The Tribune

by Minister Keith Evans

I want to adamantly appeal to our young people here within the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. I am very much concerned with the state of the nation, and I am disconcerted with the behaviour of our young people. This subject in my opinion is axiomatic and self explanatory in essence, and ingrained within the grand scheme of things. What I'm about to write to you isn't an hypothesis, possibility, or theory, but ironclad facts!

The Bahamas, currently has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence outside sub-saharan Africa according to the "Global AIDS Monitoring Report: 2017", released by The Bahamas' Ministry of Health, at the end of 2015, 8,667 people were listed as living with this infection. I'm not a mathematician, but that astronomical figure is calculated to roughly one in 50 people in the Bahamas living with HIV/AIDS!

Those numbers were given by Dr Duane Sands of the Department of Health. This is indeed a challenge for the Ministry of Health, and a conundrum to say the least for the nation!

How do you control people's sexual behaviour? Man has a satiable concupiscence to satiate his flesh, which has dire ramifications on all levels of society. The Bible, God's word has sufficient information on sex and our attitude towards it. You see, we don't really break God's Law, it's the exact antithesis for that matter. It's God's Law that breaks us when we step over that barrier.

The obvious consensus from most expects is to practice safe sex! What is safe sex? However, God's word even prohibits such recklessly and disregard for His word. God never teaches safe sex, but abstinence. Abstinence until marriage. Hebrews 13:4, "Marriage is honourable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." God honours marriage! And let me say this; marriage is between a real man and a real woman. To be coherent and conspicuous against the LGBT community that teaches otherwise, and any transgenders that defy God's standards.

There is indeed a compendium of scriptures that emphasise the need for sexual purity, while condemning sexual promiscuity. There's a cachet to those who seek to do it God's way, which by the way is holy matrimony between a real man and a real woman. God has given man and woman latitude, and autonomy in deciding to obey His word. We have a choice!

I for one want to disseminate the essentials of sexual purity, especially among our youths. In case you've forgotten, God still is holy and requires holiness on all levels. Hebrews 12:14: "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord."

We must get back to grassroots christianity. The Bahamas still ranks 17th in the world for HIV AIDS adult prevalence rate, according to the statistics by Index Mundi. Currently, there are two countries where the national prevalence is over two percent, those being Belize, and you guess it right, The Bahamas being the second one. In Jamaica and Haiti, the HIV rate is estimated to be about 1.8 percent, while Trinidad and Tobago the rate is 1.5 percent. In the region, the rate in Guyana and Suriname is between one and 1.1 percent.

Being in the top two within the region for a Christian Nation is rickety and wonky dispositionally, in my honest opinion. However, I believe that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and it's repentance and adherence to the word of God. This philosophy isn't insurmountable or insuperable for with God all things are possible. 1 Thessalonians 4:1-5: " Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality, that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honour, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; " holiness is a must.

Paul gives a compendious gist on this much important subject on sexual purity. Holiness is indeed an idealism or should I say a much improved standard of living. Young people, trust Jesus Christ. Don't trust your flesh or the arms of fickle man that is inconsistent. God's way is innocuous towards all of us, once we place our trust in Him. Paul gives a standard in 1 Thessalonians 4, which is excellence! Young people, strive for excellence in living for God. I will stop here for now!

Message me on Gmail keithevans242@gmail.com or kenazevans242@gmail.com.