Devotions for Teens

[Soldier4Christ]

  Deep Thoughts Bible Study

By: Jeff Lappano


”No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” Isaiah 54:17 (KJV)

After passing the two-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks, we all know what terrorists, terror attacks, and weapons of mass destruction are. For the past 30 months that’s what we’ve heard a lot about. However, the good thing is that none of us have ever come into contact with any of these things. Yet I do know that some of you may have been affected by the 9/11 attacks because someone you knew people who have died as a result.

Just as we’re to be on alert in the natural for Al Quada attacks, in the spirit we’re to be on the alert for a terrorist. For the word of God declares in John 10:10, “The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” If this is true, then we need to realize that the thief, or the devil, has weapons of mass destruction created to use against us. Of course, since this is the Word of God, we know this is the truth, for we know who is God that He should lie? God does not lie; He always speaks the truth.

What are some weapons formed against the believer? A few that I think that are important to list are: sickness and disease, poverty, and the tongue. The second part of Isaiah 54:17 says, “And every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shall condemn.” I feel impressed to stay on this for a moment. I’ll never forget when a dear sister in the Lord told me that she was pregnant. As I began to pray for her and the different areas of the situation, the word of the Lord came to me very strongly. He told me that those in the church who spoke against her and her boyfriend, He would deal with. Believer, if you give a foothold to the devil, he will use you and the foothold against other believers!

If your not already there, turn to Isaiah 54:17. Lets look at the first part of the verse. ”No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper.” The Hebrew tells us that to be formed means, “to be molded into form or purposed.” In the same way, “to prosper” means “to push forward”. Therefore, we can say that, “No weapon created or formed with the purpose of destroying you shall push forward.” When something or someone is pressing forward, it means they are succeeding in the thing that they are doing. However the Word of the Lord to us is that no weapon formed against us shall secede. We need to realize that the devil is out to destroy us because Jesus said it, but that is plans shall not prosper against us.

[Soldier4Christ]

  An Easter Challenge

By: Melissa


Do you remember when you were three or four years old, after Christmas, after Valentines day, there it was - Easter. You ran around in your good church clothes, maybe your new Easter dress and hat, or a new bow tie grabbing those pastel eggs filled with jelly beans, pennies, and small trinkets.
Sometimes it seems like just yesterday, other times it seems like we would do whatever we could to get back to those days when life was so simple, so easy.

Easter this year will have just as many pastel eggs, Easter bunnies, candy, and big family dinners. Something though will be different. Its not something that will be black and white, it may not even be gray, but one thing is for sure, it will be there.

Sitting next to you in church, maybe across the dinner table, riding next to you on the buss, giving you change back for you purchases at the store, or on the other end of the phone of a wrong number. Or maybe its someone that you have known for years, the aunt or uncle that never joins the celebration until after church, your neighbor across the street who you just haven't made it over to see, or the nice young lady who serves up your morning mocha at Starbucks. No matter where you find them, no matter how you know them, there they will be. People who will not be in church this Easter Sunday. People who haven't ever been to church, who wouldn't know where to begin looking, or why they should take time out on Sunday April the 11th to try something they have never done before, to experience a love they have never felt before.

These are the people we see and interact with each and every day. Funny though how we haven't taken the time to tell them the one thing that could literally mean life or death to them. Eternal life that is - or on the other hand eternal death.

Philemon wrote in verse six, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith so that you may have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ." Amazing - how such of small book - only one chapter - could make such a profound statement. One which not only applies to everyday life, but one that this Easter we can really take to heart.

My prayer for you is that in this year, the year of the war on Iraq, terrorism, sickness, violence, and "The Passion of the Christ" that through all of this you can take a minute and examine yourself, are you active in sharing your faith? Or is it a Sunday morning occasion? Look into the every day people, the every day experiences and share your faith. Extend a hand, an invitation, open arms to someone who does not know the good things of our Lord Jesus Christ. Invite them to Easter morning celebration at your church. Invite them to a worship service, to your bible study, a devotion group, or even just to the local soup kitchen when your church is serving. Brothers and sisters I pray that you truly take some time this Easter season and share your faith in any way you can and you with know, with a full understanding, all the good things we share in Christ.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Joyfully Depending

By: Beth Hays


When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor. (James 4:10) NLT

I came to a Christian college this year and for the first time in my life am in a Christian environment. I have people all around me building me up and praying for me. How amazing! Yet, I found that my faith was lacking more than it ever had been. I was happy, yes. But, my joy was gone. I no longer had to cling to our God for my support—I had people all around me to keep me going.

