1st John 2:6
�Those claiming to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did.�
"You can walk the walk, but can you talk the talk." This saying goes hand in hand with the above verse. The verse itself is the very definition of a Christian. It clearly states that a true Christian won't merely say they are a Christian but will try to the best of their ability to mimic the actions of Christ. Notice it doesn't say "can walk" or "should walk" but "must walk." What are we showing the world when a person professing to be a Christian does not "walk the walk?" Wouldn't you call that a hypocrite? What kind of Christian example are you setting?
Extra time in the Word: 1 John 2
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?1+John+2
2 Peter 1:5, 8
�You must learn to know God better and discover what He wants you to do . The more you go on in this way, the more you will grow strong spiritually and become fruitful and useful to our Lord Jesus Christ�
How much time do you spend with the Lord everyday three minutes, 10 minutes, one hour? Do you spend time with Him every day or just once in a while, whenever it is convenient or when you have problems come up? I know someone who wants to do some kind of ministerial work, the funny thing is he doesn't have a home church and he hardly goes to church at all, he hardly ever reads the bible and I don't know how much time he spends in prayer but yet he wants to preach Gods Word. I wonder how he thinks he can do this when he doesn't even know the Word himself and it is quite sad because he has been a Christian for a long time and should know better. We must spend time with God and get to know Him and His voice. Life has many challenges and can be difficult from time to time and there are important decisions we face everyday. How can we know we are doing the right thing when we do not know the Word or are familiar with His voice so we can know what direction he is leading us in. If you have been a Christian for a while it is time to grow up and stop being a baby in the Lord, if you expect to do mighty things for the kingdom of God this is a must. 2 Peter 1:3 says "For as you know Him better, He will give you, through His great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: He even shares His own glory and His own goodness with us"!
Extra time in the Word: 2 Peter 1
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?2+Peter+1
Written by Amy, 17, Louisiana
Psalms 84:10
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness."
Have you ever thought about how much fun it would be to go to a specific city or place. I know I have. Often we sit around and think about how awesome it would be to be able to go to some faraway island. Well, I know a place that is far better than any mall, island, or city, and that place is Heaven. Sometimes we try everything possible to convince our parents to allow us to go to a certain vacation spot in the summer or to a certain movie. We spend our time trying to please ourselves when the really awesome faraway land is just a prayer away. The bible simply tells us that just ONE day with Jesus is better than a thousand at some resort or mall. Next time you are trying to convince your parents to let you go somewhere, just think how simply it is to get into Heaven. You will never have to beg Jesus to be able to come into his courts, all you have to do is ask him. Look over your life and make sure that your number one vacation spot is his house.
Extra time in the Word: Psalms 84
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Psalms+84
Psalm 51:1-2
"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to
your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my
iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."
Though we are sinners from birth, God is always there to forgive us when we do wrong. Even if we know that it is blatant sin when we do it. David is asking God here in Psalm 51:1, "Have mercy on me...". Well you know what? He will do just that, if we let him. He wants to cleanse us and make us pure, but He's waiting for us to receive it and say yes. Don't keep everything inside; let Him forgive you. He paid our debt at Calvary. We can't try to pay it ourselves, because by doing that, we are saying that His blood isn't good enough and we must suffer for what we do. Guess what? He suffered for us! All we have to do is obey Him by asking His forgiveness; even if our emotions don't line up with what we are saying. We are obeying Him and that is what He sees. We are holy and blameless in His sight. Don't let the devil tell you otherwise.
Extra time in the Word: Psalms 51
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Psalms+51
Written by Tina Kane, age 15 Homewood, IL
2nd Timothy 1:12
�That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.�
A lot of things are mentioned in this verse. The first thing that Paul says is that yeah, I'm suffering but I am still not ashamed of what I believe in. Paul didn't care what happened to himself because he knew that as long as he was following what God told him to do, he couldn't go wrong. He also knew that Jesus had suffered a lot more then he did. Yeah he went to jail and was eventually killed but, he didn't have to be whipped, carry his own cross up the hill, be forsaken by his father and then die the worst death for us. I mean if we get to the point where Paul is at and every time we have a problem we think about what Jesus did, we won't care anymore. Did you ever think that if Jesus hadn't died in the cross what would happen to you? You would die and go to Hell because that is what you deserve you didn't earn heaven, God loved you so much that he sent his ONLY son to hell, so you wouldn't have to. I think that it is time that we got a realization of this because when we do, then we will begin to worship God like we should and start to follow Him in EVERYTHING that we do. When that happens you're problems won't matter because you'll be in your Daddy's hands, and that is the best place to be.
