With the boom of young millionaires and successful young business owners, young adults like myself can easily begin to feel like we aren't where we are supposed to be in our lives. Some of us are starting to see our friends get married, having babies, getting promotions, traveling the world, and doing all sorts of fun and exciting this we haven't experienced yet. This fear of missing out can make us feel really low. I experienced something like this last week. I had been wanting to make a change that I thought would help my little family and I, but it didn't work out the way I'd planned. I had been praying about it for weeks. I got part of my prayer answered the way I wanted it to be answered, but the other part simply didn't happen.
I tried to have a better night, and with a few laughs from some jokes my husband cracked, and admittedly a bit of ice cream, I was feeling OK.
This same Peter who had denied Christ three times, fell asleep on him in the garden, and nearly drowned while walking to Jesus on the sea due to his lack of faith was now speaking in the name of Jesus to the people who killed had him. I realized then that God is trying to transform me into a Peter. A few years ago, I would have been cynical towards God for not answering my prayer. It would have shaken my faith. Why do these things keep happening to me? I would have been like David in some of his Psalms. "How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me?" - Psalm 13:1-2
My point to my fellow young adult Christians is this: You don't need power, relationships, or material things to make a difference. God knows us better than we know ourselves. He gave us two ears so we can listen to our friends and their struggles. He gave us a mouth to encourage others through our words. He gave us hands and feet so we can work and help others in their hardest times. He gave us our heart to love and empathize.
As hard as it is to live in a world where what you have and who you are means everything, remember how easy it is to rest in God's will and linger there. Remember that, at the end of the day, everyone will spend eternity with God or separate from him. God is the great equalizer. What you do for Him now will mean much more than what you try to do for yourself.
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Life as a young Christian can be challenging. I had trouble in my faith when I was in college, as do many young Christians setting off on their own, perhaps for the first time. It’s around this time that a lot of young Christians in college start turning away from Bible study, prayer, and going to church. It’s much easier to catch up on sleep or spend the evening hanging out with friends than doing something that can help cultivate your faith.
Basically, Saul was anointed King of Israel, but disobeyed God. Samuel, the profit, is told by God to find a new King of Israel, and he finds David, a shepherd boy. David defeats Goliath (a very well-known story) and actually becomes close to King Saul. However, Saul grows jealous of David and how the people adored him. Now, let’s talk about the differences between David and Saul: DO YOU REMAIN FAITHFUL OR DO YOUR OWN THING?
He trusts God, evidenced in I Samuel 17:37, as he tells Saul that God has protected him from animals of prey as he watched sheep, and he will surely protect him as he goes up against Goliath. As we know, he is victorious. However, Saul goes against the will of God. Samuel the profit tells Saul to go and destroy the Amalekites and everything that they have. The reason for this is unknown (at least to me), but Samuel was instructed to do this by God.” “And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.” – I Samuel 15:8-9 Doing your own thing historically isn’t a great idea, and Saul is meant to be an extreme example of that. That’s not to say that your life will be easy as a Christian, but it will be a whole lot lonelier and more difficult without that relationship. It is so easy to do the wrong thing and go against what you know God would want for you. Everyone is doing it and it seems like you’ll miss out if you don’t do it too. Trust me, I made a whole lot of mistakes when I was in college, some of which still effect my life today. It is worth it to remain faithful to God’s word. My life undoubtedly would have been much more victorious (thus far) had I maintained that relationship. DO YOU REMAIN HUMBLE OR DO YOU BECOME ENVIOUS?
It says in I Samuel 18:7 that the women in Israel would come from their houses and say “Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousand.” It says from then on, Saul watched David closely. This set off a “witch hunt” of sorts with David. Saul would do things to hurt David intentionally. Even though David was put in charge of Saul’s army, he “behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him (I Samuel 18:14).” In college, it is easy to become envious of others and what they have. Financial hardship is pretty common. Some students have to work part-time jobs, do a work study job, or fulfill scholarship requirements while others get to party all weekend, go on lavish Spring Break trips, and so on. Envy can come also from appearance, lack of a romantic partner, and academic success. I personally found that these things got to me more when my relationship with Christ was weak. That’s why it is important to keep your relationship strong. DO YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISES OR DO YOU MAKE FALSE COVENANTS?
Sadly, Saul’s sons are killed on the battlefield, including Jonathan who David loved. God is very clear about His opinions on promises. You are to keep your promises, according to the Bible. Promises in college may include doing a group assignment, being there for a friend in times of need, or committing to a community service project.
ARE YOU FOR THE PEOPLE OR DO YOU BRING OTHERS DOWN WITH YOU? He makes foolish decisions, gets into battles that he can’t win without the Lord, and loses his sons and his armourbearer and undoubtedly more people along the way. David had a relationship with Jonathan, Saul’s son. He could have used that relationship against Saul to threaten him or otherwise cause harm. That’s what Saul would have done, after all. Instead, David remained a loyal warrior who fought to protect God’s people. He even stayed away from everyone else and traveled alone, undoubtedly because other people would have become targets had they been with David.
However, if you maintain a strong relationship with God as David did, you will see the value in living your life for Christ to be an example to other Christians around you who are struggling in their faith.
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HOW TO GET TO HEAVENThere is a common misconception that there are several ways to get to Heaven when you die. This isn't true. JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN.
God is a perfect being who designed each and every one of us. He is sinless, good, and perfect. However, after Eve ate that apple, sin was released into the world and, as a result, everyone was born into sin and everyone does wrong. Only those without sin can enter into Heaven. But don't worry, Jesus came down to Earth and paid your sin debt do you could go to Heaven. Jesus is our salvation and offers us a way to Heaven. A way to live with Him forever. Here is what you have to do: A—ADMIT Archives
July 2022
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