But, then my world started to crash. Several of my friends were having deep emotional issues. My family was struggling. My mom became extremely ill. I was devastated that the ones I love so much were 5 hours away and I was powerless to ease their pain. Instead of reacting as usually do, with strength and faith, I crumbled. Instead of clinging to my faith, I tried to cling to my friends. I couldn’t handle it. They weren’t enough.

I definitely realized my extreme weakness all of a sudden. How had I lost my very hope? My joy had disappeared. I had quit depending on God and I was left broken. The situations in my life caused me to seek the Father again. It was only in curling up in His arms and letting Him carry me that I was able to make it through. The trials have not diminished. In fact, they have worsened. But, I have my hope again. My joy overwhelms me. 

Why? I turned back to my dependence on God. I relied on the one who could carry me. Then, He lifted me up. He brought me back into a place of joy that is beyond description. I have remembered why I need to be totally dependent on God. It is only on full reliance on Him that I am whole and joyful. I am so much “happier” with the joy in my heart than with the happiness I had.

My friends, joy is so much better than any happiness you can ever find, and it’s only found in our Savior. No matter is going on in your life and heart, be assured that His joy is waiting for you, to carry you through this time. We serve an amazing God—don’t ever underestimate the power of His joy!

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Party

By: Jeff Lappano


“Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Mark 16:15 (NASB)

I guess that to some people, this verse can be such a scary verse. To those of you who don’t think so, the reason why this verse may be scary to some is because of the word PREACH. In the minds of many people, this gives them the picture of getting behind the pulpit and preaching a long sermon. For those who aren’t anointed in that capacity, of course “PREACH” is a scary word, therefore making our verse a scary verse. In the original language it means to proclaim, or in our language just talking about it.

I believe that I do have an assignment today from the Lord. The assignment is to give you an illustration in order to lessen your fear of preaching the gospel. Do you like parties? Do you like being invited to parties? How did you get invited to the party? Of course by some sort of communication informing you of the upcoming party. Some of the communication could be a phone call, email, word of mouth, snail mail, etc… From the information that you have gathered, you come to the conclusion that the party is going to be the happening place, and of course you want your friends to be there. If it were possible for them to be there, would you do anything it would take for them to be there? I think its safe to say of course you would!

I believe that assignment from the Lord I have today is to proclaim to you that you are a party promoter! How can God and parties go hand in hand? Well God knows how to throw parties! In Matthew 22, Jesus speaks in parable form concerning a wedding feast. A wedding feast could defiantly be described as a party! His servants are instructed to invite anyone and everyone to attend the party. The only thing they needed was the proper attire verse 12 shares with us. Party promoters, what is the proper attire? The attire one needs for the heavenly party is a personal relationship with Jesus. After all, that is what makes us suitable for our job. The assignment of a this promoter dude is not necessarily to see how many people comes to the party, but to invite as many people as they possibly can, and whoever comes, well then they come.

1 Corinthians 3:6 says, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” What is the point of this message? If you share the Gospel as commanded of the Lord, it’s not your fault if those people don’t get saved. Your responsibility is not to save people, but to share the Gospel, so that God can do His thing.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Changes

By: Janet Adams


Things change, seasons change, people change, jobs change.  Life progresses and things change for that we know is sure.  Years ago doctors said you had to lay a baby on their belly to prevent sudden infant death syndrome, now doctors say on their backs.  Eggs were good for you then bad because of high cholesterol and now they are good again.  Remember you would hurt your eyes if you were too close to the TV and now they say its not true. 

