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Thinking Before We Speak
Anonymous
James 1:19
"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to
listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." But we don't always
do this, so....
There you have it, folks! You have just been agitated
enough to say (or do) something that immediately you wish you could take
back. It happens to all of us. Other things happen in our lives {things
we were not anticipating in our plans} and our "emotional" backpack
becomes so heavy, that when that extra weight is added, your "backpack"
topples over, pouring out and revealing a flood of emotions that should
have been dealt with earlier.
There is the anger of thinking that there is no one there for you, or
has cared enough to bother; the embarrassment of believing that you stick
out like a sore thumb because of your problems; or the resentment of
your "perfect" friends and their so-called perfect lives. Enough
emotions to drive anyone insane - but before you regret anything that
happens, think about this: Will the things I am saying or the actions I
am carrying out bring me closer or farther from God?!
Treat everyone the way that you would treat Jesus. If He were to walk into
the room, would He be proud of what He sees?!
Naive: A Gift From God
By Christina M.
When you begin to become a teenager, many changes happen to your body
and you begin to mature. You also learn many new things. It's difficult
in the ungodliness of this world not to accidentally learn trashy
thoughts. In fact, you can't watch just about any movie without hearing a
profanity or seeing something that's inappropriate.
When you were little, you wouldn't have known what the bad word was or
what they were doing was so wrong. But, because you're older, you
understand. You're not so naive anymore.
Often, groups of girls talk about things, and there will be one girl who
doesn't understand what they are saying and the other girls will make
fun of her and call her a baby. I believe that it's wonderful when there
are still naive girls, girls who don't know "everything."
I used to be one of those girls. My parents kept me out of the world and
what, for most people, are perfectly normal things and sayings.
However, as I got older, I eventually discovered these things for
myself. I learned profane words and understood inappropriate
conversations.
It wasn't all learned at one time, of course, it was a slow process. But
before, there was a sense of innocence, sweetness. I thought the world
was all delightful and a wonderful place to be. I've since discovered
it's not. If you're still young, treasure those years. Be thankful to
God you don't understand vulgar sayings and trash talk.
Fear
By Kimberly M.
We're all afraid of something, whether we want to admit it or not. Be it
snakes, heights, spiders, bees, disease - the list goes on and on.
How can we deal with fear? We need peace.
How do we get it?
Only God can give us the peace we need. Instead of worrying about the
little things, we need to trust God. He will protect you, and take care
of all your needs.
Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble;
and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Isaiah 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I
will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my righteousness.
Psalm 56:3
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Isaiah 43:2
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through
the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the
fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon
thee.
And whether we realize it or not, fear is sin. God does not create fear, but instead, Satan does.
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
So if we are giving into our fears, we are doing exactly what Satan wants.
Just ask God to help you control your fears and give you peace about them. He is always there for you!
John 14:27b
Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Lemons
By Kimberly
One day, My mom was making a lemon cake for my dad. He loves them, and requested one for his birthday.
She'd run out of lemon juice, so she used a real lemon. But when she picked up the lemon, it was partly shriveled up.
I said to my mom, "It looks like it's rotten!"
She said, "No, it's still good." I have to admit, I doubted her from the
way the lemon looked. But she cut it in half, and to my surprise, the
lemon was perfect inside.
My mom said, "Looks can be deceiving." And that got me thinking. As Christians, sometimes we can be like that lemon.
Except opposite. We try and make ourselves look good on the outside. But in reality, we're not good on the inside.
Take for example how you act at church. You always act happy and
pleasant, right? Well, then how do you act at home? Do you argue with
your siblings? Talk back to your parents? Snap at someone when you're
stressed out?
Then why don't you do those things at church, and when you're out in public? It's because you don't want to look bad.
If you know you shouldn't be acting badly at church, then you know you shouldn't be acting that way at home, too.
Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Friends: How Do You Treat Yours?
By Kimberly M.
How do you treat your friends? Like they're the special person God made
them? Or do you take them for granted, and treat them wrong?
Chances are, if you treat your friends well, then you probably have a
lot of them! And teens should always have friends. Who else would you be
able to talk with at Youth Group? Who else would you like to go to the
beach with you during the summer? Who else would you stay on the phone
with until your mom tells you it's time to get off?
