Every Young Man's Battle!!

So definitely an interesting last few Bro's smallgroups in which hopefully we have all learned something positive. Seriously guys thankyou for being real with us about the 'stuff' you are all struggling with, I think when we are open and honest about it we all realise that it isn't a challenge we are facing by ourselves and in the words of Michael Jackson, "You are not alone"!

DJ and I have been encouraged that all of you are up for the challenge and ready to pursue the ultimate goal - to become more like Jesus - and in this case that means sexual purity. But how do we do this? We all know it certainly isn't easy. I personally believe it is done in 3 ways

• in realising who God has made us as His children that we overcome sin. Really check out verse 19 below, Paul is reminding us of who we are and what we have been given as Christians. There is a massive difference between trying to live to a certain standard and simply living out of who God's made us to be.

¹⁸ "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?"

1 Corinthians 6:18,19

• In realising we have each other as support and to talk to and to challenge and encourage. That's what our smallgroup is all about!

• Asking for God's strength to be able to say no. "The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure." 1 Corinthians 10:13

Guys I'm not gonna say much more except this. Lust and pornography destroy lives and relationships. It may give us a temporary high but in the long run it can really harm us and our relationships with girls. The verse above says, to 'flee'. That doesn't mean we look a few times and then say no, it means you get as far away as fast as you can from this stuff; not the odd peak at a porn site or babecast! Remember Joseph in the Bible? Potipher's wife was trying to seduce him and he literally fled the house as she ripped his jacket off and he didn't even stay to try and get it back. He was like "I'm outta here". That has to be our attitude to staying pure.

Finally well done so far! You can all do it...why? Because the same Spirit that was in Jesus to help him conquer sin is in us, Yeahhhhhaaa!