Devotions for Teens

[Soldier4Christ]

  "The Church at Sardis"


Revelation 2:8-11

The city of Smyrna was known or the athletes and the games that they
played.   The church there struggled with two things, a Jewish community that
was against Christians, and a people’s belief that had a strong loyalty to
Rome. Both giving Christians in Smyrna persecution and suffering because of
surroundings like this.  Have you ever been persecuted?   We would all
answer a resounding “yes” to that one.   As a matter of fact, some of
us may be reading this devotional and be saying, “Adam, you don’t know how bad
that I have been persecuted in my life.”   Some of you it may have been a
small making fun of, and others may have actually thought that they were
going to lose their lives for the faith.   Persecution comes from Satan, but
Jesus says that we are to remain faithful and we will receive the crown of
life.

Jesus wanted to tell them to remain faithful throughout all types of
pain and persecution because God is in control.   Jesus never told us that
being a Christian would be easy, especially in these last days, but He did
say that He would be with us every step of the way.  Faith is the key in
this one.  When we are persecuted and still have faith in Christ, that is
where our faith is proven and our strength made sure.

Friends, where is our faith?  Faith is key, not just in the large
things that happen in life, but in the small things as well.  When we have
faith in the small things such as someone making fun of us, or someone giving us
a little persecution, then we will see ourselves through the hard times. 
I would encourage you to read the story of Shadrach, Mechach, and
Abednego, beginning in Daniel.  See that they endured through the small things,
all of the way up to the big one of not bowing down to the king’s idol. 
Compare that to your life and what your faith grow. May God Be With You

[Soldier4Christ]

  "Trials of the Storm"


Broken and torn apart,
The Skies offer their condoling thoughts.

They tell of a place that is far away,
A time when it was cold, dark, and filled with dismay.

Then out of this picture I see my face reflection,
My heart is flooded by the voids as it runs for Your protection.

Diving into the sea of black,
Not knowing of this raging storm that will soon pass.

Gripping the edge of the boat,
I get thrown around until finally soaked.

Changing the future starts with today,
But changing the past remains a part of which I can not say.

Because to change the past I would soon see,
That this job was not left up to me.
For through these trials and tribulations,
We learn the true meaning of salvation.

To touch the Savior's hands,
To look deep into his everlasting eyes,
To find a path unto His heart,
Brings a gift that should never part.

A life spent with the Lord
Let me tell you, is it's own reward.

So the next time your cold with fear,
call upon the Lord, for He is always near.

[Soldier4Christ]

  "Were You Tempted Today?"


"Were you tempted to cheat on a test today at school?"  Were you tempted to
stick something into your pocket at the store today?"  Were you tempted to
lie to your parents?"  Daily or even hourly we are tempted to sin.  Satan is
everywhere with temptations to sin.  We are human and this is something that
will be constant throughout our lives until we leave this world and go to
heaven.  Paul describes the Christian as having two natures, the old and the
new, which constantly compete for power.  Remember the old cartoon with the
guy standing there with a little devil on one shoulder and an angel on the
other, both are whispering things into his ears.  He has to decide which one
to listen to.  We Christians have to understand and learn to confront this
"magnetic pull" of our own sinful nature and Satan's wiles.

God never promises to remove temptation from us, for even Christ was subject
to it.  But there is a sense of achievement and assurance that results for
the victory over temptation.  We need to keep strong in Christ in our daily
lives so that the temptation doesn't turn us to sin.  Temptation alone is not
sin but can lead us to sin. "But remember this - the wrong desires that come
into your life aren't anything new and different.  Many others have faced exactly the same problems
before you" (1 Cor. 10:13).  Temptation is of the devil (Matt 4:1-11
temptation of Jesus).

Sin is when we give in to temptation.  None of us should deliberately
place ourselves in a position to be tempted.  Satan will attack us where we
are the most vulnerable. "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because
when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who
love him.  When tempted, no one should say, 'God is tempting me.'  For God
cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone but each one is tempted
when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after
desire has conceived it give birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown
gives birth to death."  James 1:12-15 NIV

Fight the temptations, stand tall in victory by turning to the right shoulder
that has the angel perched on it.

