The Epidemic by Joan Cook
"Now flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace..." 2 Timothy 2:22
The topic today may make you a little uncomfortable. It is a subject that we do not like to talk about, but it is affecting the lives of millions of America's young people. I am referring to sexually transmitted diseases. Don't freak out! It's okay to read about this and even talk about it!
Frankly, that's part of the problem - we don't talk about it enough! This devotion will be different from most and I pray it will give you information that can help you in making a difference in the life of just one person, maybe even in your own family.
In the book "Epidemic" by Dr. Meg Meeker there are some profound statistics. She writes, "This year alone, 15.3 million Americans will contract a new sexually transmitted disease. Two to four million of those infected will be teenagers. Nearly one out of every four sexually active teens are living with a sexually transmitted disease at this moment." Every day eight thousand teens become infected with a STD. These statistics astounded me! Every year about one million teenage girls get pregnant. Half of all students in the ninth grade have had sexual intercourse. Teens today think that they are safe and not having "real" sex if they only engage in oral sex. A big percent of those engaging in oral sex are under the age of fourteen.
Dr. Meeker tells a shocking true story. She writes, "She had heard some kids were going to have a rainbow party, but she had no idea what that meant. Still, she thought it might be fun, and arranged to attend with a friend. After she arrived, several girls (all in the eighth grade) were given different shades of lipstick and told to perform oral sex on different boys to give them rainbows. When a girl gave her some lipstick, she refused at first but, with repeated pressure, finally gave in. 'It was one of the grossest things I have ever done,' she said crying. 'I just wanted to hide and die. I felt like vomiting.'"
I realize this is not a warm and fuzzy devotion and please forgive me for being so candid with you, but I strongly believe we have a responsibility to today's youth, especially our own!
It has been proven that if we do the following, we will have a positive affect on our teenagers.
1) Take time for our teens
2) Get involved in their lives
3) Get to know their friends
4) Teach them about the Lord
5) Set a godly example
No, this does not ensure us that they will never yield to peer pressure, but when a godly foundation has been laid, it makes it extremely more difficult for our young people to make wrong choices and yield to temptation.
Daily Prayer Focus: Pray for parents as they seek to set godly foundations for their young people. Pray for teens to make wise decisions.
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Thank you for taking the time to pray for this important division of On The Go Ministries. For more information on any our ministries here at On The Go, you may send your questions to info@onthego.org.
On The Go Daily Devotion for February 6, 2014
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