Let's take a look at some things. Read the list below, and see which ones pertain to you.
1) No matter what, I'm always honest with my friend. No matter
what I think she'll think of me if I tell her the truth, I tell her.
2) If I disagree with a friend, I don't get all heated up about
the subject. I simply explain my point of view, and stay calm when she
shares hers.
3) I let my friend know that I like being friends with her. Maybe
once in a while I send her a note or call her up on the phone just to
see how she's doing. I let her know that I care about her.
4) If my friend has something to say, I listen to her. No matter what exciting thing I have to say, I don't interrupt.
5) If someone is being rude or being mean to my friend, I stand up for her. I don't let others treat her badly.
6) I never talk about my friend behind her back, or gossip about
her. If I want to share something about her with someone else, I ask her
first to see if it's okay with her.
7) I share my feelings with my friend. If she asks what's
wrong, I don't just keep what I'm thinking all bottled up inside for
fear that she'll think badly of me.
8) I never break a promise with my friends. If I say I'm going to do something, I try my best to stick to it.
9) I never think I'm better than my friend. I know that God made us equal.
How did you do? Did you answer yes to most of the questions? Did you say
no to a lot and felt bad about it? Or did you say no to a lot and don't
really care?
Let's take a look at what God has to say.
Proverbs 17:17a A friend loveth at all times.
Proverbs 27:10a Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not;
Ephesians 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Are you being kind towards your friends? Forgiving? Just think about it.
If you're not, don't you think now is the time to start? You've heard
it before:
If you want friends, you have to be a friend.
The Armor of God
By Hillary-Beth
Do you get dressed every day? I'm not talking about putting on clothes - I'm talking spiritually!
Helmet of Salvation
Protects: your thinking. Our thoughts are to be pure and for God.
Breastplate of Righteousness
Protects: Emotions
Out of your affections are the issues of life - don't respond by just
emotions, but by doing the right thing! God's way is the best way!
Belt of Truth
Ties in the Truth and keeps it there!
Learn the Truth. Know (remember) the Truth. Sift all else through the Truth. Grow in the Truth. Share the Truth.
Sandals of Peace
Carries the Gospel to the world! Be a peacemaker. Wherever God sends
you, be a sharer of the peace of Christ, whether it's in your home, down
the street, or across the world. "Those who are faithful in little will
be faithful in much." You can be at peace in the midst of conflict!
Just be dressed in the right uniform!
Shield of Faith
No matter how intense the battle, no matter how many temptations are
thrown at you, you can find protection behind the shield of faith, which
sits on the Rock, Christ.
Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God
It's offensive. It's defensive. It can be used with believers and unbelievers alike. It convicts and sets free.
When we fail to resist temptation, we've laid down our armor. Thought a
bad thought? Go and find where you laid your helmet, soldier! Yelled
at someone in anger? Strap that breastplate back on! Did you realize
that there is no armor in provision for running away from these battles?
And they are all in your head, your heart, so all the harder to fight!
Take your stand. You have a position as a child of God. In Christ stand
firm. Every day. Make an impact. Bear witness. Go to the battlefield.
God does the fighting for us if we only stand. He shares through us, not
for us.
In The World, But Not of It
By Kimberly
M.
It seems like no matter what you do or where you go, you hear or see
something against God's commands. You watch TV, and a commercial for an R
rated movie comes onto the screen. You walk into the supermarket, and
someone swears because they dropped bottle of soda on the ground. You go
to the electronics section in a store to look at the computer games,
and radios play music with bad lyrics.
It's so easy to be tempted to watch that commercial, even if it's just
for a couple of seconds. Or, to stay in that section of the store longer
to hear a bit more of that song. But, is that what God wants you to do?
Let's see what the Bible has to say:
Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of
good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think
on these things.
Remember that little saying that goes, "Garbage in, garbage out!"? It's
true. If you are listening or seeing wrong things, pretty soon you may
slip up and say something bad, too.
Satan wants us to do or make the wrong decisions. He is the master of
worldly things and temptations. We need to stay clear of his tricks, and
remember what God wants you to do. Stay strong and resist the urge of
temptation. When you do feel tempted, remember this verse:
1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is
common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be
tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a
way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
Above all, keep Scripture in your mind to protect you from wrong:
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God.
