Youth and others, let God bear your burdens

This post is for everyone but especially for young people. I will mention a few specific stresses youth face. It'll help as we pray for repentance and revival in America or wherever.

Much of this was originally in a personal blog encoruaging repentance and revival in the U.S.; so, if you see this again or saw it before that's why. A specific Youthquake blog will be put up after this, but I thought this would be an encourgement to young people no matter where they are.

First, let me say you are "Fearfully and wonderfully made," according to God's Word.(Ps.119:14) Before you were even in the womb, God knew you and had a special plan for your life. I have a number of physical handicaps and maybe a bit of a developmental one, but that hasn't stopped me from being part of God's great plan. You can be, too, if you have a relationship with Him - you'll see how at the end of this post - the "To Know God" section talks about it.

The devil wants to destroy, so there is a lot of attacking in our culture today.. However, Jesus came that we might have life and life more abundantly.(John 10:10) Those fiery darts of the wicked must be quenched with fiaht and trust in God to protect us. And, it is through God's provision that we can overcome those burdens.

"You mean there is one cause for all these problems," you ask?  "From schoolwork to bullies to broken families and everything?"

Yes. And, you can be part of the solution, too. Which means 'walking the walk and not just talking the talk.When you live for the Lord, some might still complain about hypocrites. Who knows, maybe you have problems with them, too. But, think of this. If I say I'm the King of Belgium, I'm lying. But, if I say that and go around doing... whatever, that has no relation to what the real King of Belgium is like. Or, what's your favorite pet? Either one you have or wish you had.? Now, say you hang around a bunch of people who claim to have that type of pet. Yet they show you pictures and it's just them, they walk imaginary animals, you know they're just playing "I got a pet." Is taht going to make you love your pet any less? Of course not, what they're doing should have no impact on you.

Still, while you shouldn't compare yourself to others and just let your own light shine, it is essential that you act like a Christian, too, and not just talk about Him.

See, people are not perfect. Imperfect people can't make something perfect, because we don't know how. That's why there is so much hurt in the world. That's why a person can't solve all the problems. It would be like asking a person from 1,000 years ago to work on a computer. and, I know people in their seventies who see modern technology as totally alien to them. that's why people try their own solutions like Common Core; they don't trust God to see everyone as unique and don't seek His perfect wisdom.

God is personal and loving. He wants to help, guide, comfort, and so much else for you. He made you special, as I said, with unique gifts, talents, etc.. You might have been told differently, but remember that we are not perfect, so we don't know everything. The key is to understand who God is. He created the beautiful, awesome, wonderful creation that is all around you. In fact, He made you. He made you special, more wonderful than you can imagine. Because, He loves you. He loves all of us more than we can imagine.

He loves us unconditionally. Even though we hurt Him so much because of our sin.

So, how will God help me?

The Lord wants to help you grow in love for others, patience, gentleness, self-control, etc - in other words, the fruits of the Spirit - as well as things like kindness, whatever talents you have, etc.. This means learning to rely on Him. It can be easier at a younger age because you know that you need help. Just like I do with my handicaps.

There are many promises you can claim as you read God's Word. Here are some. God promises to be our comfort, guide, friend, etc. Another thing He promises is to be our strength. 2nd Timothy 2: 1 is an example of where God tells us to be strong in the Lord and that verb in the original Greek means to continually be strengthened. In other words, let God give you that supernatural strength through the Holy Spirit, like when i just restarted this without worry.(Yes, thinking, too, of how it could inspire others.) Also, use verses like Romans 12: to wear it says to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. In other words, allow God to continually make you new as you grow in Him.

As you can see, communication is essential in this relationship just as in any relationship. We speak with God through our prayers. He can speak with us in a number of ways. But anything we take in must be tested against the absolute truth of the Bible.

(Why do we pray if God knows our needs? Picture a 2YO trying to dress himself. The parents know he needs help but he keeps refusing - and gets it so messed up you'd think his socks would end up on his years. That's how we are when we go against God.)

Here are some keys - each almost its own little blog post.

1. Pray God's promises. This is pretty simple, trust God for the right answer, His perfect timing, etc.. Seek His wisdom. Don't be afraid to ask "why" with the purpose of understanding what God is trying to show you. Remember that He knows everything and so His best answer is sometimes "yes," sometimes "no," and sometimes "wait." Although, even "no" is more accurately, "I have something better for you."

     As part of this, hide God's Word in your heart. so you know those promises. This is pretty simple. Psalm 119:11 says thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee. When you have God's Word in your heart, it will come to you when you needed. Of course, some people have things like hymn lyrics come to their minds, or something else. However God made you is how He will work with you.

2. Be positive - "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."(Phil.4:13) God can get you through it. Whether it's a test - and I know Common Core drives lots of kids crazy - or pimples or whatever, remember nothing in this world is forever. Think of the good things in your life. Even if all you can think of is your salvation or your relationship with God, it is something major.(And if you don't have that, you can just by calling on Him, as noted below.) Trust God, He inhabits the praise of His people. As you praise Him for His mighty works and the things He has done for you, your attitude will improve and .

