Virtuous Dating

Relationships and Courting

• What's appropriate?

• Communication and Consent
• Express the morals you have
• Don't lie to yourself
• Be honest and true
• Choose to date only those who have high moral standards and in whose company you can maintain your standards. Remember that a young man and a young woman on a date are responsible to protect each other’s honor and virtue. (For the Strength of Youth)

• Physical - "Physical intimacy between husband and wife is beautiful and sacred. It is ordained of God for the creation of children and for the expression of love between husband and wife. God has commanded that sexual intimacy be reserved for marriage." (For the Strength of Youth)

• Do: Holding hands, Hugs, Talking, Gentle kissing, etc.
• Don't: No passionate Kissing, No lying on top of another person, or touching the privates, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not do anything else that arouses sexual feelings. Do not arouse those emotions in your own body.  Avoid situations that invite increased temptation, such as late-night or overnight activities away from home or activities. Do not participate in discussions or any media that arouse sexual feelings. Do not participate in any type of pornography. Homosexual and lesbian behavior is a serious sin.
• "Do not allow the media, your peers, or others to persuade you that sexual intimacy before marriage is acceptable. It is not. In God’s sight, sexual sins are extremely serious." (Alma 39:5)
• Companionship, fellowship and love is what our bodies long for. 

•  Just because we're not doing something that will put us in the Bishop's office doesn't reduce the importance and value of what you're doing.  
• If it KEEPS happening (grinding, passionate kissing, etc), and is something you struggle with, then yes go and talk to Bishop; but, if it just happened once, and you feel really bad about it and repent to Heavenly Father, then you don't need to discuss it with your Bishop.
• Women - Honor your virtue and your womanhood. Don't do something because you think it'll make them like you more. 
• Men - Honor your priesthood. don't wait for the woman to say no or draw a line.
• Nothing good ever happens after midnight - The Spirit goes to sleep and the Devil comes out to play.
• Don't play with fire! Though you may not participate this time, doesn't mean you won't next time. 
• Avoid the appearance of evil! 
• Make your decisions now so when a circumstance arrives, you'll already know your decision. 
• Decide now to be chaste.
• Control your thoughts
• Pray for strength
• Plan for positive dating experiences 
• Have something planned

Temple of God

• Where is your safe refuge from the world? Home? Temple? Church? (Home doesn't have to be where your bed it).  
• Meditate over what you learn at church or at the temple. Then recognize the ways you can incorporate what you learn in your life.  
• Why is the temple called the Mountain of the Lord? Mountains are higher / closer to God and isolated from the world. Mountains hold a reverence as the temple does.
• What keeps us from renewing or getting our Temple recommend? 
• Desire / Laziness
• Worthiness
• Word of Wisdom 
• Tithing
• Chastity

•  It was necessary that this power of creation have 2 dimensions. (Boyd K. Packer "Why Stay Morally Clean" April 1972)
• Must be strong
• Must be more or less constant 

• How is Satan using the law of Chastity against us today in preventing us from feeling worthy?
• By making us feel super guilty
• Makes us feel like our actions are unforgivable
• We don't have hope in the blessings promised us - sometimes we feel impatient in waiting for those blessings - so Satan clouds our thoughts with ways of the world and getting stuff in the here and now. 
• Pornography - Everywhere we look and easily found

Forgiveness

Where is my life going and what is my purpose?

          "...though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18) When we repent with a sincere heart and a contrite Spirit we will be forgiven. when it's forgiven, it's gone. God remembers them no more! Though God may forget, we will probably remember but the pain and guilt of it will be gone. Use that memory to learn and grow.
          The power to forgive sins is more powerful than one might think. As Christ said, "For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?" (Matthew 9:5)

Repair & Repent

• Flee
• Pray even when you feel unworthy
• See the Bishop / Talk to parents
• Fill your life with righteousness (with real intent)
• Scriptures
• Prayer
• Fast for Strength
• Serve
• See yourself in the temple 

Picture from here