Stephen Arterburn - Every Young Mans Battle Guide. Weapons for the War Against Sexual Temptation

EVERY YOUNG MANS BATTLE GUIDE
P UBLISHED BY W ATERBROOK P RESS
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Scripture quotations marked (AMP) are taken from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament, copyright 1965, 1987 by The Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament, copyright 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (DARBY) have been taken from the Darby Translation by John Nelson Darby. Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are taken from the King James Version. Scripture quotations marked (MSG) are taken from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB). Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org). Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (PHILLIPS) are taken from The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition 1972 by J. B. Phillips. Scripture quotations marked (RSV) are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (TLB) are taken from The Living Bible copyright 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

eISBN: 978-0-307-55302-7

Copyright 2003 by Stephen Arterburn, Fred Stoeker, and Mike Yorkey

Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920.

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Y oud have to be living in a cave in Outer Mongolia not to notice how everybody is talking about sex these days. It seems to be the focal point of practically every conversation. Unfortunately, those with the loudest voices hail from Hollywood.

Many of the male characters in todays movies and television shows are depicted as horny guys with stunted personalities, traveling through life with nothing more on their minds than girlsand getting some sexual action. The writers of these sexually charged films and sitcoms build their plots around a simple yet familiar formula: Boy meets Girl, Boy chases Girl, Boy gets Girl in bed, Boy and Girl have lots of fun. Boy and Girl experience no guilt and no consequences as they ride off into the sunset in their azure blue BMW M3 ragtop. Roll the credits.

But in the real word, sex is never quite as simple as the media would have us believe. Hollywood producers love showing us the night of passion, but they conveniently bypass the reality of the morning after: the feelings of remorse, the girl waking up to realize she was nothing more than a convenient object for fulfilling a guys sexual desire, the visit to a doctors office because a former sexual partner said it would be a good idea to get checked, or the ominous phone message from a girlfriend who thinks shes pregnant.

So why is the portrayal of sex so far from reality? The fact is, Hollywoodand our sex-crazed culturehas turned its back on Gods advice and tried to reverse centuries of biblical principles. According to Hollywoods credo, being good (like staying out of bed before marriage) is actually bad for you, but being bad (as in indulging in frequent premarital sex) is actually good for you.

Our Creator knew this would happen. Several centuries ago the prophet Isaiah quoted God as saying, Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter (Isaiah 5:20, NLT ).

Maybe youve begun to question the truth of the messages youve been hearing. Maybe you suspect that sex is a bit more complicated and dangerous than you realizedeither because of personal experience or seeing the impact on your friends. The fact that you are holding this book means that you are at least willing to hear what God has to say about sex, and thats good news, because He sure has a lot to say. He has given us clear direction on everything from how we should treat the opposite sex to how and why we should abstain from sexual activity until marriage.

Keep in mind, though, that God is not some big killjoy in the sky, wanting to put a damper on your attempts at fun. First and foremost, His words are those of a loving Creator who wants to spare His childrenyou and herthe agony that sexual sin can bring. He wants to spare us the emotional pain of the morning after and the physical distress from sexually transmitted diseases that inevitably arise from promiscuous sexual encountersor that seven-pound surprise nine months later. God only wants the best for us, a better future that includes plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope, as His Word states in Jeremiah 29:11 ( NIV ).

As you will read in the following pages, the Lord of the universe delivers some straight talk about sex that goes against what youve been hearing. God doesnt go for that if-it-feels-good-do-it stuff, nor does He let us make up our minds based on which way todays cultural winds happen to be blowing. Instead, Gods standard for sexual purity can be captured in a single Bible verse: But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity (Ephesians 5:3, NIV ).

For young single guys, that verse may prompt some challenging questions. What does a hint mean? How far can you go with a girl when youre alone? How far can you go with yourself when youre alone?

These are great questions, and youll receive some straight answers in Every Young Mans Battle Guide.

Lets go to the source and check out what the Bible has to say on the subject of sexual conduct. Did you know that in nearly every book of the New Testament were commanded to avoid sexual impurity? Heres a selection of passages that teach Gods concern for our sexual purity.

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