[Soldier4Christ]

  "Pretty High and Tempting"


      "Therefore sumit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
Turn and flee from sin." (James 4:7) NKJV

      Everyday we come in contact with some pretty tough situations. Times
when there isn't anyone to turn to and nobody to stand by your side. Sin
stares you right in the face and haunts your every move. It stalks you around
every turn and is determined to pin you to a corner so you can't escape. Many
of you know exactly what I'm talking about. The other day I came in contact
with one of those situations. My dad came up from Miami to spend the week at
Disney which is only about an hour from my house. Sunday was the only day I
had off, so I packed my swimming trunks and drove to Mickey's house. I
arrived there just in time to stuff myself with some breakfast and jump on a
bus to Disney's Blizzard Beach. But, little did I know what lurked behind
those snowy gates.

      The day went by pretty fast and so did my skin as it turned 4 different
shades of red before turning to its purple state that it's in now. Life was
great, kids where laughing, parents relaxing, and my dad just staring in awe
towards the main attraction. I walked over to where he was standing to gaze
with wonder. Off in the distanced gleamed the tall, shadowy, silhouette of
the largest, fastest, steepest, water slide in the world. My dad smiled, took
me by the arm, and the march to my death began.

      The closer we edged to the slide, the more fearful I became. Sweat
started rolling down my face as I was gripped with the agony of my fate. As
we stepped through the entrance to this suicidal slide, I felt my life come
to an end. Then it hit me, the only chance I had was to make a mad dash
through the line. There was an opening where I could slip through to the
kiddy pool, It just might work. I took a deep breath, said a short prayer and
made my last effort to dive through the line to safety. After nearly tripping
over every chain and bumping into a really tall hairy man who was having a
bad hair day, I was able to make it out.....alive.

      Even though the fear of a slide could never compare to some of the
things we face every day in our lives, it symbolizes what we as Christians
need to do. As Paul tells us, we need to literally turn and run from sin.
When we are tempted, or when sin comes to grab our arm, we need to turn the
other direction. In God's word it shows us that we will never be tempted more
than we can handle. He also tells us that there will never be a situation
that we cannot escape. Even though the slide probably wouldn't have killed
me, sin can. Not only can it kill you now, it can keep you from eternal life.
If you haven't already, ask Jesus into your heart. If you have, realize that
there is nothing that you can't do through Jesus Christ, who we all know
strengthens us. The next time you get tempted, or threatened with sin,
remember Jesus died on the cross so we can stare at even the biggest sins in
the world and simply....walk away. May peace be with you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Is the Bible Truth?


When I was in college,  I was in Chicago, and my fiancée (wife) was in
Indiana.  We had grown up together in church and youth group, and had
decided to date.  It was easier because I knew that I would get to go home
on the weekends, and vacations.  Anyhow, I would never forget the days that
I would walk into the post office and there before my eyes was a love
letter from her doused in perfume, and ready for me to open.  It would
always make my day.

Friends, God’s Word is just the same.  It is a “love letter” written to
you and I over a span of 1,500 years, inspired by God through 40 different
men.  It is about one central theme and that central theme is that Jesus
Christ God’s Son, came to this earth, died upon the wicked tree, rose
again on the third day, is ALIVE, and wants to live in your heart today. 

It is not some anthology of stories, wars, fables, tales, or merely a
human idea of what God is all about.  It is God Himself revealing His
plan purpose and message for His people.  Although the writers used their
own personal styles, cultures, and context, God told them what to write. 
The Bible events were written by people, and seen by people.  People have
lost their lives or the Bible you have in front of you today.  It is “God
breathed” (KJV)  and we are to use the whole thing  for correction, rebuke,
and guidance in our lives.

In conclusion, we have to look at God’s Word like a love letter that we are
just dying to read.  It is for you and for me.   God wants to show us through
it what is right, and help us to live for Him.  I would encourage you to
develop a whole plan to read the whole Bible.  Maybe try it in a year or
six months.  See God’s plan for your salvation come to life. 
May God Be With You

[Soldier4Christ]

  The Church at Thyatira


Revelation 2:18-26

It never fails!  I turn on the television and whammo!  There are a couple on their, essentially not married making out and grossing the rest of the world with their tonsil hockey or whatever else they may be deciding to do.  All I wanted to watch was some Loony Tunes, or some Tom and Jerry, but I turn on the tube and get flashed with this.  It seems like the more and more I have lived the more and more that I see immorality accepted in our culture, our school, and ever so quickly into our lives.   The city and the Church at Thyatira had the same problem.