No one knows for sure why things are always changing but we do know that they do, even the experts change their opinions.  Not to mention politicians, they change their minds with the wind.  One day you can count on your best friend and the next day they aren't there for you.  You can put all of your money in the stock market and the next day you might be broke.  Some changes can be good and positive.  Good or bad they can scare us.  The unknown can bring fear, uncertainty and insecurity. 

One thing that we don't have to worry about changing is God, He was, is and will always be the same, a loving, forgiving and wonderful God.  You can always trust Him and His promises in the Bible.  When everything around you is changing at a rapid speed just rest assure that God never changes and He loves you and will always be right there with you, all you need to do is call His name.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Yes Be Yes

By: Steven Self


Reader Question:

Well, my friend keeps saying I did all this stuff I didn't do and everybody
believes her instead of me


Matthew 5:37 (NIV)
Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this
comes from the evil one.
It's not an easy thing to deal with when your reputation is on the line.
School is hard enough as it is, without having rumors going around about
you.  As a Christian, it's even more important because we are supposed to
live our lives as an example to the world.  How many people do you know who
claim to be a Christian but they are at all the parties, and do all the
things that Christians aren't supposed to do?  Most of us can think of a
couple of names instantly.  How sad is this?  Very.  Jesus calls us to live
a better life than this, He calls us to not be like everyone else, He calls
us to go into the world and show it His love.  Part of this means living
your life in such a way that when a rumor starts about you, no one can
believe it.
As a youth minister I often took kids home from church.  Anyone that I would
take home knew that they had to have at least two more people to ride with
us.  The reason for that is that I never put myself in a position where
someone could accuse me of doing something I didn't do.  I was never alone
with any of my kids.  The reason that I needed two people to ride with us is
because when I dropped the person off, I wouldn't be alone with someone else
on the way back to the church.  This was a rule I had and all of my kids and
their parents knew it.  If someone had tried to say I did something wrong,
there were always witnesses to what happened.
When you go out of your way to live your life like your supposed to, rumors
can start about you but no one will believe them.  Even if people do believe
the rumors, you will still know that your innocent and so will God.  It's
much easier to just say "whatever" and then walk away.  Who can argue with
someone who doesn't argue back?  Your actions always speak louder than your
words.  Just like the hypocrites who claim to be Christians, but don't live
like it.
When you do your best to live your life the way Jesus called you to do,
people will know it.  It may be hard to not go to parties or not do drugs or
whatever, but when everyone sees and knows that you don't do that stuff it
means you are showing others the right way to live.  If a rumor were to get
started that you did, most people wouldn't believe it.  People may make fun
of you for not joining in with them in these things, but they will know you
are different.  They will know you are real.  This makes your witness about
Jesus real to them.  If you make a habit of never lying, when someone asks
you a question, they will automatically believe what you tell them.  You
won't have to worry about trying to justify your answer or make yourself
sound more correct, you can just simply let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your
'no' be 'no', nothing more needs to be said.  Can you do that?  If not, you
can start today.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Exposing the Darkness

By: Beth Hays


Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19) KJV

If you are like 38% of the female population and 16% of the male population, you have been sexually abused. And my heart is shattered for the pain you know. You did not deserve, could never deserve, to have anyone hurt you in the manner in which they did. I am so desperately sorry for your precious soul that was shattered, How I would love to reach out to the hurting child within you and offer him or her safety.

But, I wasn't able to be there to do that. And I am so sorry if no one was. You should have been kept safe. But, I realize that doesn't always happen. I wish I could offer you a  magic wand to fix it all, but that isn't how life works. I can, instead, offer something you never had; power.

God has given you power over this situation now. You were powerless to stop the abuse. I know that. You need to know that too. The ones who hurt you were wrong. You couldn't have stopped it. But, now, you have the power. You have the power to heal. You are given the strength to be able to walk through the process to wholeness.

Luke says you have the power to trample the enemy and not be hurt. That means you can tackle the enemy that seems to live in your heart. This means we have to face the horrific memories hiding there. I know it hurts, dear ones, but I promise it is worth it. Freedom is waiting. A freedom you have never dreamed of is around the bend. We just have to trample on the darkness first.

