Hi mjc,

It's great to see back. That does sound like a great time. I would have liked to be there to hear your devotion.

Thanks for the welcome homes from everyone.

The topic of my devotion was Persecution. 

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.  II Timothy 3:12-13

I know that a lot of the people there made spiritual decisions.  I talked about how when they get home they need to stay strong and stay with their decisions.  Don't let people try to sway them.  People are going to try to talk them down and persecute them when they see that they are living for the Lord.  I mentioned that the persecution could very well come from within your own family.  I shared how last year at youth camp I answered the call to be a missionary.  When I got home from camp and tried to talk to my dad about it he had a fit and told me every bad thing about being a missionary.  This was last year.  Things still haven't gotten any better.  I also told them that God would use that persecution to strengthen them.  Basically, the point was to stay strong and stick with God.  Don't do what other people want you to do.

I ended with this verse:
     Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.     Joshua 1:9

The devotion went very well.  I really believe that this is what God wanted me to talk about.  It was the last night of youth camp before we were all headed back out into the world.  I am thankful that God gave me the strength to do this devotion and the words to say. 
 
MJC

Well I am home!  I have never fell asleep standing up but I think that's a posibility if I don't get in bed soon! 

We had a really good time in the Lord.  There were about 40-50 teenagers there.  There were a few who accepted Jesus into their hearts and I think most of the rest of the people made some sort of decision.  Wednesday night when the boys had devotion one of them just broke down in tears and started talking about things that he had done and asking forgiveness and then a couple of others.  So they went into the Chapel and went to the alter to pray.  Soon after that many of the girls went as well.  The girls had already had devotion and gotten into bed.  One of my friends woke me up and asked me to go with her into the chapel too.  This all took place between about 1:00 and 2:45AM Thursday morning.  On about Tuesday I felt that the Lord wanted me to do devotion one night.  So Thursday night I did devotion.  I prayed and thought all day on what my topic would be and then it finally came to me during evening service Thursday night.  It went very well.  I didn't get the least bit nervous or anything.  Last year I wouldn't have done it.  I really think that the Lord is trying to give me opportunities to teach and lead so that I will have some experience when I go into the mission feild.  This is just one example of doors that God has opened up for me to get experience.  Also, teaching the children's class on Wednesday nights is helping me too.  We just had a wonderful time.  God is so good to us. 

MJC

I am off to youth camp tomorrow and I ask for everyone to pray for not only the youth that attend, but also the advisors.  Last year God's presence was stronger than I have ever felt.  I pray that it will be even better this year.  Please pray that people will be open to God and let Him work in their hearts.  I'll tell everyone about it Friday night when I get home!

thanks
mJc

Once before I had a big scare somewhat like this.  One day I just woke up and all of the sudden I felt like God had just completely left me.  I went to school and I just couldn't understand how I had been living the way I was living.  I am usually very positive and everything, but I couldn't do it.  I thought that I had messed up bad.  I prayed and prayed and prayed some more.  I thought I had done something terrible and God had just completely left me.  I was scared.  After about a week everything cleared up and I guess went back to normal.  I think that God was just using that to show me how far I had come and how much I had changed.  I had only been saved for about a year at the time.  That experience really showed me how far I had come from what I used to be. 

I don't think this is the same thing though.  I can still feel God, but I feel like I am just living in a daze sometimes.  I can watch something on tv, hear something, read something, or anything and never catch any of it.  I am always just off in my own little world.  I do have a problem with trying to be too independent though.  I don't want to let anyone do anything for me.  I want everyone to know that I can do it myself.  I am working on that.  I need to start just letting God work things out for me.  I just wish I knew what was going on.

Thanks again for all of your prayers.  I still need them.  Saturday night evening I was at work and I was just quiet.  I had a lot on my mind and my boss could see that something was wrong so he kept asking me about it and I got all upset and started crying and just told him everything.  I feel like everyday I am getting further and further away from God.  I thought things were getting better but I guess it started going back downhill.  He talked to me about it though.  I just don't know what I am doing wrong or where I am messing up.  I feel like my prayers aren't getting through when I pray.  I have had several answered prayers but I feel like there is just a wall there.  Also when I read the Bible its like it doesn't even sink in.  I can read something three times and still not be able to tell you what I read about.  Next week I am going to youth camp.  Maybe that will give me a chance to clear my head and get away from everything and really get in touch with God.  Last year at youth camp I answered the call to be a missionary.  Its great to be around other Christian teenagers in a good environment. 

This depends also on what a person considers as being late or early. I see this as varying from one person to the next. Some may be mature enough in Christ to be ready at the age of 18 or 19 others may not be and those usually end in a disastrous situation. Some try to advocate a marriage as young as 14 or even 12 because they could "not contain themselves". When in all reality many individuals do not even try. Especially so since it is being pushed in our public schools today to do whatever you want with no teaching of the consequences or responsibilities of such actions. Even many churches are not conducting proper teachings in this same manner resulting in people making many mistakes without even trying to stay pure till marriage nor, once married, trying to make that marriage work.

