thespiritualencourager

[thespiritualencourager]

🔴 ADVICE FOR ADOLESCENTS

“You who are young, be happy while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth...” ‭‭— Ecclesiastes‬ ‭11:9‬a (NIV‬‬)

Solomon’s final comments in this chapter are aimed st the young. Enjoy your days one by one, he is saying, because before you know it, you will be an adult.

The words that come next have sent some Christians into apoplexy: “Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see...” (v 9b). While I was a pastor of a certain church, the youth leader, when he was teaching the young people, deliberately omitted these words. When I asked him why, he replied: ‘That’s bad advice for young people. They are inclined that way already, so I thought it best not to draw their attention to it.’ I felt that he was being unfaithful to Scripture by dodging issues, and explained the words that follow: “... but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.” (v 9c). This is what Solomon is really saying: ‘Relax and have a great time when you are young. There will be many hopes and many things that appeal to your eyes. Follow them, but keep in mind there will be a day of accountability. So don’t let your impulses go wild and don’t let the things that appeal to your eyes lead you into unhelpful areas of living.’

Some believe that a warning takes the joy out of living, but it needn’t. If we ignore the God to whom every one of us must answer then we leave ourselves open to experiencing not life, but unrestricted liberty and a series of harmful consequences. So Solomon tells the young, avoid those things that damage your body - things such as alcohol, smoking, drugs, overeating, casual sex and so on. Remember, young man and woman: you are only young once. Stay close to God and you’ll get the most out of your youth.

▪️Thank You, my Father, for reminding me that there is no freedom without limitations. Help me to see the wisdom in Your instructions, and enable me to trust You and follow a You all the days of my life. In Christ’s name I ask it. Amen.

—Selwyn Hughes

© CWR - Applying God’s Word to everyday life and relationships

[thespiritualencourager]

“No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; He’ll always be there to help you come through it.”

‭‭— 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭(MSG‬‬)

[thespiritualencourager]

“Love the LORD, all His faithful people! The LORD preserves those who are true to Him, but the proud He pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.”

‭‭— Psalm‬ ‭31:23-24‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

[thespiritualencourager]

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him."

— James 1: 12 (ESV)

[thespiritualencourager]

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ “Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them— those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing. For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’”"

‭‭— Isaiah‬ ‭41:10-13‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)

[thespiritualencourager]

"God is never at a loss because He cannot find someone to cooperate with Him in carrying out His plan. He so moves in the hearts of people - either Christians or non Christians, it makes no difference - that they willingly, of their own free will carry out His plans."

— Jerry Bridges, Trusting God: Even When Life Hurts

“No one from the east or the west or from the desert can exalt themselves. It is God who judges: He brings one down, He exalts another.”

‭‭— Psalm‬ ‭75:6-7‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

[thespiritualencourager]

"No plan of men or devils can succeed against the elect of God. We have no cause to fear evil omens, in fact, it would be sinful to do so. It is wicked to feel the superstitious fear of the old heathen. No magical arts, satanic devices, or malicious plottings can really injure the beloved of the LORD."

— Charles Spurgeon

“For there is no sorcery against Jacob, nor any divination against Israel. It now must be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’"

— Numbers 23: 23 (NKJV)

[thespiritualencourager]

🔴 Choose a spouse carefully!

“How careful ought young people to be in the choosing of their partners in life! When two horses pull together how smoothly the chariot runs; but if one horse draws one way and the other pulls in the opposite direction, what trouble there is sure to be.”

— Charles Spurgeon

[thespiritualencourager]

Here are God’s words as recorded in Jeremiah 29:11: “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.”

The same God who spoke those words to the Israelites is speaking them to you today.

”Oh, the beauty of the word "plans." God is plotting for our good. In all the setbacks and slipups, He is ordaining the best for our future. God works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will. (Ephesians 1:11). Every event of our days is designed to draw us toward our God and our destiny.”

— Max Lucado, 'You'll Get Through This'

[thespiritualencourager]

“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 ‭(NIV‬‬)

God is not limited by time, by people, or by circumstances. If you find yourself at a dead end don’t lose hope. He will make a way for you if you trust Him.

[thespiritualencourager]

- The Lord has a plan and His plans are plans for your good and not for evil.

- The Lord wants to step into your situation and rescue you.

- The Lord wants to lift you out of difficult situations and place you in a good space.

- The Lord wants to bless and provide for you – so look to Him for a miracle.

Dig Deeper: Exodus 3: 7-8

PRAYER:

Lord, thank You that You do not leave me to struggle on my own indefinitely. You come down and you step into my situation in order to turn things around. You are my Provider and You are my Deliverer. In Jesus' name, Amen.

[thespiritualencourager]

“Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in obedience to Him.”

‭‭— Psalm‬ ‭128:1‬ ‭(NIV‬‬)

Obedience to God proves our love for Him (1 John 5:2-3), demonstrates our faithfulness to Him (1 John 2:3-6), glorifies Him in the world (1 Peter 2:12), and opens avenues of blessing for us (John 13:17).

[thespiritualencourager]

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works.] The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His works. The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He also hears their cry and saves them. The LORD preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.

— Psalm 145:13‭-‬21 (ESV)

[thespiritualencourager]

🔴 One day you will tell your story about how you overcame that battle you went through, and God will send you the exact people who need to hear that story. Your story is the key that can unlock someone else’s prison. Your story will inspire and equip others on their journey! What a beautiful thing it is, to be able to stand tall and say, “I fell apart but I survived, by the grace of God!”

"For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes."

— Proverbs 24:16 (NIV)

[thespiritualencourager]

“Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”

‭‭— Psalm ‭107:19-20‬ ‭(NKJV‬‬)

[thespiritualencourager]

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones.”

‭‭— Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-8‬ ‭(NKJV‬)

[thespiritualencourager]

“Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like Me. Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.”

‭‭— Isaiah‬ ‭46:9-10‬ ‭(NLT‬)

God connects the dots. God sets the goal, then determines the plan required to reach it. In His Word He tells us: ‘I am God…declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure”’ (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV). In other words, God connects the dots.