Browsing Tag

hungry for God

Track 3 (Lesson #3) – What’s In It For Me?

Posted on November 9, 2014

Track 3 (Lesson #3) – What’s In It For Me?

In almost everything we do in life, we want to know what’s in it for me. We don’t just do things to do them, we want to know what the benefit is for ourselves. This discipleship lesson takes a look at what is in it for us in terms of reading the Bible.

Main Points

Reading the Bible makes us wise and successful.
Reading the Bible keeps us from sinning.
Reading the Bible shows us who God is.
Reading the Bible shows us who we are.

What are some benefits you see to reading the Bible? We’d love to hear what you think!

Growth Scriptures

Here are a few scriptures that show what makes the Bible different.

Student Devos Recommends:

Living By The Book by Howard and William Hendricks.
This book has some awesome suggestions on ways to make reading the Bible more fun. It also makes reading the Bible seem way less overwhelming!

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Are You Stuff-y?

Posted on September 10, 2014

So much of the culture today is consumed with the pursuit of stuff. We think if we could just have a better car, we’d be happy. If we could just be dating that person of our dreams, then we’d be happy. Or if we could just get out of our parent’s house, we would then be happy.

A ton of our life is spent in the pursuit of ‘stuff’. We think that if we just get this one new thing we will be happy. But often when we get that thing, something is still lacking. We try and we try for more stuff, only to find that the ‘stuff’ doesn’t really make us happy.

So what do we do? If the pursuit of stuff won’t make us happy, than what should we be going after?

The story of God appearing to Solomon shows us something in about what we should go after. Solomon had God appear to him and God asked him what he wanted. Solomon could have asked God for anything. He could have asked God for money, fame, or the girl of his dreams. Instead Solomon asks God for something really unexpected. He asks God for wisdom.

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]That night God came to Solomon and said, “Ask me for whatever you want me to give you.” – 2 Chronicles 1:7 [/quote]

This is really interesting to me. Solomon could have asked God for all kinds of stuff here. However, Solomon must have known that the pursuit of stuff wouldn’t make him happy and fulfilled. He must have known that by seeking after stuff, he would wind up wanting more and more stuff. He could never get enough stuff to really make him happy. So Solomon asks God for wisdom and for help.

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]Now give me wisdom and knowledge so that I can lead these people in the right way. No one could rule this great nation without your help.” – 2 Chronicles 1:10[/quote]

Solomon realizes that there is something more important than stuff. Solomon also realized that he needed God’s help to live his life and to make wise decisions. What Solomon asked for really impressed God. God liked what Solomon asked for so much that God made him wealthy and gave him lots of stuff.

So the lesson we can learn from Solomon is this: there is something better than the pursuit of stuff. Getting God’s wisdom on how to live our lives is way better than any stuff. Making God number one in your life will bring satisfaction that stuff never will.

Choose to make God number one in your life. Choose to not go after stuff, but go after God and after His wisdom. When you do, you’ll find you’re happier and more fulfilled.

Why Should You Choose Sexual Purity?

Posted on August 25, 2014

Sex is a huge thing. If you’re honest, you probably think about it a lot. Maybe you think its going to be magical like they show on movies. Or maybe you’ve already had sex and are wondering what should you do now. Does the act of having sex before marriage now make you unable to be used by God?

Lots of people have different philosophies about sex and sexual purity. There are purity pledges you can take, purity rings you can buy, and tons of ideas floating out there about sexual purity. So how do you decide to be sexually pure? Here are a few things to remember.

