Temptations of College

Drought · Nov 8, 2002

OK, well all know that there are many temptations. How do you deal with them?

I dealt with them by giving into them at first. I'm still so ashamed of myself. Even to this day, I struggle against temptation to drink, and have sex.

Janie · Nov 13, 2002

I think what helped me most was a few really awesome Christian friends who kept me accountable.  I think there are Christians that can lead you astray too...so you gotta find ones you can trust to help you stay away from the temptations of college life   I think for me it was a lot easier to avoid the party scenes my freshman year while I was in the dorms because I happened to randomly get a Christian roomate...totally a blessing from God.

shout2thelord · Nov 15, 2002

my main temptation at the min is to not do my work until last minute!!! lol

dkemp_ok · Nov 15, 2002

OK, I am on the University Outreach commitee at my church. What suggestions would you have about how a local church could support students at the local university?

Dan K.

paulewog · Nov 15, 2002

sports

AngelAmidala · Nov 15, 2002

Give them something to do Thursday-Saturday nights (like 9pm-2 or 3am) other then going out to a bar or a party where alcohol is served and emphasized.

paulewog · Nov 15, 2002

2 or 3 am? Wow That's late

Haev a LAN party

* kittie * · Nov 15, 2002

i don't have temptations i struggle with, and i honestly believe that it's only because of God. like i never have the desire to drink or anything like that. mmm...i wonder how i would fare if i did struggle with that...
anyways, i struggle with other stuff though. like emotions and stuff like that.

fieldsofwind · Nov 15, 2002

Encourage them to meet together and hold each other accountable. Encourage them to stay with God... to hold on to His Spirit within... and to hold on to His word. (found yourself on love for God... if we are weak, but love, then we will be strong. Love will drive the weakness in us away because all men serve what they truely love)

Make sure that it is known that standing with God is not a game... it is not some fun event... let them know we are engaged in warfare... and that to know Christ is to know suffering. (I have no problems with fun, but we should not consider Christ like entertainment... I believe that is a problem contributing to the acquiescence of our church in America.) The power within us will resonate like a thousand violins in harmony... if all they see is religion... it will turn them away. If they see something real... they will want what we have.

take care all... and stand with confidence... in love

FOW

dkemp_ok · Nov 18, 2002

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I teach at a major university and know something of the temptations you face. The paradox is that, for some things, this is the safe place to take chances and make mistakes, for others, this is a place of great perils. Thank you again.

Dan K.

arab4christ · Nov 18, 2002

Thank you for this wonderful thread

I have to admit its very hard finding real Christian people in my college. So when Im with non believers, I have to watch myself. But I dont party, drink nor do drugs so that kind of helps the temptation levels. Unfortunatly Satan works hard at Uni and college from what Ive seen, I wish I could help others

God bless

a4c

PaceLT1 · Nov 18, 2002

I've only been at college for about 4 months. I don't struggle with alcohol or drugs, but at my university, there are A LOT of good looking girls..........and a lot of times, they don't wear much.

The best ways I've found to keep my thoughts pure are to surround myself with Christian friends as often as possible, have constant fellowship with other guys, and spend consistent time in the Word.....

scraparcs · Nov 19, 2002

I've been thinking about this, and in my college days, drinking, drugs, sex and that sort of thing wasn't much of a problem at all. My Christian friends weren't into that and I made it clear with everyone who was that I wasn't going to do that kind of stuff, so the people I hung out with didn't pressure me to do it with them (and if they did, the friendships didn't really tend to be all that strong or lasting). I even made a list of the major ways that I avoided those temptations: church events, Bible studies, college ministries, mission trips, hanging out at the coffee house, going to IHOP/Denny's, seeing a movie, going to the mall, going on a walk, playing sports, studying , working, reading the Bible and many more.

However, the big temptation that I hit in college was anti-Christian worldviews. Studying psychology at a large state university, I learned the non-Christian side of things very quickly. I think it's quite important to have a support system going when you are in college, including people with whom you can openly and honestly discuss things, including struggles with Christianity. I didn't find a place where I could feel free to discuss the things I was doubting and how this affected my Christian walk until well into my last year of college, and by then I was convinced that there might or might not be any "higher power." (Since then, I've been well convinced that God exists.) I can't stress enough how much it helped me in my Christian walk to recognize that I was struggling and to have the freedom to express all sorts of ideas in a Christian environment.