The city of Thyatira was strong working town.  There were many trade federations for clothing, dyeing, and pottery.   Paul talked about the town while he was there, and mentioned a gal named Lydia (Acts 16:14 a merchant in Thyatira) who was his first convert in Phillipi.   When you look at the city as a whole, they were basically one their own when it came to religion. 

Jesus was concerned though for the church at Thyatira.  You see, there was a woman there that taught that immorality was not a something that believers should worry about.  We are not sure if her name was Jezebel or if John was actually referring to her as a type of Jezebel mentioned in the OT which was considered the most evil woman that ever lived.  The people were starting to believe her and thus causing all types of immorality in their lives.

When we talk about immorality (all types, whether sexual of moral)  and how serious it is we are talking about living in the desires of ourselves and not God’s desires.  Friends, when we live in the desires of ourselves and not God’s desires it hurts Him because it tells Him that we are relying on ourselves and not God.  It hurts others because it violates their trust and our relationships.  God wants to protect us from all types of immorality, and wants us to have no part with it even if our culture accepts it. 

We have the same going on in our society.   Sure, we may not be able to stop what our society does and the beliefs that they have, but we can stop what we think and the things that come into our hearts and minds.  Ultimately, flee all immorality.  Friends, immorality is serious, and God hates it.   He wants us to meet His desires, and not our own.  Are we doing that today?  I challenge you to do a reality check and find out in your heart.  May God Be With You.

[Soldier4Christ]

  Prayer


In Luke 11:1, one of Jesus' disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray."  It was obvious the Jesus' strength came from His time in prayer.

What is Prayer?
Basically, prayer is communication between you and God.  "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." Jeremiah 33: 3

Just try to think of trying to cope with your problems if there was no way to communicate with God. Remember that God created us for fellowship with Him.  He desires that we learn to spend time with Him in prayer.


Why Do People Fail to Pray?
We often convince ourselves that we can make it without prayer. 
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding: in all you ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs3: 5-6

How to Pray
Be real; be yourself.  You must be honest, genuine, open with God.  "Who may stand before the Lord?  Only those who do not practice dishonesty and lying." 
Psalm24: 3-4

Come before God as a child.  "The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child."  Matthew 18:4

Talk to God as you would a friend.  "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend." Exodus 33:11

Pray without ceasing.  "Pray at all times." 1 Thes. 5:17
Pray with persistence.  "Pray and never give up." Luke 18:1
Pray believing. ".... all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you." Mark 11:24
Prayers must be specific. Pray generally -- you'll never know. Pray specifically -- you'll see God at work.

God always answers prayer, in His time. 
God sometimes says, "No."
God sometimes says, "Wait."
God sometimes says, "Yes," and can even say "Yes" but in a different way than you expected.  Usually when you seek God, and you are praying according to His will, He will answer your prayer far beyond what you could ever dream.

Pray with Action.
A prayer can never take the place of action.  Like love, it must be expressed in action and not merely words.  "Be ye doers of the word." James 1:22

Don't just pray:
"Dear God, please help John today.

Example of How to pray:
"Dear God, I really hurt for John.  I want Your will for his life to be accomplished today.  If there is any way that You can use me, I am available.  Please make me sensitive to any doors that You might open to use me in his life today."  Be specific for his needs according to God's will and for your needs in this request as well.


