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Summer is almost over; Fall is just around the corner.   A time for new beginnings; new school year, for some a new school, new opportunities, new friends, new teachers. All these changes for teenagers can be both overwhelming and exciting at the same time.

Have you ever thought that Jesus is right there with you as you make the adjustment to the new beginnings in your life? God cares for you and he wants to be a part of every area of your life. Many teenagers think they need to leave Jesus at home when they go to school, play sports, and go out with friends. Well, the opposite is true… Jesus wants to come along with you. God is a God of new beginnings. The bible says that his mercies are new every morning! With God all things are made new. God is the inventor of ‘new beginnings’.

God wants your walk with him to have a new beginning. He wants to start being with you, talking with you, sharing with you each part of your day. He loves you and he is a forgiving God, what you did yesterday does not surprise God,  make a decision to stay close to God  and let him give you a ‘new beginning’ for today!

The more I talk with teenagers the more I hear them share that they feel “alone”. Nothing could be further from the truth. The bible says God will never leave you or forsake you. That means he is with you each moment of every day. Are you aware of his presence, or are you ignoring him each day. God desires to have a relationship with you, whereby he can lead guide and direct you throughout your day. In your classroom, on the volleyball court, in the lunch room, God is speaking to you all the time. Do you know that you can hear the voice of God speaking to you? Do you ever have a thought that comes into your mind…and you think, “Where did that come from?” Chances are, it was God trying to get you a message.

Have you ever had a conversation with your friend, and they said something to you that answered a question you had been struggling with for a long time, and they didn’t even know about it? That was God using someone else to get you a message.

You do not have to go through life figuring things out on your own. Use the most powerful tool you have…God living within you to help you through your day. Talk with God, like you would talk with a friend; ask him questions, then listen…for the answers he wants to give you. You will be surprised at how much he knows about you.

God loves you and he has a new beginning for you starting…today! If you do not know God, ask him to come into your heart, he is waiting to walk this life along with you!

Lucy Ann 09’10

God says in his word, that he will never leave you or forsake you, he knows the plans he has for you, and he knew you from when you were being formed in your mother’s womb. Yet, at times we forget that God is even here, we search for help instead of searching for the ‘helper’. God is real, and able to lead, guide and direct you. Hope is found in his everlasting promises. God is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. He cannot lie, and he will not forsake you.

God says in his word, do not fear for I am with you, do not be dismayed, for I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. That sounds like someone I want nearby me when I am hurting and confused. He also says; for I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand, and says to you, do not fear, I will help you.

You have God on your side! God can do what drugs, alcohol, sex, and cutting can NOT do for you. God loves you. God promises you that those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like Eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Your hope for the desperate situation you may find yourself in…is found in a relationship with GOD. Like all relationships, it is a two way street. I challenge you today, to talk with God, invite him into your life, ask him to carry your troubles for you and teach you how to be an over comer, not someone who gives in under life’s pressures. You were created to be a winner, and winners never quit! So I challenge, you …get up…and keep fighting. Do it God’s way, not the world’s way. The world’s way does not work, but God’s way never fails. Trust in him; put your hope in him. Surround yourself with the love of God and the desire to hurt yourself, will go away, and you will begin to soar on the promises God has for a wonderful life for you. Be brave, take this challenge and reach for all you can be, rise above the circumstances that pressure you, and see that you are more than a conqueror through Christ who strengthens you. You are loved and you are valuable. Don’t ever Quit!