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Category Archives: Spiritual Growth

5 Ways to Avoid the Traps

As I wrap up this study on “Avoiding the Traps of the Teen Years” I want to leave you with 5 ways you can avoid the traps…

1. Daily Walk with God (Col. 2:6) – “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in him.” Everything hinges on if you are personally walking with God or not. God will protect and guide you if you are walking with Him. God will steer you around and protect you from the dangerous traps! Your time with God is your shelter (place of safety) from the traps!

2. Study God’s Word (Psm. 119:110) – “The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet I erred not from thy precepts.” Christian teens who don’t study their Bibles are walking around through the teen years in darkness. You won’t know where the traps are! Darkness is no fun! (Just ask your toes!) God’s Word educates you on where not to step, why not to step there, and how to avoid it. God’s Word is a lamp to your feet!

3. Guard Your Words (Prov. 18:6-7) – “A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes. A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.” Your own words can take you down a path of destruction. Your tongue influences your entire body (See James 3:2-6). Your tongue is the master control of your whole body, directing every aspect of your behavior. Your tongue is the “rudder” that determines the type of life you will have. How you talk determines the type of life you will have!

4. Choose Your Friends Wisely (Prov. 22:24-25) – “Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul.” Nobody falls into traps by themselves, rarely does that happen! If you stray from God you will befriend people who are similar in character and will fall into the traps. Likewise, if you are walking with God you will find people who are walking with God. You will be around the crowd that is avoiding the teen traps! Friend carefully!

5. Submit to Authority (Prov. 3:1-4) – “My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart: So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” The authorities God has placed into your life are there to protect, guide, and watch over you. They want you to avoid the traps! Authority is a good thing!

Psalm 91:1-10 (KJV)

Imagine yourself in the middle of a fierce battlefield, where people all around you are going down, getting slaughtered, etc. and you are indestructible! The psalmist is convinced that there is security in trusting the Most High God, he encouraged himself that he would be delivered from the various attacks of the wicked. This psalm is a beautiful testimony about security in life!

“1He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. 3Surely he shall deliver thee from the Snare [trap] of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. 4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy Shield and buckler. 5Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. 8Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. 9Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.”

Are you heading towards the traps OR away from the traps?

Teen Trap #2: Peer Pressure

Traps are set all throughout your teen & adult life. These traps look attractive and sweet, but underneath there is a lot of pain and hurt. The second trap is the trap of PEER PRESSURE.

What is Peer Pressure? “It is the pressure you experience by the social environments you choose to place yourself in.”

When you are placed into a social environment you will always feel pressure to be accepted (conform to the standard, go with the flow). When you submit to the wrong kinds of peer pressure you stop thinking rationally, you stop thinking about the big picture in life, and you get tunnel vision about being “cool” at that particular moment in time.

In 2 Samuel 13:1-19 you will find a negative example of peer pressure: Amnon. Amnon listened to his friend Jonadab and ruined his life, all because he wanted to please his peers. Open your Bible and read the story.

In Daniel 1:8-20 you will find a positive example of peer pressure: Daniel. Daniel was placed into a social environment of royalty and he decided to exert positive peer pressure of obeying God rather than man. What happens?! 3 other guys stand with him and God greatly blesses them.

Here are 7 Statements about Peer Pressure:

1. Everyone experiences peer pressure. You are not alone! – Every person has faced negative and positive peer pressure. Don’t feel like you are the only one!

2. The friends you choose have a huge influence on the kind of person you will become. – Most likely your character right now is the product of the friends you have chosen. Furthermore, your future will be influenced the friendships you maintain and make. Are hanging out with Jonadabs or Daniels?

3. The friends you choose have huge impact on the decisions you make. –Your music selections, your dress standards, your dating standards (or lack thereof), your communication, your media selections, your brand of clothes, your view of family, your college decisions, your career dream, your relationships, etc is primarily due to the friends you have right now! Seek to magnify God!

4. You must recognize that “Christian Friends” will not always be a good influence on you. – Sadly, just because someone states that they are a Christian, DOES NOT mean you can automatically hang out with them. There are Christian schools and churches PACKED with professing Christians who have no ambition to please God. Apply discernment!

5. As a friend, your influence on others is huge. What kind of pressure do you exert? – Stop and think about what kind of friend you are to others? Are you a Jonadab or a Daniel? Most likely you will attract what you are like.

6. You must decide to choose strong friends who will help you walk with God. – As you evaluate your list of friends, do they help or hinder your walk with God? Do you feel challenged to take your next step spiritually or do you feel like you have to “get right” after spending time with a friend?

7. You must decide in advance how you will respond to key-life choices (drugs, alcohol, sex, etc). – The reason Daniel was able to obey God in such an intimidating environment was because he decided way in advance what he was going to do! Right now, you need to decide in advance what you are going to do when offered drugs, invited to go clubbing, tempted to make-out in the backseat of the car, what you are going to wear at the Jr/Sr banquet (prom), behave at a weekend sleepover, etc.