The choice is yours. Only you can decide to be sexually pure. You can choose to accept God’s plan for sex within marriage, or you can choose to ignore it. That’s your choice, no one can force you to do it. Its important to not make the decision to remain sexually pure because you’re feeling pressure at your youth group or church. Make the choice for you. If you make a choice because of peer pressure at youth group, you’ll end up feeling resentful towards it. If you make the choice out of fear that someone at church will judge you, you’ll end up regretting it.
Choose to be pure because you love God and want to follow His plan for your life.
Not because you feel forced into it or because of fear of others. Be pure because you’ve decided between you and God its what you want for your life.
Get to know what God says. If you’re having a hard time deciding to be sexually pure, just spend some time in the Bible. Read scriptures that deal with your body and how God sees it. Get to know your heavenly father and His heart on sex. That way when you decide to be sexually pure you’ve made an informed decision based on what God’s word says. Here are a few verses to check out.
1 Corinthians 6:18
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
Ephesians 5:3
Believe you’re worth it.You’ve got to see yourself the way God sees you. You’ve got to believe that you’re worth the wait. Even if it means that a girl or guy you’re dating will break up with you because you’re not giving in sexually, decide that you are worth the wait.
Even though its hard to wait when you’re young, if you choose to believe that you’re worth the wait it will really help. If you’re going to stay strong in the midst of sexual temptation, you’ve got to really believe that you are worth it. You’ve got to believe that no matter what someone will say or do to you that you are worth the wait sexually. Don’t give in just to get along or go with the flow!

The only way that the choice to be sexually pure works is if you choose for yourself for the right reasons. You’ve got to choose to be pure because its what you believe and what you want for your life. You can’t do it because it makes your mom happy or because all your friends in youth group are doing it. You’ve got to decide to do it because you’ve seen the benefit of it in God’s word and you choose it for yourself.

Finally, if you’ve messed up sexually, its not the end of the road for you. You’re not disqualified from ever doing things for God and getting into heaven or anything like that. But you can choose to move on from your sexual mess up. You can move forward and live a sexually pure life from this point on. Here’s a great devo about what to do if you’ve messed up in this area.

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Sex180: The Next Revolution This is a great book with lots of ways to rethink our culture’s view of sexuality and challenges you to think about sex how God would!
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3 Reasons Why Reading Your Bible Is Like Brushing Your Teeth

Posted on December 4, 2013

Brushing your teeth isn’t usually the highlight of your day, in fact, you might even sometime not want to brush them in order to get out the door earlier in the morning or to get to bed quicker at night. Even though brushing your teeth can feel like a chore sometimes, teeth brushing can teach us about reading the Bible. And hopefully, make reading the Bible seem a little less boring.

Brushing should be a habit. Imagine if you only brushed your teeth once and never touched your toothbrush again. My guess is that you’d have some pretty gross teeth and stinky breath. Well, just like you shouldn’t brush your teeth only once, you shouldn’t read your Bible only once. The Bible is a book that you need to get into. You’re not going to get it all by reading it once.
“Never stop reading The Book of the Law he gave you. Day and night you must think about what it says. – Joshua 1:8 (CEV)
Brushing keeps you fresh. Your breath gets just plain nasty if you don’t brush your teeth. That’s a lot like reading the Bible. Reading the Bible helps to keep us fresh. The Bible is filled with instruction, wisdom and guidance to keep us going strong through life. Getting into the Bible is a great way to encourage yourself and stay fresh in your walk with God.
Brushing makes you feel better. Don’t you love that awesome clean feeling that you get after you brush your teeth? The same feeling is available to us when we read the Bible. The Bible will encourage us and make us feel better. Whether you’re going through a problem, need some healing, or just plain want to be encouraged, reading the Bible is your answer.

The Bible is a powerful book. It has the power to change the way you look at life and the way you feel. If you haven’t already, choose to make reading the Bible a habit. You’ll be glad you did.

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Spice up your Bible reading with a new version of the Bible! We love the The Message//REMIX Paperback Wood: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Its an easy to understand and fun to read version of the Bible.
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How to Have an Epic Summer

Posted on August 5, 2013

Summer break is in full swing for most students. With all that free time, it can be easy to get bored really fast. So, here’s some ways to to make your summer vacation epically awesome!

