Okay you guys, the topic of this post is something I believe is very important in every christian teen life. Yeah, you guessed it. Abstinence. And where did your mind go? Probably where mine used to go every time I heard that word. Far away, tuned out because you’ve already heard so much about it. Don’t fret, this isn’t going somewhere where your mind shouldn’t follow. But, everyone needs to truly learn about Abstinence, and what you can do to keep your body ‘a temple for God’.
In fact, I have a little story for you guys. It involves a prince, and some hard-core morality.
King Louis (XVI of France) had been taken from his throne and imprisoned. His young son, the prince, was taken by those who dethroned the king. They thought insamuch as the king’s son was heir to the throne, if they could destroy him morally, he would never realize the great and grand destiny that life had bestowed upon him.
They took him to a community far away, and there they exposed the lad to every filthy and vile thing that life could offer. They exposed him to foods the richness of which would quickly make him a slave to appetite. They used vile language around him constantly. They exposed him to lewd and lusting women. He was surrounded twenty-four hours a day by everything that could drag the soul of a man as low as one could slip. For over six months he had this treatment - but not once did the young lad buckle under pressure.
King Louis (XVI of France) had been taken from his throne and imprisoned. His young son, the prince, was taken by those who dethroned the king. They thought insamuch as the king’s son was heir to the throne, if they could destroy him morally, he would never realize the great and grand destiny that life had bestowed upon him.
They took him to a community far away, and there they exposed the lad to every filthy and vile thing that life could offer. They exposed him to foods the richness of which would quickly make him a slave to appetite. They used vile language around him constantly. They exposed him to lewd and lusting women. He was surrounded twenty-four hours a day by everything that could drag the soul of a man as low as one could slip. For over six months he had this treatment - but not once did the young lad buckle under pressure.
Finally, after intensive temptation, they questioned him. Why had he not submitted himself to these things - why had he not partaken? These things would provide pleasure, satisfy his lusts, and were desirable; they were all his. The boy said, “I cannot do what you ask for I was born to be a king.”
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Page 15
- 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, Page 15
Right now you are probably wondering why I even put this story in here. In all actuality, it was originally used to explain paradigms, or the way we view things, our perspective. But more on that later. Remember how the men wanted to destroy the prince’s spirit? Well, they wanted to so the boy would never realize that he was supposed to be better; they wanted to literally destroy it. now think of the men as sin, and the boy as you. Would you have given in? Sin wants to constantly destroy your spirit, it doesn’t want you to recognize that you’re supposed to be something greater. As 1 Corinthians 3:16 states,”Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?”
Well, don’t you? if you know that you’re the temple for His spirit, why do we continue to sin? It’s because we give in to the temptations of sin. All the time, Satan is whispering in our ear. And it is no help that the media helps him. Ever have thoughts like:
“Oh, this show is a little wrong, but it is alright, it isn’t going to hurt.”
“How can one drink get me addicted?”
“How can one drink get me addicted?”
“Cutting classes is fine, everyone does it.”
“Besides, all my friends are doing it, why shouldn’t I?”
Or anything similar? We all sin, it is our sinful nature. Romans 3:23 reminds us of it. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. And since God’s Spirit lives inside us, it’s getting little attacks from all the sin you commit. If God is in our body, why are we trying to make him leave with the continuous sin? We should not be defined of things of this world, but rather, by our God.
Romans 8:9 “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
Even according to the bible we are not controlled by our sinful nature. That is why we have the ability to say no, to abstain from things we know will do us harm. And God wants us to. Every time we sin, we fall short of the glory of God, doesn’t that just wrench a soul in your heart? Every time you participate in something you know is going to do you harm, you just got farther from God; farther! God doesn't want that, he wants to have you near him, you should want that too! The prince wanted it. He abstained from all of those horrible things that “could drag the soul of a man as low as one could slip.” Just think, the prince could’ve added one word, and would have been a model for you to follow even more. He could’ve said this: “ I cannot do what you ask for I was born to be with a King.” All of us were born to be with the King, (and not Elvis!) 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”
Even according to the bible we are not controlled by our sinful nature. That is why we have the ability to say no, to abstain from things we know will do us harm. And God wants us to. Every time we sin, we fall short of the glory of God, doesn’t that just wrench a soul in your heart? Every time you participate in something you know is going to do you harm, you just got farther from God; farther! God doesn't want that, he wants to have you near him, you should want that too! The prince wanted it. He abstained from all of those horrible things that “could drag the soul of a man as low as one could slip.” Just think, the prince could’ve added one word, and would have been a model for you to follow even more. He could’ve said this: “ I cannot do what you ask for I was born to be with a King.” All of us were born to be with the King, (and not Elvis!) 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;”
Remember in the first post were I talked about walking with the wise? I know remembering things again... But anyway, the second part of Proverbs 13:20 says that “the companion of fools suffers harm.” Guess, what! Those ‘fools’ aren’t just people. Think if the ‘fools’ as anything that can damage your temple. The media, drinking, foul language, partaking in sin, generally. So what can you do? You can abstain from things that do you harm. Or ABSTINENCE! See, now we’ve come full circle. Abstinence is keeping your body holy for use as a temple for God’s Spirit. And that is for the good of everybody. Even if you do end up sinning once in a while, the point is to keep trying, to persevere. After all, “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.”
-Ecclesiastes 7:20
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