STRENGTH

Dear Christian teens,

My strength comes from Him and Him alone.

When I'm in pain, I will look above my pity.

When I'm in the depths of darkness, I will seek His light.

I hope we all will.

I hope we all rely on Him, our Savior and Healer.

I pray that all will find His love and comfort in tough times.

When you lose your way and you're lost in confusion, dig deep into His word and you will find His amazing love. Oh the precious love of Jesus will bring us back to the cross and on our knees in front of Him.

Christian teens, know that you are not alone. Our God is with you, holding your hand through everything. You may feel like you're not worth it. But you are!

Although we don't deserve all that we receive from our Heavenly Father, you were created by Him. And He especially loves you.

Our Jesus will not leave you and He will never forsake you.
Just look at all the amazing examples in the Bible.
Paul, Peter, James, Mary, Joseph...and so many more.
We may be persecuted for following the Lord. We may lose everything in this life.
But look to the great reward at the end.
Matthew 25:21a says, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

I strive for my Lord to say this to me when I meet Him at those pearly gates.
So servants of the Lord, find your strength in Him! And kneel at His cross so that
you can draw closer and closer to Him.

sincerely,

                         Sophie

IT'S NOT ABOUT US

Matthew 6:1-8

"Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people, to be seen by them. 

Otherwise, you will have no reward from your Father in Heaven.

So whenever you give to the poor, don't sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. I assure you: They've got their reward!

But when you give to the poor, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites , because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They've got their reward!

But when you pray, get into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

When you pray, don't babble like the idolators, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words.

Don't be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him."

Dear Christian teens,

How important these verses are! This crave for attention applies to many Christians, including myself. We truly want to look good and attractive in front of our peers that we take away the emphasis of God's love and majesty and apply it to ourselves.

Why do we do this? Why do we steal God's praise only so we can feel better?

Christians, I assure you, human praise will NEVER please us! Only for a moment, but that kind of happiness ends.

But if you will only look a little further, you will find a much more abounding, everlasting, joyful kind of love.

God's love.

You can make it known that you are the best, most wise Christian. That will never suffice.

There is a greater reward that our Father can give us!

Don't take for granted what He gives us and don't doubt His goodness.

Remember, all things are about Christ.

He deserves everything and we honestly deserve nothing.

But we still receive so much!

Let each thing that you do point back to Jesus.

Pray to Him, worship Him, thank Him.

Be in the world, minister to the world, but don't be of the world. 

sincerely,

                 Sophie

WORSHIP

I praise Him with my heart and soul...

not only out of emotion and passion, but out of obedience to Him...

out of gratitude and thankfulness, out of a precious hallelujah.

I praise Him not only because I want to, but because He dearly deserves it.

Dear Christian teens,

How deserving is our God! He has done so much for us, but it is our human nature to not always give back to Him.

Sadly, we are cursed with a selfishness that is unthinkable. We owe our Savior so much that it is out of our capability to give Him what He deserves.

But, friends, don't give up now!

Praise God even through the tough times because He is always at work to draw you closer to Him.

Thank Him for His grace, mercy, hope and endearment.

There are so many ways of worship.

Remember that....

through singing, dance, art, and sports

or just the simplicity of sitting outside and listening to the Holy Spirit,

you and I can praise Him.

Look at the little things He has done and thank Him for it.

Love Him with all your heart, soul and mind.

sincerely,

                      Sophie

JUDGEMENT

Dear Christian teens,

I sit here knowing that I haven't always honored my Lord.

I've betrayed my Jesus by losing the love that He so wonderfully possesses.

In judgement, I've lost it. In hate, I've lost it. In bitterness, I've lost it.

Why is it so hard for Christians like you and me to live like our Christ?

This is a difficult question that we all face. 

 But don't lose hope! Today, I want to encourage y'all to dig into your Bibles.

Learn the truth, and please, don't make up your minds about someone before you know them!

This terrible trait that all humans take part in is so unhealthy. It shuts down our ability to tell them the gospel and share our faith. We make an opinion about people by what they wear and what they look like. We put them in a small stereo-typical box and disable ourselves to look at them through God's eyes. Other times, we form an opinion about someone out of bitterness. When others hurt us, we decide that they simply do not deserve God's love, and once again, they are put in box and shut out of our minds. I know what this is like because I've done it many times myself. 

