DEAR REV. GRAHAM: I'm afraid I've caught an STD (sexually transmitted disease) and I'm scared. What should I do? If I pray hard enough, will it go away? No one told me this might happen.
-- C.K.
DEAR C.K.: My heart goes out to you because you've apparently been deceived into believing the lie that sexual promiscuity is cost-free. But it simply isn't true, regardless of what some celebrities say. Sexual immorality always comes at a price. When we break God's moral standards, they eventually end up breaking us.
You admittedly face some hard decisions in the days ahead, but I pray you'll have the courage to make them. First, stop what you've been doing; you'll only make things worse, both for yourself and for others, if you don't. Then get medical help without delay. Nothing will be gained by avoiding this, and you actually could end up hurting yourself for the rest of your life. And even if you test negative for an STD, I pray you won't think it's a "free pass" to go back to your old way of living. God's Word couldn't be clearer: "It is God's will ... that you should avoid sexual immorality" (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
The most important thing you can do, however, is to pray -- not that God will somehow take this away, but to receive Jesus Christ into your life. God loves you; He loves you so much that His Son was willing to die so your sins could be forgiven. Commit your life to Jesus Christ today. It's the most important decision you will ever make.
Then seek out a church where you can grow spiritually, and find people who can help and encourage you. Currently you're on a dead-end road, but with Christ your future can be bright.
Write to Billy Graham in care of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 28201 or visit the website at
billygraham.org
Style on 06/10/2014