Elements of a Prayer
Remember A-C-T-S.
A - Adoration is praising God for who He is.  This can be done by reading scriptures of praise or through music.
C - Confession is agreeing with God about your sin.  True confession always includes repentance, which is a change in your life.  Confession is important for spiritual growth.
T - Thanksgiving is thanking God for when He has done.
S - Supplication means requests.  These are the things that you ask God for.  There are 2 categories.
  1.  Petition is praying for our own needs.  We pray when we are in a bind.  We pray for our daily needs.  We need to pray for character development, physical abilities and material needs.
   2. Intercession is praying for others.  Praying for salvation as well as areas listed above.  "....... far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you" 1 Samuel 12:23

~ PRAYERS CAN'T BE ANSWERED UNLESS THEY ARE PRAYED~

Life without purpose is barren indeed ~
There can't be a harvest unless you plant the seed.
There can't be attainment unless there's a goal,
And a man's but a robot unless there's a soul.
If we send no ships out, no ships will come in,
And unless there's a contest, nobody can win.
For games can't be won unless they are played
And prayers can't be answered unless they are prayed.
So whatever is wrong with your life today,
You'll find a solution if you kneel down and pray.
Not just for pleasure, enjoyment and health,
Not just for honors, prestige or wealth,
But pray for a purpose to make life worth living,
And pray for the joy of unselfish giving,
For great is your gladness and rich your reward
When you make your life's purpose the choice of the Lord.
Helen Steiner Rice

~ LET YOUR WISH BECOME A PRAYER ~

Put your dearest wish in God's hands today
And discuss it with Him as you faithfully pray,
And you can be sure your wish will come true
If God feels your wish will be good for you...
There's no problem too big or question too small ~
Just ask God in Faith and He'll answer them all ~
Not always at once, so be patient and wait,
For God never comes too soon or too late...
So trust in His wisdom and believe in His word,
No prayer's unanswered and no prayer's unheard.
Helen Steiner Rice

[Soldier4Christ]

He

He was an outcast to society
Misunderstood for his beliefs
Speaking in parables to the synagogues
Which offended the priests and chiefs.

He healed the blind with mud from the earth
And inspired hope to those he met
Breaking his body as bread
To sacrifice for the ultimate debt.

He climbed the rock at Calvary
Bruised and spat upon along the way
Yet he kept his mission deep in his mind
For the remainder of that dark day

He was laid upon the cross
Sharp nails driven in his hands and feet
A crown of thorns lacerated his scalp
Yet he would still not admit defeat.

He cried out his last breath
Red blood pouring down his face
Crowds mocked his dying actions
As they left that desolate place.

He was buried in a tomb
But on the third day he rose
Soon ascending into Heaven
To reign King as the one God chose.

He had proclaimed eternal life
With the cool blue spring of the Spirit
If people would only accept him
And not turn away when they hear it.

He still lives in today’s world
As he hugs his arms around me
Fanning the hot embers inside my soul
So I may spread the fire to all I see.

Author: Steve Pratt

[Soldier4Christ]

  What does God say about Bulimia and Anorexia


Gal. 5:22
Psalm 139
Gen. 1:26
Psalm 8
Phil. 4:13

Eating Disorders are devastating to anyone who suffers from them. Whether it be a personality problem, family pressures or whatever the cause may be, these diseases affect Christian teenagers as well as non-Christian teens the same. Most of you with this problem are women, but the cases of men are increasing more and more. Some of you may be dealing with one of these destroying diseases right now.

What does the Bible say about this subject? Truthfully, there is not a whole lot that the Bible says about eating disorders, but I feel that God covered this problem when He told us how we were created and what we mean to Him. That is why we should not destroy our bodies. How we were created falls on how we must feel about our self-worth, self-esteem, and most of all our self-control. God created each of us from His most special unique plan and He did this in His image according to His "likeness." Which means that we who may be suffering and hurting from these devastating diseases need to really stop and think about where we are and try to find help.

There are two solutions that I would like to say to anyone who has one of these diseases or knows someone with one of these diseases. First, know that because of the above mentioned reasons, you are loved and are very special. It does not matter what color you are, the size of your figure, or matter how you look at all. God loves you and wants you to have the balance, self-worth, self-esteem, and ultimately the self-control that you need in your life.   He wants you to seek Him in all of your desires and not feel the low self esteem that you are feeling.

Finally, if you are dealing with this in your life, or know someone that is, I would encourage you to seek help as soon as possible. Remember that you can do all things through Christ that gives you the strength, and that anything can be overcome through Him. Nothing that you are facing is too big for Him, even Bulimia and Anorexia. Also, seek a youth pastor, pastor, friend, Christian Counselor or even come to the point of telling your parents about the situation. It is vital to your health and life that you do. May God Be With You, and give you the strength that you need.