This usually comes in exposing it to the light. I know it's unbelievably difficult to open up about your past. But, in sharing the things that are piercing your heart, they have less power over you. And as you heal you will come to see that YOU have the power. And most wonderfully, God promises that He will keep you safe through the journey. It won't be too much for you. So, my precious sibling in Christ, let's take the first step. Will you reach out TODAY and tell someone of your anguish so that you can take over the control of you very precious soul?

[Soldier4Christ]

  Discerning Which Way To Go

By: Jeff Lappano


Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 1 Kings 19:9-12 (NASB)

I want to know the will of God, and I want to know it now! We’re all guilty of saying that. Let me draw you to a few passages of scripture. John 15:7, “ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” As a child of God, we have the right to ask the Father concerning His will.

Lets move down two books to Romans 8:14. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” One of the coolest things I think of being a Christian still living on earth is I got the leading of the spirit on my side. How does the leading of the spirit happen? There are so many ways! Hearing the voice of God through the leading of the spirit is one of the ways. But then how do we know that we’re actually hearing the voice of the Lord? Lets look back at the opening text. If you continue on with the text you’ll see God giving his servant the direction in which he was to go. The man of God heard the voice of God in the quiet place. Yes of course God can speak through fires and earthquakes etc. but even in the quiet place the Father loves speaking. Living in 2004, we’re people who like to “crank up the volume”. But in the secret quiet place, that’s where God likes to speak. When you get that peace and joy when you hear the voice of the Lord in the quiet place, then you know you’re on your way!

[Soldier4Christ]

  Fear Not The Gods

By: Matt Crawford


"And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God, fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but you have not obeyed my voice." Judges 6:10

Every day people in the world bow to these gods: Public Opinion, Peer Pressure, Popular Culture, Wealth, Admiration, Pride. People that don’t have Jesus, and many that do, fear these gods. They fear losing them or incurring their wrath. They appear very strong, and those who bow to them - at first glance - appear to have a good grip on their environments.

Since being a Christian is a journey, but first off a battle, we are forced to go head to head with these false gods and combat them every day. Because a lot of us were raised in the world, we were once slaves to them, and are still tempted to fear and bow down to them today.

Those who don’t have Jesus basically worship these gods, and when they see that we have found a different god than theirs, they call down the power of their gods against us, to test us. But as Elijah proved, if you put the false gods of the world head to head with the God of the bible, and Jesus Christ, He will prove the victor every time!

Fear not these false gods! In trying to live a Godly life, the world will try to intimidate you by calling these gods against you. "If I serve God in this way, what will it cost me?" "What will people say?" "What if all my old friends lose respect for me?" "I will look like a fool!" All of these things may even happen, but since we bow to Christ, we no longer owe these gods our allegiance. We ultimately gain nothing of worth from them, and in the end they will all be brought low. "…the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." Live for God, and fear not the "gods that are no gods at all." They are nothing!   

[Soldier4Christ]

  False Shame

By: Beth Hays


If I am guilty, too bad for me. And even if I'm innocent, I am filled with shame and misery so that I can't hold my head high. (Job 10:15) NLT

It thoroughly amazes me how the things we believe about ourselves have such a greater impact on us than the truth. I think it’s the whole “mind over matter” concept. But, you have to admit, we get lost in falsehood sometimes. Job did too. Even though He was innocent, he was filled with shame…a debilitating shame. Maybe you have felt that way too.

I know I have. I have struggled with shame for quite a bit of my life. Not guilt—that is saying what you did is bad, but shame—saying WHO you ARE is bad. I have lived with the “knowledge” that the very essence of my being was wrong. Thoughts revolving around worthlessness, stupidity, self-hatred ran rampant in my head. And every time I looked in the mirror I was disgusted by my own reflection. I was bad.

Or so I thought. Through a long process of healing from my past and facing the horrors in my soul, I have come to see that this is FALSE. I am not bad, I am not wrong. At times, what I did was bad. But, that say nothing of who I am. We are not made up of our actions or even emotions. We are made up, knit together, by a God who perfects us.

