One of the biggest pitfalls to a teenager and his walk with God is the whole dating scene. It seems that if you have a dating relationship, that is all you think about. And if you don't have one, that is all you think about (the one you wish you had). It seems no one knows how to have great Christian friends of the opposite sex.
It is time to get serious about our walk with God and what He says about the boyfriend/girlfriend thing. I have talked to so many young people who were doing great with God until they got into a dating relationship and became distracted.
Like a young man I knew, let's call him John. He got radically committed to the Lord when he was 16. He was plugged into the youth group real strong, but then began to date girls who were not saved, trying to reach them. He got tricked by the American dating system, thinking he "needed" a girlfriend. He ended up weeping bitterly after having compromised his virtue by having sex with a girl.
The same mistakes are made even when teens date others in the youth group. Fortunately, John came back to the Lord, and got his life right. Not everyone makes it back, and that is the real tragedy.
This is not just a few nice ideas for you to think about - these are topics that could determine your spiritual survival. What you have here is not the answers to "How far is it okay to go on a date?" These are not candy coated answers. We have to quit trying to stay as close to the gates of hell without falling in!
We cannot take a Christian version of what the world is doing and think that it is God's best. God has radically different ideas, and His ideas of dating will save your heart from getting crushed, keep your body pure until marriage, and keep you fired up spiritually.
Excerpt permission granted by Teen Mania
Ron Luce was the co-founder and president of Teen Mania Ministries from 1986-2015. Ron and his wife Katie dreamed to raise young people who would change the world. 
