Ryan Swanson: Hello and welcome to the Satisfied program here on the Thee Generation podcast. This is Ryan Swanson and as always, I’m excited to get back into our discussion here. We’ve been on a series on emotional purity that we began at the end of March. This is our third episode on the topic, and I’ve been really encouraged once again with those that have reached out and said that this is a help to them. I know many of us are on this journey together, so it’s always helpful and encouraging to get feedback like that. Our previous episode in particular seemed to be a help, and that one was on; it was called One Desire. The premise of it was that you can sum up every desire you have that is uniquely pointed towards the opposite gender, and you can say that that is part of one desire for intimacy. It’s a scary realization at first, but it’s actually a comfort when you realize that all of those things… all of those desires… towards the opposite gender can be fulfilled inside, properly inside a marriage relationship. And we discussed how strong that desire can be, that desire for that close relationship where you can be vulnerable on the deepest level. We discussed the loyalty involved, the trust, the affirmation, all these things that build up and create that intimacy that we long for — that every one of us long for in a relationship. So that desire is huge. It’s one desire, it’s massive, and it really can overtake us. 

So the question then that probably many of you were thinking coming from the last podcast is, if this is such a huge and God-given desire, then how in the world can I ever function before that is satisfied inside of marriage? Now, we have discussed this at different points, so it’s not like I need to cover this issue all over again in the fact that you can be satisfied in Jesus Christ, but I need to reiterate that. We’re going to be in Genesis chapter 2. A little bit of a disclaimer here at first. It was originally actually Pastor Gilmore over at GoMission podcast. He does the GoMission program on there, and it was he that noticed some things in Genesis pointed me that direction. His son Jonathan was also a help in pointing out some of these truths. So, full disclosure, some of these things are not original with me, but are very helpful. It was those men that pointed me in this direction, and I thought I would share what it means to be on mission.

And again, our purpose is to answer that question — can I be fulfilled, have purpose, be totally satisfied before that marriage relationship where all these desires can be satisfied? And how you answer that question — how you handle this issue, is really going to set you up not just for your life before marriage, but within marriage as well. I know I say that on occasion, but it’s absolutely true, especially in this case as you talk about being on mission. If you don’t have a mission now, you’re going to struggle to find one when you’re supposed to be leading someone else in that mission, or ladies, following in that mission as well. You need to understand what it means to have a mission now while you’re single. You need to get a mission from the Lord. So, let’s look at Genesis chapter 2, and we’re going to start reading in verse 15, and I want you to see if anything strikes you as strange in this passage, because it did to me a little bit as I was reading it through, and even some things recently that have come out of this that boggled my mind a little bit, but it makes sense when you understand God’s heart on it. So, here’s verse 15 of Genesis chapter 2. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Now, why was Adam there at that point? God put him in the garden in that particular place at that time to dress and to keep the garden. He’s got a clear mission from the Lord right there. Verse 16, And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it. For in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. And the Lord God said, catch this, it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him a help meet for him. 

Okay, so God just realized something. Now of course, He knew this, but it’s verbalized in the passage here that God is noticing that it is not good at this point. All the other creation up to this point has been good, but something is not right, and that is that man is alone. It’s not right. So, God gave Adam a mission. Now, in verse 18, God notes that there is a problem. Man shouldn’t be alone, and there’s even the decision on God’s standpoint that I’m going to make somebody for him. And so you go into verse 19 expecting that he’s going to give him that help-meat right away. And so it begins in verse 19 and says, and out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field. Kind of a letdown, right? In every foul of the air and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. Now wait a second, God, didn’t you just say this wasn’t right? Yes, you gave Adam this mission, but why don’t you equip him to do it in the best way possible? Since you already know that this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be, why don’t, before we go any further here on this mission, why don’t you complete him and then wouldn’t it make more sense for him to do what he’s supposed to do? That’s what we expect in verse 19 but instead God brings the beasts of the field and the fowl of the air for Adam to do what? Well, to carry out his mission. 