My friend, this is true for you too. I am so desperately sorry for the hurt you have known. I am sorry that satan has lied to you about who you are. I am so sorry that you didn’t know what to do besides believe him. But, I’m here with a better option. I’m here with the TRUTH. YOU ARE GOOD. The very heart of you, the spirit within you, is good. Yes we are sinners. But, God made you, looked at you, and said “It is good.” You can’t walk around with your head down in shame any longer. You don’t have to. Please soak up this truth: your shame is false; it is a lie. There is nothing wrong with who you are—and everything right.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Birthed With A Purpose

By: Jeff Lappano


“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB)

I love the book of Jeremiah for hidden within it are glimpses of who we are to be in Christ. How important it is that we should know who we are in Christ. The prophetic word that we’re studying today is so important to get a hold of. Though we’re studying one part of the verse, the entire verse reveals that our God is god who cares for us so much, and knows everything about us.

Even though in the language we see this verse, it says a lot, in the Hebrew it says so much more. Lets see what Jeremiah’s prophetic word was originally. “For I comprehend and understand the purpose that I consider and value you with.” My best guess is that our parents have told everyone one of us that we were an accident. Often times, the statement is expressed out of anger, therefore holding no value. In God’s eyes, we’re not accidents, even if we are to our parents.

Jeremiah 1:5 say, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee.” Before the beginning of time, God knew each and every one of us. Not only did God know us, but also he designed us with a purpose and calling. Romans 11:29 say, “For the gifts and the calling of God are without repentance.”

How should we find out what our purpose is in life? Lets continue with the theme of our opening text. Do you remember what was? The theme of the word of the Lord is God having a relationship with us. Now it is time for the coin to be flipped, meaning its not just a one sided relationship. We to must have a relationship with God. Lets continue with yet another prophetic word that Jeremiah received from the Lord. 33:3 in our next text. “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knows not.” Jesus said that doesn’t look at us as servants but as friends. In the Hebrew, the prophetic word begins with “Address me by my name.” In the orginal language, the word goes on by saying that if we do the first part, that God would begin to reveal the hidden things to us. Do you know what your purpose in life is? If you have a relationship with God, you have every right to know what your purpose in life is! Yes you can ask God what it is, and He will tell you!

[Soldier4Christ]

  Changes

By: Mary


No matter how hard you try, your always going to let someone
down. You are not perfect, you will fail. I used to think certain people I knew
were perfect; my friends, my family, my teachers.
Their life seemed so easy, so simple and carefree. I trusted
them.

But then they'd make mistakes; they'd let me down. Then my heart would
get broken. I would cry and cry and wonder why they let me down. They we're
supposed to be perfect. I slowly began realizing that I couldn't put my trust in
people. So who was I going to trust?

Then, finally I opened my eyes and hit myself over the head and said, "Duh,
Mary!" There was, and still is hope. There is one who will always be there for
me. His name is Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:8 says," Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever."

You see, Jesus never changes. But people do change. Friends move away, people we
are close to die, our friends get mad, they break our trust, and WILL fail us at
times. But if your hope is in Christ, someone will always be there for you.

Isaiah 33:6 says,
"He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and
wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure."

So, if God is our foundation and everything around us falls, then we
will be left standing. God placed within us the need to trust someone, and he is
the only one who can meet that need. Put your hope and trust in God... and not
people!

[Soldier4Christ]

  Yes Be Yes

By: Steven Self


Reader Question:

Well, my friend keeps saying I did all this stuff I didn't do and everybody
believes her instead of me