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Do something crazy – This doesn’t mean jumping off a bridge or risking your life. It means grab a few of your friends and do something out of the ordinary. Fill up a ton of water balloons with pudding and have a really sticky crazy water balloon fight. Or maybe create a scavenger hunt for your friends. Be creative and find something really fun and different you can do this summer with your friends.
Read a Book – This might seem totally lame, but you can use this summer to read some great books. Find a book on leadership or read to learn something new about God. There’s tons of books out there that can challenge you to learn and grow. Here’s a few we really like:
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Learn something new – Take your extra time this summer and invest in learning something new. YouTube how to play drums. Ask your grandma to teach you how to sew. Read a self-help book on how to create a website. Find something that you’ve always wanted to be able to do and learn how to do it this summer.
Get to know God better – Invest some time this summer into prayer and Bible study. Find a great private place where you can plug your headphones in and worship God to an awesome worship CD. Really invest into getting to know God. Time spent getting to know God is never wasted!
Overcome a Fear – What’s something you’re afraid of? Can you overcome it this summer? Can you force yourself to talk to someone you don’t know? Can you ride that roller coaster that you’ve been avoiding because it just looks too scary? Find a fear and decide to overcome it this summer.
Give Back – Don’t make this summer just about you. Find a way to give back. Offer to cut the grass for an older neighbor. Volunteer to help clean at your church. Go on a missions trip this summer. Find a need somewhere and meet it. Give back to those around you. Decide to help others this summer.

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These are just a few suggestions to making your summer one to remember. If you set your mind to it, you can kick the summer boredom blues and make your summer one that is truly epic!

3 Reasons Not To Go To Church

Posted on June 4, 2013

Why does everyone make a big deal about going to church? Whether you go to church or not doesn’t really matter does it? Plus, there’s lots of great preachers on TV and online, so you can learn about God that way, right?

Here’s three reasons why you shouldn’t go to church.

You’re okay living an average life for God – God built the church to challenge you to grow. Going to church puts you in contact with people who can point out weak spots in your life. They will mentor you and challenge you to grow. If you want to live an average boring life without being challenged to grow church isn’t for you.
You don’t like giving back to others – Church gives you a great opportunity to give to others. Whether you give money or your time, church is built to give you opportunities to give back to others. If you’re not into giving back, church is not for you.
You don’t like meeting new friends – Church gives you lots of opportunities to meet new people. You can find some awesome friends and build lasting relationships. Plus church usually offers fun hang out times which you can’t get anywhere else. If you don’t really like meeting new people church is probably not for you.

Going to church is actually very important to you growing spiritually. Church brings you into contact with people that can help challenge you, encourage you, and hold you accountable. Church is also a place where you can learn more about God and His word. Plus, the Bible talks about us getting together to worship God in this verse in Hebrews 10:25 – “not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on” (Message)

It might be easier to stay home or to not get involved in church, but church is really important. If you want to have a thriving relationship with God and meet some great like-minded friends along the way, church is for you!

The Skinny on New Shoes and Genuine Faith

Posted on April 21, 2013

If you were asked to choose between wearing a brand new pair of Nike shoes or wearing some shoes from the bargain store, which would you choose? If you’re like most people you’d chose the brand new Nike shoes. That’s because for most people, the ‘off brand’ or ‘generic brand’ just doesn’t cut it. They want the real thing. They want something authentic or genuine.

In the same way, your faith should be something that is genuine and authentic in your life. Paul gives Timothy a pat on the back for his genuine faith in 2 Timothy 1:5.[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. (NLT)[/quote]

Here’s a few things genuine faith looks like:[list type=”bullet”]

Genuine faith is sold out to God
Genuine faith is fresh and active
Genuine faith doesn’t blend in – it lets God change the way you live.
Genuine faith isn’t boring or outdated
Genuine faith believes that the things God says in the Bible aren’t suggestions, they’re a way of life.
Genuine faith doesn’t compromise
Genuine faith causes action
Genuine faith isn’t based on feelings

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Genuine faith looks different than off-brand or generic Christianity. It acts differently than off-brand Christianity. So, how does your faith rate? Is is generic or authentic?

Listen: Dangerous by Group 1 Crew

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