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| ISBN-13: | 9781605874722 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Worthy |
| Publication date: | 01/01/2013 |
| Sold by: | Hachette Digital, Inc. |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 208 |
| File size: | 956 KB |
| Age Range: | 12 - 18 Years |
Read an Excerpt
100 Questions Teens Ask with answers from God's Word
By Freeman-Smith
Worthy Media, Inc.
Copyright © 2013 Freeman-SmithAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-60587-472-2
CHAPTER 1
QUESTION 1
What kind of attitude is best for me and my friends?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Learn about Jesus and His attitude. Then try and do what Jesus would do.
The Right Kind of Attitude
There is one thing I always do. Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me....
Philippians 3:13–14 NCV
Now that you're growing older and becoming more mature, it's time to make plans for the next leg of your life's journey: becoming an adult. And as you make plans, remember that the quality of that journey will depend, in part, on the quality of your thoughts. If you allow yourself to fall into the unfortunate habit of negative thinking, you will bring needless suffering into your life. But if you choose, instead, to follow the directive of Philippians 4:8, you will focus your attention upon "whatsoever things are true ... honest ... just ... pure ... lovely ... and of good report." And when you do, your life will be richer for it.
I became aware of one very important concept I had missed before: my attitude—not my circumstances—was what was making me unhappy.
Vonette Bright
A positive attitude will have positive results because attitudes are contagious.
Zig Ziglar
The people whom I have seen succeed best in life have always been cheerful and hopeful people who went about their business with a smile on their faces.
Charles Kingsley
If you can't tell whether your glass is half-empty of half-full, you don't need another glass; what you need is better eyesight ... and a more thankful heart.
Marie T. Freeman
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.
Charles Swindoll
QUESTION 2
What does the Bible say about following my conscience?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Listening to that little voice ... that quiet little voice inside your head will guide you down the right path if you listen carefully. Very often, your conscience will actually tell you what God wants you to do. So listen, learn, and behave accordingly.
You and Your Conscience
I always do my best to have a clear conscience toward God and men.
Acts 24:16 HCSB
You can keep secrets from other people, but you can't keep secrets from God. God knows what you think and what you do. And, if you want to please God, you must start with good intentions and a pure heart.
If your heart tells you not to do something, don't do it! If your conscience tells you that something is wrong, stop! If you feel ashamed by something you've done, don't do it ever again! Because you can keep secrets from other people some of the time, but God is watching all of the time, and He sees everything, including your heart.
Your conscience is your alarm system. It's your protection.
Charles Stanley
It is neither safe nor prudent to do anything against one's conscience.
Martin Luther
God desires that we become spiritually healthy enough through faith to have a conscience that rightly interprets the work of the Holy Spirit.
Beth Moore
Guilt is a healthy regret for telling God one thing and doing another.
Max Lucado
The voice of the subconscious argues with you, tries to convince you; but the inner voice of God does not argue; it does not try to convince you. It just speaks, and it is self-authenticating.
E. Stanley Jones
QUESTION 3
Sometimes life is tough. When I'm afraid, what should I do?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Courage is trusting God to handle the problems that are simply too big for you to solve.
Finding the Courage Through God
Be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord.
Psalm 31:24 HCSB
A storm rose quickly on the Sea of Galilee, and the disciples were afraid. Although they had seen Jesus perform many miracles, the disciples feared for their lives, so they turned to their Savior, and He calmed the waters and the wind.
Sometimes, we, like the disciples, feel threatened by the inevitable storms of life. And when we are fearful, we, too, can turn to Christ for courage and for comfort.
From time to time, all of us, even the most devout believers, experience fear. But, as believers, we can live courageously in the promises of our Lord ... and we should.
As you take the next step on your life's journey, you can be comforted: Wherever you find yourself, God is there. And, because He cares for you, you can live courageously.
* * *
Just as courage is faith in good, so discouragement is faith in evil, and, while courage opens the door to good, discouragement opens it to evil.
Hannah Whitall Smith
Jesus Christ can make the weakest man into a divine dreadnought, fearing nothing.
Oswald Chambers
There comes a time when we simply have to face the challenges in our lives and stop backing down.
John Eldredge
The truth of Christ brings assurance and so removes the former problem of fear and uncertainty.
A. W. Tozer
If a person fears God, he or she has no reason to fear anything else. On the other hand, if a person does not fear God, then fear becomes a way of life.
