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This is a story of a young man with no name, but with a face you may recognize.

Imagine a soldier fighting in a war, traveling with his platoon at night so that the enemy has less chance of seeing them, when suddenly his foot is caught in an elusive trap. He silently falls into the brush, and no one notices that he is gone until the group reaches their destination some hundreds of yards away. He doesn’t dare scream for help. After all, who will hear him? More likely the enemy than his friends. So he stays quiet. He has no one to help him, and he is trapped.

I heard of a young man who found himself in a similar plight, only he isn’t in the U.S. Army. This young man became entangled in pornography, a trap that many who get caught in never find their way out of. He silently struggled with his addiction, hiding it from his friends and his parents. And his shame was growing as fast as his addiction.

Left with no one to help him, this young man would still be caught in the enemy’s trap today. But miraculously, someone did find him and help him. His parents discovered that he had a problem with pornography, and they worked to rescue him. They confronted him and helped him deal with the problem at home, and they also suggested that he see his youth pastor for counseling. The young man agreed. Facing his shame and guilt, he bravely began to crawl out of the trap of sin he was caught in.

Pastor Bryan and the young man talked about how damaging pornography is to the individual who’s involved in it and how it hurts the people who care about that person. The two men talked about how great a struggle it can be to have a heart that is pure and without sexual sin. The two decided to use a book called Who Moved The Goalpost, by Bob Gresh, as a supplement to their counseling. It was through this young man’s repentance over his sin and his willingness to deal with his consequences that, as Pastor Bryan later said, “God took what was a really bad situation, and He turned it into something really good.”

God took what could have been irreparable damage in a young man’s life and used it as the first step toward helping hundreds of teens in the struggle for purity. This young man knew that other kids were addicted to pornography as he had been, and he knew from his own experience that God could turn their lives around. This young man’s desire to help rescue other “fallen soldiers” led Pastor Bryan and other youth pastors in the Indianapolis area to put together a conference that could reach hundreds of teens.

Pastor Bryan’s youth group had attended an event in the fall where Dannah Gresh, Bob Gresh’s wife and the author of And The Bride Wore White, had spoken on purity. Pastor Bryan felt that “the teens seemed to really connect with her. She didn’t just talk about virginity, but she talked about being pure for life and all of the benefits that this can bring to our lives.”

One thing led to another, and through this group of local pastors called Indy Youth, and the family connection of someone in Pastor Bryan’s church, the date was set for Pure Freedom, a youth event that would feature speakers Bob and Dannah Gresh. God was at work!

When the day came, the conference was a huge success. Over 650 students and leaders attended. They worshiped God together, and they sat in sessions together. In some sessions Bob talked just to the guys and Dannah talked just to the girls. Bob and the guys talked about mental purity, overcoming pornography, and respecting girls. Dannah and the girls talked about true beauty and the power of modesty. Dozens of students came forward to show that they had decided to make pure living a priority in their lives. Five students accepted Christ as their Savior.

Pastor Bryan has been working with teens since 1979, and he sees the area of purity to be of great relevance to today’s teens—maybe more than ever before. It is an issue that is close to his heart because of his own struggle with purity. He says that “God has helped me to get victory,” and now it is a burden on his heart to help others experience victory over sin. Pastor Bryan knows that purity is a struggle for many teens in his youth group. This issue of purity—mentally, physically, and emotionally—is something that Satan tries to use to destroy teens at a time when they are still developing and growing. But, as in the case of the young man in this story, Pastor Bryan has seen God turn bad situations into something good.

The hero of this story is the nameless soldier, the young man who was brave enough to face his sin. No, he wasn’t a speaker at the conference. He didn’t write a book about his story. His name wasn’t even mentioned. But his honesty and bravery in his own fight for purity helped encourage hundreds of others to walk in purity.

The Secret to Sexual Purity
a book review by Erin Kealen

TV, movies, and music constantly bombard our minds with sexual temptations. Many young people wonder if it is really worth it to stay sexually pure. And if it IS worth it, then HOW does a person stay pure in a world full of lust and desire?

Dannah and Bob Gresh hope to help answer questions like this. Together they have one goal for all Christian young people: to live a life of purity—with no regrets. Bob and Dannah have experienced Satan’s temptations, and they now share their stories of faith, hope, and the secrets to sexual purity.

In Who Moved the Goal Post? Bob dismantles Satan’s lies about sex. He openly discusses many temptations that young men face in our culture. Using the Word of God, stories from his own life, and personal testimonies from other men, Bob offers guys a seven-step game plan to live a life of purity, and he celebrates the victory that young men can have when they run with God’s plan.

And the Bride Wore White challenges young ladies to become the “princesses” that God desires them to be. Passages from Dannah’s diaries, interviews with well-known Christians, and interactive journaling activities offer young ladies the opportunity to discover God’s purpose and plan for purity. Dannah uncovers Satan’s biggest lies about sex and challenges those lies with Biblical truth. She also shares seven secrets to sexual purity: purity is a process; purity dreams of its future; purity is governed by its value; purity speaks boldly; purity loves its Creator at any cost; purity embraces wise guidance; and purity watches burning flames. Dannah’s humorous anecdotes and “big sister” advice enable young women to accept the challenge to live a life of modesty and purity.

God has placed a burden on the hearts of this couple. Through their ministry, they offer priceless tools for young people who desire to seek after God’s heart and wait for God’s perfect plan in their lives.

To learn more about Dannah and Bob’s ministry, visit their Web site: www.purefreedom.org. You will find ordering information for Who Moved the Goal Post? and And the Bride Wore White, along with information on Pure Freedom retreats and other resources. The Web site offers a Pure Freedom blog and a chance to chat with Dannah on her personal blog.