Chapter 36: Language Barriers

What barriers interfere with the development of our Love Language Proficiency?  What slows down our Rate of Progression too much?  In Chapter 9 we talked about Harlot Attraction and its impact on how attracted we are to our spouse.  Harlot Attraction is also a variable that impacts how attracted we are to God.  When we turn to real Harlots it interferes with our relationship with him.  But we can also turn to metaphoric Harlots.  In our covenant relationship with him, we are required to remain allegiant to him.  When the going gets tough we hold steadfast faith in him.  We do not go to conflicting sources to get what we want when God is not giving it to us.  He is our trainer.  Part of that training process includes withholding some of the things we want until we are able to obey his laws.  If instead of yielding ourselves to his training and restrictions, we go out and get what we want in some other way, it’s just like going to Harlots for sexual favors in marriage when our spouse does not give us what we want when we want it.  Going to Harlots for sexual favors is one of those ways we are manifesting to God that we choose Deal Breakers in our relationship with him.  Deal Breakers sever a covenant.  We are breaking our promise, our side of the commitment to both our spouse and God.  God cannot train us in his Love Language if we will not remain allegiant to him when the going gets tough or even when the going gets really easy.

In the scriptures, the Lord is often likened to a Bridegroom and his people are likened to his wife.  When they don't keep his commandments but instead go off and live by the lower Values of other Religions when they already are receiving higher-Value privileges, they are likened to a Harlot.  See the following scriptures.

“Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.” ~Corinthians 6:15

“How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers.” ~Isaiah 1:21

“But thou [Jerusalem] didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.” ~Ezekiel 16:15

“Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah offend; and come not ye unto Gilgal, neither go ye up to Beth-aven, nor swear, The Lord liveth.” ~Hosea 4:15

“And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.” ~Jeremiah 3:8

See blog post "The Tortise and the Hare...and the Slug"

Prude Attraction Inhibitors
Another word for Prude Attraction Inhibitors is Idolatry.  Idleness.  Instead of setting our hearts on accomplishing our God-given mission, Idolatry is about busying ourselves with all kinds of less important activities to the point where we slow down too much or grind to a halt in our progression towards our God-given goals.  We know that in our marriage we need to set goals and work to obtain them together.  If one or both spouses are always off doing something separate from their spouse, their relationship will separate.  The same is true with our relationship with God.  If we have joined together with him to accomplish a common goal (Measure of our Creation--God-given mission) and then spend much of our time on other less important goals, our relationship with him will separate.  We will become more distant from him.

“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” ~Joshua 24:15

“Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.” ~Acts 17:16

“Yea, and thus they were supported in their laziness, and in their idolatry, and in their whoredoms, by the taxes which king Noah had put upon his people; thus did the people labor exceedingly to support iniquity.” ~Mosiah 11:6

“And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish.” Deut. 8:19

“But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of his house before thee, and thou, and thy lords, thy wives, and thy concubines, have drunk wine in them; and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know: and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified:” ~Daniel 5:23

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” ~Matthew 6:24

Low Levels of Proficiency = Low Levels of Attraction
If we choose to go to Harlots or spend our time in Idolatry when we have already entered into a covenant with God, our Love Language Proficiency level will become stagnant.  That means the intensity of our Attraction level will be lukewarm at best (Revelations 3:15-17).  At worst it will become like bitter fruit—something that repulses as opposed to attracts (Jacob 5:52).

"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" ~Isaiah 29:13-15 

Listen:  "Something to Believe In" by Parachute