Category: Parenting & Ministry

23.May.2013 |

The Benefits of Friendship

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Of course the journey of our mind regarding sex means that we hang out with those that tend to approve of our journey. There is peace in a unified mindset.

Great friends are there though to challenge us to grow and change, so there will always be times of friction; however, we should recognize that this friction can be good.

Friends who have known us longer than our new-found romantic interest can recognize when a relationship or an event is harmful to us. Friends can warn us when we are about to enter into something dangerous—such as a relationship that could compromise our standards.

Great friends know our hopes and our dreams and will honestly speak their minds in defense of those things.

Surround yourself with others that support your commitment to doing your relationships well. This limits the temptations and opportunities that could lead us to stepping out of bounds.

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22.May.2013 |

Parenting and Sexual Boundaries

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The first place where the boundaries of sex should be established is in the home; however, some parents, in their quest to be relevant or simply because they do not want to lose their child, succumb to the same social pressures as their children—pressures that drive them to allow their teenagers to stay the night with a girlfriend or boyfriend or approve the couple’s plans to move in together.

The primary line of defense in the family is the parent, and yet parents are no longer protecting their children. They are doing the opposite.

Most parents are encouraging their children in their independence. They want their children to have freedom of choice even when their children are too young to understand the power of their choices.

Adolescents, particularly young girls, are disappointed in the lack of boundaries enforced by their parents. A young girl was baffled that her parents allowed her to be alone so often with her boyfriend. No parental supervision made it difficult for this young girl to draw the line.

Young adults do not have a reference point for what is right and what is wrong if their parents do not teach it to them; they flow with whatever society says is okay at the time. This means that premarital sex is a good thing; even a rite of passage! The promise of “no consequences” is a lie, though, and the pain of giving oneself sexually outweighs the supposed sense of freedom.

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20.May.2013 |

Temptation and Change. An Extract from a Story. God Sex book)

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Each day, we have a choice to renew our minds. It is a new day with new beginnings and new chances to heal.

Our minds change a little at a time and we find ourselves exercising some form of power in our lives.

God’s power helps us as every new day there are new temptations. Temptations are attractive. As we walk out our journey, we find ourselves in moments where we put ourselves in a place of weakness where we know temptation will meet us. We know the answer, yet, we still must make the choice. The mind may try to counter-argue: “Just one last time. I’ll do it. It’s fine. I’ll start again tomorrow.”

If we fall in this moment, we can blame the circumstances, but it was still our choice.

Good and bad opportunities will come. We can see these moments as tests, and like tests, we need to pass them; otherwise, the same test returns.

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15.May.2013 |

Forgiveness, Sexuality, Moving Forward

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There is and always will be the issue of forgiveness. We all struggle with regret for past mistakes, and we all live with the memories of what we have done.

The first step in moving on is to admit that we are fallible and make mistakes. God forgives us, and we must, therefore, forgive ourselves and others.

Our problem can be letting go of our pride and embarrassment over what we have done. We should not be in a resentful place nor can we afford to be a person that holds resentment.

God encourages us to forgive, for it is in forgiveness that we are forgiven.

We also have to choose to not dwell on our mistakes. Sexual sin is often difficult to forget because of the intimacy we held with others. It did not seem like a bad idea at the time, but when the relationship dissolves, we face the regret of giving ourselves over to something temporary.

We have to choose to cast down our thoughts and imaginations. If we keep on allowing ourselves to dwell on our mistakes then we are going to be depressed. Choose to move forward.

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14.May.2013 |

Grace or Obedience? (Taken from God Sex book)

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We love grace, but we hate obedience. We run to familiar things rather than to what God calls us to: Christ.

Biblical teachings are best utilized through a combination of grace and knowledge.

We can all too often try to justify the sins of those we love. We convince ourselves that what they are doing is not really wrong. We fall for deception. Our intention to be merciful fails and we find our friends in trouble and further from God. We are too inclined to just excuse sin and err to God’s grace; meanwhile, we allow people and ourselves to stay in sin.

Faithfulness to Him means maturity, and at times, it hurts.

Our vulnerabilities and weaknesses are not offensive to God, but our sin is.

If we want to know God, we have to be willing to allow Him to know us. John writes in John 8:32, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Jesus visualized the fisherman Peter as a world-changer. If we keep ourselves in God’s words, we find it easier to both love ourselves and others. It is also easier to change.

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