     And, he will not only bring to your mind Bible verses or humn lyrics or something like I mentioned, He will bring other things to mind. Pimples, for instance, might bring to mind the joke on "Full Hosue" once about playing connect the dots with your face and those of others. The Bible says "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine." Of course, there are times something becomes chemically wrong, though without that sadness can be kept from going into depression by focusing on those positive things. Which leads into the next point.

3. Be willing to learn and seek help from those who bring you closer to God. Sometimes, even our families have struggles because the parents aren't living for God. But, God will direct you to friends who will be that spiritual help you need. They will give the hugs you need and everything else.

      Some people turn to gangs because they don't have the positive role model they need. gangs have become a way for some in the inner city to interact, but they need to turn to God instead, because God promises to be that strength, courage, etc. they need without the terrible violence that can come from gangs. God teaches us to respect all human life.

     In other words, you will feel more self-respect being with those who bring you closer to God. So, even professionals that you seek should be those who believe in God or at least won't put down your faith.

4. Love others. Even Jesus Himself was always serving others. If a friend has decided they would rather not be friends, show love to that person and simply stop being friends and pray for them. If you have done a good job being a friend, they will remember how good you were and may return. Find out how you can help others. With that quote about the man with no feet, just making someone like that feel good and appreciated is important even if you can't do anything for them.

     The point is that other people matter. if you want to matter to others, that means others have to matter to you. Say some Common Core standard is bugging you. When you focus on others, instead of worrying about how well you do versus someone else, consider the good things(be positive) and focus on how to build others up. then, you can feel better about yourself, too. A friend wished his family was closer knit and so I suggested he spend Christmas working at a soup kitchen. I don't know if he did but it's a great idea; when you can't be with the ones you want, help the less fortunate.

5. Don't compare yourself to others. There is an old saying, "I was sad because I had no shoes until I saw a man with no feet." We should never think we are better than others - we are just different parts of the body, like the eye and the ear don't think they are better than who left big toe. So, if you help someone else to improve the world, don't compare your life to theirs. Instead, consider how you are just making the world better for Christ's sake, not for your own glory.

     This works the other way, too, though. Many in poverty wish they had more money, but even those in nice homes wish they had more. Instead of focusing on worldly things, focus on the talents and abilities you have and how special you are to God; and that they are, too.

     Each of us will always be better at some things than other people and worse at some things, and will always be better off in some ways and worse off in some ways. If that test is driving you crazy, and you did your best to study, just do your best and remember that even if you don't do well on this subject, God still loves you and has a special purpose for your life. And, He will be your strength to overcome something negative when you trust Him to be. Including helping you to understand a subject.

     For instance, God put my grandmother into my moms friend's life to help her learn chemistry so she would pass, and she said she learned more from my grandmother then she ever did from her teacher. And, my grandmother was not even a college graduate.

6. Remember, God can work miracles. Don't put God in a box, as they say, but believe He can do  anything. If something is of God, though, it must line up with Scripture and not violate physics. he won't let you suddenly take flight. :-) He might provide a miraculous healing, but that usually only happens in furtherance of the Gospel. Remember, we must pray according to His will.

     A lot of times, people who discuss signs and wonders are only doing so to glorify themselves. There are also false signs; this blog post about not letting the devil counterfeit things talks about this

7. Admit weaknesses and let God help you overcome them. As noted, none of us is perfect. We all have things we need help with. We must be honest with ourselves and with others when we struggle with things. However, we should also be willing to learn so we can improve on things. Of course, there will always be things we can't do. I will never be a top flight athlete, or even an athlete period. But, that's okay. God made me a certain way to do certain things. And, the nice thing is, if I really wanted to I could write about an athlete and through my story I could live such a life.

     One thing along these lines, though. We're each different, so there might be some things other Christians can handle that you can't, and vice versa. I'm not talking about sins - there is never a reason to get drunk or curse a blue streak or cheat or other sins. However, some people are more influenced by violent entertainment than others, as one example.  Those people need to avoid that. And, if they have friends who are going to be drawn away from God by it, they need to help their friends and not tempt them, just as 1 Corinthians 8 says. (In other words, keeping in mind others matter.)

     We all have different strengths and weaknesses, just like every part of the body has different thigns they ae good at. Some can perform numerous roles - I've seen people with no arms do amazing things with their legs and feet.

8. Share Christ in actions, not just words. Sometimes, bullies need to see we're real and then - if not now - later they will come to realize the truth of Jesus and let Him make them new inside.

     That's teh beauty of Jesus - He makes us new inside when we turn from our sins and trust Him to work in us. But, we still have that old flesh nature, so it's a struggle. However, it's one we must fight by loving others, being positive, etc. - or, rather, let God fight for us.

