Dealing with Feelings

Question:



How do I overcome feelings of being worthless? There's this guy and we've had a past relationship. We try to talk now but I can't help but get these feelings of hurt and worthlessness. I just don't understand why God keeps bringing him in my life if all he does is bring me pain.



Answer:



In answering this question you have to take a look at how God views you. 2 Timothy 1:7 says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. The source of those feelings that you are experiencing do not come from God. In first understanding what does not come from Him you can embrace what does come from Him. One of the great truths about God is that He loves you and had a great plan for your life long before you were even born. Jeremiah 1:5 says, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;"

It's important to understand as well that He does not make mistakes but we do. Luke 17:1 says that it's impossible for us to live this life without offenses coming. Because of that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship no matter how hard both sides try. We experience hurt because we make mistakes and receive hurt from other people's mistakes. Sometimes things just don't turn out. It may very well be that the Lord is using your constant running into this guy so that you can work out the situation for closure. It first starts with recognizing that these feelings don't come from God and that He will take care of you. 1 Peter 5:6 says that we need to give Him all of our cares because of His care for us. In giving these cares to Him those feelings will not have power over you anymore. Then you will freely walk and enjoy what God has for you in your life as you look to Him.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

I Have Your App.

Question:



Hi, lately I have been very confused and lonely so I decided to see if there was a free app on my iPod for teens that helped them in their walk. I was reading your 'Give up?' story and saw that I could email you if I had any questions.
First I would like to say thank you and from what I have read you have helped me. But I still need help. I feel so lonely and empty. I know that God is always with me and that He will never leave me but I can't help but feel this way. I've been crying a lot at night because of how empty I am. I pray very often but it seems like He isn't answering.

The Bible tells me that isn't true and I believe it, but it gets hard at times making me feel confused and worse about myself for not trusting in Him.
If you could give me some verses or any advice that would be great.



Answer:



That's something that a lot of people actually experience. I'm glad to hear that you know that the Lord is always with you and it sounds like you have a good foundation of knowledge of Scripture. What you are describing is the tugging of the heart for more of Christ. He doesn't want to be just a part of your life. He created you so that you can enjoy Him in ALL of your life. He made you for His purposes and for His glory. He laid out the plans of your life before you were even born just like in Jeremiah 1:4.

"That He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with His might through the Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you , being rooted and grounded in love may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the width and length and depth an height and to know the love of Christ that passes all knowledge that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19.

What you are describing is what your heart desires, and what your heart desires is for the Lord to be your passion and to live for His purposes. Know that this is a lifelong journey of being filled with Him and living in His purposes. But it starts with you setting your mind and affections on Him as Colossians 3:1-3 says.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Wondering About Forgiveness

Question:



I'm not sure what to do about forgiving my uncle. A few days ago, my mom, brother, and I went over to a relative's for lunch. Later, my mom mentioned that a certain uncle was supposed to have been there also. I froze in horror for a moment, because I would never have gone if I knew he was going to come. I am dreadfully afraid of this uncle, and I do not want to see him or have contact with him. This is due to things that happened about eight years ago, and events that continue to happen and remind me of that time. There was no physical or sexual abuse, but my uncle did something that was incredibly damaging to me emotionally, though he probably had no idea he was doing it. My parents did not protect me from him when I was young. They did not understand how devastated and terrified I was as well. After another traumatic event with this uncle at a wedding this spring, I finally told my parents about my fear of this uncle. Now that they know, I don't think they would ever force me to be in his presence again. But in harboring these feelings of fear and panic whenever I think of him, and avoiding him for reasons that he does not even know about. Am I being unforgiving? What is the Christian response to this situation? I want to forgive, and yet I know that true forgiveness is not a quick or cheap gift- it was painful for Christ to forgive us through the cross. I believe that forgiveness means really looking at the event, acknowledging the harm done, and then releasing the guilty party from guilt and oneself from anger. How can I go about forgiving this uncle? Can I do that if I am scared of even facing him? And if I forgive him, does that mean I need to go to family functions where he is present? Will forgiving him take away the intense and petrifying fear I feel when I am around him? Could you give me some guidance in how to handle this?



