My Two Cents To A Younger Christian Generation...

I'm hoping that this comes out more as an encouragement to some young person that needs to hear it rather than a worn out, tired rant from some old guy leaning closer to sixty than twenty, thirty or even forty. I've had ups and downs in life and I've experienced and learned a lot. I've gained and excelled and I've also experienced the the feeling of having to go through losing it all. I've lived with an energetic passion that didn't know the word "quit" even when I should have. I'm no expert or sensational intellectual, I'm just a passionate, but imperfect guy who's learned experience in this life has led him to some very solid and well earned conclusions that might be of value to you. If you're struggling to get traction in your Christian walk with Christ, there are some things that are best set as dominant facts. They can and do defy the world's logic and societal norms sometimes, but they also have the power to change your life in amazing, amazing ways. So please, consider what I have to say.

First off let's be clear, we weren't some cosmic accident of astrological coincidence. Let's make sure of that. In fact, it was with direct intention that we came into being and there was a plan made for us well before mankind set foot on the earth.

Ephesians 1:4-8 (NLT)
4 "Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding."

We were loved before we had a consciousness to know it or to be aware of it and some of us are still struggling to understand it. But whether we understand it or not doesn't change the fact that we've been loved long before we were born - and not just by a human parent or parents, but by a completely Holy God whose creativity is exampled throughout everything we can see, touch, taste or hear. He's a marvelous God who's so big that He can breath out stars and who commands the power to affect anything we can imagine and far more beyond, without limit. So this unimaginably immense God is big enough to deal with anything you encounter and what's more, His loving focus is on you as His very special and unique, precious child. You're the object of His desire and affection, so whatever you encounter in this life is not without His notice or concern. Just be patient and pay attention. He knows what He's doing.

His attention is on raising you up in His ways and to transform you into a person of character not unlike Himself - someone that He can relate to and enjoy being with. But as the perfect father is raising up His child, the process isn't always easy for us. There are moments and even seasons of correction that will occur sometimes along the way - but His love for you never changes or wavers. There are things we must go through sometimes in order to be changed that we may not understand. But take comfort in the fact that no matter how things may appear, He does. Because of His love for you, He feels your pain in those moments, but He also sees the great benefit He's bringing to you through them and endures them with you. 

Jeremiah 31:20 (NLT) “Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?” says the LORD. “I often have to punish him, but I still love him. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him."

As you encounter Christ and endeavor to share your life and yourself with Him, you'll discover that your greatest battles are not fought on the battlefield that they may appear to be. They'll be fought in your own mind and with an enemy that the senses of your flesh can't distinguish because the enemy isn't physical to be sensed that way.  You know this, you've no doubt heard it before:

Ephesians 6:10-12 (NLT)
10 "A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

And this battle is real.

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NLT)
3 We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. 4 We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments."

Human reasoning ... one of the most common resources that we use countless times throughout every hour of daily life ... and yet it's also one of the biggest obstacles we have to overcome when it comes to our thoughts in relation to Father God and what He's told us is so. But this makes our thinking the very target of the devil's stealth attacks on a regular basis. Our Father's already told us what's true, but anything to encourage doubt, dimminish self worth, destroy confidence, promote inadequacy and thereby isolate one of Father God's children and cripple them - keeping them immobilized and dissuaded from their true, God given identity in Christ is the enemy's goal and intention. So the enemy wages a battle to control our thinking and sometimes, human reasoning can become a disability rather rather than an advantage. The truth is, we know where the truth lies - it's in whatever our Father's told us and only that. (And if you think the devil's one spirit alone in this foul ministry of stealthy decay and deceit with the goal of causing your fall or at least keeping you powerless, search the scriptures to see how many times the word spirit(s) comes up with an evil connotation. He's not all by himself. Word up!)

Ephesians 2:2-7 (NLT) 2 "You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus."

At the root of everything we say or do, there was a thought or idea that motivated the action. So learning to control our own thoughts is a primary concern, one core to the development of our quest to walk with Christ, to become more like Him and to recognize, accept and assume the identity that He won for us on that cross. We may know (head knowledge) who we are according to scripture, but the true assumption of that identity is likely to be enabled  by the renewing of our minds as we submit them to Christ.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) "Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." 

