Another aspect of hygiene that should be addressed deals with the privacy of your bedroom. Obviously, lovemaking is the most intimate behavior between a married couple, but sexual contact also involves extensive use of the fingers at times. Additionally, bodily fluids are exchanged, which is why personal hygiene before and after sexual activity cannot be overemphasized. You can practice advanced hygiene by taking a shower before sexual intimacy, paying special attention to your fingers and nails. This is especially important for your husband since he will be touching you in your most intimate areas.
Notice I said "your husband." That's because God created sex to be enjoyed between a husband and a wife. The Bible is clear: "Honor marriage, and guard the sacredness of sexual intimacy between wife and husband. God draws a firm line against casual and illicit sex" (Heb. 13:4 MSG, emphasis added). When we stray outside God's guidelines, sexual contact can become a life-and-death issue.
Within the confines of a monogamous marriage, the transfer of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) is nil - if the couple waited until marriage to begin sexual activity. But if you are not married and are engaged in sexual activity, your actions can lead to disaster. Unfortunately, premarital sex is the norm in today's "hook-up" generation. People casually enter and exit sexual relationships as though they were passing through a revolving door. The result is a huge increase in sexually transmitted diseases Genital herpes is labeled a silent killer, and it's estimated that 45 million Americans are infected, with up to one million new cases a year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Many people have such mild cases that they are unaware of the presence of infection, which means they infect others without having a clue.
Then there are a host of other STDs: bacterial vaginosis, chlamydia, genital warts, gonorrhea, HIV, human papillomavirus, syphilis, and trichomoniasis. Many STDs lead to conditions such as pelvic inflammatory disease, cervical cancer and complications in pregnancy. And everyone knows about the scourge of AIDS.
Couples who engage in unclean sexual practices will unfortunately reap what they sow. Take the practice of heterosexual anal sex. Tim and Beverly LaHaye, authors of The Act of Marriage After 40, took this issue head-on, and I agree with what they say:
There is one sexual act that we do not favor: anal intercourse. We don't believe God made our bodies for that practice, and the anus doesn't serve a sexual purpose for the body. That act, known as sodomy, is highly dangerous for both partners. Once inside the anus, the penis can become contaminated with disease-producing organisms, thus causing dangers to the man's reproductive and urinary structures. Not to mention the danger to the woman if the man proceeds from anal to vaginal intercourse. God did not make any mistakes when He created our bodies; there is no way to be clean when participating in unclean sexual practices.
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