Answer:



You have a very solid view on what forgiveness looks like and it's awesome to see that you're not afraid of forgiving him. Forgiving your uncle for what it is that he did is not done through your focused effort to overcome this difficulty because forgiveness is not something that you have the ability to do in your own self. Jesus said in Mark 9:23 "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Since you are His child what I believe He wants is for you to be sensitive to being connected to Him as the vine is to the branches as John 15:5 says. John 15:2 shows that as you are connected to Him, HE will do the pruning. He will allow forgiveness to flow through you for your uncle. By all means you have to make the choice to forgive but your ability to forgive comes from being connected to Christ.

Forgiving your uncle has to do with you setting your focus on Christ. He doesn't expect you to do something to earn His forgiveness because He offers it freely to you. As you embrace His forgiveness and His love, He will cast out that fear that has held you frozen (check 2 Timothy 1:7). In Him you can walk freely. Don't try to figure out how it is that He wants you to forgive. Instead focus on Him and allow Him to impart forgiveness and then let Him lead you in how to flesh that out with your uncle.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Keeping My Faith

Question:



I am having some personal issues in life right now. Sometimes it is hard to stay faithful to the Lord. What can i do in order to not let myself fall away from God and to keep trusting Him in all I do?



Answer:




That's definitely a struggle that we all have in our walk with the Lord. You're not alone my friend. I'd like to share a passage with you. Luke 10:41-21 says, "And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But ONE THING is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.'" In this passage Jesus was invited to some women's house. Martha was trying her best to be the hospitable host in the house and Mary wanted to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to Him. Martha was upset that Mary wasn't helping her and asked Jesus to tell her to help. Jesus replied those words to her.

Especially in hard times it's easy to get worried about the things in our lives that go in many different directions and we want so badly to control those things that they would turn out well. The last thing we naturally want to do is settle down and listen to Christ. But the truth is that we are made to only have one master and when we get worried we scatter our attention in many different directions and are not settled in anything. Christ is saying is that He wants us focused on that ONE THING (staying close to Him) despite the many things that pull for our attention. This is what we are made for, and those things cannot take away what we have in Christ because HE is greater than those things and will have them fall in place as we focus on Him.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question:



My friend is Mormon, and we talk about religion a lot. I learned from a guy on youtube that Mormons believe in Gethsemane being the place where the atonement for our sins was paid. Some people have said that Luke 22:44 says that Jesus ACTUALLY sweated blood, whereas others say that His blood was LIKE sweat. I personally believe the latter. What is your opinion? If the latter is true, then there is truly no atonement for our sins (according to the Mormoms), which means Jesus never saved us of our sins.

On another view, if the atonement for us was through Gethsemane, then what was the cross for? If Jesus did not have to die, then there is no resurrection of the dead, and if there is no resurrection of the dead, then sin has not been conquered. Am I right in saying that?

If there is time, can you also check the credibility of this youtube user? He was once an ex-occult and a goth, but what he talks about seems to be the truth. I don't know if watching this guy's videos overall is worth the time, and if the truth is correct.




Answer:



What you have to remember in sharing Christ with those who are indoctrinated in false teaching is that it is dangerous grounds to get into debates. You have to know that they will come a lot of times not with the intention of having an honest discussion but with attacking the foundation of what you believe. You have to address these discussions from the foundation of what you believe then let that trickle down to the details. It first starts with lifting Him up and allowing Him to draw men to Him as John 12:32 says. You have to come from the standpoint of what you believe and allowing His light to shine on the darkness instead of trying to dispute the darkness to win them to the Light.



You have to ask yourself, “What are they saying isn’t true?” The answer to that question is that they’re saying Jesus didn’t have to die for our sins. The answer to that dispute can be found in the garden. Jesus prayed in Mark 14:35-36 that if there was any possible way that the Lord could redeem man other than through the cross that He would do so. Yet He knew that this was not possible and said, “Not My will but what You will.” His obedience to the Father and His death was physical proof that there was no other way. Jesus confirmed Himself that no one can get to the Father except through Him in John 14:6.