Trusting God's Plan For Your Life
By Kimberly M.
I bet you've wondered before what you're going to want to be, or do
someday. You might have written an assignment on it for school, or just
one day got an inspiration. But what about what God wants you to do? He
has plans for your life.
Maybe you're worried about His plans. Maybe you think that He might want
you to do something that you don't think you can do. But simply trust
in Him. His plans for you will never be something that is impossible for
you to do.
Be willing to look at new opportunities, because they might just be
something that God wants you to do in your life. You never know. He may
want you to become a Sunday school teacher, a missionary, or a social
worker.
And lastly, be sure to pray about it. Ask God how He can use you to help
others, or how you can serve Him. God gives each person certain
spiritual gifts:
Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is
given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the
proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he
that teacheth, on teaching.
Ask Him to show you how you can use your gifts for Him.
Take a look at these verses about trust:
Psalms 37:3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Psalms 40:4 Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Psalms 118: 8-9 It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence
in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
princes.
Psalms 125: 1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
Proverbs 28:26 He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.
Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe.
God's Acceptance
By Hillary-Beth Koenig
Do you ever feel like no one accepts you just the way you are? Do you
constantly struggle to love others just as Christ loves us? Do you know
that God accepts you totally and loves you completely?
God had created each of us to be unique. He designed us to be different
and to serve special ways in specific places and certain times. As
Christians, we are all members of the body of Christ, and we function
best when every part is working how and where it should. Just because
someone is not in the spotlight doesn't mean they're not as important.
Just as no one sees the heart pumping blood, sometimes no one sees the
compassion we show to others and the encouragement we give. We all have
different personalities and quirks. Think about the people you love -
they all do something that annoys you a little or is wild or silly, but
you still love them!
God is glorified when we accept one another. But He cannot tolerate
sin. We have to love one another despite the sin in hopes that they will
change, but we cannot change other people - change only occurs when
someone gives his life to God. Jesus was around people who lived in sin
in order to bring them to Him. We ought to also, as long as the people
aren't bringing us down with them and making us an ineffective witness.
Nothing we can do can make God accept us - He just does. We cannot do
enough good works. Only faith will save. He accepts all who come to
Him, as simply as that. We must accept His gift of Jesus dying on the
cross for our sins and rising again on the 3rd day to bring us eternal
life. Then we are accepted into His family and into His presence.
God did not create us to sin and be separated from Him, but we chose
sin. God gave us free choice. He wants to set us free from sin so we
can be who he made us to be. If recurring sin of any kind is weighing
you down, you cannot be fulfilling your potential in life. Only when
you let Him set you free will you be able to be successful; then we are
in His Will, doing what He purposed us to do.
Where'd that come from?
Matthew 9:11-12
Chronicles 34:4
Colossians 2:6
Romans 3:27
Romans 15:7
Romans 8:39
Romans 3:23
Get Involved - Volunteer!
By Kimberly
M.
Maybe when you read the title of this article, you thought,
"Volunteering just isn't my thing." Or you might think, "Why should I?
I've got better things to do!"
The Bible tells us to be kind to each other, and helping one another is a
part of being kind! It's impossible to be absolutely helpful all the
time, but you can at least take a few minutes each day to give someone a
hand!
Here's a whole list for you to choose from!
Offer to help out some way in your church. See if they need any
extra people to help out in the nursery, Help clean up after the service
is over, or just ask someone in charge if there's anything you can do
to help!
Do some weeding for your mom without being asked.
Volunteer to help take care of a neighbor's pet for free while they're away.
Offer to make a sibling's bed up for them in the morning.
Prepare a meal for your family to give your mom a break.
At a friend's birthday party, ask the person who's in charge if they need you to take pictures or serve food for them.
Offer to baby-sit a younger sibling for free if you're parents need to go somewhere.
If your family's thinking of having a yard sale, ask your parents if you can donate part of the money earned to charity.
Send a "thinking of you" E-card to a friend you haven't seen in a while.
Ask your parents if you can volunteer at a nursing home once a
week to help out with food, helping the patients to get around in their
wheelchairs, or anything else that might be needed to be done.
Now try and think of a few on your own, and write them down. And even if
you don't enjoy volunteering, remember that your doing it for God.
That's what really counts.
