STRONG YOUNG MEN, No. 612
STRONG YOUNG MEN
“I have written unto you young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one”
(1 John 2:14).
We want this testimony for all our young men, don’t we? God doesn’t want our young teens to be week in the faith, vacillating in their beliefs, and more interested in entertainment and social media than following hard after God.
This Scripture says three things about our young men:
- YOU ARE STRONG
We are to raise them to be strong in the Lord, strong in the faith, and strong in their convictions. Not mediocre or status quo, but STRONG! This takes serious effort on our part.
- GOD’S WORD ABIDES IN YOU
This is the secret of their strength. They literally have God’s Word abiding in their hearts. It’s not enough to hear God’s Word at church or a few minutes at Youth Group. It’s our responsibility to get it into their hearts richly, strongly, and powerfully.
Deuteronomy 6:5-8 (NLT) says: “And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength.” This is how our children learn to love the Lord by seeing your love and commitment to Him. If we are mediocre, they will be too. If we passionately love the Lord and He is our LIFE, they are more likely to do this also.
The Scripture continues: “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.”
If we are not passionate about God’s Word, how will our children be? If we don’t make a commitment to daily (morning and evening) read God’s Word, they will see that other things are far more important in our lives than God’s Word! Children imbibe our lifestyle.
There’re more: “Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up.” This is a daily lifestyle, not a weekly church service!
I like the Amplified version of this Scripture too: “You shall teach them diligently to your children (impressing God’s precepts on their minds and penetrating their hearts with his truths).”
- YOU HAVE OVERCOME THE WICKED ONE
How do our young people overcome the devil? By having God’s Word written in their hearts. The word is their power and their victory over sin, evil, and temptation.
Psalm 37:31: “The law of God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”
I love the New Living Translation which says: “They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path.”
Psalm 119:9: “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word.”
Psalm 119:11: “Thy word have I hid in mind heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
Let’s seek to raise these kind of strong young men in our own homes. The church waits for them. The world waits for them. Beautiful young girls longing for godly husbands wait for them. But they don’t just appear, they come out of godly homes.
Let’s pray for all the young men and women of our nation. My heart cries out daily for the young people in our high schools, colleges, and universities who are are being daily brainwashed in socialism, homosexuality, and the transgender lifestyle. Lovely young people from Christian homes go to these “deception infiltrating” colleges and come out blatant socialists and no longer believing in God. We must pray daily for a revival in the colleges of our land.
Are you praying too?
Blessings from Nancy Campbell
PRAYER:
Dear Father, You Word tells us that You want us to raise “princes in all the earth.” You want men to be strong and courageous, protectors of women and children. Please help me to raise my sons to be those who will “play the man” and who will be godly husbands and fathers. Amen.”
AFFIRMATION:
I am not raising wimps. I am raising young men who courageous in the face of chellenge, who strong in truth in the face of all deception, and who will never cower or cave in to the temptations of the devil!