Now understand that I’m not trying to give you the words to say in discussing with your friend. What I am trying to do is show you the approach that I believe the Lord has called us to take. He has called us to study His Word and rightly interpret and apply His Word as 2 Timothy 2:15 says. Through knowing Him and His Word we will be able to shine His light more brightly on what is not true. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t study what it is that they believe. But do so from credible sources and be careful to do so knowing the Truth and what Christ has revealed as true from His Word first.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Going Your Own Way

Question:



I completely agree with todays message. I have a friend who is struggling with the whole topic of choosing God or going ones own way. Do you have some day to day examples of how God brings the lost back to Him? I've always been taught that God does not chasten or discipline the lost as he does His own. So how does He? I also believe that one of the greatest ways He draws people to Him is by the placement of godly individuals in their lives. But is there more? Is God stern with the lost, or does he gently prod them to Him? Does He save His wrath for Judgement Day? As I write this I understand that in God's wisdom He works on each person perfectly. But so many nonbelievers see other nonbelievers "living the good life" and don't see God's "foot". How does His foot work today?




Answer:




Those are some good questions. The focus of the devotional that we sent out today had to do with understanding that the Lord was going to receive glory from our lives. We also know from 2 Peter 3:9 that He is not willing that any should die in sin. We should also know that Jesus said in Luke 9:50 that all those who are not for the Lord are against Him. Those who attempt to bring the Lord dishonor to His Name by either trying to stop His Work or sabotage His working through His people will face humiliation in this life as Psalm 2 shows and experience a taste of Christ's conquering. But know that the Lord does this to declare Himself right in their eyes and that they might see the error of their way and repent. For those who do not belong to Him but are simply going their own way, the Lord will use any means necessary to reach their hearts. The most effective way that the Lord intended for the lost to be reached was through those who were created in His image and have His Spirit changing them to be like Him. The Lord is merciful with everyone. As long as they have breath He will reach out to them. Yet if they die in sin they will have to face the consequences at the Day of Judgment. So know that He is not just waiting for those who don't have Him to mess up. They will receive the consequences for the wrong choices they make just like us believers. But His mercy will continually give them the opportunity to turn to Him.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question from the Bible Studies

Question:



I had a question regarding a recent Bible Study that I received from Free Our Family. I was curious about the middle statement "Those who embrace Christ but don't live surrendered to Him will suffer loss in that day of the judgment for their conduct." Can you explain to me who you are talking about and what loss they will suffer and what conduct? Thank you for your time.



Answer:



The judgment that I was referring to specifically in this study was the Judgment Seat of Christ. This is the judgment where Christians are going to be examined not for their sins but for their stewardship with Christ. Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Jesus calls out to all of His children to follow Him daily. Whether through our obedience to Him or our not choosing to follow Him on His terms we build and invest our lives on the foundation of Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 is the Scripture that I was referring to when I made the statement that believers will suffer loss. If they build on the foundation of Christ that which is not of Him then it will be burnt up, but because our identity is in Him we will be saved. That is why it is important that we as believers are sensitive to allowing the Lord to examine us and show us those areas that we are investing in our lives that are in Him and those areas that are not of Him. When we find those areas that are not of Him, we must deny ourselves and allow Him to unlearn us in a sense and teach us what it is He wants us to invest there instead.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question:



Over the years I have lived a hard life of being excluded. After finally reaching high school I have found my place but I struggle with self-doubt. I struggle with self-doubt of whether I'm as good as people say I am. Even at times, my best friends will tell me things and I will not believe it because I have been put down for so long. Most people say to forget about what they say and listen to what God says and that is true I understand that. But I can't even get past seeing myself for who I am let alone seeing myself as God sees me. How can I get rid of this self-doubt?



Answer:



I would like you to think of it this way. From the beginning of creation the purpose of man was to reflect the glory of God. God created us in His image. We were made to be loved by God and to love Him in return. When sin entered the picture that connection with God was cut, but through Jesus we are restored back to the Father. You walk in victory when you choose to embrace that what Christ has done for you and what He has made you is true. Now understand that He has set you free so that you can walk in Him and love Him. When you set your eyes on knowing Him despite what others say and come boldly to the throne as Hebrews 4:16 says, you will walk in the truth that you are already a child of the King.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question about faith

Question:




I've been trying to understand my responsibility with faith. I'm beginning to understand that faith is given to us, and we have to live by it. How do we build up our faith?