[Soldier4Christ]

Families - Separation and Divorce?
* Are you going through a Divorce in your family? *

When I was 18 I heard the news from my father, my parents were splitting up.
I was shocked. My mother felt that she wanted more out of life, lalalalala.
I was so angry at her and took on the attitude, "OK, we don't need her
anyway." She left our home with my youngest brother who was 11 at the time.
She left my dad, as well as my brother who was 17 and me. She felt we were
old enough to stay with my dad, that we really didn't need a mother like my
youngest brother. I remember the feeling like it was yesterday but God and
time have a way of making everything all right.

I can sit here and write 100 different reasons telling you why they divorced
but really none of that matters now. The facts are that children get caught
in the middle when parent's divorce.


* Can God put the family back together? *

It is possible, but it doesn't always happen that way. You may have to live
the rest of your life with all the realities a divorce brings: possibly a
new school, new home, new financial situation (problems that arise from
less money), and maybe even a new family. Do not let the discouragement get
you down. God can put YOU back together. Right now you probably feel like
the divorce broke your life into a million pieces. Even at 18 I felt my
life was totaled. I made some terrible choices at the time because I simply
didn't care because my life as I knew it was no longer. I felt that
everything that I held dear to me as a child in a family was a lie and it
shattered me.

God can put you back together again even better than you were before.
For God to do that you must respond the way He wants you to. Some of the
wrong ways to deal with a divorce include:


Withdraw
   I am so embarrassed, my family is a failure and I'll be better off if I just keep my mouth shut and stay out of all of it
Fight
   How dare they do this to me, no one cares about me. So I'm going to look out for myself and no one had better get in my way
Clown
   I will act happy and jolly like I don't care, and no one will know I am hurting
Denial
  I will just tell people my dad (or mom) is away on business, I will say this is just temporary. I will say their marriage is just great but they need some time alone.
Conform
   I will just go along with what everyone else says and does, no one will know the difference
Compensate
I have been hurt, but won't go down. I'll be the very best I can be and
everyone will be so proud of me that they won't notice I am hurting
In God's strength and power, respond positively by learning from the
experience and move on with life. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that God
causes all things to work together for good to those who love God."
God wants to use every situation in your life to conform you into the
image of His Son Jesus Christ. Don't run from you pain, run to God.
Allow Him to use your pain to make you into the person He wants you to
become. In the end you will be a much stronger person because of what
you've been through.

I didn't run to God with my pain when I was young. I did most of the things
listed above and made a terrible mess of my life for some time. Not until I
totally gave it all to God many years later did I really find that God used
those times in me to strengthen me and guide me, as He is the potter I was
the clay.

If you are going through a separation or divorce in your family, give it
all to God. Know that your life isn't ruined, you are not to blame in the
least bit. You are special to your parents and even if they choose not to
live together doesn't change their love and dedication to you, even if it
seems like you are either in left field here or right in the middle of a
tug-of-war. You are Special. You are Valuable. You are Important. Give your
life and pain over to God in prayer, seek Christian friends to help you
through all of this. Find loving and trusting people to open up and share
your feelings with. No matter how hurt or angry you feel do not turn your
back on God, you truly need Him right now more than ever to hold you in
His great loving arms. I pray for all of you that have to go through this,
it is not easy to weather this storm, it cuts deep, but with God's help
you will get through it. I promise!

[Soldier4Christ]

Heaven's Telephone

Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this
is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) NASV.

Imagine how life would be like today with out the telephone? Scary thought,
huh? Try and figure out how you would get in touch with friends. Would
you have to write a letter a week in advance to see if they wanted to go
to a movie? I have a few friends that would go through complete denial if
they had their phone taken from them for just a week. The phone can be
someone's best friend, or in my case a while back, your worst enemy.

I had just finished mowing the lawn when I decided to take a break and see
how my girlfriend was doing. As I picked up the phone and dialed her number
, I tried to think of all the stuff I wanted to talk to her about. But then
something horrible happened, yes you know the one thing we all dread. The
busy signal! I started tripping when I heard the most annoying beeping
sound known to a teen besides the fire alarm at school.