I don't really think that there is any magic age at which someone is mature or ready for marriage or anything else.  Every person is different.  I think that its ok for young people to marry if they are truly in love and have prayed about the situation.  Only the two people involved know if this is the case.  I know that I don't want to wait until I am thirty to get married.  I would like to find the person God wants me to be with and settle down at a fairly young age.  Not so that it will be ok for me to experience certain things, but because I don't want to go through the whole trial and error process.  I don't want to date 50 different guys and get my heart broken and still be clueless as to what direction my life is going in.  I want to go ahead and figure things out and have a family and live the life God has planned out for me.  I feel like I am a mature enough young person to make the right decision.  But there are many people my age(16) who are not anywhere near mature enough or stable enough to settle down and get married.  It really just depends on the people.  But I believe that it is wrong to promote young marriage for any reason other than true, God planned love.  I don't think that anyone can honestly say that they believe God would condone getting married only to make sex all right.

mJc

Thank you all.  I just wish I knew what was going on in his life.  We talk fairly steady for a while and then I won't hear from him for months.  Its just an off and on thing.  It would be so much easier if I could see him on a daily basis.  I haven't seen him in almost 2 years.  If we were around each other more maybe he would see Christ in me.  I could try to be an example to him.  I have tried and tried to get through to him but I just can't seem to get through.  I would hate to see something terrible happen to him in the spiritual shape he is in now.

I really hope someone has some advice for me on this one.

There is this guy that used to be my best friend.  He was my best friend for about 2 years until I moved two states away.  At that time we were both unsaved and both unchurched.  After I moved I got in church and made a lot of changes and he changed too, but definitely for the worse.  I have grown a lot in my Christian walk and I have been trying to witness to him when we talk on the phone every now and then.  We don't talk much.  It was about three years ago that I moved, we haven't seen each other in almost 3 years!  It's really hard for me to believe.   Anyway, I just can't seem to get my point across to him.  I care a lot about him but I don't know how to EFFECTIVELY witness to him.  Sometimes I feel like I should just give up on him but I know its just satan.  If I gave up on him, and he died tomorrow I know where he would go and I would feel responsible for not doing my part.  He has had a very unstable family life all his life.  His dad drinks like a horse in the desert and his mom just got out of jail.  He has gone back and forth between his mom and his aunt for the past year.  He's only 16.  I just wish I could get through to him.

Any prayers and advice are appreciated!

Thank you all!

Thank you for all of your prayers.  I think I wrote that post on a Tuesday.  On Wednesday of that week I finally broke down and talked to my pastor about the situation.  Since then I feel like a huge weight has been lifted.  He prayed with me and we talked for a while.  I try to be a very independent person and handle things on my own.  I think that this situation was also to show me that I can't do everything on my own and that God can use other people to help me, such as my pastor or other trusted people.  I think it all may have been a test.  But it seems to be over, school is out now, which will relieve a lot of stress and I made A's on all of my finals at school.  I guess it was just a trial.  Thank you all for the prayers and advice.

mJc

what a strong young christian woman you are.  i have been saved for numerous years, and still find it hard to talk to strangers about the Lord.  i hope my neighbors see me as someone who is different.  that i have something special that they don't have.  i hope others see me as a living testimony for the lord.

i praise you for everything you are doing, but please also be careful.  i will pray for you.

god bless, gina

Thank you very much.  I need as many prayers as can be prayed right now and always.  But don't please don't praise me, praise God!  This may surprise you but I have only been saved for two years as of April.  My family didn't even start going to church until I was about 12 1/2 years old! I praise God for how far I have come.

Right now I am doing a few different things.  To start with, I teach a children's class and play the piano on Wednesday nights; I really enjoy doing both.  I also work at a convenience store, so I sometimes try to witness to some of our customers, if the Lord leads me to start up a conversation with them then I will try to do it.  And I listen to people who need someone to talk to.  Even though I am only 15, there are still a lot of adults who will talk to me and ask me for prayer, and sometimes advice.  I know it sounds strange, but there are a lot of people, young and old who really don't have anyone they can really talk to.  Sure, they have people who love them, but they don't always have someone who will try to understand their feelings and what they are going through.  There is one person who I have been talking with for a while now.  He is one of my very best friends, even though he is 23 years older than me.  He has really been having a hard time lately, financially.  Satan has just tried so hard to get him down, but we have talked a lot and I gave him scripture, and I told him he should pray about it and that I would pray for him.  It took a little while, but he's really picking up.  I think the main thing I do is just try to lift people's spirits.  If I see someone who just seems to be struggling with things I will start up a conversation and try to make them laugh and cheer up.  I also pray for people who I see needing help.  God has blessed me in giving me the oppourtunity and ability to do all of these things.  I enjoy helping people.  It makes me feel so wonderful to know that God is working THROUGH me! 

mJc

I'm praying for you.  The devil just wants to get you down.  If you are doing something for God, he wants to destroy it and that is exactly what's going on.  God knows exactly what's going on and He will take care of it if he wills it.

Hello

I would really appreciate the prayers of anyone who reads this.  I am really struggling through life right now.  I have let myself go.  This has been going on for the past few months.  I feel like everything I do just puts me farther and farther away from God.  I am trying so hard, and I have been praying about it but I just can't get through it.  I feel like my prayers aren't being heard.  I don't know what else to do.  My grades are dropping, my performance at work is slacking, I am starting to backslide, and I have just developed a sour "don't care" attitude.  I just don't seem to care anymore.  Then a couple of weeks ago I figured out that the one person on earth that I thought I could trust with anything, might not be as trustworthy as I thought.  I might be wrong about that though.  I usually talk to my pastor about stuff but I guess I am just afraid of what he'll think of me.  I don't want him to look down on me and think that I don't need to be teaching.  I love teaching but that may be the case.  Maybe I should just step down for a while.  I am just so confused and lost and I would be so thrilled if someone would just pray for me.  And any advice would be appreciated too.  I just don't think I can go on acting like everything is ok anymore.

mJc

Thanks for your help.  I had found some of these but there are a lot of them that I hadn't seen.  Thanks for your time and effort to try to help me!  I really appreciate it!