Gay rights and gay marriage have become one of the major issues of our culture. ( Elvert Barnes/Flickr/Creative Commons )

In a moment I am going to speak very plainly and straightforward about homosexuality. As a preacher, I have a great responsibility before God to speak the truth in love—to convince, rebuke and exhort with all longsuffering and teaching (2 Tim. 4:3)—to never shun to declare the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).

If you are involved in a gay relationship, or have a loved one who is, please do not get upset with me. I am for you and not against you. If you will listen long enough, you will see that I am actually trying to help you.

I know a wonderful godly Christian couple who have had to die a thousand deaths when their son recently arrived home from college and admitted to them that he was practicing a homosexual lifestyle. That is a very heart-wrenching trial for any God-fearing parent to have to face. They have my deepest admiration for handling this situation with love and honor. Even though these kinds of situations should move us with great compassion, we cannot afford to lose our convictions. This couple has chosen to love their son while firmly holding to their strong biblical convictions and opposing the lifestyle he leads.

If you are a minister, a pastor, or even a priest I also would like to speak frankly and forthrightly to you today.

The government of Denmark has made it mandatory for all churches to conduct gay marriages, regardless of religious beliefs, conscience or convictions. No church or minister in Denmark is exempt from complying with this new law.

Could America be next? Could a law be passed that would order American churches to perform gay ceremonies if they want to maintain their tax-exempt status?

The writing is on the wall.

What will you do on that fateful day? Obey man or obey God?

Gay rights and gay marriage have become one of the major issues of our culture today. In such times, Christians cannot afford to lose their moral compass or compromise the scriptures.

Here is a reminder that will strengthen our moral bearings:

The devil hates it when someone brings the truth out into the open. He likes to keep all light and truth hidden in the darkness. He hates it when someone speaks plainly and clearly about sin. On the other hand, he loves to promote all that is abominable and evil. "Off with his head," has always been the cry against those who confront sin and preach repentance.

So here is the raw, naked truth on homosexuality that we must never forget:

The Bible says that homosexuality is unnatural. Men in gay relationships have given up the natural use of the woman and women the natural use of the man.

"For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due." (Rom. 1:26-27).

The Bible does not say that God changed what was natural. Neither does it say that nature, or the environment, or the culture, or his parents, nor did his birth genes change what was natural. It says that lesbians and homosexuals changed themselves. Yes, that's right! The Bible says it is people who change their natural sexual desires in exchange for unnatural ones. The Bible sweeps away every argument, excuse and destructive reasoning for unnatural sexual activity. Some things are against nature, and therefore against God, because God created nature.

Homosexuality is not ordained by God, nor is it even biologically right or natural. People are gay because they choose to be--not because they can't help it. It's a choice in the same way I could choose as a sexually normal red-blooded male to go out and commit adultery. Being gay is a choice just like a heterosexual couple chooses to have children, or a man decides to remain celibate and enter the monastery, or a woman chooses to be a nun. Men don't say, "I can't help being a monk!" Women don't say, "I couldn't help being a nun!" Just as normal couples make a choice to marry, or not to marry, have sex or not to have sex, have children or not have children, so it is with being gay.

The choice to be gay, however, has far greater risk in that it ties one to lust, illicit passions, and unclean practices that open up a person to the demonic. I will explain this further below.

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We've got this whole thing muddled up because people don't speak plainly and clearly anymore. They beat around the bush and are obsessed with political correctness and being loving and tolerant. The truth is that everyone makes choices every single day. You can choose to believe in God or not. You can choose to believe the Bible or not. You can choose to surrender your life to Jesus Christ or not. You can choose to be a liar, a thief, a whore-monger, a murderer, an alcoholic or a drug addict. Quit blaming it on your genes or your addictive personality, unfortunate circumstances, or your background and upbringing. Yes, our culture and surroundings influence us, but we don't have to yield to its evil influences.

For example, I could say to my wife, "It's so natural for me to have sex with other women, so I think I will. I just can't help myself!" Just because a woman opens her blouse to me and entices me to have sex with her doesn't mean that I will. The fact is some people just want to do what comes naturally or what feels good, and the devil eats them up. He will feed you all the lies and perversion you are willing to receive.

