Youth For The Nations

Romans 13:11-14

“11And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.     13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.”

This scripture isn’t telling the world to awaken, but telling the Christians to awaken. We go day to day living our lives going about our daily schedule, but we forget what we are called to and fall asleep. Ask yourself when is the last time you went up to someone and prayed for them because they had a broken bone or were sick? Or sat with your fellow peer that sits by themselves every day? Do you remember a time you stood for what you believed in…within the last month? When was the last time you shared Jesus with someone? I even ask myself these questions and don’t like my answers. We all get wrapped up in our everyday lives whether it is cheer, football, school, or even church events, but we must not forget what we are here to do. One thing we must remember is we cannot live as the world, because when we gave our lives to Christ we were automatically not of this world. How do we Christians expect to spread Jesus if we live just the same as the people we are trying to reach? I look back on my high school career and I see how much time I wasted being like the world and not living my life for the one who gave His, Jesus. I was Student Body officer, a’cappella choir, drill team, squad leader of my drill team and presidents council. I had tons of influence and I did not use it for Christ’s name. Don’t be the one who looks back and say “I should have stood up! I should have prayed for her! I should have…” Be a generational leader, be the one that said “I stood up! I prayed for her and she was healed! I led that person to Jesus!” This generation needs to be awakened, but the Christians in this generation need to awaken first. So you have a choice live for Christ or live for the world. Help awaken a sleeping generation.

1 Corinthians 10:13

Ever felt like God wasn’t there for you in your time of need, or that He was just letting a lot of bad things happen to you? Ever felt like He didn’t care about you? There was a time in my life where I felt alone and felt like God was nowhere around me, I felt like He had just left me to face life all on my own. I went through hard times where I felt like I had no friends because all of my friends didn’t really acknowledge me (or so how it felt to me). I also felt like I wasn’t pretty or good enough to have a boyfriend because everyone around me had someone that they liked or was going out with and I had no one.

One day I came across 1 Corinthians 10:13 and it said, “All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” This really showed me that I wasn’t alone and that God was really with me the whole time I felt like I was alone.

God will never leave you, especially in the time that you need him the most. Every time you think that He isn’t there for you He really is. He’s just letting you be pushed to your limit. So I just want to encourage you that whenever you feel alone to go to God and spend time with Him. He will be there and He will help you through all the pain and trials that you go through in life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1,11

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. He has made everything beautiful in its time.”

Trusting God in each season. Something many believers find difficult to do. While certain seasons bring much beauty, others certainly have its burdens. I spend a lot of time praying for peace in this season beyond my human understanding and that I would find comfort in the perfect plan that God has for my life. But what we don’t realize, is that when we pray for peace that passes all understanding, we give up our right to understand. Peace gives us the ability to trust God, and not question what He is doing.

I would consider this to be my winter season. In order to get to my promise (the spring/summer season), there must be death. Old things will pass away and new life will begin. Without the pruning, the brokenness, the “death,” we will not become all that God has called us to be or do all that He desires us to do. This is all apart of the process.

Embrace the season you are in. Allow God to pull those things out of you that you did not know were there, so you can become all that He has called you to be. No matter what season you are in, whether that be in your spring season where new things are developing, you are excited about the new things God is doing in your life and your faith cannot be shaken or you are in a winter season where things are dying and you doubt more than ever what God is doing in your life – know that God has you right where you need to be. Don’t try to skip to the next season, but let God break you, and build you up so you are ready for what He has next. Every part of the process is vital to the end product. Slow down and take in every part of your season you possibly can. Don’t miss out on the call that God has on your life. Those promises God has spoken to you will come to pass – in its due season.

John 3:16 is a scripture that most of us have heard and memorized. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” Something we know in our minds but can get overlooked in our hearts. God loves us so much that he made a way to be with us forever! Every time I hear this I get encouraged. I want you to be encouraged in the simplicity of just that. The love of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son, and the power given through the Holy Spirit.

The passage that’s really been on my heart this semester has been Psalms 63:1-8.

But the scripture that really hit me the most was verse 8. It says, ” My soul follows close behind You;

Your right hand upholds me.” In another translations it says ” My soul clings to you”. I feel that the season

I’m entering into is pursuing God, pressing into His word, and getting to know Him more in a way that I have not done before.  I want to dig deeper into His word and find the mysteries that He has hidden for us to find. I realized in order to cling to him that you have to let go of all the stuff you might have in your hands to cling to Him. I know that even when things might not go the way I wanted that His ways are higher than mine and I have to put complete and total trust into Him.

Nate Jones