Thinking of giving up? Quitting is not an option!

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:54:04 +0000

Pressure, is all around us. Wars, earthquakes, floods, blizzards, accidents, job loss, divorce, abortion,…the list could go on and on. Teenage girls today are feeling the pressures of the world around them, and far too many are making bad choices to try and cope with the pressures they are feeling. Many young ladies are turning to drugs, alcohol, cutting, eating disorders, bad relationships, sex; anything that will just …“take the pain away”.

What is wrong with this line of thinking? It is merely a disguise to make you think they can take the pain away, and after they have your attention, they destroy you. Where might someone find hope in such a desperate world? I know for many of you, you already know the answer…GOD! But yet, many of you are turning your backs on the truth you know, taking what you think is an easy way out of a problem and consequently causing more problems for yourself and those around you, who love you very much.

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!

CONFUSION

admin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:15:14 +0000

Today we live in a world where there is much confusion! There is confusion about the economy, confusion about relationships; confusion about war & peace, the list goes on and on. Among teenagers, growing up in the mist of all these “confusing” circumstances, it is important to note that there should be NO confusion about who God is, and that he loves you very much. Yet, the more I talk with teenagers, the more I realize there is confusion, yes even among “church-going” teenagers.

My prayer today, is that, as you read this article, God stirs your heart and clears away any confusion about his love for you!

The scriptures tell us that “God is Love”. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. (1 John 4:16). Despite this truth, in the world today, there is still much confusion about what “love” really is. Many teenagers find it hard to believe that God is a loving God. Could this be mainly, because love has been defined in so many different ways in our world?

It is difficult to define “love” when we have a society where parents say they love one another, yet they get divorced; we have moms and dads that say they love their children, yet they are virtually absent from their lives; we have “church communities” that say they love people, yet they judge and condemn. No wonder, if we look to the world, there is confusion about what love is! However, if we look to God we can clearly define love.

God says love is everlasting – God will never leave you or forsake you. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deut. 31:8). We learn in God’s word that he promises to always stand by us. “ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you”. (Joshua 1:5).

God’s love will never end and it cannot be measured. “ Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”. (Rms 8: 39). God, through his love for you, made a plan for your life. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11).

God has adopted you, you are never without a Father. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God”! (1 John 3:1).

This is the kind of love that will put to rest any confusion about what true love is. God is Love, and he loves you! You can depend on the love of God. Do not look to the world for love, look to and rely on God’s love. Spend time with God and you will come to know “love”.

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts/comments regarding popularity. Please share how this article relates to your life, feel free to ask questions and let’s dialogue (or, “talk”) together around God’s principles.

ACCEPTANCE

admin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:07:09 +0000

Ever feel “peer pressure” to “FIT IN” with the crowd? You are not alone! The pressure that is out there to conform today is a real issue among teenagers. Everyone likes to feel as though they belong, and often times this desire leads to making bad choices. Ever do something that you were uncomfortable with, but did it anyway because you thought it was what others wanted you to do? Afterwards how did this make you feel? Most of the time, you struggle with guilty feelings of having done something you would not have done on your own, without someone else pressuring you to do so.
The best way to overcome peer pressure is to make a decision to follow Jesus. When you truly make a decision to follow Jesus, you always have someone on your side, you are never alone. You do not have to face the pressure on your own. Use Jesus as your guide. When you know how Jesus would act in a situation, then you know what to do, regardless of what others might be telling you.
When you decide that being “accepted” by others is not worth risking your self- respect, then you will lean on Jesus to help you resist the peer pressure. True acceptance is being true to your own values, not those others are trying to pressure you into. Jesus accepts you just as you are. You do not have to prove that you are worthy of his acceptance. When others start to pressure you, that should be a sign that they are truly not accepting you, do not be deceived that by doing what they want you to do they will accept you, actually, they are disrespecting you. Jesus loves you just as you are and you are always accepted by him. Choose to be accepted by the best…Jesus!

Thankfulness

admin — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:38:25 +0000

I think it only appropriate to talk about Thankfulness this time of year. The holiday season is upon us, Thanksgiving only a week away. Growing up in the world as it is today is a scary place for a lot of teenagers. It seems like the whole world is focused on the economy and what difficult times we are in.

I want to encourage you, to have an “attitude of gratitude”, yes even in the mist of these tough times. You may be thinking: “You don’t know how bad things are in my life.” And perhaps you are right, I may not know the specifics of your circumstances, however, I do know a God who does! God knows everything you are going through right this very moment. That alone is something to be grateful for; you are not alone. God will never leave you or forsake you, trust him to see you through and guide your steps.

Be encouraged, I want to share with you some things you can do, when times are really tough! Be thankful…. yes, be Thankful! I want to challenge you to make a “gratitude list”. This is a list where you write down the things you are thankful for, big and small. Sometimes it is the small things that mean the most to us. After you write this list, I want to challenge you to read it completely through once a day, preferably before you start your day, or right before you go to bed. By doing this you are setting your mind in a place to be thankful for all that God has blessed you with, and not what you do not have in your life at the moment. Giving attention to what you have to be thankful for will allow you to consider “how well off” you really are. Keep adding to your list as you remember things to be thankful for. Soon you will realize that your new “attitude of gratitude” has helped shape the way you see things everyday. You will find yourself filled with joy rather than despair.

