I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris Page B

scandal, David signed a letter that sealed the death of Bathsheba's husband, oi^ of David's most loyal soldiers.
    The psalmist was now a murderer.
    How dici David, this man after God's own heart, become an adulterer and murderer? When did he cross the line of purity? Was it the irioment he touched Bathsheba or when he kissed her? Did it Happen the moment he saw her bathing and chose to watch instead of turn away? Where did purity end and
    impurity bein?
    As you can see from David's story, impurity isn't something we step intc? suddenly. It happens when we lose our focus on God. Often in dating relationships, impurity starts long before the moments of passion in back seats. Instead it begins in our
    the direction of purity 91 hearts, in our motivations and attitudes. "I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart," Jesus plainly states (matthew 5:28). Sin begins in our minds and hearts.
    We have to understand purity as a pursuit of righteousness. When we view it merely as a line, what keeps us from going as close as we can to the edge? If sex is the line, what's the difference between holding someone's hand and making out with that person? If kissing is the line, what's the difference between a goodnight peck and fifteen minutes of passionate lip-lock?
    If we truly want to pursue purity, then we need to point ourselves in God's direction. We cannot simultaneously explore the boundaries of purity and pursue righteousness--they point us in opposite directions. True purity flees as fast and as far as it can from sin and compromise.
    heart and path
    If we want to lead pure lives, then we must realize that purity does not happen by accident. Rather, we must constantly pursue the direction of purity. The Book of Proverbs shows us that this ongoing process involves two things--our hearts and our
    57 feet.
    In the Book of Proverbs, the seductive spirit of impurity and compromise is symbolized by a wayward adulteress. We are warned that "Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng" (proverbs 7:26). Though King Solomon wrote these words hundreds of years ago, this "woman" continues to lurk all around us today. She snares the innocent with promises of pleasure, but she truly desires nothing but her victims' destruction. She has ruined countless lives--both male and female--with her treachery.
    joshua harris
    Throughout history she has crippled the righteous. "Her house," the Bible solemnly warns, "is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death" (proverbs 7:27). No matter how good impurity's victims may be, or how holy they've been in the past, if they set foot in her house, they speed toward death on an expressway with no exits. Have you ever made a wrong turn onto a freeway only to find you must travel many miles before you can get off to turn around? If so, you've probably felt the aggravation of your mistake. You can't slow down; you can't turn around; you can only continue speeding farther and farther from your destination. How many Christians in dating relationships have felt the same way as they struggle with accelerating physical involvement? They want to exit, but their own sinful passion takes them further and further from God's will.
    How do you avoid the "on ramp" of impurity? How do you escape the spirit of adultery? Here's the answer: "Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths" (proverbs 7:25). Living a pure life before God requires the teamwork of your heart and your feet. The direction of purity begins within; you must support it in practical everyday decisions of where, when, and with whom you choose to be. Many couples have made commitments to sexual purity, but instead of adopting a lifestyle that supports this commitment, they continue relationships that encourage physical expression and place themselves in dangerous settings. The path you take with your feet should never contradict the