Matthew 5:37 (NIV)
Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this
comes from the evil one.
It's not an easy thing to deal with when your reputation is on the line.
School is hard enough as it is, without having rumors going around about
you.  As a Christian, it's even more important because we are supposed to
live our lives as an example to the world.  How many people do you know who
claim to be a Christian but they are at all the parties, and do all the
things that Christians aren't supposed to do?  Most of us can think of a
couple of names instantly.  How sad is this?  Very.  Jesus calls us to live
a better life than this, He calls us to not be like everyone else, He calls
us to go into the world and show it His love.  Part of this means living
your life in such a way that when a rumor starts about you, no one can
believe it.
As a youth minister I often took kids home from church.  Anyone that I would
take home knew that they had to have at least two more people to ride with
us.  The reason for that is that I never put myself in a position where
someone could accuse me of doing something I didn't do.  I was never alone
with any of my kids.  The reason that I needed two people to ride with us is
because when I dropped the person off, I wouldn't be alone with someone else
on the way back to the church.  This was a rule I had and all of my kids and
their parents knew it.  If someone had tried to say I did something wrong,
there were always witnesses to what happened.
When you go out of your way to live your life like your supposed to, rumors
can start about you but no one will believe them.  Even if people do believe
the rumors, you will still know that your innocent and so will God.  It's
much easier to just say "whatever" and then walk away.  Who can argue with
someone who doesn't argue back?  Your actions always speak louder than your
words.  Just like the hypocrites who claim to be Christians, but don't live
like it.
When you do your best to live your life the way Jesus called you to do,
people will know it.  It may be hard to not go to parties or not do drugs or
whatever, but when everyone sees and knows that you don't do that stuff it
means you are showing others the right way to live.  If a rumor were to get
started that you did, most people wouldn't believe it.  People may make fun
of you for not joining in with them in these things, but they will know you
are different.  They will know you are real.  This makes your witness about
Jesus real to them.  If you make a habit of never lying, when someone asks
you a question, they will automatically believe what you tell them.  You
won't have to worry about trying to justify your answer or make yourself
sound more correct, you can just simply let your 'yes' be 'yes' and your
'no' be 'no', nothing more needs to be said.  Can you do that?  If not, you
can start today.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Exposing the Darkness

By: Beth Hays


Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19) KJV

If you are like 38% of the female population and 16% of the male population, you have been sexually abused. And my heart is shattered for the pain you know. You did not deserve, could never deserve, to have anyone hurt you in the manner in which they did. I am so desperately sorry for your precious soul that was shattered, How I would love to reach out to the hurting child within you and offer him or her safety.

But, I wasn't able to be there to do that. And I am so sorry if no one was. You should have been kept safe. But, I realize that doesn't always happen. I wish I could offer you a  magic wand to fix it all, but that isn't how life works. I can, instead, offer something you never had; power.

God has given you power over this situation now. You were powerless to stop the abuse. I know that. You need to know that too. The ones who hurt you were wrong. You couldn't have stopped it. But, now, you have the power. You have the power to heal. You are given the strength to be able to walk through the process to wholeness.

Luke says you have the power to trample the enemy and not be hurt. That means you can tackle the enemy that seems to live in your heart. This means we have to face the horrific memories hiding there. I know it hurts, dear ones, but I promise it is worth it. Freedom is waiting. A freedom you have never dreamed of is around the bend. We just have to trample on the darkness first.

This usually comes in exposing it to the light. I know it's unbelievably difficult to open up about your past. But, in sharing the things that are piercing your heart, they have less power over you. And as you heal you will come to see that YOU have the power. And most wonderfully, God promises that He will keep you safe through the journey. It won't be too much for you. So, my precious sibling in Christ, let's take the first step. Will you reach out TODAY and tell someone of your anguish so that you can take over the control of you very precious soul?

[Soldier4Christ]

  Discerning Which Way To Go

By: Jeff Lappano


Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"  He said, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword. And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away." So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 1 Kings 19:9-12 (NASB)

I want to know the will of God, and I want to know it now! We’re all guilty of saying that. Let me draw you to a few passages of scripture. John 15:7, “ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” As a child of God, we have the right to ask the Father concerning His will.

Lets move down two books to Romans 8:14. “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” One of the coolest things I think of being a Christian still living on earth is I got the leading of the spirit on my side. How does the leading of the spirit happen? There are so many ways! Hearing the voice of God through the leading of the spirit is one of the ways. But then how do we know that we’re actually hearing the voice of the Lord? Lets look back at the opening text. If you continue on with the text you’ll see God giving his servant the direction in which he was to go. The man of God heard the voice of God in the quiet place. Yes of course God can speak through fires and earthquakes etc. but even in the quiet place the Father loves speaking. Living in 2004, we’re people who like to “crank up the volume”. But in the secret quiet place, that’s where God likes to speak. When you get that peace and joy when you hear the voice of the Lord in the quiet place, then you know you’re on your way!