Answer:



To put it simply, look to honor the Lord with the faith that He has given you and He will grow your faith. Jesus used the parable in Matthew 25:21, 23 in saying how when the servant is faithful with few, He grants more. We tend to think of other things as being faithful but it’s good to remember that we need to be faithful to exercise our faith (almost sounds confusing). It’s easy to put God in a box and try to figure Him out. Faith is going to Him knowing He’s not in any box and letting Him lead you however He wishes. Now He will show you how to live and it will be evidenced from the Truth of His Word, but it starts when we let Him be God.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

A Constant Struggle

Question:



I don't have anybody to talk to that I trust. I feel I need to tell someone other than God. I've messed up yet again with committing a particular sin that I've struggled with in the past. I've repented and asked God for forgiveness but still feel so dirty and don't deserve to be forgiven a million times for the same sin. I failed myself, I failed as a witness and I failed God. I'm trying so hard to get it together and I know I can only do it with God working through me but I'm a failure at life and a failed a Christian. I'm completely hopeless and barely hanging on and want to let go. The only thing I deserve is to go to hell.



Answer:



The truth of the matter is that everyone deserves to go to hell. But I am thankful that God is merciful with us and has given us His redemption so freely. There is no such thing as a perfect believer. Jesus did not lay the condition that we must never sin again "or else" when He paid for our sins. He paid for our sins completely and saved you wholly. If you are struggling with a particular sin, it’s not a matter of how sorry do you feel in order to walk in His forgiveness. It’s a matter of believing in Christ. As Christ came up to those who were hurting and asked them if they believed, He is reaching out to you now. Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” When Christ died for our sins, He destroyed the power of sin over us so that we can be free. You are not under the law, you are under grace as Romans 6:14 says.


It starts with you being honest about where you are and your struggle with this particular sin. The way that God wants us to walk in His victory starts with honesty before Him as 1 John 1:9 says, and then bringing our struggle into the light with other believers who are fighting the same fight. James 5:16 says that we are to confess our faults to each other and pray for each other, and that He will work mightily on our behalf when we do this. The next part is to set up forms of accountability to help keep you from getting into situations where you are vulnerable to this particular struggle. Then I would encourage you to dive into God’s Word in study and ask Him to give you His understanding. Psalm 119:9 says , “How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your Word.” We walk in His strength when we accept His Truth to be true for our lives and walk on the strength of His promises and His holding onto us. Know also that this is a journey. There will be slips. But get back up and push forward and you’ll see the hand of God at work in your life.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Feeling Inadequate

Question:



Hi, I am a senior in high school and I have been feeling a calling to go into the ministry. I really want to be a youth pastor. However, the more I think about it the more I think I am not worthy to be called into this. I have made a mess of my life and I am 17 years old with a past. I just don't think I can do this. Could you help me figure this out? I am so lost.



Answer:



I want you to know that if the Lord is calling you to be in the ministry, that is an honor. The beautiful thing about being in Christ is that He sees us all the same. God views all people on earth as either belonging to Him or not belonging to Him. (Matthew 25:33) Outside of Christ, we are all hopeless sinners. But the moment we receive Christ we are clothed in His righteousness. Isaiah 61:10 says, " I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." When we trust Christ, we are made clean with His righteousness and not our own. Even when we sin and make big mistakes He is faithful to forgive and cleanse us when we admit our mistakes (1 John 1:9).

Take a look at the Apostle Paul. Before he was a believer he was well known as a Christian killer. But when he embraced Christ and walked in his calling he was known as the greatest apostle. Read 1 Timothy 1:11-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 to see what he had to say about this.

The calling of God has nothing to do with our own ability. It has to do with us relying on Christ knowing our own inability. When we rest on Him knowing this, we begin to see the mighty hand of God. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says that His grace is made perfect in our weakness, to the point where we can be glad at our own inabilities that He can work mightily through us.

I would encourage you to seek prayer from other believers and seek the Lord through His Word, and prayer, and that He help you to see and confirm in your heart His calling you to the ministry. He is faithful and He will show you.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Anorexia

Question:

My best friend told me I am anorexic......... I don't really know if I am or not and I have no idea what to do!