But I'm challenging y'all to rise above it! 

I know I won't be perfect, but I hope that I will eventually lose the false attitude and gain a beautiful, God-given perspective.

So Christians, don't be negative. In my experience, the people I make judgements about occasionally tend to surprise me. 

Have hearts full of love and don't always assume. Accumulate the kind and Christ-like spirit to others and it will instantly reflect from you, to everyone around you.

sincerely,

                  Sophie 

THE REAL FOCUS

Obviously I have dedicated this whole blog to encouraging our age group, but I hope y'all know it is welcome to all ages. Although, today in particular, I want to focus on our generation.

Dear Christian Teens,

We have lost our focus. Not only that, but we have lost who we are. 

Our generation of Christians...is failing. We are not reaching those who most need it.

We have turned into a self-centered, self-indulging people.

And listen here, I am not going to condemn every one else. For I am truly writing what I need to hear...what we all need to hear.

Through my encouragement, I hope that it will not only be about making others feel "better", but I also hope and pray that it will inspire y'all to strive to be more like our Christ Jesus.

Christian teens, please don't stop loving the unloved. Don't ever stop giving to the poor, don't stop healing the hurt, don't stop serving the one's who aren't served. Don't stop reaching those who aren't reached. Please, don't stop.

This nation and world needs someone who will step up. If we don't, this generation will be totally lost.

Christians, try to remember that we might be the only Christ that the world will see. We might be the only light or hope that anyone will ever reach. So don't quit. Don't give up on God's plan for it is so wondrous and intricate.

You are a part of His plan...you.

You are special. He is using you, and He will use you.

Don't lose hope.

And don't forget the true focus...our Jesus, the Savior of all.

sincerely,

                       Sophie

WAIT

Dear Christians, STOP.

Stop the negativity, and just stop.

Stop the crazy schedule and take this moment to wait on God.

Listen to His voice...

Listen to the becalming, loving, comforting voice that gives you hope and energy for each new day.

I live a CRAZY life.

I am constantly running around without taking just a second to stop it.

I have anxieties of never getting it all done and then I have anxieties of whether or not I am pleasing the Lord. But if I would just take a minute to STOP, then I would see how many I's and me's there are in my life. I would see why I am so anxious, and I would finally be comforted by the precious words Christ Jesus speaks... 

John 14:27 says,

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

Wow. The constant rush of relief you just felt? That's the Holy Spirit.

Now we need to give it all to God because He is so much bigger than this. He has a wondrous plan for each of you, You are treasured and He will use you through and through it all. Stop and wait. Give it to God and surrender. And take things one at a time. Use this opportunity to minister to others and honor His great name.

In all the pressure is when the devil is out to get you... in all the pressure is when the Lord is challenging you. So make CHRIST your priority and make GOD your main focus.

Don't lose that. For He is all you will ever need.

sincerely,

                       Sophie

ACCEPTANCE

Acceptance from Christ and from yourself

Something that all Christians tend to do is live up to the standards and expectations that we think the Lord has set for us. We try to make sure we're doing it all "right".

Trying so hard to honor Christ that the glory and focus shifts from Him.... to us.

Yes, God gives us commandments and rules to follow.

But He also gives us acceptance, grace and forgiveness.

Jesus accepts us for who we are, despite our sinful ways and mistakes. He has grace upon us especially when we mess up. And He forgives us. He forgives that consistent spit in the face that He receives from each one of us every day. And He still loves us that He would die for us again and again.

I surely have the tendency to not only do these things to myself, but also to the people around me. Jesus Christ accepts us for who we are, so why don't we do the same with the surrounding Christians?

NO.

Why don't we do the same with ourselves??

Accept yourself. Give yourself grace. And forgive yourself. Jesus does, now it's your turn.

Remember those commandments? Well, they will eventually become easier.

When you learn to love yourself despite your mistakes, then God's love will flow naturally...so will His commandments.

sincerely,

                      Sophie