From the time we become attracted to the opposite sex, boyfriends and girlfriends are on the forefront of our minds. I remember my first boyfriend at the age of five. He was in my kindergarten class. I don’t remember his name or anything else about him. I don’t even think he knew I had labeled him my boyfriend. I thought he was cute and that was it. Nevertheless, it wasn’t lasting.

As I moved into middle school and then high school, it seemed everyone was paired up with someone (at least for a month or two). They never really lasted. Broken hearts and broken promises is how they ended. It seemed before the tears were even dried, they had filled that space with a new love. One of my friends in high school, while dating one guy, broke up with him because she had found “true love” elsewhere. Their relationship excelled pretty quickly and both thought they were destined to be married after high school. She put everything into that relationship and clung ever so tightly. Family, friends, hobbies and common sense all trailed behind due to the time and energy she put into her relationship. Consequently, before the school year was completely finished, he broke it off claiming she was “too possessive.” Another broken promise and broken heart. My friend was devastated and extremely heartbroken. She couldn’t bear to see him at school so she dropped out in order to be homeschooled the remainder of the year. It took her a good year and a half just to get over the rejection she felt.

Our teens have been taught, unknowingly, by our culture that finding a relationship is normal and they’ve believed it. But can we blame them? No one has told them otherwise. Dating, intimacy, lust and fervently pursuing the opposite sex are all looked upon as a normal part of growing up. This topic has been taken too lightly for too long.

Being in a relationship is almost expected among adolescents. When I was in high school, a friend of mine informed me of a guy who was interested in me. My response was that I was not interested. She looked at me as if I had a third eyeball in the middle of my head, as if to say “What is wrong with you?” Later that week, I guess the word got around. Another girl in my class trying to ridicule me asked if I was gay or something, just because I didn’t pursue this potential relationship.

The sad thing about all this is it’s no different in the church. It is a subject that is not touched upon because it is so widely accepted even from the Christian community. Boyfriends and girlfriends are on the front burners of every young person’s mind. Teenagers learn in youth group how to date the “godly” way by covering two important points: 1) not being unequally yoked with an unbeliever based on 2 Corinthians 6:14, and 2) not having sex before marriage based on Hebrews 13:4. These are awesome principles to live by, but unfortunately, the instruction on dating stops here. As parents and leaders we have unwisely believed that if we have one Christian teen who is dating another Christian teen and we teach them “No sex before marriage” that we have the makings of a “God-inspired” relationship. When in reality, we’ve only taken a worldly concept and doctored it up with Christian principles. Looking at the surface it looks innocent enough, but we fail to acknowledge the dangers behind teen dating. We’ve taken godly instructions that were geared towards marriage minded mature adults and applied them to adolescents that are nowhere near ready for a committed relationship.

The Bible teaches plenty about relationships. The thing is, they all focus on husband and wife relationships. Encouragement and blessing is only offered to husband and wife covenants and not to temporary fleeting ones.

Emotions, hormones and commitments are to be reserved for our future spouse. When we play around with any 3 of these by offering them to others before its time, we are awakening a part of our self that is not ready. When we do this over and over again, our emotions become unstable, our hormones out of control and our commitments shallow. We are robbing our future spouse by giving what solely belongs to him/her to the next person who catches our eye. With each new relationship, we open a window to our soul and allow them to have a place in our hearts and minds that will never be erased.

WHERE IS THE COMMITMENT?

There is a high we experience when we enter a new relationship. It feels good. After being in a relationship for a while, the excitement wears off and like clockwork a new one is sought out. Then the cycle is repeated. This seems innocent enough when there is no matrimony commitment behind it, but what kind of pattern is being engraved in the mind of the adolescent? When things get old, trade it in? Sadly, many people bring this same mentality into their marriage. And why not when it’s the same way it was done in earlier relationships? We have been programmed to deal with relationships this way based on earlier experiences.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF DATING?

Love relationships serve one purpose: to lead into marriage. Teen dating is like serving a 3 course meal and then telling the person he/she can’t eat any of it. He can prepare it, look at it and even smell it, but he can’t have a bite of it. The same relationship techniques used in getting to know your future spouse is used in dating, but the end is empty.

Relationships should only be reserved for those that are marriage minded. Unfortunately, they are used by many teens to fill voids in order to make the recipient feel accepted, loved and beautiful.

WHAT CAN WE DO AS PARENTS?

As parents and teachers we must recognize adolescents for what they are: young adults in training. It is every Christian parent’s goal to see their son or daughter become godly adults practicing self-control, righteousness and holiness. When they learn to exercise these principles at such a vulnerable age in their lives, they will be better equipped to face bigger obstacles later in life.