I pray for you now in Jesus name, that you will find peace in the mist of hard times, knowing that there is a God who loves you and will bless you despite what is happening in our economy. To get you started: you can be thankful that you have a computer and can tap into this site for prayer and encouragement, knowing that someone truly cares for you and is faithfully praying for you…now you finish your list……

Teenage girls: Total makeover

admin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:37:41 +0000

I have often heard from teenage girls that they wish they could just get a total…”MAKEOVER!” The idea that life would be better if you had different make up, a new hairdo, new clothes, and so on. These types of makeovers concentrate on the outward appearance, all these things are subject to change, always promising to satisfy, but never truly delivering the ultimate feeling you were looking for. I have good news for you! God is the author of “makeovers.” When you truly give your life to Jesus, he will change your life permanently from the inside out! God will make changes in you that will last for a lifetime and others will notice these changes on the “outside” as well. People will begin to notice that there is something different about you. The difference is that you are making a lasting change that counts! A change that will last, a change that is the real thing, and will not be out dated soon. As teenagers it is easy to get caught up in your outside appearance, without any regard to your character, the real you on the inside! This is who you really are; the person on the inside is the person that you live with everyday. No matter how you try to package yourself on the outside, without paying attention to the inner you, there will always be a part of you that is seeking a “makeover.” Never being satisfied. Jesus loves you; he made you complete in him. You are loved, you are blessed, and you are the child of the King! Keep your focus on these things. Ask Jesus to show you the areas in your life that will begin a makeover on the inside of you. God loves you so much, that he will show you how to develop your character to reflect his love and his goodness. Let Jesus develop your character and you will have the ultimate “MAKEOVER!” Now is the time to focus on developing your character, as it is your character that will carry you to the perfect plan God has for your life.

Teenage Girls Talk About Popularity (or, “being popular”)

admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:02:17 +0000

Popularity! How important is it for teenage girls to be popular? To what extent are you willing to go to become part of the “in-group”? Are you willing to compromise your values just to say you are friends with a certain crowd? Why is this worth discussing you may think, but of course everyone wants to be accepted. I want to challenge you to evaluate what your personal definition of popularity is. Let’s look at the life of Jesus…Jesus was certainly sought after , but not necessarily with the “popular groups” of that day. Jesus did not follow the crowd, Jesus stayed close to God and did only what God told him to do, and this is what made him so attractive to others. I want to challenge you not to “follow the crowd” for the sake of trying to become accepted by others. You must learn to be the best “YOU” that you can be, and often times this means going against the crowd. What is God telling you to do? Perhaps God is nudging you to be a friend to the new girl on the block, or volunteer your time after school at a study group. It is God’s acceptance of you that will have a lasting impact on your life. The popular groups will come and go, but God’s plans for your life will stretch into eternity. Spend some time praying and asking God just how you can use the gifts and talents he has given you to become “popular” in his eyes.

Depression!

admin — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:50:45 +0000

Have you ever felt depressed? Many teenage girls have at some point expressed that they have felt depressed. By depressed I mean, great sadness, feeling like no one cares about them, feeling as if they are not important. Well, I have good news for you today! You do not have to be depressed anymore! You may be thinking: “easy for you to say”, you do not realize what is happening in my life! I may not know exactly what is happening in your life but I do know that God loves you. IF God is for you, then no weapon formed against you can hurt you. Depression can only take hold of you if YOU allow it to. You can change your thoughts, you can change your attitude, and you will start to feel better. If you stay focused on what God says about you, and not the circumstances surrounding you, depression will run far from you. Pay attention to the words that you are speaking during the day, and the thoughts you are allowing yourself to think about. Words and thoughts are powerful; they can tear you down or encourage you. Now, I know probably none of you reading this article will admit that you “talk to yourself”, but let’s assume you do: might it sound like this: I am ugly, I am too fat, I am too skinny, no one likes me, I am dumb, my family is weird? Sound familiar to anyone? Thoughts and words like that would depress anyone. Now try to replace those thoughts and words with statements God says about you: You are fearfully and wonderfully made, you are loved, you are forgiven, you belong to the family of God, and you are blessed and highly favored! What a difference words and thoughts can make in how you feel. Choose to agree with what God says about you and watch your life change.

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts/comments regarding this article. Please share how this article relates to your life, feel free to ask questions and let’s dialogue together around God’s principles.

Serving In God’s Love,
Lucy Ann

Are You Happy Being You?

admin — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:22:40 +0000

Most teenage girls that I talk with are unhappy with who they are. They identify their happiness by how they look, how many friends they have, whether or not they have a boyfriend how well they are doing in school or if they qualify for the cheerleading squad. There are so many reasons to decide you do not like yourself if you are focused on exterior things or people to make you happy. True happiness comes from the inside. God wants you to enjoy your life and celebrate YOU! How do you celebrate YOU in a society that is so focused on material things? You keep your focus on the things of God. Don’t compare yourself to other girls, don’t allow what boys might say about you to affect the way you feel about yourself. Compare yourself to who God says you are! God says you are the apple of his eye, and you are loved! God’s word tells you that you are more than a conqueror and that you can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you. God loves you and has a perfect plan for your life, start today by looking in the mirror and telling yourself how SPECIAL you are! Don’t forget Jesus died on the cross because he loved you so much. God wants you to be happy, and happiness is a decision that You make! Decide today to be happy about who you are! Celebrate yourself and others will begin to notice that there is something different about you! God bless you and have a happy day today.

Serving In God’s Love,
Lucy Ann