I''ve had a burden for the youth of today for sometime but especially for those young adults that were brought up to know Jesus. I find more and more that as I speak to young people, there is a tremendous lack of Bible knowledge. In fact, many of the young Christians today do not even read their Bibles on a regular basis and it is clear that this lack of knowledge is actually destroying them spiritually.

One area in particular that has been of great concern is in the area of sexual purity.  Many young people believe that if they simply obstain from sexual intercourse, they are being sexually pure.  However, the truth is that much of what society considers acceptable practices between men and women are actually breaking the heart of God.  I recently read an article on the subject and want to share a part of it here.   God''s word is sharper then any two-edged sword and I have learned that it will draw some people to God while others will choose to go their own way.  I pray that this article will stir your heart towards God as you seek to live a life pleasing to Him alone. 

1 Corinthians 6:18-20 & 1 Corinthians 7:1-2

"Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. ¹⁹ Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, ²⁰ for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. Now regarding the questions you asked in your letter. Yes, it is good for a man not to touch a woman.² But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband."

The dictionary meaning of the word "fornication" means any unlawful sexual intercourse including adultery. In the Bible the Greek definition of the word "fornication" means to commit illicit sexual intercourse. What constitutes unlawful sex? Whose laws do we live by? Worldly standards or laws many times do not always line up with the Word of God. The founding fathers of the United States established many laws that were originally based on Christian standards and the laws of the Bible. However, through time the United States has drifted far from these standards and at the present our moral standards are shocking the world. However, immorality is not only found in the U.S. but is a world-wide epidemic. Societies throughout history and around the globe have embraced sexual standards that are called sins in the Bible.

Fornication is not just tolerated in our society but is actually being encouraged. The sin of fornication is being committed even among Christians, as many couples "live together" and have sex before marriage. The Bible tells us to flee this sin. We have counseled Christians of the opposite sex who share an apartment and they told us they were not having sex so this surely wasn''t wrong. The Bible declares these words in 1 Thessalonians 5:22-23:

"Abstain (stay away) from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Our lives as Christians are a living witness to others and we cannot break the laws of God without hindering others from coming to Christ. We must live our lives in purity before a sinful world. We should not be living according to their standards but according to God''s standard in the Bible. No couple should live together outside the bonds of marriage.

Many say they live together before marriage to see if they are compatible as they don''t want to divorce. This may sound like a justifiable reason for committing the sin of fornication, but in God''s eyes it is still sin. Statistics however, show that those who live together before marriage are more likely to get a divorce than those who do not. Living together shows a total lack of trust in God and a failure to commit to Him the choosing of a mate. Christians who are living in this situation are out of the will of God and need to repent and seek God as to whether this person is the right one for them. If it is God''s will for them to be together they should marry. Otherwise, they need to change their living arrangements.

As Christians, the goal of any relationship should be to cause the people in our lives to love and know the Lord better....Young people today need to be taught to abstain from sexual intercourse and remain pure virgins before marriage. So many problems in marriages today stem from the fact that they are not virgins when they marry. Young people are bringing wounded emotions and diseased bodies into their marriages because of prior promiscuous affairs. The sin of fornication is not only defined as illicit sexual intercourse between those who are not married but also is an umbrella for other sexual sins as well..."  [Source: Betty Miller, Bible.com Ministries, Bible refererences - New Living Translation]

My desire is that Jesus will be glorified.  By sharing the article above, I do not speak in judgement or attempt to throw stones or even pull the speck out of someone else''s eye while ignoring the log in my own.  Instead, I speak out because I want the best for all of God''s beloved children.  If that offends some, then I seek their forgiveness but I will never apologize for speaking the truth of God''s Word no matter how difficult it may be.