Timothy reminds us of the snares that youth face and encourages them to pursue what is really important. He says, “Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart” (2 Timothy 2:22). During those fleeting adolescent years, encourage your son or daughter to seek and practice that which pleases God and to surround themselves with those that do the same.

There is nothing wrong with males and females befriending each other as long as they treat each other with respect and purity. Many of our youth don’t really know what the Bible teaches about how to deal with the opposite sex. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, young women are taught to “Treat younger men as brothers,” and in verse 2, young men are taught to treat “younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.”

When we live by these truths, our minds and hearts are freed to grow not only in friend relationships with the opposite sex but also spiritually in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Copyright 2010
Naomi Cassata
iluvjc079@yahoo.com
Article Source: FaithWriters.com http://www.faithwriters.com and FaithReaders.com http://www.faithreaders.com

In the book of Hebrews, the writer brings up an interesting church problem: “For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” (Hebrews 5:12, KJV). First, the writer is not talking to new converts, but he is talking to Christians who have been in the faith long enough that by now they should be serving as teachers in the church.

Secondly, not only did these believers fail to grow, but also they had actually regressed spiritually. They needed to be taught AGAIN, the basic doctrines of Christianity! Though God inspired the writer to pen the above verse over 1900 years ago, the problem is just as real today.

Let me quickly share with you several reasons why our failure to grow as Christians is a problem. The first one has to do with the will of God for us. He wants us to become like His Son. God is actively working in our lives to finish the good work that He has begun in us. He has no desire to stop until we attain unto the fullness of Christ so that as Christ was in the world so shall we be.

The second reason has to do with our service to God. If we fail to grow, we limit what He can accomplish through us. Of course, there are many things He can use us to do even when we are babes in Christ, but there are many things that only mature Christians can effectively do. A case in point is the verse quoted above. This portion of the epistle was specifically aimed at those members of the local church who by virtue of their time in Christ should now be teachers. Their failure to grow, however, made that impossible.

Thirdly, in a local church where Christians fail to grow, excessive carnality can be the result. Paul the apostle wrote to the church of Corinth regarding this selfsame problem (see 1 Corinthians 3). He said the evidence of their carnality was reflected in the envying, strife and divisions among them. It is certainly true that people who are spiritually mature handle conflict in more Christlike manners than immature and carnal-minded Christians do. A pastor whose church is plagued with carnality will feel the burden of the increased disharmony.

I could on and on listing the problems with Christians failing to grow. But a more important question is, what is the solution? How do Christians who have been babes way too long stem the tide and put themselves on the road to maturity? In the book of Hebrews, two verses down from the verse I quoted above, here is what the Bible gives for an answer: “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil” (Hebrews 5:14, NIV). In other words, the key to spiritual maturity is to constantly use or put into practice the truths that we are exposed to.

There is no groundbreaking revelation in that verse, but we know it’s right. The bottom line is that Christianity is not simply a religion, but more importantly, it is a way of life. We must live it each day. In doing so, we exercise our spiritual senses, thereby learning to discern good from evil. This dynamic is fundamental to Christian growth. Those who fail to do this will not experience significant spiritual growth.

Frank King is a former church pastor. He is currently an evangelist. Frank is also the author of two books, Indiscreetly Yours and Steps to the Victorious Walk. Website: www.efrankking.com. Blog: http://wwwefrankking.blogspot.com/

Article Source: FaithWriters.com http://www.faithwriters.com and FaithReaders.com http://www.faithreaders.com

What is Simply Christian? Simply Christian is a digizine (digital magazine), that will supply you with articles, ideas and products (that you can click and buy) that focuses on one biblical-scripture reference, that can be applied to your life, faith and family.

This first issue takes a look at the scripture reference of Ruth 1:16 “your God will be my God”. We will apply this scripture as it relates to racism in our society today. And supply you with the help that’s needed to overcome. Check out my featured article: What if God was racist? and explore the possibilities of how the world would be if God DID see color.

Please subscribe today or give as a gift and get 6 issues per year for a low introductory price and receive full access to Simply Christian Digizine on a bimonthly basis!
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Be blessed,
Wanda L. Ball
Ball Publications Christian Books

Answer: Hundreds of millions of people are running toward social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to participate in the relational components of the Internet. Are these networks the next big mission field or an enormous waste of time? Should a Christian participate in social networking? The answer to these questions should be determined by whether we can honestly ask God to bless and use our actions for His own good purposes. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). If we are willing to let God use our participation for His glory, we have freedom to participate.