Here's the raw, naked truth: Homosexuality is actually a demon spirit. It is such a putrid-smelling demon that other demons don't even like to hang around it. A genuine prophet of God told me that the Lord allowed him to smell this demon spirit, and he got sick to his stomach. And yet as humans, many embrace this demon. Yes, you heard me right: Being gay is demonic.

There is an account in the Bible where Jesus casts 2,000 demons out of a man. The demons came out screaming and begged Jesus to send them into the pigs. The pigs didn't want them, so they ran down a steep hill and were drowned in the sea. Pigs have more sense than some humans. Some people embrace homosexual demons, but the pigs would rather die than be possessed with demons.

"Now a large herd of swine was feeding there near the mountains. So all the demons begged Him, saying, 'Send us to the swine, that we may enter them.' And at once Jesus gave them permission. Then the unclean spirits went out and entered the swine (there were about two thousand); and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and drowned in the sea." (Mark 5:11-13).

From a biblical perspective, the rise of homosexuality is a sign that a society is in the last stages of decay. And here is another terrible truth: As people continue to reject God, He gives them over to increasingly immoral and self-destructive activities. There are destructive physical, emotional and spiritual consequences of homosexual behavior.

All human beings know deep in their hearts that God exists, and they all know something of His moral standards. But people's unrighteousness leads them to suppress the truth and believe false views of God and the Bible, and they twist the scriptures to their own destruction, because they know that the truth would require them to repent.

Allow me to school you in Basic Sex 101. If being gay was natural, two men or two women could produce a baby, but they can't. Their sexual reproductive organs do not complement each other therefore making it impossible for them to procreate. It can never be natural for two men or two women to get married and live together. Our culture's acceptance and celebration of gay behavior will never make it right. Wrong is wrong no matter how many people are for it. And right is right no matter how many people are against it. Homosexuality is not new. It's been around for thousands of years. It's as old as the devil himself.

Just as a fornicator or an adulterer can stop being sexually active, any gay person who claims to be a professing Christian can stop being gay. There are still plenty of strong brothers and sisters in the Lord who will be more than willing to offer help, prayer, counsel and deliverance. There are also many godly pastors and mentors who will be glad to minister to you so you can be free. If natural feelings for the opposite sex do not return, then honor the Lord by waiting and choosing to remain celibate. In the same way I would give account to God for living in adultery, so the Bible says one day homosexuals will pay the penalty for the error of their ways. Just because something is pleasurable and feels good will never make it right if it is outside of the boundaries God has set.

No one has to preach controversial subjects and "rock the boat" type of messages. But in times like these when homosexuality is being embraced and celebrated by much of our culture, and now by many churches, preachers have a responsibility to preach sound doctrines and truths that will warn people of the consequences of sin. I charge every preacher of righteousness today to preach these truths and warn your people of the wrath to come on those who delight in unrighteousness and wickedness. The scriptures are full of warnings, and true love always warns.

If you struggle with same-sex attraction, please take your will and put it in God's hands and let Him begin to break you of the power of its addiction. The process of breaking any addiction starts with a hatred for the thing and then a turning to God in sincere repentance. He will never cast out the one who comes to Him for help (John 6:37). When you realize that all impenitent homosexuals are among the dead who have no inheritance in the kingdom of God and whose end is destruction, the sweetness and pleasure of your sin will suddenly turn sour in your belly.

"Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of hell." (Prov. 9:17-18).

Do not be deceived.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Cor. 6:9-10).

May God grant godly repentance to more homosexuals and cause them to shun the horrors of hell while gaining the glories of heaven. May many more of them be washed, sanctified and justified for the honor and glory of God.

"And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Cor. 6:11).

Bert M. Farias, founder of Holy Fire Ministries, is the author of The Real Gospel and co-host of the New England Holy Ghost Forum. He is a missionary evangelist carrying a spirit of revival to the church and the nations. Follow him at Bert Farias on Facebook or @Bertfarias1 on Twitter.

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