Study hard and have some good, clean fun!

dkemp_ok · Nov 20, 2002

There is a very definite agnostic/atheistic current at most large universities. State supported universities have the added burden of the issue of separation and how it is interpreted. We have a program of religious studies here. It looks at all of the major faiths and gives a grounding in the principles of each. Two of the faculty are ordained ministers (Presbyterian) and are good friends. The program is founded on respect and inter-faith dialog. Although I teach in a technical area, I enjoy going to the events and seminars that they provide.

Dan K.

AngelAmidala · Nov 20, 2002

It's kind of funny...I went and now work at a Catholic-based school. While there isn't a huge emphasis on Catholicism as there was when the college first opened, there still is a huge presence. There is a daily mass, and a mass Saturday evenings where not only students but other families in the area attend. Several Brothers are on the Board of Trustees. But they only offer a minor in religious studies. Weird.

JOYfulbeliever · Nov 22, 2002

What helped me the most was getting involved in Campus Ministries (InterVarsity, Campus Crusade for Christ...there are many others, but these are the 2 main ones). I was involved in both at JMU from my first week of my freshman year. I built strong, solid Christian friendships that really not only kept me accountable, and kept me away from much of the temptation, but it also gave me a strong support group. If I was having a bad day, it was awesome to call one of them and talk about it with them, pray with them, and maintain relationships where God is most definitely involved. Not that you need a ministry to do that, but we have all seen what goes on in college, and FOR ME, it was just such a help to know that I wasn't alone. I had many friends that were non-Christian as well, and another thing that helped me was that I let them know up-front my beliefs (in a non-confrontational way), and they respected me enough to try to not put me in any kind of uncomfortable situation. I was able to witness to them, and many of them came to ME seeking advice about certain things because in their eyes, "I had it all together."

Keep God as your center - you will be amazed at how much it helps!!!

BTW - I'm not claiming to have had a perfect college career - I made mistakes, and at times, strayed away from God, and those are the times that made me realize how desparately lost I was without Him and how much I needed Him in my life ALL time time, not just when it felt right.

Just my 2 cents...

rach · Nov 22, 2002

I want to know if anyone would go to a party where there is alcohol served. I'm a Christian and my roommate asks me every weekend to go with her to parties, she's also a Christian and doesn't drink. So part of me doesn't think that going would be so bad, because I'm never really tempted to drink and a lot of my other friends go home on the weekends so I'm always a loser in my dorm. I've argued about this with another Christain friend and he tells me that I shouldn't make temptation any harder by going. What would you do?

AngelAmidala · Nov 22, 2002

It depends....if it's a party my friends are throwing and all my friends were going to be there, I'd probably go. But I'd bring my own sodas or juice or something. I've done that a lot with parties my friends throw...they're concerned about who's bringing what alcohol, they forget about the non-alcoholic drinks. (Except for one friend who knows I don't drink and makes sure there's always plenty of cold water, juice, and soda available for me.)

To me it doesn't make the temptation harder by going to a party with alcohol. To me, it kind of makes a strong impression to my friends. "I say I'm not going to drink. And I'm not going to drink. You should try not drinking at a party once. You can have just as much fun drinking a can of soda as you can drinking a can of beer."

dkemp_ok · Nov 22, 2002

27 years ago I came to the conclusion that drugs were interfering with my pursuit of happiness. I simply stopped taking them. I still had lots of friends who did. After all these years, it turns out that the real friends are still with me. Some of them still use drugs but there is no pressure, and never was any pressure, from these guys for me to use them again. We are all now approaching 50 and I treasure thier friendship. A couple of them later followed my example. Rather than avoid the parties, set the example and note who your real friends are.

Dan K.

rach · Nov 22, 2002

So, If I go to the party, would I be sinning if I didn't drink. I KNOW I'm not going to drink I just get bored doing nothing and want to hang out with my roommate and other friends. So would God be disappointed if I went?

Thanks Rachael

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