He says, and it brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a help meet for him — verse 20. So, by the sounds of that, he had already gone through, man, he had already knocked out quite a portion of his job. He’s already named all the cattle in the field. He’s named all the fowl in the air. This seems like he’s done it all. And he did it all by himself, not having that help meet. 

You know, sometimes as a single person you feel useless, don’t you? You feel like, man, I can’t do anything for God while I’m single. And you’re mission then becomes, I need to find a help that’s meet for me. I need to find someone fit for me. That becomes our focus in life, like we can’t move on and get anything else done for the Lord until that is completed. Do you see at this point, what if Adam had overheard God say, it’s not good that man should be alone. What if Adam said, okay God, you know it’s not right. I’m not moving on this mission until you give me a wife. How do you think that would have worked out? But, isn’t that many times how we handle it? Okay God, I know that yes, you have a purpose for me. Yes, you’ve given me steps to take. I know you have a mission for my life, but I would rather do it with a partner. And it’s not right that you should withhold this from me, so I’m gonna wait here. I’m not moving until you give me that partner. 

I don’t think that would have worked for Adam. I’m not sure what would have happened to the human race, if God would have ever given him a wife, if that was his attitude, but I’m thankful that he was submissive to the Lord’s plan and just went about his mission so that God would give him Eve, and hence, we’re all here today. 

If you are single right now, you’re single for a purpose. God has you right where He wants you. He hasn’t made a mistake; He knows your condition. He knows it’s not the best condition to be in; He knows that you could be better off if you were completed with a help me. He knows that — He understands that better than you do. He made you with a void. He knows that. However, He also made you with a mission. And for some reason, God has a practice of wanting to prove that we will follow His mission, when He’s the only one we have before He adds someone else into the equation. 

Let me say that again. God wants you to serve Him and be on mission when He is the only one you have before He adds someone else into your life. 

When it comes to finding a spouse, the crazy thing is as helpless and hopeless as you may feel, the ball’s in your court. God has left you with the next step, and it’s probably not what you think it is. The next step is to get on mission. No matter what condition you’re in, whether you have prospects or not, the next step for you right now is to get on mission. Now you may know exactly what that mission is, but you may not. And I understand that. Thankfully, that’s why we have a podcast program on the Thee Generation Network called GoMission. I would encourage you go. Again, that’s where a lot of these truths, this passage was opened up from Pastor Gilmore. Go and listen to a couple of those podcasts and then try to say that you don’t know what your mission is. I think it’ll be pretty clear that God does have a mission for each one of us. It’ll be unique to you, but there’s no one who could come away from that with an excuse that I don’t have a mission. Get on mission as a single individual when God is the only person you have, and then, God will likely bless you in time with the help meet. He knows the condition you’re in. He understands that it could be better, and He wants to make it better, but He wants you to serve Him first, just as you are. It’s time to get on mission. 

Well, I had a whole bunch more from Genesis chapter 2 that I wanted to tackle in this podcast, but we’re going to spread it out a little bit because I know you’ll probably only come away with one thing. That’s how I am. I come away from one thing from each message or from each podcast, so I’m just going to try to give you bite-sized chunks here. Focus on that for this next month. Get on mission, then you’ll be ready when we come back to discuss where this all begins. When we’re talking about an emotional affair or indulging in emotional impurity, where does that actually start? We’re going to go through the progression that I mentioned very briefly in the first podcast on this series, and I think it’ll start to make sense as we look at what is the first step in the wrong direction. But until then, homework for this month — take some time, go listen to the GoMission Podcast and seek the Lord on what His mission is for you right now. Not down the road, right now. 

See what God has for you today, this week, this month, and commit that you are going to be all in on that mission, even when God is the only one you have. Thanks for joining us young people. We’ll talk to you next time as we seek to be less gratified and more satisfied with Jesus Christ.