Leviticus 6:13 “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”
Hello teenager, can I talk very seriously with you for the next few minutes?
If you are like many Christian teens, then sometime this summer you attended a youth rally, a conference, or camp and made a new or fresh commitment to the Lord. You were fired up for the Lord! You had big plans for getting into your Bible and praying every day, winning your friends to Christ and being the leader in your youth group. I’m glad you did! I’m sure your youth director, your parents and your preacher were very excited for you too.
But something always happens when you come back to “real life” doesn’t it. The fire starts dying out and your red hot decisions for the Lord start to grow cold. You don’t mean to. You start going back to your old ways, your old friends, and pretty soon you are just back to the old you. If you are honest, this happens just about every time, doesn’t it? Many teens make the wrong assumption that either they just don’t have what it takes or that it is impossible to stay on fire for God. Teenager – both of these are a lie! You can do and you can stay red hot for God, even in “real life”!
The reality of it is that you are fighting a battle against three enemies that will do everything they can to put out your fire for the Lord. They are: the world, the flesh, and the devil. These three enemies of your soul want you to stay as the cold and carnal Christian that you used to be. Through God’s help you can beat these enemies. Beg God for help. Read your Bible for strength and instruction. Go to church to be equipped and encouraged in the fight against sin. Teenager, YOU CAN WIN THE BATTLE!
Most Christians don’t take time to think about what it took to get them close to God and then apply that on how to stay close to God. I believe that how you got close to God is the same way you will stay close to God.
Choice not Force. At some point, you made a choice to open your heart to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. No one can be forced to be on fire for God. A person may be forced to participate in spiritual activities, but true excitement for the things of God comes when we choose Christ above all else. Teen, if you want to keep the fire going, it will be because you choose to .
Separation from Wrong. The second step that brought you to being on fire for God is separation from wrong: wrong music, wrong friends, wrong TV and movies, and everything else that can defile you. That is why I’m such a strong believer in church camp. The reason so many teens get on fire for God at camp is that they are removed from the overwhelming influences of evil for a week. The main reason Christians lose their fire for God is that they go right back to the same old way of living. If you will get the wrong out of your “Real Life”, you can have a life of revival and not just a one week a year revival.
Saturation with the Right. It is not enough though to just get away from the wrong. The third step to burning red hot for God is to be saturated with right: right music, right friends, right preaching and right entertainment. Fill your life with good and godly things, and you will have less time and desire for ungodly things.
Successful Christians aren’t like superstar athletes. They don’t possess any special talents or skills that make them superior to everyone else. They have simply applied God’s principles for walking daily with Him. Teenager – You Can Too!
Robert Pophal | Pastor
Rose Park Baptist Church | Holland, MI
https://www.rpbcholland.org