Answer:



The first thing that I believe would be helpful for you is to understand what Anorexia is to see if you fall into this category. I would encourage you to talk to an adult who could walk with you in this and help you process your situation. It would do good if you could walk through this with someone and let them help you see if you do have Anorexia. A website that could give you a good understanding of Anorexia is http://helpguide.org/mental/anorexia_signs_symptoms_causes_treatment.htm. It may be that you have feelings that lead in this direction or it may be that measures need to be taken. If it's a couple beliefs that need to be altered, a couple websites such as www.findingbalance.com and www.river-tree.net/onelife are helpful sites in seeing a healthy view of how God made you and how He wants you to view who He has created you to be. If this is something that you know is too much for you, we would be happy to help you find professional Christian counseling to help you walk through this.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Increasing Faith

Question:



Greetings fellow sibling in Christ,
I've been recently been searching and chasing after the faith of a mustard seed that is talked about in Matthew 17:20-21. Every great Christian I know has this type of faith, and I have been searching for it, yearning to find it.

My question is: How do I develop this type of faith? It's gotta start somewhere right? So where do I start and how can I start to develop it?

Thanks for your time, and thanks for this wonderful ministry you have going!




Answer:



That’s a very good question. I have often struggled with the same thing. To see others who are experiencing the joy of the Lord in their lives and walking in His fullness, and then looking at your own walk and feeling inadequate is very easy to do. What we have to first remember is that the faith that we do have is not something that we conjured up in ourselves. A very well known verse (Ephesians 2:8) says that we receive grace through faith. That faith doesn’t come from ourselves, and that even this is a gift from God. At the beginning of our walks when we are spiritually born, Christ receives us when we respond to His reaching out to us. He then gives us the ability to believe based on our response. We then are called to live by faith and not our feelings as 2 Corinthians 5:7 shows us.

Hebrews 10:23 says that we need to hold fast to our profession of faith because HE is Faithful. We are not walking based on our own faith. We are called to live based on the faithfulness of Christ in us. That takes the pressure of performance off of us and enables us to rest in His presence becuase He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). In resting in His faithfulness, we will see Him work mightily thorugh our lives and that increases our faith.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

About Love

Question:



I'm in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way about me anymore. I pray for God to take these feelings away, but every single day I'm hurt and disappointed. Its an endless cycle. If God loves me so much, why does He allow me to suffer through all of this?



Answer:



I can definitely understand the feeling of frustration and the confusion in putting these two together. What’s important to understand is that there is a difference between the love that people give to others and the love that our Father gives to us. The thing about people is that even those with the best intentions let us down. This person probably had strong feelings for you at one point and then decided going a different way. The reason people do this is because we honestly don’t know what we want. Because of that we tend to go on our feelings very easily. On a good day the world is bright and chipper and bad days it seems really gray and almost hopeless.



What we need to remember is that God does not love us like this. Isaiah 55:9 says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways.” His love for us is not a love that tells you “I love you” one day and then lets you down. Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This is where it starts. He proved His love by sending Jesus to save us from separation from Him, and so that we could know Him to the fullest and enjoy Him. John 17:3 says that eternal life is knowing the Lord and Jesus, the One the Father sent, and if you look at 1 John 4:8, you’ll see that God IS Love. To experience the Father is to experience His love.



It’s not His desire that you think and feel that any human love you feel in a relationship is how He loves you. As a matter of fact, He wants you to experience His Love so much that it pours out into every area of your life. The way that He does that is not by taking away desires that we have. He made you to want to be loved and to respond. He pours out His love and works in our hearts by our responding to Him and turning to Him. We have to accept what He says as true and confidently trust Him to give freely to us because He is our Father and He made us His children because of Jesus (Luke 11:9-11). When we submit ourselves to Him, He sets us free from the power of whatever it was that was holding us apart from Him. (2Corinthians 3:17)

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Abour Relationships

Question:



I was in a relationship with my ex-boyfriend for over a year. Throughout the relationship I treated terribly but he was in love with me. Now it's vice versa. I apologized to him but he now treats me terribly. Recently, he told me he didn't want anything to do with me. He is now in a relationship with my friend. At first in our relationship he was VERY close to God. I feel like I pulled him away. Now I'm trying to get close to God. Do you have any advice on how to rely on God to lead us back together, with us both loving each other? Or any advice on broken hearts?



