Tough Questions from You

We received some tough questions from some of our readers that we would like to cover before moving onto our discussion about guys.

Question #1: How do I reach out to a friend who I know is being abused by someone?
Probably the most important thing you can do for your friend is to have her tell someone she trusts what is going on.  If it's someone outside the family that is abusing her, encourage her to tell her parents, otherwise have her talk to a youth pastor or even the wife of the youth pastor.  If your friend is being abused, she shouldn't walk through it alone.  A trusted adult needs to know what is going on.

Question #2: How do I recognize when a friend, boyfriend or family member is physically or vocally abusing you?
If you are questioning whether you might being experiencing abuse, then you probably are.  In this case too, you need to talk to a trusted adult (a parent, youth pastor, or wife of the youth pastor, etc.) about what is going on.

Question #3: How do I find God's help in these situations?
As difficult as it is, please realize that God is with you!  Spend lots of time in prayer, talk to God constantly, read your Bible, and get support from friends and trusted Christian adults.

Question #4: Is it okay to be friends with gay and lesbian people?
Yes!

Question #5: Does God really love the person but hates the sin?
Absolutely.  This goes for any sin.  The Bible says: "But God demonstates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).  God didn't wait for us to get rid of our sins before He decided to love us.  On the contrary, He came down to earth and died for us while we were still sinners!

Question #6: Is it okay if I hang out with the bad kids to be a good influence on them as long as I'm not falling into sin?
It is not wrong for you to hang out with the "bad kids", so the answer is yes, it's okay - however, the Bible tells us that hanging out with friends that are involved in things that are bad can cause us to follow them into sin.  Evaluate your motives for wanting to hang out with the "bad kids".  It's easy to say you won't fall into sin, but it's also very easy, once you get comfortable around the people who are sinning, to becoming strangely comfortable with the sin itself.

There's a quick Q&A with some of the tougher questions our readers have posted.  Be sure to check back again soon for our upcoming posts on guy/girl relationships.