Extra time in the Word: 2 Timothy 1
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?2+Timothy+1
Ephesians 6:13 TLB
�So use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up.�
So many of today's youth are under attack, a lot are facing thoughts of suicide, tremendous peer pressure to do drugs, low self esteem, pornography, premarital sex, etc. If any of you reading this are facing tough spots in your life right now it is because Satan knows how IMPORTANT and SPECIAL each of you are to God, he knows that you have power and you can lead the unsaved to Christ. He just doesn't want you to know it or have the opportunity to. This is why he tries to sway you away with other things so you are caught up in your own problems that leading others to Christ is hard to do. Its not by chance that the youth of today are struggling so, it is because Satan knows the power that each of you possess through Christ and the mighty things you can do with that power. Satan is trying to kill you off, if he can't get you through abortion, then he will try with other things. DON'T FALL FOR IT!! This is why it is vital that each of you know the Word of God so you can resist the devil and be victorious. Remember you are fighting for your lives. Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. "
Extra time in the Word: Ephesians 6
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Ephesians+6
Luke 6:35
�Love your enemies! Do good to them! Lend to them! And don't be concerned that they might not repay. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for He is kind to the unthankful and to those who are wicked!�
Seems impossible? Remember God would not tell us to do something if we were not able to do it through Him. It is very easy to always love and care for the people who love us and care for us, but to actually love and do good to the ones that can't stand us and treat us like we were dirt, well it takes the Holy Spirit in us to do that. Matthew 5:44-45 "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." I cannot think of a better way to let your light shine then to love your enemies and to do good to them!
Extra time in the Word: Luke 6
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Luke+6
Written by: Shawna
Romans 10:9
"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." ~
This verse, I believe, is THE most important verse in the Bible. This verse could influence a person to make a life-or-death/heaven-or-hell decision!
Even if you take this verse literally, you can't escape the message: Jesus is the way to salvation...salvation=an eternity in heaven with our God and Lord Jesus! A few days ago some of our brothers and sisters in Christ were shot and killed in Fort Worth, Texas at a See You At The Pole rally. Keep these families in your prayer, and if haven't followed the advice that God's word gives you, please do.
Extra time in the Word: Romans 10
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Romans+10
Written by Emily, NC
1 Samuel 16:7
"...The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."
This verse just about smacked me in the head when I read it a week or two ago. I was going through a rough spot and I was really struggling to find some depth in my relationship with Christ. And then I just randomly opened up my Bible to this verse and it served as a real admonishment in the Lord. I realized that I was focused more on what people thought when they saw me, rather than what God thought when He saw me. And, its true - If we're living our lives for other people instead of for Christ, we're just asking for painful unfulfillment.
This verse can also be a real encouragement! If you're struggling to please men and you're coming up short - don't worry about it because it just doesn't matter. God looks at the HEART.
So... the basic point? Keep your heart pure. I don't have any real formula for doing that except for what you should already know - constant, sincere prayer and faithful Bible Study. Psalm 119:9 says "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word."
Extra time in the Word: 1 Samuel 16
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?1+Samuel+16
written by Tina Kane,14 years old
Psalm 30: 10-12(NIV)
�Hear, O Lord and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart my sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.�
When I first read this I thought cool, he's happy again but as I read more into it I realize that it has a lot more then a matter of being happy or sad. First David is crying out to God asking him to help him through his troubles. And in a matter of seconds David goes from weeping to rejoicing. And by reading the next few verses you realize that he wasn't just sad, he was way down in the dumps. For instance, it says that God removed his sackcloth and the Jews only wore their sackcloth when a relative or friend died or something terrible happened. And all of a sudden he is singing and dancing and laughing and thanking God for everything. The thing that amazed me the most was how quickly God did away with his misery. I know that some people reading this my be in a state of depression or recently lost someone close to you but take a look at what David did. He told God what was going on, told Him that he needed His help and God immediately got to work and helped him out. I know first hand what it is to be depressed, my older sister took the semester off and came home because she is clinically depressed and she could get out of it if she would just put her trust in God, but she decided not to so she has to go to all sorts of doctors to help her to get better. Now don't get me wrong,I am not putting down my sister in any way shape or form but I am giving you an example so you know what NOT to do. I am also not saying that the minute you ask God to help you all your troubles will be over, because they won't but you will always have God to turn to and his is always ready to help, but you have to ask. Just like what my friend told me when I asked why she didn't tell her parents that she got 1st in her race and she said," They didn't ask." So if you want to find a way out of a problem turn whole heartedly to God and he will show you the way.
Extra time in the Word: Psalm 30
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Psalm+30
Written by Sarah Montgomery -17
([email protected])
Ephesians 6:10
�Finally, be strong in the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the FULL armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes!�
Fashion these days is a struggle to keep up with for most of us these days. I mean, if you don't got the latest threads. . .you're immediately looked down on. And those of us who DO have the latest clothes feel pretty in-line with the world. Did you know that there's a fashion out there that God has out??? Yup. . . He's got a pretty popular line out and it's pretty top quality to. He's got a belt of truth which protects us from any lies that Satan might bring our way to try and destroy us. A breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts and all the emotions that fly around us daily. Shoe's of the gospel of peace protect us from walking into danger and the shield of faith blocks all those hurtful words said against us. For our head. . .the helmet of salvation is placed there. This protects our brains, what we think and what we say to people. And last but not least. . .the sword of the spirit which is one of the most powerful of all. The sword itself. . .is the Scripture. You can go anywhere with that baby in hand. Does any of this "apparel" that I just described appear in your closet??? Maybe it's time to clean out you closet (heart) and get God's truth on ya'. The best thing about this whole new wardrobe is that it's totally free. God paid for it a LONG time ago by dying on the cross and paying off all our debts. All you have to do is ask with a clean heart and God will buy you some new topline brands of clothing that anyone would be proud to own. Let's beat the devil people!!!
Extra time in the Word, Ephesians 6
http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?Ephesians+6