Michael Ross - Dating, Relating, Waiting. Gods Word on Purity

2015 by Back to the Bible

Print ISBN 978-1-63058-369-9

eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-176-3
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-177-0

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O ne minute I (Michael) am flipping through channels on my TVlooking for something decent to watchand the next minute Im seriously confused.

What Im seeing cant be real! I tell myself. Its got to be staged. But why? Who would want to pretend to live this way?

Ive stumbled upon a popular shock TV show often viewed by teens. Todays topic: Transvestite Gay Males and Their Female Lovers.

The host is interviewing a homosexual young man named Charlie who is dressed like a girl and a girl named Sarah who is dressed like a boy. Both claim to be lovers. Suddenly the girl pulls an engagement ring out of her jacket pocket and kneels in front of the boy.

Charlie, weve been friends through high school, she says, and you know how I feel about you.

The boy blushes, and the audience cheers.

I want to spend my life with you, Sarah tells Charlie, offering him the ring. I want to have your children. Thats why Im asking you to marry me.

The audience roars even louder. Even the host begins to pressure him. So, whats your answer, Charlie? the TV personality says. She obviously loves you. Are you going to say no to this beautiful young lady?

But Im gay, Charlie responds.

I dont care, his lover says. I think we can have a good life together.

After a long pausethe audience still cheeringCharlie looks at the host and says, Yes, Ill marry her. But only because I love that gorgeous ring!

As crazy as this story sounds, it underscores the broken sexual climate you are growing up in, not to mention todays casual attitudes toward sex, love, and marriage.

True, Charlie and Sarah represent an extreme case, and more than likely they staged their relationshipjust for fifteen minutes of fame. (What do you expect from reality TV, right?) Yet a constant bombardment of mixed-up media messages coupled with bad influences from friends are taking a toll on your generation.

Im not one of those all-media-is-Satan kind of guys, says popular youth speaker and author Justin Lookadoo. But in the case of sex and romance, it may be true. Do you know how hard it is to find a DVD, CD, or magazine without a bunch of skin-flashin and sex-talkin? Its like, thats all there is.

A friend of minecontemporary Christian music artist Josh Brownagrees. Todays teens are drowning in twisted sexual content from movies, TV, music, and the Internet, he says. Its warping their view of love and relationships. I know this from experience: I came out of the secular music world. Ive been there, and I see it happening to teens everywhere. (Josh started a band several years back called Day of Fire.)

When it comes to matters of the heart, even churchgoing teens are caving into whats popularinstead of what Gods Word tells us is right:

Robert, 16, Durham, North Carolina: Sometimes hooking up with the opposite sex is just about fun, about recreation, not romance. My girlfriend and I really like each other, and it has come to the point where she and I want to kiss and stuff. But some of my friends say its wrong in Gods eyes to make out. To us, its not a big deal.

Allie, 17, Augusta, Georgia: If two unmarried people are having sex in a committed relationship, what should stop them? As a Christian, Ive always been taught that premarital sex is wrong, but the problem is, I cant find scripture that says this specifically. Why do Christians create so many rules for something that everybody is doing?

Josh, 16, Beaverton, Oregon: I met a girl at camp who has all the qualities Im looking forincluding a strong faith in God. Even though we only spent a week together, Im convinced that Ive found my soul mate. But my parents believe otherwise. They say were way too young to get serious romantically, especially to think about marriage. Our feelings are real, so what makes us too immature?

Why didnt God make the quest for purity easier for teens? Why didnt He give you sexual desires on your wedding nightand not a moment before?

Could it be that our Creator wants to take you on a journey into authentic manhood and womanhood? I think so. Im convinced that He wants to embrace that sometimes confused, sometimes awkwardbut absolutely amazingkid you see in the mirror and transform you into a young man or young woman fit to wear His badge: a workman approved by God (2 Timothy 2:15).

This transformation, like anything worthwhile in life, involves struggle.

Face it: Next to committing your life to Jesus Christ, setting godly standards for relationships and choosing the path of purity are two of the wisest choices you will ever make. So before you even think about dating, you must examine your motives. You must take an honest look at how you view love, sex, and marriage. Do you seek answers from the Bible, or are you going along with what the world says is okay?