Prepared for what? you ask. Are you prepared to have a happy life? Are you just living for the now? Or, are you thinking about the future?
Do you want a husband or a wife? Kids? Family?
Now, here’s the biggie: do you want all of that guilt free?
Sex. It’s everywhere. “Everyone” is doing it. Even Christians. Even those who appear “normal” can be faced with (and fail) temptation.
I am a Christian teen. I get faced with it. I know I grew up in a safe environment and sheltered. If I get faced with it, I know everyone gets faced with it. It’s how we handle it that counts.
In James 1:12 it says, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.”
There ARE blessings we receive if we overcome temptation – if we say no, and stand by it.
God wants a bride prepared for Him. We are part of that bride, so we must prepare ourselves – and remain pure.
If that’s what God wants, then we can expect our future spouse probably desires the same thing.
But the thing is, sexual purity is more than just about abstinence from physical intimacy until marriage, it includes our thoughts, our feelings, our secret habits. God sees it all.
So, what if you’ve already failed? There’s this wonderful thing called grace. And forgiveness. Go to God about it. He can change you and heal you – and keep you from doing it again.
What if you still get faced with it? What if you still WANT it but don’t want it at the same time? Go to God about it. Ask Him for help. You see, He made this amazing promise to us in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you”.
Isn’t that an amazing promise? We can ask Him for help to DESIRE purity – to CHOOSE purity.
With God’s help, we can overcome ANY sin – including any sex sin (thoughts, feelings, actions, habits, etc.). And we can be a prepared bride for Him and for His chosen one for us.
“…with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26b.
Read more articles by Bethany Payne or search for articles on the same topic or others.
Bethany, welcome to FaithWriters and thank you for sharing with the rest of us. You speak the truth and you do it so well. Be blessed, and know that you are loved.
Dear Bethany, what powerful words coming from such a young person. How blessed you are to have such insight from the Holy Spirit in an age where there is so much deception regarding this issue of sex. You are a bright light, that I am sure God will use to help light the way for other young people. Blessings, Sharon