Then thoughts started running though my head. "What if she's talking to
another guy. She's probably asking her friends to help her find a way to
break up with me. Maybe she's tired and trying to give me the hint to
leave her alone. Or she might even be off with someone else and left her
phone off the hook so I wouldn't know. Ackkkk!"

After a few minutes, I calmed back down and decided I would think the
situation over and try a new approach. By the time I started thinking of
what to do next, I couldn't help but think of how God must feel at times.
Are there times when God tries to call me and He gets a busy signal? Maybe
there are times when I'm so busy talking to other people or hanging with
my friends that I forget all about my heavenly Father.

You know it's a free call every time we want to talk to our best Friend
upstairs. You never need to dial a 1 and you don't even need an 800 number.
He's there at anytime of day when ever we need Him. We just have to take
the time to pick up the receiver and dial Him up.

So take time during the day before you call a friend to remember there is
another person who not only is dying to talk to you but already died so you
can spend a few minutes a day to say hi. The next time you pick up the phone,
spend a second thinking of Him, because believe it or not, He spends all of
eternity thinking of you. May peace be with you.

[Soldier4Christ]

  "God?.......Are you out there?"



I Cor. 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”  (NAS)

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet
And a light to my path.”

Okay, think of a huge situation that you either have faced, are facing,
or you know is inevitable that you will have to eventually face. Some of
you have something on your mind that scares you, others are worried, but a
few of you have probably thought of something that brings you excitement
and anticipation. No matter what thought is on your mind right now, my God
is bigger. Yet, I never stop questioning my God. I have confidence and yet
so many questions. Countless are the days that I open my eyes and beg God
for a sign. Just a hint that He is really out there. And yet, just the fact
that I rolled over and opened my faithless eyes is this "sign" that I ask
for. Just the possibility that I could take a breath this very moment is
evidence of my God. Every time my heart beats, which is on average is
somewhere around two and a half billion times, is proof that my God is out
there orchestrating the universe.

It is okay to question, if you are looking for the answer. Pray that
God gives you a hunger for His Word and He will. The Psalmist wrote that if
you delight yourself in the Lord He will give you the desires of your
heart. Seek Christ and you will find Him. You don't even have to go far, because He
is everywhere.  Pray, "God take me to that quiet place where I can stand before your throne
and get things right." God says blessed is him who trusts. I encourage you
to trust in Christ and to step out in faith believing that He is there.
Faith is a verb. It is an action, something you do. Standing on faith is
almost an oxymoron. Get out and run with faith, you might be surprised.

[Soldier4Christ]

  "Is it ok to cuss?"


“Is it ok to cuss as long as you are not using the Lord’s name in vain? 
For example using four letter words as long as you are not using the Lord’s
name in vain?”


Colossians 3:8 “But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice,
slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.  NASB

I Corinthians 10:31        “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you
do, do all to the glory of God.”  NASB

Philippians 4:4-8
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!
5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication
        with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard
        your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
        whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever
        is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy
        of praise, dwell on these things.  (NASB)

I will be honest with you, I have had a problem with this one in my life as
well.  This question brings back memories about when I first learned to
cuss.  No sooner had I said the word, then did my mom take me into the
bathroom for an old fashioned washing of my mouth out with soap.   I even
remember the stupidity of teaching my little sister to cuss and how to use
the words correctly in a sentence.  Then, I one day had to come to the
conclusion that this was not what I wanted my life to be like.

After some time of growing up and learning about what I was saying when I
used some of those words, I found that I was really using abusive and
filthy language.  The question then was asked, “Is God happy with me using
these words after finding out the definition of them?”   I would have to
say absolutely not!   Everything in the Word of God says that we are to
build one another up, and serve one another.  Any time that we use these
words whether in normal speech or out of anger and pain,  it is not
building anyone up.  There are other words that we can choose to use,
especially when we are upset or smash our thumb with a hammer.  Let me
give you an example.