Christians who choose to participate in social networking should be aware of the negative aspects of social networking. It should be remembered that not everyone on the internet has pure motives, and we should use safety precautions, utilize the privacy settings, and be selective as to who is accepted as a ‘friend’ or ‘fan.’ Parents should regularly interact with their children and be active participants in their child’s use of social networking sites. In addition, Christians should be aware of the danger of narcissism (excessive self-love and preoccupation with self) inherent in self-oriented sites. Studies have shown that overuse or wrong motives in social media participation can breed narcissism. When we rely on social media sites primarily to promote ourselves or draw attention to ourselves, it is time to take a step back. It’s wise to utilize accountability, encouraging spouse, family members, and Christian brothers and sisters to view our social networking activity and hold us accountable. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend’s countenance.”

It’s also important to understand the impact our status, photo, comments, or blog posts may have in the future. It should be remembered that social networking sites involve publishing to the entire Internet, including family members, current and future employers, college admissions personnel, etc. The ramifications of any statements, both now and in the future, should be considered. It should be assumed that everything written is permanent and viewable by everyone. Furthermore, while maintaining relationships is important and healthy, addiction is not. Limiting the amount of time we devote to these social networking sites is both healthy and wise.

On the other hand, there are definitely positive aspects of social networking. For the Christian, social media sites can be an enormously productive mission field. Reconnecting with old friends and increasing our sphere of influence can lead to evangelistic opportunities unavailable elsewhere. Social media allows us to reenter the daily lives of people we may have lost contact with and open up new avenues for sharing Christ. As such, we can influence the views of others by what we post, bringing encouragement and spiritual guidance to others and using friends lists or Facebook status updates to pray regularly for friends and their needs. “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Finally, social networking sites can engage spiritual seekers on the Internet, meeting those seekers where they are. Just like face-to-face evangelism, we can establish credibility and authenticity in the seeker’s natural and comfortable environment, and then build on that foundation and share the love of Christ with new online friends.

Submitted by: Gotquestions.org
Wanda L. Ball
Ball Publications.com

“Once, having been asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, “Here it is, or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you.” -Luke 17:20-21

This scripture is very powerful today, because everyone is waiting on that special day when Jesus will come back again to take believers with him to Heaven. The Pharisees wanted a sign or a day to look forward to, they wanted Jesus to tell them, so they could be ready. But Jesus said not to worry about that day, but to live today as if the kingdom was in you! He wants us to serve Him everyday, not just when things are going good, but at all times.

It’s not our job to try and figure out when Jesus is coming back. The bible also tells us that we will have many false prophets in these times, who will claim that they are Jesus and have come to save the world. As believers, we have to know what is true and not be fooled by the enemy of Satan. We have to read and study the word of God to know the difference between the false ones claiming to be God. We as Christians can be fooled as well! But when you read the word, God gives us the signs of the end times to watch for, as a hint of his coming. We all will continue to go through trials and tribulations, just as Jesus did when he was here on earth. But one moment in the Kingdom of God will pay for it all!

We have to learn to live right now for God. We have to thank God everyday for his blessings. We have to praise him and worship him daily and pray without ceasing. How do we as Christians convince non-believers if we don’t practice what we preach? If we are always complaining, sad and living in fear, how can we bring the un-saved to God? We have to always remember that people are watching us and we have to be as God would have us to be.

Here are three key points about God’s kingdom:

1. You have to be born into it. “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” -John 3:3
This means you have to be born again by accepting Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. If you haven’t accepted Jesus yet, accept Him now!

2. You have to receive the kingdom like a child. “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” -Mark 10:15
God wants us to have the innocence of a child when we accept him. Children tend to believe what they hear and take it as the truth. And this kind of belief is what God asks of us when we enter into his kingdom.

3. You have to do the will of God and match his righteousness. “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”and he was called God’s friend. -James 2:23
We as Christians have to stay in God’s will and not our own. Our daily prayer should be that His will be done! It is by Christ’s wounds that we are healed. When Jesus’ went to the cross he took our sins with him so that we might be righteous.

If the kingdom of God is truly in you, you don’t need to worry about it. Just by accepting him as your Savior, having a open spirit as a child, and doing His will, is enough to have the kingdom of God within you. Inside of you is where the spirit of God dwells.

Is the kingdom of God within you today?
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Creation Calls submitted by Tangle.com is an awesome vision that makes you think that there has to be a God to have all the creation that we see on earth! God created heaven and earth and all that dwells in it.. including us! And for those that don’t believe that a God could create this, after seeing this video – you must!

But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. 1 Corinthians 8:8-9

How often do you think about food? What types of cravings do you get for your favorite foods? Midnight snacks and mad dashes through our favorite drive-thrus are part of our lives and culture. Hunger is a drive necessary to sustain life while appetite is a desire to satisfy our cravings for food. Food is a necessity to our physical bodies and to enjoy good food is one of our greatest pleasures. However, even with all its necessity, this earthly food has no value to us spiritually.

