottom in the low $3,000s. He remarked that throughout Bitcoin’s entire history as a liquid, tradable asset, BTC’s daily chart has only seen a Relative Strength Index (RSI) reading of above/near 85 in bull cycles.

Anderson adds that history shows that RSI hitting 85 and beyond is “always followed by a healthy retracement and next bull run.” This, for those unaware, means that while Bitcoin could soon see a temporary pullback, the bear trend is over more likely than not.

Tom Lee recently made a similar remark. The Fundstrat head of research/co-founder recently remarked that his firm’s Bitcoin Misery Index has only posted readings of above 67 (happy/bullish) in bull markets. And guess what? The proprietary indicator printed an 89 on the day after BTC rallied past $5,000 for the first time since November. As he explained:

Since 2011, BMI > 67 only seen during BTC bull markets. It means that a bull market is likely starting.

Simple chart structure also suggests that the downturn is finally over. Trader CL recently accentuated, Bitcoin’s one-day chart from August to now looks eerily like that of the bottom of the 2014 to 2016 market cycle. In fact, three specific events in these two cycles are effectively identical from a technical standpoint. Firstly, the capitulation event saw a monumental red volume candle. Secondly, a failed bear market rally occurred on little volumes. And lastly, the breakout past resistance was met with record buying volume. As CL writes: “if history repeats, we’re out of the bear market.”

Fundamentals, too, are showing that BTC is likely soon to rally. Willy Woo recently remarked that the Balanced Price indicator from Adaptive Capital’s David Puell looks as it did when the 2015 – 2016 bear market came to a close. NVT Signal’s recent action resembles that seen in early-2015, which came after BTC established a long-term floor. Woo’s very own Cumulative Value Days Destroyed indicator, which has historically caught bottoms to near a tee, showed that Bitcoin recently broke out of an upper accumulation band following a strong, convincing bounce off the lower band. And three key iterations of NVT have begun to converge, looking much like they did at 2015’s bottom.

 

By Nick Chong April 24, 2019

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitcoin price analysis – BTCUSD defies bearish sentiments amid record volatility growth

Bitcoin price analysis - BTC/USD defies bearish sentiments amid record volatility growth

Bitcoin price analysis – BTC/USD defies bearish sentiments amid record volatility growth

  1. Bitcoin’s volatility grew by 200%.

  2. The upside trend is gaining traction with the next focus on $5,560.

Bitcoin, the largest and the most popular cryptocurrency out there, is changing hands at $5,400. BTC/USD bottomed out at $5,214 on April 21 and has been moving upwards ever since. The coin touched $5,441 high during late Monday session, but failed to hold the ground above $5,400.

The Bitcoin volatility jumped nearly 200% in the recent month. Thus, following the price growth in the beginning of April, the volatility jumped from 1.26% to 3/31% in just two days. Since that time, the Bitcoin has been trading in a narrow range limited by $4 900 and $5 400 boundaries. At the time of writing, the daily volatility of the first digital asset reached 3.54%, which is the highest level in recent three months.

It is worth mentioning, that the Bitcoin’s volatility has been sliding slowly during several years. It is reduced by 98% in 2018.

On the intraday charts, BTC/USD is moving within an upside trend. The Relative Strength Index points to the North, which is consistent with the bulls’ case scenario. A sustainable move above the recent high will take us towards $5,500 handle and to $5,560, which is the highest level since November, 19, 2018.

On the downside, the initial support is created by the intraday low $5,363. Once below, the sell-off may continue towards $5,300 supported by SMA50 and SMA100 (1-hour). The next barrier is created by SMA200 at $5,235 and the lower boundary of the recent upside channel at $5,140.

BTC/USD, 1-hour chart

Tanya Abrosimova

FXStreet

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member

Bitcoin price long term analysis April 2019

 Bitcoin price long term analysis April 2019

Bitcoin price long term analysis April 2019

The Bitcoin price analysis has revealed that no remarkable rise in the price is noted in the long term trend. The value of the US dollar does not show any increase and are constant in their value. The cryptocurrency price value was spotted between five thousand five hundred dollars and five thousand dollars ($5,500 and $5000) marks. It is further not fluctuating much on the trend-line as analyzed by the trading view. The trending range was: Accumulation territories: $3000, $3,500 and $2,500 Distribution territories: $6, 000, $6,500 and $7000 Critical Analysis: The crypto- market seems to be resilient over the past 14 days as seen on trading view chart, there would be no interesting fluctuations that can be witnessed on the trend-line and is making very slow moves. The SMA was reported to be closed on 5,500 upper range. The 50-day average was seen on the range of 4,500 trend-line. The estimated highest high over the past 14 periods as depicted by stochastic oscillator was expected to be around the range 60.

via Trading View

That shows that the market is in trending mote. The range five thousand and five hundred dollars ($5,500) is seen as the upper range which is said to be market rejection area which needs to attest the condition of a financial market of a group of securities in which prices are rising or expected to rise. It is noted that any large upward or downward movement of a price in a short period of time can cause serious consequences on the range zones.

 

By Shawn Du'Mmett APR 22, 2019

Alan Zibluk Markethive Founding Member