By: Cynthia Ray
The world has developed into an attitude of “It’s their life, let ’em ruin it!” Even most Christians that I know don’t really care about whether or not their friends or family members live right. And most think that if God loves us, it won’t matter how we lived. But it is so important to realize that if we fail to warn people that they are living wrong and are in danger of Hell, and if they end up in Hell, it’s our fault! Ezekiel 3:18 says, “If I say to the wicked, ‘You are going to die,’ and you don’t sound the alarm warning them that it’s a matter of life or death, they will die and it will be your fault. I’ll hold you responsible.” (The Message) If they do not know that they are going south on a northbound one-way road, and we don’t tell them, their trip to Hell is an all-expenses paid trip compliments of, well, us! Get the picture? I’ve struggled with this, too, along with other things that I’ll get to when we move on to a deeper and more daring subject.
I’ve been home-schooled most of my life, except for a semester at a Christian school in 6th grade, and a semester at a public school in 8th grade. When I went to public school, I was on fire for God ready to win the whole school single-handedly, but then I began to see how things were run. Students were picked on, made fun of, and worse and not many people cared. The rule against profanity was ignored, and teachers allowed radio stations to be listened to that were not supposed to be allowed. This may not seem like much, but to a thirteen-year-old who was raised in two places, church and home, it was distinctly diverse from what was said about the school, and what I expected.
I began to get discouraged, and the more people called me “holy girl” (which I started out taking as a compliment), the more it got to me, and I started straying from that description. I met a guy named Jared in 8th period, and started hanging out with him way too much for what a Christian should. I believe as Christians we should not shun people who lack Christ and righteous living, but I also believe that we should be careful of how much influence we allow them to have on us. What makes it wrong is when we let them think that we accept their lifestyle when we should let them know their lifestyle is wrong. I love Jared like a brother, but I’m doing my best to let him know it breaks my heart to see the way he’s acting.
Well, Jared started out as a very fun person to be around, and a pretty good friend. But one day he announced to his girlfriend, Ashley, (who was also a good friend of mine) that he was bisexual. Of course he’s not, because that’s not how he was created. Homosexuality is simply a lie of the enemy. But he started to act like it more and more and I still hung around with him and his friends at school. I kept saying “I need to be around him because I may be the only Christian he even talks to.” One thing I forgot was that I was no longer any more of a Christian influence than he was. But God wants each of us to realize that no matter how much we believe that religion is your choice, or there’s no such thing as God, or right and wrong for that matter, it isn’t true. There is right and wrong, and there is sin, and there are people all around you every day who are sinning and don’t know it, or don’t care. We can’t just let them keep up their wrongful living without trying to help. And I don’t mean going in there armed with a Bible and spouting off phrases like, “You’re a sinner and you need Jesus”, or “You need to put down your nasty ways and be a Christian!” Those things won’t win someone over any more than giving them a dirty look from across the lunchroom.
Treat people like they’re friends, not enemies. But let people know your standards, and be true to them. When people see that you are a Christian no matter where you are or who you’re with, and when they see that you’re a friend to the weak, they’ll see Jesus, and they’ll be drawn. Believe me, it happens that way. And if you’re reading this and you’re dealing with homosexuality, please don’t give in to that lie. God made you the gender you are, and he made you to someday marry the opposite gender. I know how people are drawn into homosexuality, but don’t give in to the lie. A friend of mine started to, but she recognized the enemy’s voice, and rebuked him. See, she started looking at girls with more interest than boys, and started disliking more and more boys. She used to be boy-crazy, but then I noticed a change (she did too): she started becoming less and less “boy-crazy” and started thinking when she saw a cute girl her age, “If I was a guy, I’d want to date her.” (I know this because she tells me everything!) When she realized what was going on she thought, “Am I gay?” Immediately, she recognized that familiar voice, it was the voice of Satan. “Cyndi,” she told me as she told me her story, “I’ve heard his lies long enough and enough times to know when he’s talking.” So that’s when it started, and that’s when it stopped, right then, right there.
That stage she went through, everyone goes through, though some may react different from others. But the difference is she realized homosexuality is a deadly sin. In Leviticus 18:22 (also see Leviticus 20:13), God says (speaking to men) “you shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination.” Also, women should not “lie with” women as men do. Romans 1:27 says, “Sexually confused, they abused and defiled one another, women with women, men with men – all lust, no love. And then they paid for it, oh, how they paid for it – emptied of God and love, godless and loveless wretches.” [The Message]
Even if you’re not having sex, it’s still a sin to act like the opposite sex that God created you as. God also says about cross-dressers in Deuteronomy 22:5, “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God.” The word “abomination” is a very strong word that covers things like adultery, witchcraft, idol worship, and the list goes on. If you’ve given in to that lie for a long time already, or even if you just think you are homosexual and you’re going along with your thoughts, stop it. All you have to do is recognize Satan’s voice, and tell him to stop talking to you. Then start listening for the voice of your Shepherd – Jesus is calling you back to the fold. Just follow his voice and He’ll guide you back to safety.
Remember that life is a one-way road. We start out going the wrong way, but when we become Christians we make a U-turn, back to God. We’re bound to run into a non-believer somewhere down the road (they’re going the opposite way), so pray that God will give us the grace and wisdom to handle the situation properly. God will bring people to us that need him. All we need to do is show them the way and pray that God will put it in their heart to follow it. If you are dealing with this issue and believe you need help, please email me at <--- REMOVED ---> I’ll pray for you and try to answer any questions you have. But I’m not a Ph.D. or a minister, etc., and I don’t have all the answers. So I would be glad to pray with you, and keep you in prayer, but I advise you to go to your pastor, youth pastor, parents, or the strongest Christian adult you know. I’m sure they’ll be able to help. And read your Bible! God has covered every issue that exists in His ultimate letter to His creation. And even if you’re not struggling with homosexuality, and you just want to be a better witness to your friends or people around you, you can still email me. I’ll be happy to pray that God will give you the strength to do so, and that he’ll send you to people who need someone.
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