Decisions

     The decisions that are made as a teen while in junior or senior high school are setting up the foundation upon which the entirety of their life will be built.  The decisions that are made at this time in life will have long term effects for either the good or bad.  For example.  How many people do you know that woke up at 40 or 50 years of age having never smoked a cigarette and decide that they want to start chain smoking today?  On the flip side.  How many people have woken up in the morning at 40 or 50 and wish that they had never started smoking because they are now a chain smoker who can not kick the habit?   Considder the drug addict or alcoholic.  Often times these addictions started in the teen age years while in junior or senior high school.  Sure there are exceptions but I am guessing that most of these issues got its root in that time frame.  
     Why do we make the decisions we make?  Often we have not yet drawn the line in the sand.  We have not determined where we stand on an issue, and have not established scripture in our hearts pertaining to that issue.   Proverbs 7:2-3 says 
   "Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.  Bind them on your fingers; Write them on the tablet of your heart."
Psalm 119:15 says
   "I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways."
80% plus Christian students are lost and fall from following God in the transition between high school and college.   This is in part because they do not have the Word of God written on their heart and have not established the lines that they will not cross.  Often the last thing to be established in a Christians walk with God is a quiet time, a time spent in the word and talking with God.  This is especially true in the youth.  The enemy knows that this is a vulnerable time and attacks at will on the youth in many of life's binding situations. 
     My challenge is this.  If you fall into the junior/senior high school age group then please begin to spend time with the Lord every day.  Spend time in the word and talking with your Lord and Savior.  If you have never developed this kind of time with God then start simple.  Start with 5 min. a day and work up from there.  Make sure to be consistent with this and you might be surprised at some of the things that might begin to happen.  If you are the parent of one of these teens or know of someone in this age range then please pray.  This current generation is tired of every day religion but in throwing out the religion they have also thrown out a daily walk with God.  Please pray for them and offer them the love of Christ not the religious demands of man.

The Oil

Is your lamp ready? 

Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. ³ Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, ⁴ but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. ⁵ But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;^[a] go out to meet him!’ ⁷ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ ⁹ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ ¹⁰ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
¹¹ “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ ¹² But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
¹³ “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour^[b] in which the Son of Man is coming.

In this story we see that five of the virgins were not prepared.   They did not bring the oil with them and instead of getting ready for the bridegroom they were sleeping.   Can I tell you there is a wave, a very large wave, of youth that will be coming to the Lord.   Can I also mention that like the five virgins many of us in the church are sleeping when we should be getting ready.  

Over a week and a half ago the Lord began to speak to me that we need to get the oil ready.   If we do not have the oil when these souls arrive then we will be out looking for it and miss the move of God completely.   If the Lord is asking us to start ministries, start it.  If we need to study the word to prepare then study.  If the Lord is leading us to buy a building to house the people, then buy it.   If the Lord is leading us to move to another country to be in place, then go.   We have got to change our mindset from the normal boring church rituals to a mindset of being obedient to what the Lord is leading us to do.  He is asking many of us to do unusual things in order to be in place for the move that will blow the entire worlds minds when it arrives. 

Are you ready?  Do you have oil in your lamp?  Get ready.

Ready Set Go

     We are about ready to start.  I am excited and anticipating the move of God in the launching of this group.   In Case you are wondering this is a blog sight of 4teen12 the high school youth program at Grace Fellowship in LaGrange Kentucky.  The name comes form John 14:12-14 "¹² “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. ¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask^[a] anything in My name, I will do it.
     In this youth group, we as leaders, are going to be dedicated to establishing Christ as a seal on the hearts of our youth, bringing in the lost, helping them establish a vision and training them to walk it out and then see them walk it out to the glory of the Lord.   As we grow we will be involved in evangelism and small groups as well as launching events to bring others in to the church to meet the Lord for the first time.   We are dedicated to establishing a walk with the Lord that will withstand a lifetime in the lives of our youth.
     The Lord has begun to show me that a movement is coming in this lost generation of youth.   There is a movement that is coming that will effect not just the local area but a movement that will effect the world.  I believe that in a short amount of time there will be a mass movement of youth of every tongue and language that will seek the on true God and give up the old dead religion of the past.  I believe this to occur in every nation and will shake the world who is clueless as to what is happening.   In this moving of the Spirit we can either sit and watch or jump in and be a part of it.   Part of our vision is to be ready when the Lord pours out his spirit on all man and youth.
     When the Lord begins to move will you be found ready with a lamp burning or will you be out searching for oil and miss it all together.  
     We have also launched a facebook page and twitter account all with the name 4teen12.  Come join us as we see the Lord change the lives of our youth and this world.