Teen
Links
Psalm 119:9 "How
can a young person live a pure life? By obeying Your Word." (New
Century Version)
FAQs
1. Can someone get pregnant the first time
they have sex?
2. What is a STD and how do you get one?
3. How can I tell my boyfriend/girlfriend
I don't want to have sex?
4. Isn't there such thing as "safe sex"
(safer sex or protected sex)?
5. How do I know I am REALLY in love?
6. I feel pressured from all my friends to
have sex.
You Can Start Over
If you've had sex,
but want to stop, you can. Jesus gives second chances. He
doesn't condemn you. He's there to help you succeed. It won't
always be easy to stick to your commitment...but you can if you
want a fresh start!
Begin today with
SELF-RESPECT.
S.
Starting over is a gift. Use it. Start by giving your life to
Jesus Christ.
E.
Express out loud what your fears are, along with your immediate
and longer-term goals. (Example: Fear of not having a
boyfriend. Immediate Goal: Don't want to worry about getting pregnant.
Longer-term goals: Want to graduate from college, get a good job and travel. Want
to get married and decide how many children and WHEN.)
L.
Love. Love yourself. Love God. Love living a less stress and
guilt-filled
life!
F.
Freedom. It
comes from making GOOD choices.
R.
Respect yourself. This means you need to practice
having a higher opinion of yourself. You have value beyond
giving or having sex.
E.
Emotions are poor guides. It is NOT how you FEEL
that counts when you make a decision. It's what you KNOW. Sex
before marriage = worry, pregnancy, STDs, low self-esteem,
lying...
S.
Substitute something in the place of sex. You may
try out for a sports team, club at school or volunteer to do
something good in your community. Keep yourself busy with GOOD
things.
P.
Prevention Plan NOW. (See Question 3 above)
E.
Establish your beliefs about God; what is right;
what is wrong. The old saying, 'If you don't stand for
something, you'll fall for everything," has value. Live it.
C.
Communication. Talk to a respected member of your
family. Talk to your pastor or school counselor. Talk to God!
T.
Truth, the REAL Truth will set you free. Truth
is, you want to be sexy - attractive to the opposite sex. Truth
is, you can be without engaging in sex or acting sexual. Truth
is, you want someone to love you. Truth is, you want the kind of
person who will love you MORE because you respect yourself.
Truth is, you will never regret waiting to have sex until you
are married.
FAQs Answers
1. Yes. Once a girl starts having
periods and producing eggs, she can become pregnant if she has
sex.
2.
STD stands for
Sexually Transmitted Disease. These are contagious diseases that
are passed from one person to another during
any sexual activity. Many STDs
cannot be cured.
3.
Be honest from the start letting
about your expectations
in the relationship.
Have a "prevention plan"
like always going out with a group of
friends, avoiding situations like parties where there are drugs
and drinking, or being alone with someone you don't know
extremely well. Pray that God will give you strength to do
the right thing.
Practice
"come-back"
lines, so
you can move quickly to talking about something else.
If your partner
is unwilling to honor your wishes, you need a
new boyfriend/girlfriend because they don't respect
you. You'll find someone else to be
with who agrees with your standards and respects you.
Do what you know is best and don't
compromise that for anyone!
4.
Condoms and other contraceptives are not 100% effective in
preventing pregnancy or STDs.
5. It is easy for teens (and even adults) to
confuse wanting to have sex with love.
When you truly love someone, you
want the very best for that person. Love always will include
deep respect, complete trust and protection from harm. Think
about it: if you truly love someone, you'll want the best for
them - including a great future that doesn't include guilt;
unwanted pregnancy; diseases; regrets, etc. Talk to a
trusted adult that knows you well. You can
also talk to God. He understand because he made you!
6. Real friends won't disrespect you. Real friends
support your higher choices; they encourage you; want to see
you succeed in life -- not do something to make them feel
better about inappropriate choices they may make. There are
plenty of people who will be a TRUE friend to you. There are
still plenty of teens who are not having sex.
Come-back Lines
Come-back Line to: He/she says, "Trust
me. I won't let anything happen to you."
I know you mean well, but the fact is, you
can't control
everything.
Accidents happen.
Come-back Line to:
"I've been tested and I'm clean."
Fine,
but I'm looking for someone who doesn't NEED to be tested.
Come-back Line
to:
"But I love you. Don't you love me?
Show me how much." Love
respects and wants the other person to
succeed in life. I respect myself
and so should you IF you really love me. Sex
complicates a relationship and I want something better for
myself.
Come-back Line to:
"No
one will find out. Everybody's doin' it. I'll find someone. It
might as well be you."
I have to live with myself. I hear talk
around school. And everyone will know if I get a STD or get pregnant. No.
Everyone is NOT doing it. If you don't love me enough to
respect my wishes, you don't love me.
