TEEN CHALLENGE

"  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."  Matthew 21:22     Now God's not going to just send you a million dollars in the mail just because you asked for it. But I think that we often complain about how God's not answering prayer, and we're not asking and believing. We want God to do his part, but we don't want to do what we're supposed to do. God has performed mighty miracles for those who have asked, believing. If you need a miracle, don't think it's impossible- pray hard and long and believe that God can do it and that He will do it if it's best.      What do you need? Do you need something provided for you or your family? Believe, He can provide. Do you need help, guidance, or wisdom? Believe, He is all knowing and will give it to you if you ask. Do you need someone's mind changed? Believe, He can change their mind without them even knowing.      Ask God for a miracle in your life. Ask Him t...

" Right is right even if no one is doing it;   wrong is wrong   even if everyone is  doing it." - Augustine        In an election, the majority wins. But truth does not have to be elected or win out over wrong to be right. God's Word (truth) is always right, even if no one is doing it. Everyone around Noah was doing the wrong thing, yet it was still wrong. Just because everyone accepts or promotes the wrong way of thinking doesn't change the face that it is wrong. Abraham Lincoln once said, "How many legs does a dog have if you call it's tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn't make it a leg."   Saying wrong is right doesn't make it right.      And no matter how much the world says that the Bible is not true, that our faith excludes people, and that Heaven and Hell are not real, it is still right. No matter how many times people say it's not true, it will always be true.  When you stand alone remember that som...

 "For if they fall, the other will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up"  Ecclesiastes 4:10     A lot of times we hear this verse used when someone is talking about the importance of having good, Godly friends. But what about being that friend? What do you do when your friend falls? Now "falling" could mean a couple different things. One way your friend could fall is that they just mess up. They disrespect their parents, they tell a lie, they just do something wrong. What do you do in a situation like this? You could ignore it and hope it goes away, and act like they've done nothing wrong. That certainly isn't helping them up. That's just acting like it's ok and that you're alright with it. You could defend their actions. If someone corrects them or points out what they've done, your friend may be upset. If you get upset along with your friend and justify the way they're ...

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9          Tomas Fuller once said, "All things are difficult before they are easy". If you know how to do anything well- how to play sport or a musical instrument, how to draw, sew, paint, or bake- if you taken the time to learn how to do something well, you know that this quote is true. And you probably wanted to quit learning halfway through. When you missed your 100th basket, burnt the 5th batch of cookies, and hit the millionth sour note, you wanted to quit. But when you helped lead your team to victory, served a delicious dessert, and performed a beautiful piece, you were glad you didn't.          Don't stop when it gets hard! Keep going when it gets hard and you will be rewarded for your work. If you want to do something great, be faithful in your "well doing". Practice, prepare, and "faint not". 

This month's devotional comes from Mr. Joshua R. Walter from Clays Mills Baptist Church in Lexington, KY.     A course of study regarding Baptist history could effectively be inaugurated by a lesson regarding the first chapter of the book A History of the Baptists, Vol. 1. The book starts with Jesus’ earthly ministry when He established His church with the disciples and gave them the Great Commission to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” - Matthew 28:19-20a. Because of its founding, the Baptist church is different from all other so-called “churches” that Satan has instituted and propagated throughout history, if for no other reason than that the Founder and Sustainer of the church was and is Christ. Baptists are distinct from others such as the Presbyterian, Episcopal, and Anglican churches (and particularly the Lutherans) for the single...