FROM THE HEART OF THIS BIBLE TEACHER/COUNSELOR:
I counsel nationwide pastors and lay people. My heart aches when I talk to youth that have been raised in the church with a salvation experience and yet do not know God’s Word!
They are not taught by example how to make the Word of God a major part of their life. I ask, “Do your youth leaders teach you the Word of God – chapter by chapter – verse by verse and make it life applicable?” and the answer is always, “No.”
It must make God’s heart ache because it makes my heart ache!
The following should be the theme of every youth group!
Psalm 119: 9 – 11 NLT
“How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your Word. I have tried hard to find you–don’t let me wander from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”
If young people DO NOT KNOW God’s commands, how will they obey them????
It’s the Word of God that transforms our hearts, minds and souls! If we do not ‘eat’ the Word of God, then we will be spiritually malnutritioned!
No wonder our youth live from one spiritual high to the next spiritual high church or youth service. They have nothing to sustain them for godliness while they are attending school/work/college or at home.
God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. The youth do not have the LIGHT OF THE WORD! They are influenced by all that is in the world through technology – none of the technology has God-based knowledge!
Through confidential counseling (usually referred to me because they have considered suicide), the youth share with me their heartaches, their temptations, their struggles, their aloneness, their lack of feeling valuable and worthy because life is based on the world’s view, not God’s truth! They are not valued as being a creation of God their Creator. They are valued for their performance and this is based on the devil’s deception.
Pastors, parents and youth leaders, we must wake up to what is happening to our youth. Oh yes, they know how to ‘perform’ in a church service to impress others. But that has nothing to do with growing in God through the power of His Word.
After salvation, nothing is more important in life than learning how to imitate/follow God – Ephes. 5:1, being holy and He is holy, learning about the Fruit of the Spirit – Gals. 5 – that should be manifest in every part of our daily lives, how to walk in sexual purity before (and after) marriage, how to flee from all sexual sins including the sin of using pornography and having sex with self or outer sex with others, learning to do all we do to glorify God in our body and spirit which belong to God – 1 Cor. 6: 18-20.
It begins by parents being followers of God as an example to their children. What you are in the home reveals your true character! How much time of the day is spent using technology – TV, DVD’s, Internet, cell phones, etc.? Do you show by daily example how to devour God’s Word, praying as a family? Do you bring God’s viewpoint on happenings in your lives?
Our youth are bombarded all day long with the worldview of life coming from the heart of Satan who is the god of this world. Our schools are totally liberal, textbooks are liberal, unchurched youth are always talking sex, etc. This is what our church youth face daily.
Our youth need to be encouraged to implant the Word of God in their hearts for the saving of their souls (James). God magnifies His Word above His name! Why don’t we do the same thing?
Teach your kids how to do Bible search studies on anger, lying, sexual purity, definitions of the Fruit of the Spirit, what does it mean to be Holy as God is Holy, etc. We must get into THE BOOK – THE BIBLE – it will lead and guide us into all truth!
Do your youth know how to explain the simple steps to salvation? Do they know even one scripture that proves Jesus is God? (God was manifest in the flesh).
Many youth think to be godly is to show up for church services. They have no idea how to be holy and He is holy or to glorify God in their body and spirit that belong to God – having an understanding that they must process their thoughts through God first that will have a godly influence on their feelings and actions/words.
I find in my counseling youth, (many are referred to me because they have considered suicide) when I share scripture and show how it can change their thoughts, feelings and actions, they hunger for the teaching and learning how to bring it into their daily lives. But many share that their ‘godly’ parents are not showing by example how to be godly in the home. They recognize hypocrisy and it causes questions about the reality of God.
This article should not offend anyone who is living daily with integrity with God. I know this article will offend those who are not living godly in the home. This is not about me the Bible teacher/counselor. It is all about God. God sees our hearts. God sees the floundering youth in our churches that are learning how to be hypocrites.
Parents, you are the ‘first god with skin on’ that your children see. They have watched you from babyhood and they know whether you have integrity with God. I will say again, what we are and do in the home reveals our true character!
JESUS COULD RETURN FOR HIS BRIDE AT ANY MOMENT! Do you really believe it? Parents, pastors, youth leaders, do you emphasize the soon coming of the Lord? Jesus is coming for those who are looking for Him!
Our youth need to be taught by example how to live life looking for Jesus to return at any moment. This type of life comes from a heart full of love for God and understanding His great love for us that He showed by dying on a cross to pay for our sins!
JESUS PAID IT ALL!!! Are we willing to surrender our entire life to Him??? We must magnify His Word above His name! We can be cleansed by His blood in the ‘washing’ of His Word!
www.carolclemans.org
(My heartbeat is to help everyone to have an intimate relationship with God. No matter our age, we all need to live with God in the center of our life with an expectancy of His return at any moment. This moment by moment expectancy has a major influence on our every word and action. Our children must see this in our lives always directing their eyes to the Lord!).