Beth Moore
QUESTION 4
I can't always find time to study my Bible every day. What does the Bible say about my daily devotional?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Get reacquainted with God every day: Would you like a foolproof formula for a better life and better relationships? Here it is: stay in close contact with God.
Every Day with God
Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.
Psalm 62:1 NKJV
When it comes to spending time with God, are you a "squeezer" or a "pleaser"? Do you squeeze God into your schedule with a prayer before meals (and maybe, if you've got the time, with a quick visit to church on Sunday)? Or do you please God by talking to Him far more often than that? The answer to this question will determine the direction of your day and the quality of your life.
Each day has 1,440 minutes—do you value your relationship with God enough to spend a few of those minutes with Him? He deserves that much of your time and more—is He receiving it from you? Hopefully so. But if you find that you're simply "too busy" for a daily chat with your Father in heaven, it's time to take a long, hard look at your priorities and your values.
Warren Wiersbe writes, "Surrender your mind to the Lord at the beginning of each day." And that's sound advice. When you begin each day with your head bowed and your heart lifted, you are reminded of God's love, His protection, and His commandments. Then, you can align your priorities for the coming day with the teachings and commandments that God has placed upon your heart.
So, if you've acquired the unfortunate habit of trying to squeeze God into the corners of your life, it's time to reshuffle the items on your to-do list by placing God first. God wants your undivided attention, not the leftovers of your day. And if you haven't already done so, form the habit of spending quality time with your Father in heaven. He deserves it ... and so, for that matter, do you.
* * *
God is a place of safety you can run to, but it helps if you are running to Him on a daily basis so that you are in familiar territory.
Stormie Omartian
We must appropriate the tender mercy of God every day after conversion or problems quickly develop. We need his grace daily in order to live a righteous life.
Jim Cymbala
QUESTION 5
Some days are more difficult than others. When times are tough, what should I do?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Difficult days come and go. Stay the course. The sun is shining somewhere and will soon shine on you.
Difficult Days
We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope.
Romans 5:3-4 NCV
All of us face those occasional days when the traffic jams and the dog gobbles the homework. But, when we find ourselves overtaken by the minor frustrations of life, we must catch ourselves, take a deep breath, and lift our thoughts upward. Although we are here on earth struggling to rise above the distractions of the day, we need never struggle alone. God is here—eternally and faithfully, with infinite patience and love—and, if we reach out to Him, He will restore perspective and peace to our souls.
The strengthening of faith comes from staying with it in the hour of trial. We should not shrink from tests of faith.
Catherine Marshall
When life is difficult, God wants us to have a faith that trusts and waits.
Kay Arthur
If all struggles and sufferings were eliminated, the spirit would no more reach maturity than would the child.
Elisabeth Elliot
The only way to learn a strong faith is to endure great trials. I have learned my faith by standing firm amid the most severe of tests.
George Mueller
Often the trials we mourn are really gateways into the good things we long for.
Hannah Whitall Smith
QUESTION 6
Does the Bible say anything about social media?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Whether you realize it or not, the Bible has lots to say about social media. God's Word warns that you should never post a message or send an e-mail with words or messages that He doesn't approve of.
Social Networks Force You to Make Choices, So Choose Wisely
The thing you should want most is God's kingdom and doing what God wants. Then all these other things you need will be given to you.
Matthew 6:33 NCV
Choices, choices, choices! Whether you're trying to figure out which photos to load into Facebook or trying to decide whether to hit the send button on some testy text message, you've got lots of choices to make in the digital world. And sometimes, making those choices isn't easy. At times you're torn between what you want to do (impress your friends) and what you ought to do (obey your Creator). When that happens, it's up to you to choose wisely ... or else.
The social networking choices you make today can make a really big difference in the quality of your life now and in the future. When you make wise choices, you are rewarded; when you make unwise choices, you must accept the consequences. It's as simple as that. So make sure that your choices are pleasing to God ... or else.
* * *
No matter how many books you read, no matter how many schools you attend, you're never really wise until you start making wise choices.
Marie T. Freeman
Commitment to His lordship on Easter, at revivals, or even every Sunday is not enough. We must choose this day—and every day—whom we will serve. This deliberate act of the will is the inevitable choice between habitual fellowship and habitual failure.
Beth Moore
Life is a series of choices between the bad, the good, and the best. Everything depends on how we choose.
