How can teens stay true to Jesus in
the middle of a sex-crazed world?
God commands and demands that there
shouldn't even be a hint of sexual
immorality among us as His saved people
(Ephesians 5:3). Of course, we all find this
incredibly easy to do, right? WRONG!
This feels completely impossible most
(maybe all) of the time. If there is one area
of life where it feels like Satan is winning
the battle, it’s in the area of sex. And if
there is one area where our bodies are
screaming out to us to disobey God, it’s in
the area of sex.
So I want to give you my top 20 tips to
help you avoid sexual immorality:
1. Find out what pleases the Lord . This
is a command straight out of
Ephesians 5:10, and is part of what
it means to live a life worthy of our
calling as Christians, and part of
what it means to live a life of love,
just as Christ loved us.
2. Find out what God’s will for your life
is. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 says, “It is
God’s will that you should be
sanctified: that you should avoid
sexual immorality; that each of you
should learn to control his own body in
a way that is holy and honorable, not in
passionate lust like the heathen, who
do not know God;” It doesn’t get
much clearer than that!
3. The battle begins in the mind. You
need to know what God says about
sex and trust what God says about
sex. You need to be careful what
you fill your minds with. Imagination
is often the hot-bed where sin is
hatched. Martin Luther once said
about sexual desires, “You can’t stop
birds from flying over your head, but
you can stop them from making nests
in your hair.”
4. Pray (It is a spiritual battle too).
Depend on God, on the power of His
Holy Spirit to strengthen you in this
battle. (Matthew 6:13; 2 Timothy
2:22; James 5:16)
5. Don't put yourself in situations
where you will be easily tempted.
There is little point praying that God
would not lead you into temptation,
then walking straight into a
tempting situation.
6. Remember God is watching. You are
never completely out of sight.
Someone can always see you.
7. Wield the axe . Jesus says in
Matthew 5, if your eye or hand
causes you to sin, gouge them out
and throw them away, because
eternal life is at stake. So if the
internet, magazines, TV, or peer
groups are causing you to sin; wield
the axe. Chop away those things
that tempt you.
8. Talk about sex (accountability) . You
can't fight this alone. You need
God's help and you need help from
God's people too.
9. You are not alone. It can be helpful
to know you are not the only person
who has ever been tempted this way.
“No temptation has seized you except
what is common to man” (1
Corinthians 10:13a)
10. You CAN resist. "God is faithful; He
will not let you be tempted beyond
what you can bear" (1 Corinthians
10:13b).
11. Know that God provides a way out.
"But when you are tempted, he will
also provide a way out so that you can
stand up under it" (1 Corinthians
10:13c).
12. Count yourself dead to sin and alive
to God. Christians are people who
have died to sin (knowing that sin
leads to death), and now live for God
and righteousness, knowing that this
leads to eternal life (Romans
6:11-14).
13. Remember the cross. Jesus died for
our sins, including our sexual sins.
14. Remember Jesus is coming back. We
will all have to give an account for
our lives, even our sex life.
15. Memorise Scripture. When Jesus
was tempted in the desert, he fired
Scripture back at the devil (Matthew
4:1-11). Having God’s Word in the
forefront of your mind can help you
too.
16. Weariness and sadness often leads
to sin. Learn to know yourself. Know
when you are weak and susceptible
to temptation.
17. Struggling is a good sign. Keep
fighting and don't give in.
18. Be careful what you wear. Modesty
is good for you and good for others
too.
19. Forgiveness is available. If you sin
sexually you can still be forgiven,
such is the power of the cross of
Christ. So repent, turn back to God
and live for Him.
20. Read some good books. Fervr
recently released Teen Sex By the
Book . You might find it a helpful
guide for answering some of your
questions about sex.
I hope and pray that these tips will help
you in this fight. Remember, 'not even a
hint of sexual immorality', is God's loving
standard for you (Ephesians 5:3)
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