Southeast Texas Abstinence Ministry – Armed and Virtuous: Don’t Sell Yourself Short

Southeast Texas Abstinence Ministry

Armed & Virtuous

Talking to Teens about Abstinence

As parents we talk with our children about a number of challenging topics. Perhaps none is more difficult than the abstinence message- what it means, our expectations, and how to live up to them.

Southeast Texas abstinence ministry Armed and Virtuous recognizes this challenge and is here to assist you.

Genesis 25:34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright (NIV).

Well, it’s been a long time, but we’re back! Now that school is back in full swing, I have a special message for you. I hope that it will get you thinking as you start the new school year, and will challenge you to stand strong in your faith, and in your commitment to purity.

We’ve all heard the story of Esau and Jacob. In a nutshell, here’s the scenario: Esau has been out working in the fields, and he comes home exhausted and famished. In the tent, Jacob is cooking a pot of beans. Esau asks for some of Jacob’s food, and Jacob takes advantage of the situation. (Probably not for the first time, and definitely not the last time!) In verse 31 Jacob says “First, sell me your birthright.”

This is an amazingly hefty price for a pot of beans! A birthright was the special inheritance given to an oldest son. Upon the death of his father, the oldest son received a double portion of his father’s estate. This was traditional, because the oldest son was expected to take over as head of the household, and needed to provide for the family.

While Esau should have taken time to consider the bargain, he was too wrapped up in the emotions of his present situation. He responded, “Look, I am about to die . . . what good is the birthright to me?” Jacob makes him swear an oath, Esau does, and Jacob sells him the pot of beans.

Here’s how this applies to us: As Christians, we’re out there, doing the work God has given us to do, and it’s exhausting! As a teenager committed to sexual purity, you face an all-out war against your decision everywhere you turn. You are rejected by your peers. Sometimes you have to stay at home, rather than having fun on the weekends. You might miss out on going places. You even face ridicule, as people don’t understand, much less value your decision to honor God with your body. You are slammed with sexual images everywhere you turn, and Hollywood spends millions of dollars to specifically target you, encouraging you to abandon your principles by glorifying sinful lifestyles.

It’s a tough place to be. You probably wonder if anyone actually succeeds. Then, in your moment of weakness, someone offers you a relationship, acceptance, friendship, and “love.” After all your hard work, it seems so easy. The price? Give in to the pressure. Surrender to the voice that’s saying, “Try it! Everyone else is, and look how good life is for them!”

So many Christian young people, (and older people as well), fall for this lie! They sell their spiritual inheritance, and deny who they are in Christ, for beans! They allow themselves to be used, in exchange for a very brief change in their social circumstances. Esau may have satisfied his immediate need, but he became hungry again, and that pot of beans was no longer there to fulfill him. Jacob, however, walked away with Esau’s prize: a double portion of the family inheritance.

Don’t let the world rob you. As a child of God, you will inherit the riches of an eternal kingdom one day, and even while here on earth, you have the power of the Holy Spirit living within you. He will give you the power you need to overcome any temptation, no matter how weak you are at the time, and no matter how strong the temptation. You are spiritual royalty, living in a world that has no real power over you.

Satan’s only weapon is the power of lies. He paints a very convincing illusion, hoping to make you forget who you are and what belongs to you, but it is still an illusion. Remember, daughters and sons of the King, that you are entitled to power to overcome the enemy (2 Tim. 1:7). Remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh. 8:10). Remember, also, that God’s plans for romance are complete and without regret. It might mean that you struggle against rejection for now, but if God’s plans are for you to marry, then your inheritance is a faithful, committed relationship that will bless you until death do you part. Finally, realize that you are ultimately the bride of Christ. God’s greatest plans for you are to spend eternity with His Son, and know the most faithful, committed, fully accepting love in existence. A love that goes beyond what our minds can even comprehend.

Stand strong this year, my brothers and sisters!

If you are struggling with pressure to give in to sexual sin, you are not alone. Please contact us as requests@armedandvirtuous.org and our prayer partners will be glad to support you in prayer.

My name is April M. Anderson, and I’m just a girl with a story. God laid a burden on my heart to pray for my husband when I was in the sixth grade. I prayed and waited for him for six years, dated him for three, and we’ve been married for 15 years. By God’s grace, both my husband and I were virgins on our wedding day and we’ve been living out our “happily ever after” from that day on!

Armed and Virtous Abstinence Ministry encourages young Southeast Texas women to save themselves for the husbands God is preparing for them.

If, like most Southeast Texas parents, you struggle with delivering and reinforcing an appropriate abstinence message, let April’s blog be a guiding light.