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We are encourage to let your light shine so that others will glorify our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Is your life shinning? Does your relationship with God encourage others or discourages them? Are you really representing Jesus Christ
Living for God is much harder today than it was over hundred or a thousand years ago. There is so much that is available to us today that were not available many years ago. Serving God especially as a young and single person is very challenging. However, when we allow the precious Holy Spirit to help us, our lives reflects more of Jesus and Less of us. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Rom. 12:1-2).
Guard your heart
People usually get hurt in a relationship because they don’t guard their hearts. Unfortunately, for me, I had to learn the hard way. Before getting involved in a relationship with anyone, it is important that you guard your heart at all times. There are certain things you should not share with anyone unless they are your spouse or are going to be your spouse.
No sex or sexual favor
We live in a society that premarital sex is seen as okay. The T.V. commercial, the magazines, the music videos, Hollywood, and the media promote sex. Because of this, many young people are having sex and doing sexual favor for others. The sad part about it is that Christian youth are also involved in this. We do everything else but have sex. In our mind, as long as we are not “having sex” it is okay.
Giving a guy “head” or “hitting that” is not the Christian way of doing things. When you do that, men do not respect you but instead degrade you. The Apostle Paul encourages us to, “Present our bodies as a living sacrifice.” Fingering a girl, or touching her in a sexual way does not make you a man. God is not pleased when we abuse other people’s bodies. Even if a girl say that it is okay for you to touch her sexually, as a man of God, such behavior is unacceptable in the Kingdom. Just because he said, “I love you” does not mean that you must have sex with him. You are worth more than a one nigh stand. of God
Conduct yourself properly
“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:14).
As a disciple of Paul, young Timothy understood the importance of conducting himself as a young men. He mentioned six primary ways for us young people to conduct ourselves:
- In Word
- In Conversation
- In Charity
- In Spirit
- In Faith
- In Purity
In Word
Our words should bring life and encouragement to others not and death and discouragement. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs. 18:21).
The words that come out of your mouth can make someone’s day better or can ruin someone’s life. Your words can mess up your future. If only negative words come out of your mouth, your cognitive process is going to be negative as well.
There are certain things that you might have grown accustom to hearing that are not healthy for you. For example, I knew a young lady who was told by her dad that she would never be anything in life. Every word that came out of her father’s mouth made her depress and lowered her self-esteem. Because of hearing those things over and over, she believed it.
However, when I talked to her, I told her not to let anyone destroy her future. People can temporarily sidetrack your present, but only you can permanently mess up your future. That is why I make it my responsibility to be an encouragement to others so that when I need that encouragement, they will be there for me.
In conversation
In high school, I played sports—basketball, soccer, tennis, and football. While in the locker at times, some of the things that were said disgusted me. the way many of the guys talked about women was degrading. The same principle applies here. Whenever we are having a conversation with anyone, it is important to keep in mind that God is listening. Some of the conversations I had with some girls was not always Christ oriented. I asked ridiculous questions like; “What do you have on?” or “What colors is your panties?” Whatever she had one was none of my business. Conversations like that did not help me but hinder me. it hindered me because I put certain things in my head that I should not have.
In Charity
It is better to give than to receive. This is the principle that I have kept with me and will keep with me forever. I love blessing people even with little things. Some of the greatest times in my life has been times that I was a blessing to someone. The joy I get from doing that is greater than any amount of money anyone can offer me.
The Christian journey is about being a servant. Throughout His ministry, Jesus always showed compassion to others. Feeding the five thousands is one of the greatest social miracles that Jesus did. We too, should model after Him. Our goal should be His goal; our will should be His will.
Helping people should be part of your life. We should not help others only during Christmas or special occasions, but on a regular basis. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). This should be every Christian’s daily prayer.
In Spirit
“God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth” (John 4:24). How do you worship God in Spirit? One of the ways to worship God in Spirit is to possess the fruits of the Spirit.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” (Gal. 5:22). When we posses these fruits, it makes it easier to fellowship with God and others. When these fruits are evident in our lives, it makes the Christian journey much rewarding. However, whenever one or two fruits are missing, the results can be devastating.
In faith
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). As we hear the word of God, it builds us up. I am learning daily the importance of hearing the word of God. Whenever I get discourage, the moment I start listening to encouraging tapes, something gets stirred up inside of me. Because of that, I get energized, rejuvenated, and ready to fight the enemy.
The word of God is the greatest encouragement manual in the world. Whenever I feel as if God’s plan is not coming to pass, I can turn to Isaiah 55:11 for comfort; “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Is. 55:11).
In Purity
Throughout the Bible, God encourages His people to live pure and holy because He himself is Holy. Everything we do, we should do it with a pure mind.
During sophomore year in college, I wanted to do the study abroad program. I was excited because I heard that women over seas love American men. That was the primary reason why I wanted to go. Education was not my main priority. After praying and thinking about it, I had to disqualify myself because my intentions were not pure. Whenever your intentions about something are not pure, it is best to leave it a lone.
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