      But, how is God going to fight for us if we're fighting Him? He's got to work in us first to make us more Christlike. People need to see there's a real difference. that means no vulgar stuff, treating others with respect, not turning the opposite sex into objects but treating them as people. Not being selfish but instead being selfless. In other words, not being hypocrites, as mentienod above.

9. Put your relationship with God before any other, especially dating. This may sound the same as one of the above(or more), but it focuses on love interests. And, younger kids may giggle, but if you are younger please read, because you'll be here someday if the Lord tarries His coming.

     In short, you should be so lost in your love for God that a person needs to seek God with all their heart to find you. Why? Because, God's is so deep - deeper even than the best family or friends - that nothing can destroy it. And, relationships will end, even if it's in death after 70 years of marriage.

     Marriage is the goal  God has for couples – one that lasts forever. That’s why He says don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers; or with people who act like it by drinking, cursing, violence, etc.. God desires, a very deep relationship and wants that for you, too. It matches His love for you, after all. God's love is perfect - agape is the Greek word. It means unconditional. Too many times, we think lust is love, but it isn't. it's only physical, and the Bible never translates the Greek word eros to mean love. It does translate phileo, a deep friendship, as "love." There is also storge(unconditional family love). But, those two have something in common with agape love that isn't there with physical lust - it is very deep.

     So, look at your crush and ask, "Will I love this person when they are old, wrinkled up like prunes, with no hair and teeth falling out, and possibly unable to walk or other handicaps? Will this person love me then? If the answer is "no to either, they're not for you and you shouldn't date them.

     Because, part of God's special plan for you is for you to have a partner who loves you and who you can love no matter what. Not settling for less.

     He showed that love for you before you ever knew Him.

     This, then, is where you can learn how to know that God of unconditional love.

To Know God

As noted, God wants to have a personal relationship with you. But, remember that sin I mentioned? It separates us from God.

When God made the world it had no sin in it. Sin is anything we say, think, or do that displeases God and therefore causes suffering. It might only cause suffering for the person who is doing it, or it can cause suffering for others, too. Like lying, cheating, being selfish, false pride(thinking you are better than others/not crediting God with things), etc.

So, if there was no sin, why is there now? Because people chose to sin. By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so that death passed unto all men, for that all have sinned.(Rom. 5:12) Including me. including you. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.(Rom.3:23)

So, God made a way for us to get to His perfect Heaven, because we can't get to His perfect heaven by our own works. And, that same way is what we need to have that relationship with Him right here on Earth. Jesus said "I am come that they might have life and life more abundantly."(John 10:10)

God wants us to be in His perfect Heaven. There will be no pain, no suffering, no tears, no body can do mean stuff there because all there will have been made new (2 Cor.5:17) - including those too young to understand the need to be saved from their sin.

If we can't get to Heaven on our own, how do we get there? It's a free gift - "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."(Rom.6:23)

 It just has to be accepted by faith - just like you don't earn a birthday gift but get it because someone loves you - but you don't really have it to use till you open it.

Jesus was God in flesh. He is the “light of the world.” He came to this world to live a perfect life. He never sinned because He couldn't; He was God, so He always did what was right. Then, because he was also man - in the flesh - he died for our sins. Because he is God, He rose from the dead. There can’t be any bad people, or even bad stuff, in Heaven. There can be no sin there.

And, Jesus wants you to be there someday, where there is no suffering, no pain, etc., by receiving what he did for you by simple faith. He’ll come live in you then, through the Holy Spirit, which is one of the 3 ways God makes Himself known – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit – it’s like H2O is water vapor, water, and ice – it’s all the same chemical compound. Or, you can look at a person - a man can be a father, brother, and husband at the same time.

That’s how you can have that relationship with Him. He wants you to know Him, so you can have peace that passes all understanding,, great comfort, Godly wisdom whenever you ask, and so on. We just need to be humble enough to admit we need Him. There’s spiritual warfare out there. That means a lot of prayer is needed at times.

It's as easy as ABC - Admit you're a sinner and can't reach His perfect Heaven on your own, Believe Jesus Christ was god in flesh and He died to take the punishment for your sins and rose from the dead; and, Call on Jesus to save you from your sins and Choose to trust Him completely to save you and get you to Heaven, and to come into your heart and make you new inside.

The precise words aren't what save you, Jesus saves you when you trust in Him, so pray that above in your own words.

You can pray something like this: "Lord Jesus, I know I'm a sinner. I can't reach your perfect Heaven myself. But, I know you died to take the punishment for my sins and rose from the dead. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save me from my sins and forgive me. I trust you with all my heart to save me, and I believe you have forgiven me not by anything I have done, but only by simple faith in what you have done for me. Make me new inside, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Once He saves you, he writes you in His book of ife and nobody can remove you from His hands.(John 10:28-30) Nothing can separate you from His love(Rom. 8:36-39), and He is able to keep you from falling.(June 24) He seals you with His Holy Spirit of promise.(Eph. 1:13,14; John 14-16)

So,  live for the Lord and please, pray for us and our nation - or whatever nation you're in - to repent and let God heal it.