Before you decide to emerge yourself into any kind of social environment,  ask yourself the following 2 questions…

1. What kind of peer pressure am I going to face? – Whatever social environment you are placed in, think about what kind of peer pressure you are going to face Jonadab-type peer pressure or Daniel-type peer pressure?

2. How am I going to handle it? –The main question is how are you going to respond to it? Are you going to please man or obey God?

Credit: Much of this outline is adapted from Cary Schmidt, student pastor at Lancaster Baptist Church. He has made his sermon material available for this study on Teen Traps. 

Amazing 9/11 Video – “In My Seat”

Take a moment to watch this 9/11 video titled, “In My Seat” as American Airlines pilot, First Officer Steve Scheibner, gives his personal testimony about how he was scheduled to be the pilot of Flight 11(the plan that crashed into the North Tower) on September 11, 2001 and how God intervened and spared his life. Amazing and convicting video presentation!

Mining for Wisdom!

Mining can be a risky occupation, but the rewards are great! Many Christians read the Bible, but how often do they “mine” the Scriptures? You must take time to deeply study the Bible and has you uncover nuggets of truth apply them to your life.

Recently in my personal devotions I did a verse by verse study through Proverbs 25 and discovered nuggets of wisdom.

What is a Proverb? A Proverb is a short pity statement that communicates timeless truth and wisdom. It causes you to reflect on how to apply divine principles to real life situations.

Why Proverbs? The purpose of Proverbs is to (1) produce skill in godly living and (2) develop discernment.

1. As a Leader, you must learn how to rule righteously if you want to make proper and wise decisions (v.2-3).

2. Remove wicked people from leadership and wisdom and righteousness will prosper (v.4-5).

3. Bad things happen if you seek to exalt yourself, stay humble and the right kind of promotion will eventually come (v.6-7, 27).

4. Don’t be so quick to sue (litigate, take to court). It will place you under public eye (v.8-10).

5. Well chosen and timed words are very profitable and encouraging (v.11-12).

6. A reliable messenger is refreshing (v.13).

7. KEEP YOUR WORD! VERBAL INTEGRITY (v.14).

8. Patience is persuasive. Softly spoken words can accomplish difficult things (v.15).

9. When something is over done or someone is over visited it creates disgust and rejection (v.16-17).

10. Lying/Deception destroys a person’s reputation (v.18, 23)

11. Do not depend on someone who can’t keep his or her word. They will frequently disappoint you. On the other hand, you must be a dependable person (v.19).

12. A lack of compassion and sympathy causes much harm and grief (v.20).

13. The best way to overcome evil is with good (v.21-22).

14. You will slander those who anger you. Anger produces slanderous speech (v.18, 23).

15. It is better to live in a small house with peace than to live in a large house with conflict (v.24).

16. Receiving good news is refreshing (v.25).

17. If you choose to sin you will greatly disappoint others and ruin your testimony (polluted waters) (v.26).

18. A lack of self-control (discipline) generates trouble and susceptibility (exposed) (v.28).

Go “mine” the Scriptures! You will find great stuff!

A Tornado of Compassion

Nahum 1:3, “The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.”

In the last couple of weeks the Southeastern states has been the victim of many severe thunderstorms that have included many harsh tornadoes.

On Saturday, April 16 my son and I had our first father/son adventure and interaction with a tornado. It was mid-afternoon and I was making some final preparations for a youth activity when I received word to take immediate cover for approaching tornadoes. I quickly scooped up my son, gathered some pillows and blankets, and huddled in the hallway. A few moments later, a tornado came swirling through the farm leaving behind severe damage to many homes, farm buildings, and vehicles! After the storm passed, I was amazed at how much destruction tornadoes can do in a matter of mere seconds!

It wasn’t long before emergency vehicles arrived and residents starting peeking out of their newly shaped homes looking at their newly arranged landscape. Although these tornadoes did some major destruction and claimed many lives there was another type of tornado that came through and that was one of compassion. Let me explain…

It wasn’t long after the storm passed that fellow citizens from nearby neighborhoods and church family started showing up to help clean off debris from our homes and yards. I was greatly encouraged by and reminded of the love neighbors and church members have for one another.  

Days after the tornadoes passed I (and others) were receiving endless encouraging phone calls, several invitations to spend the night at someone’s home, many offers to receive a home-cooked meal, etc. The flow of compassion kept coming!

Above all, the greatest compassion I was reminded of was God’s compassion on mankind! Through the entire storm I was at complete peace that God loves me and has complete control of every wind, rain drop, and tornado. I praise Him for His compassion and protection! I praise God for this tornado of compassion!