In the recent Hollywood resurrection of the ’80s television classic Miami Vice, Sonny Crockett (played by Colin Farrel) and Rico Tubbs (played by Jamie Foxx) passionately pursue a ruthless drug lord, Archangel de Jesus Montoya-Londono, and his Cuban-Chinese banker, Isabella.
In the midst of the vicious war between drug traffickers and law enforcement, Sonny and Isabella begin a heated romance. The affair begins when the two enjoy his favorite drink, a Mojito, in a Cuban nightclub. After finishing the Mojito, Sonny and Isabella burn up the floor with a Latin dance that fills the air with sexual tension.
As sensual Cuban music wraps itself around their twisting bodies, imagine if film director Michael Mann instructed Sonny to lean over and whisper into Isabella’s ear:
“Before we head to the hotel room, I need to let you know that I’ve just finished my last treatment for genital warts, so I should be all clear. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
Too much reality for Hollywood? Absolutely. That type of dialogue would never fly in a movie. Nobody wants to hear the words “genital warts” when considering sex.
Yet genital warts is on the top 10 list of the most common sexually transmitted diseases that infect people everyday. Sounds like a lot more people ought to hear the words “genital warts” when considering sex, or the words may be just the beginning of a long and miserable acquaintance.
Remember that the first step in making a wise choice is to know your options and their consequences.
In this study, Lakita will introduce to you information on a crime family known as “America’s Most Unwanted.” By the end of this lesson, you’ll probably know more than you ever wanted to know about sexually transmitted diseases. Lakita wants you to know the real dangers of multiple sexual partners (i.e., more than one) and not just the Hollywood illusion.
After all, if you had a friend who was going to do something that put him or her at risk, wouldn’t you tell your friend?
Now, let’s do a quick review from last week’s lesson.
As you prepare to listen to Lakita, take a moment to pray and ask that God would use this time to help you gain wisdom about the choices you make. Write down any thoughts or questions you have while Lakita talks. Here are a couple of questions to get you thinking:
What information in the video did you find most surprising?
Of all the STDs mentioned, which one would you want to live with? Do you know how to be certain you won’t have to?
In this video, you will hear some real stories from people who “sinned against” their bodies and contracted a sexually transmitted disease. After the video is shown, think about the following reflection questions:
How does listening to these testimonies affect how you feel about people who have an STD?
How do you think God feels about the people from the video?
What words of comfort do you think God would say to them?
What words of warning would He say?
Describe a decision you have made that put you at risk.
In the situation you described above, if you had a friend or knew an adult who could tell you all the possible negative consequences, would you want to hear from them? Why or why not?
If you knew the possible negative consequences of a particular life choice and your friend was taking a huge risk without even knowing it, would you warn your friend? Why or why not?
If you were alive in the 1990s and watched television, you became familiar with the phrase “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” The point was obvious: If you care about someone, you look out for that person. If you love someone, you warn them of the possible negative consequences of their actions. If you see them heading in the wrong direction, you do whatever it takes to help them make a good decision.
God shows His love for us through warnings, too.
Throughout the Bible, God warns His people against making foolish decisions. God desires that everyone experience a dynamic, passion-filled, abundant life. He even laid out a plan so that we could experience that kind of life, and His Word lets us know the consequences of a bad decision.
When God brought His people out of Egypt, He had a plan for them to be a great nation. Ultimately, it was out of this nation that God would bring the Savior of the world. God had big plans: He gave His people land, success against their enemies and leaders to guide them whenever there was a crisis. God provided everything. In those days, other nations had kings to protect the people, but God’s people didn’t need a king. They had God.
You can imagine, though, how hard it would be to wait on God for answers when the nations around you had flesh-and-blood kings to give them answers. As it turns out, God’s people eventually found themselves tired of waiting. They wanted a real king with whom they could speak openly.
Read 1 Samuel 8:1-4.
What reasons did the elders of Israel give Samuel regarding their desire for a king?
From your perspective, is there anything wrong with wanting to be like everyone else? When could wanting to be like others damage or deepen your relationship with God?
How does God respond to the elders’ request for a king?
Read 1 Samuel 8:10-21.
If you were one of the elders and you heard all the negative consequences that would result from having a king, would you still want a king?
Are you the type of person who can learn from just being told or do you need to experience things for yourself?
Why would God still give the people of Israel a king, even though He knew a king would not be best for them?
The people of Israel grew tired of being different. At some point, they simply wanted to be like everyone around them. God had delivered them from many battles, but they wanted a king to deliver them. They were tired of following God. They did not want to listen to God’s advice or warnings anymore.
In their desire for a king, the Israelites had forgotten one critical fact about God. They forgot that God loved them and wanted what was best for them. If only they had listened to His warning. Are you ready to heed the warnings you have heard about sex?
Let’s get a little personal. It’s time for you to seriously consider what life would be like if you were infected with a sexually transmitted disease.
Let’s get started. From one of the magazines, select a picture and develop an STD story about the person. The story should include:
• A description of the STD and its symptoms
• A description of the short- and long-term consequences for the STD
• A description of the treatment
• The person’s name and what kind of relationship he or she has with God (e.g., committed to following God, doesn’t know God at all, goes to church but that’s about it, and so forth)
If you need help with the details about STDs, refer to the following chart of America’s Most Unwanted. After you’ve created that portion of the STD story, read the situations below and incorporate your answer to the questions into your story.
Imagine that you are the person with the STD. About three months after the diagnosis and initial treatment, you meet someone new and you begin dating. This time you decide to follow God’s plan for marriage and you do not have sex. Six months later, you decide to get married.
Describe how you would explain the STD to your future spouse.
Imagine that the STD story is about the person that you would like to marry. He or she tells you that he or she has an STD.
Describe your feelings and how you would handle the situation.
Describe the feelings you had when you imagined that you were the person with the STD. Now describe your feelings when you imagined that your future spouse had an STD.
How does this activity affect your beliefs about having sex before marriage?
When God created you, He had a great plan for your life. His plan includes your finding someone to love deeply and passionately for a lifetime. Even though we live in a world filled with disease and circumstances beyond our control, there are choices you can make to experience an amazing sex life. Those choices include NOT having an STD.
Let’s review some of the basic information about STDs.
• Many STDs do not have visible signs.
• Some STDs have no cure.
• If you have one STD, you are more susceptible to contracting another one.
• Your risk of getting an STD goes up as you have more sex partners.
• The only way to know for sure if you have an STD is to get tested.
If you have had sex, you might have an STD. Since many STDs can go unnoticed, the only way you can be certain is to get tested. There are treatments available for STDs, but only some STDs are fully curable. For example, bacterial STDs can be treated and cured, whereas viral STDs can sometimes be treated but do not go away completely. A person infected with a viral STD must take the responsibility not to spread the disease. If those with viral STDs knowingly spread the disease, those persons may be at legal risk.
It’s worth it to get tested even if you’ve only had sex once. If you are not sure how to get tested or where to go, talk with an adult you trust.
Though not all treatments for STDs are 100 percent effective, God has the power to heal your body as well as your heart. If you’ve engaged in sexual activity and you truly want to repent (turn away from that behavior), God offers you complete forgiveness and the opportunity to start over. Getting tested could be a good, practical first step toward repentance.
As you come to the end of this lesson, take some time as a group to complete the following T-Chart to describe the negative consequences of having sex with more than one partner, and the positive consequences of living like your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