I'm watching with chagrin, the devolving world around me crash into a repeated and seemingly forgotten history of intellectual and moral decay that has never led to true prosperity, fulfillment or happiness. It's hard to watch even though I know it's current progression is nothing new - it's cause has been around since the world of man began with Adam and Eve. But for you, there's hope. Every young person and even cognizant older ones have a chance to learn from the history of past failure and also to recognize the value of Father God's ancient wisdom. His is a wisdom that preceded man's failed history and his intellect, morality and reasoning. The trending societal norms, quest for individual identity and accommodations aren't anything new, no matter how they're presented. I think King Solomon, the son of Israel's King David said it best:

Ecclesiastes 1:4-9 (NLT)

4 "Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content. 9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new."

The odds that any in the majority of us will ever say or do something that hasn't been said or done before is extremely, extremely slim. Think about it. Even what I'm telling you here in this post has very likely been said before somewhere to someone. Maybe many times over. So, what's new? In the human realm? - Nothing. So the odds that anyone is going to accomplish anything new or establish some never seen before identity by all of the thrashing around and efforts made to be outrageous or individual in the revolving "evolution" of societies on this earth is pretty much ... ZERO!

If you care to take a look, Sodom and Gomorrah, the Romans, the Greeks and a host of others in ancient history had their own levels of intellectual and moral depravity that saturated their denizens with "new" opportunities to be challenged to greater heights of perversion and outrageousness. So, there's really nothing new under the sun. But if you take a closer look, not just at their brazenness, but at the fruit of their acts on a relational and personal level, were they ever really satisfied? And did their "new" levels of morality and depravity succeed to flourish and survive on a large scale? You'll find that the answer to both, is no. Sodom and Gomorrah were taken out by God in dramatic fashion because they were so offensive and even the great empire of Rome fell. The others? Well, check 'em out. If they survived as a warped society, they're not what they used to be and there's a reason why. There's also an experience based reason why the United States of America was founded on a certain set of moral standards and why attempting to erode those standards is such a dangerous proposition. But if you haven't thought about it before, you'll probably discover the reason why soon enough.

When you think about perversions of justice, infidelity, lying, cheating, stealing, outrageous anger, sexual immorality and violence to name a few and you think about applying them personally - do you feel good about them? What if you were on the receiving end? Does thinking about those things make you feel peace? Or do they somehow seem more likely disagreeable and like something you'd rather avoid? If you're feeling uncomfortable about them and could be happier without them, there's a reason - you my friend, were wired for something far greater...

Which of the following sounds better to you?  

"Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too."
Romans 1:29-32 NLT (Don't we see this in the world today?)

Or this?,

 "Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance."
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NLT (Wouldn't we rather see this?)

Everything about Christ and His teaching was appealing, fruitful, good and healthy. Our God is a positive God who wants good things for His kids! Everything that scripture teaches us from beginning to end is prosperous for us if we follow what our Father has set out for us to know. But establishing those things as fact in our minds as ground zero and then following them to enjoy the fruit of them on a personal basis ... all begins in our own thinking.

Immoral behavior always brings pain and corrosion with it. It's destructive to everything it touches including among other things, relationships and possibly even one's own mental health. It destroys marriages and families and leads to guilt, anger and a lot of brokenness. History is rife with repeated examples and all one has to do is to look around to see it's benefits in the world's current society. Drug addiction, adultery, pornography, drunkenness, laziness, greed, theft, unmerited violence, etc, etc, don't yield anything positive. So what's to admire and what's to gain? Truthfully? - Nothing good. But someone always pays a price - someone always suffers. Yet history just continues to repeat itself over and over again. Why? 

There's a better, historically proven way to live. It's a life lived according to God's standard and direction and it brings nothing but peace and positive end results to those that follow. Staying true to it can be a challenge in today's world with all of the pressure to conform to the world's ever changing societal norms, but the benefits are amazing and unending.

Some have attempted to water down Father God's words of instruction and twist it to meet their own desire, but the truth stands unchanged. It's so very important that you read His instructions and direction for yourself and become familiar with it - not only so you have access to the amazing wealth that it contains, but also because that unseen enemy can use your ignorance against you in countless ways... and he will. 

Read it, learn it, treasure it... and live!