Vance Havner
QUESTION 7
When I'm disappointed with the way things have turned out, what should I do?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Don't spend too much time asking "Why me, Lord?" Instead, ask, "What now, Lord?" and then get to work. When you do, you'll feel much better.
Dealing with Disappointments
When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through the rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God....
Isaiah 43:2-3 NLT
Face facts: some days are more wonderful than other days. Sometimes, everything seems to go right, and on other days, many things seem to go wrong. But here's something to remember: even when you're disappointed with the way things turn out, God is near ... and He loves you very much!
If you're disappointed, worried, sad, or afraid, you can talk to your parents and to God. And you will certainly feel better when you do!
* * *
Each of us has something broken in our lives: a broken promise, a broken dream, a broken marriage, a broken heart ... and we must decide how we're going to deal with our brokenness. We can wallow in self-pity or regret, accomplishing nothing and having no fun or joy in our circumstances; or we can determine with our will to take a few risks, get out of our comfort zone, and see what God will do to bring unexpected delight in our time of need.
Luci Swindoll
Though our pain and our disappointment and the details of our suffering may differ, there is an abundance of God's grace and peace available to each of us.
Charles Swindoll
Why should I ever resist any delay or disappointment, any affliction or oppression or humiliation, when I know God will use it in my life to make me like Jesus and to prepare me for heaven?
Kay Arthur
QUESTION 8
What should Christ's love mean to me?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
Jesus loves me, this I know ... but how much? Here's how much: Jesus loves you so much that He gave His life so that you might live forever with Him in heaven. And how can you repay Christ's love? By accepting Him into your heart and by obeying His rules. When you do, He will love you and bless you today, tomorrow, and forever.
Christ's Love
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11 NIV
The Bible makes this promise: Jesus loves you. And how should that make you feel? Well, the fact that Jesus loves you should make you very happy indeed, so happy, in fact, that you try your best to do the things that Jesus wants you to do.
Jesus wants you to welcome Him into your heart, He wants you to love and obey God, and He wants you to be kind to people. These are all very good things to do ... and the rest is up to you!
Live your lives in love, the same sort of love which Christ gives us, and which He perfectly expressed when He gave Himself as a sacrifice to God.
Corrie ten Boom
It has been the faith of the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me that has held me in the darkest valley and the hottest fires and the deepest waters.
Elisabeth Elliot
Jesus is all compassion. He never betrays us.
Catherine Marshall
Christ is like a river that is continually flowing. There are always fresh supplies of water coming from the fountain-head, so that a man may live by it and be supplied with water all his life. So Christ is an ever-flowing fountain; he is continually supplying his people, and the fountain is not spent. They who live upon Christ may have fresh supplies from him for all eternity; they may have an increase of blessedness that is new, and new still, and which never will come to an end.
Jonathan Edwards
QUESTION 9
I have lots of responsibilities. What should I do about them?
THE QUICK ANSWER _____________________________
When you accept your duties and fulfill them, you'll feel good about yourself. When you avoid your obligations, you won't. Act accordingly.
Be Responsible!
But each person should examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in respect to someone else. For each person will have to carry his own load.
Galatians 6:4-5 HCSB
Nobody needs to tell you the obvious: You have lots of responsibilities—obligations to yourself, to your family, to your community, and to your God. And which of these duties should take priority? The answer can be found in Matthew 6:33: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you" (HCSB).
When you "seek first the kingdom of God," all your other obligations have a way of falling into place. When you obey God's Word and seek His will, your many responsibilities don't seem quite so burdensome. When you honor God with your time, your talents, and your prayers, you'll be much more likely to count your blessings instead of your troubles.
So do yourself and your loved ones a favor: take all your duties seriously, especially your duties to God. When you do, you'll discover that pleasing your Father in heaven isn't just the right thing to do; it's also the best way to live.
* * *
When the law of God is written on our hearts, our duty will be our delight.
Matthew Henry
If you seek to know the path of your duty, use God as your compass.
C. H. Spurgeon
Discipleship usually brings us into the necessity of choice between duty and desire.
Elisabeth Elliot
The secret of a happy life is to delight in duty. When duty becomes delight, then burdens become blessings.
Warren Wiersbe
(Continues...)
Excerpted from 100 Questions Teens Ask with answers from God's Word by Freeman-Smith. Copyright © 2013 Freeman-Smith. Excerpted by permission of Worthy Media, Inc..
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