Amber’s Story:
Amber grew up in a Christian home and was herself a Christian, but she made a fatal mistake. Compromise. It’s amazing to think about how much damage one word can cause in a Christian’s life. We think we can give a little there and it won’t affect us that much. It’s sad really. But you can’t compromise and not get burned. It’s like walking into a puddle of quicksand. The edges are firm enough to allow you to continue walking and it gives you the false sense of security that it’s just a regular puddle and you can walk right through it. But then you get out far enough and the bottom changes from solid to sand and your feet begin to sink. By the time you realize it’s actually quicksand, you have passed the point of no return and the quicksand is busily sucking you down.
It’s then that a Christian can cry out to Jesus for help and the Lord is always faithful to come and deliver us. The problem is that the leeches and the other nasty creatures that like in the quicksand have already attached themselves to us and have done us much harm. Jesus can and will set us free from those little attachments and heal our wounds, but we’ll be scarred for life.
The deception that comes with compromise is that we can sin and be in control of it. Sin is like a snowball rolling downhill. It starts out small but quickly it gathers momentum and grows in size until it becomes dangerous and out of control.
“I am a 19-year-old college student, and I have made the decision to abstain from sex until marriage. Like many of my peers, I have sat through countless lectures filled with statistics that highlight the dangers of unprotected sex—unwanted pregnancies, and STD's that could really throw one’s life off course. These lectures all end with a somewhat awkward demonstration of how to used the many protective devices out there, but while the speaker fumbles through the lecture and plays with the plastic, they always seem to leave out the devices that are supposed to protect some of the most important parts of me—my heart and my purity.
It’s amazing to think of the precious gift I have received though Jesus’ sacrifice—the chance to have the God of all creation declare me clean and blameless in spite of falling so short of all He is. And after receiving such a gift, I would not want to forfeit it for anything. Purity means that I reserve myself for Him at all costs because I know He is an awesome and loving God who is worthy of that kind of devotion. God is not trying to ruin my fun or burden me with a bunch of rules and regulations. He calls me to a life of purity to protect my body and my heart because He loves me. As a father knows what is best for his child, so my Father in heaven—our Father in heaven knows what is best for us.
Not only has He called me to be pure, I know He has something better for me than some brief encounter. I know He has selected someone for me who values what I value and believes what I believe. My purity is not only what I offer to God. It is also a gift I give to my future husband. How sad to approach marriage alter having already given away what only one person is rightfully entitled to. Yet how awesome to be able to say, “I have waited for and saved myself for you in anticipation of the day that God would unite us in marriage”. How beautiful is the picture of two people who have waited for one another finally receiving the reward of their patience and their diligence in maintaining their purity.
Finally, I would like to encourage everyone to value himself or herself. I encourage you to realize how precious the gift that Jesus has given us is, and how precious the gift is that you have to give. Realize the beauty of purity and how rewarding it is to set oneself apart for God. Walk with the vision of presenting yourself to God and your future spouse as someone who in eager expectation of their arrival kept herself pure.” - Tara (Durham, North Carolina)
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