If Paul is saying that what we eat, or do not eat, has no effect on our relationship with God, then why can we not eat whatever, drink whatever and be merry? One reason is because the choices that we make impact others. We must realize that our actions are being watched by others and that we have a responsibility as Christians to set godly examples for others. God does care about the behaviors and attitudes we exhibit that affect those around us.

There are numerous examples of this behavior in our churches today. Movies and television choices can influence our families and friends. What kind of example do we set for those in and out of the church? Would seeing certain movies stumble others? What about drinking alcohol? Many Christians have no problem with limited alcohol consumption. But, would it not influence the Christian who feels that this type of drinking, without exception, is wrong? Some might argue that the Christian church in general stumbles non-believers, because much of our behavior is not just in the world, it is of the world.

Food is not the real issue, but it is certainly representative of how our behaviors as Christians can greatly affect those around us, even if there is technically “nothing wrong” with certain activities. Jesus gave His life for us so that we can have the real food—the bread of life. If we follow Him, our choices in this world will bring glory and honor to His name while also setting the right example for others. We should pray not to get hung up on things of no value spiritually but to get caught up in the Spirit of God so that we may be a blessing to others, not a stumbling block.

By: New Beginnings Christian Fellowship/Devotional
Be blessed, Wanda Ball
Ball Publications Christian Books

I stand in the very presence of God. (Luke 1:19)
Have you ever said something you really wished you could take back? Ever thrown out a phrase that you’d give anything to be able to retract? If so, then I’m sure you can relate to Zechariah.

When an angel appeared to Zechariah to tell him that he would be having a son, he was completely caught off guard. At the time Zechariah was in the sanctuary burning incense to the Lord. He was an old man and had long since given up praying for a son. The last thing he expected to see was an angel of the Lord prophesying his future.

“Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son! And you are to name him John …. He will be great in the eyes of the Lord …. He will precede the coming of the Lord, preparing the people for his arrival” (Luke 1:13-17). You and I know his son as John the Baptist. But Zechariah wasn’t sure what to think of this encounter. He said the first thing that popped into his mind: “I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years” (Luke 1:18).

Zechariah said what you and I might have said in the same circumstance. He knew that having babies was a young person’s job, and when you get old, you put away such foolish dreams. He probably couldn’t even remember the last time he’d prayed for it. I think you’ve got the wrong person, he thought to himself. And that’s when he uttered the phrase that could be taken as lacking faith, the phrase that he’d have given anything to be able to take back: “I’m an old man now.” Zechariah wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, just practical. But the reality he saw didn’t set too well with the angel.

“I am Gabriel!” the angel shot back at him. “I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!” (Luke 1:19). And because of Zechariah’s doubt, the angel struck him dumb on the spot. Zechariah was unable to speak again until his son was born. The angel probably did it for his own good. It was the only way to keep him from speaking out even more curses on himself.

Zechariah defined his identity by his circumstances. The angel defined his identity by the One he served. The only question left on the table is for you and me. How are we going to define our identity? Who are we going to be in the eyes of the Lord? How are we going to see ourselves in light of God’s power and glory? How we answer that question makes all the difference for our future.

Devotional by:New Beginnings Christian Fellowship
Wanda L. Ball
Ball Publications Christian Books

Americans celebrate Father’s Day every year in June. This day, the same as Mother’s Day, is a day to celebrate and remember our fathers or father-figures in our lives. Unfortunately, a lot of children have grown up without a father present in the home, leaving single mothers to raise their children alone. Some mothers became the father, because the father chose to abandon his responsibility as a father. As our society continues to become more and more dangerous, evil and love-less, a father’s role today is more desirable than ever. read on

Related Article:
What does the bible say about being a father?

Be blessed,
Wanda L. Ball
Author/Publisher
Ball Publications Christian Books

If my life was a credit report and I was trying to obtain salvation, based on my score I wouldn’t get it.
My history shows that I’ve been delinquent in praise, past due in prayer, my worship has been in collections and I’ve missed a few payments (tithes) or only paid half (you know how we put $20 in the basket and feel like we’ve done God a favor). Not to mention that my debt (sin) to income (blessings) ratio is too high.

But I thank God that I was able to file bankruptcy (repentance) and it cleared me of ALL of my debt (sin). Now I have a co-signer (Jesus) whose score is FLAWLESS… Not one blemish (sin) on his report! So now… I QUALIFY for EVERYTHING! Most importantly, I’ve inherited eternal life and I didn’t have to put one penny down.

All of my closing costs were covered when Jesus laid down His life for me!!! I hear that my future home has all of the upgrades too…

- Unknown

Be blessed,
Wanda L. Ball
Ball Publications Christian Books
DO YOU KNOW GOD?