If we are to use the “D” word we are actually saying that we want the
person or the thing to go to eternal damnation.  What is eternal damnation?
  The King James Version uses it in Matthew 23:33:   33. "Ye serpents, ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (KJV)  The
story of the Pharisees and the seven woes.  When you talk about being
“Damned” you are talking about a judgmental “sentence“.  You are talking
about a judgmental sentence of an eternal separation from God!   Why would
we want that to happen to anything or anyone?  I would imagine that you
could figure out the rest of the words on your own as to why they are not
appropriate for any speaking out of our mouths. 

The first question of the Shorter Catechism says, “What is the chief end of
man?“    The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
   Friends, cussing is not something that we need to focus on in our lives,
  and it especially not something that would cause God to be glorified nor
help us to enjoy Him forever.   We are to rejoice in the Lord always! 
God wants us to dwell on things that are pure, holy, and of a sound mind!
How can we do that when our hearts are in the wrong place?

The solution to this is that we need to be sure that we do watch what we
say and how we say it.  Let us think twice about what we are saying and
how damaging that it can be to another person or another child of God. 
Do we really want what we just said  to actually happen?  God wants us to
keep abusive (corrupt) language from our lips.  I would encourage you to
seek help on what you say, and maybe even learn to try to stop cussing so
that God’s glory may abound more in you and your hearts. 
May God Be With You

[Soldier4Christ]

  "In the clouds"


"Look, He is coming in the clouds and everyone will see Him...."  Rev. 1:7a
(NIV)

Deuteronomy 33:26  "There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on
the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.  (NIV)

Psalm 147:8 He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain
and makes grass grow on the hills.  (NIV)



About every place that you look in the Bible where it talks about clouds,
you see that they are in one way or another connected to the attributes of
God.  Clouds may be the tough times that we have, or the sufferings that
we all face in our lives which seem to dispute the sovereignty of God.  It
is by those clouds in our lives that the Spirit of God is teaching us to walk
by an unconditional faith.  They are a sign that He is there. 

It is cool to know that God is there and He is coming in the clouds of our
lives, and that all of the clouds that we face we know that God wants us to
fix something in our lives.  His purpose is for us to totally rely on Him
until we come to Him like a child, and letting Him supply all of our needs
Like the psalmist talked about when we supplies coulds for the earth to be
replenished with rain.

What is your view of God today?  Do you see Him in the clouds?  Do you give
Him all of the praise and the glory in all that you do and all that He does
in your life?  The next time that you look at the sky and see the clouds,
think of God and His coming in the clouds of our lives, and also take the
time to be sure that everything in you glorifies Him.   

[Soldier4Christ]

  "Are you compromising?"


Rev. 2:12-17

16.  “Repent, or I will come to you suddenly and fight against them with
the sword of my mouth.”


Have you ever compromised your faith?  I know that I have.  I have let
things slide that have happened to me in order to make the people around
me happy.  We as Christians are not going to please everyone.  God says
that compromising our faith to make other people happy who are doing wrong
is not good, and if we do we need to repent.

It seems that when you look at the seven churches Jesus talked about in the
first three chapters of the book of Revelation, you notice one thing:  It
was not easy to live in the cities where the churches were located. 
Pergamum was different from the cities that we talked about the last few
weeks.  They not only worshipped the Greek gods, but they housed temples
for them in their city.  Even though they were surrounded by Satan and the
worship of other gods, the church at Pergamum never would renounce its
faith.  They still believed in the one true God. 

It was not easy to be a Christian in Pergamum.  With all of these different
god’s and Satan running around like a roaring lion,  it could not have
been easy to live as a Christian.  There had to be more persecution than
you could handle.  The problem that they were having though is that they
were beginning to tolerate those who believed in their different faiths,
and going along with the crowd.  Essentially, they were beginning to
compromise, and Jesus rebuked them for it.

Friends, how many of us compromise?  Compromise is a settlement of
differences in which each side makes concessions.   Are we compromising
our faith so that other faiths or people who don’t even have faith will
win out?   We have to stand firm in our faith and not compromise with any
other.  We have to know that what we believe is truth, and that no one can
tell us different.  We as Christians need to continue our stand for our
faith and what we believe.  I challenge you today to stand for your faith,
and not let Satan use someone else to get you to compromise the commands of
God’s Word.  If you have compromised your faith, then I would encourage
you to repent and get back on the right track serving the Lord.  May God
Be With You