Answer:



The thing about following God that you have to understand is that God doesn’t want us to draw closer to Him with an expected result. When we do that, we are telling Him that we want His hand on our lives but we still hold onto our own desires. If you desire to draw closer to the Lord, it will have to be only for the purpose of knowing Him better and walking in the life He has given you. When we come to Him, we have to come to Him on His terms. Jesus said that before we could even be His disciple, we had to deny ourselves. Now understand that I am not saying this to discourage you from seeking the Lord. He wants us to seek Him far more than we desire to know Him. He created us for this relationship. But know that His terms are the only terms for walking this way.


The best thing you can do now is accept the situation you are currently in right now. We always receive the fruit of the actions that we sow. Now the Lord will give you the grace to walk through this as you look to Him. But understand that in the beginning, you took a course of actions that came to this result, even though now you would rather it not be this way. Give this time and focus on your walk with the Lord. Friendships and relationships work both ways. He has to be ready to respond. Respect his stand and give him space. It may turn in time, but don’t put your hope in that. Your hope is meant to be placed in the Lord.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

I Want to Serve the Lord

Question:



I'm tired of waisting my life. I want to start serving the Lord. It's only been a couple of days since I've decided this but I'm sure of it. I have already recieved the Lord as my Savior a few years back. I just never served him like I know I should. I want to start serving Him now because tomorrow might be too late. I have been putting this off for a while but God says that it's time. I really need help. I already took the first step but I don't know what's next.



Answer:



I understand what you are saying and I see that you want your life to be used for a purpose beyond yourself. I want you to carefully weigh my words and think over what it is that you are desiring. I'm speaking to you about this out of my own personal experience and what I am coming to learn in my own walk with the Lord. I was saved at a young age. I knew that the Lord was True and outside of Him there was nothing of any true value. So I told Him the same thing. I told Him that I would do anything that He wanted me to do and I would serve Him. Part of me wanted to do this because inside I felt inadequate. I thought that if I did things for Him, I could come to a place where He would be pleased with me. Another thing that I knew was that I didn't know Him very well, and I wasn't sure how to get to know Him. My times in His Word had a lot of confusion and my prayers to Him all sounded the same. No matter how hard I tried on my own I couldn’t ever seem to get anywhere.

I am telling you all this because the work that He has for you is something that HE wishes to do through you. The emphasis is on Him doing the work. There is nothing that you can do for Him that would make Him more pleased with you. He is already pleased with you because of Christ and Him making you right with the Father.

He desires that you would get to know Him. I would encourage you to stop trying to do things to please Him and rest in what Christ did to make you right with the Father. Learn to be still before Him. He is the One who saved you. All you did was respond to His salvation by saying yes. He wants you to walk with Him in the same manner. After saying yes to Him and whatever He has planned for you, go forward in your day expecting Him to reveal Himself to you. This is a lifelong journey. Take it one day at a time and trust Him one moment at a time.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

I Need Help

Question:



I don't know who else to turn to. I use to be a devil worshipper. I feel like their is nothing left for me. What should I do? I feel like I'm stuck in a corner.



Answer:



It's easy to look at yourself and think that you don't have much worth. While in ourselves there isn't anything. Our worth comes from what Christ has made us based on our relationship which He has brought us into. Our worth is based on our identity in Christ. When we are saved, we are not called to live for ourselves, because there is nothing in ourselves that is really worth living for. I don't say this to discourage you. I say this that you would look to the Father and see what you are and what you have been called to from Him. What I would do if I were you, I would ask you to open your Bible to the book of John, and ask God to help you see what God wants you to know about Him and what He's done for you. Just read a chapter or two a day and ask God to show you how much you mean to Him and be open to what He tells you. What you have to do is stop looking at yourself. You'll only get depressed. You'll find the rest you long for in Christ.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Giving

Question:



I am now 21 and have been faithfully walking with God since April, 2010. It has been a struggle and I have been spiritually attacked. However, I refuse to go back to my old ways. I have faith in God and will continue forward with my walk. Each day try harder to break an old habit. When I am giving, since I am in a very bad financial situation and I use to be very selfish, I feel like I can't give anymore. I probably could but it might hurt this situation more. These ideas have been running through my head. Is this normal? Should I listen to them? Should I ignore them and give anyway trusting in God that this is what I'm suppose to do? Could you please help me out? Thank you so much for your time.



Answer:



I can definitely see where this would make you want to go crazy. But in order to walk through this you have to have His perspective on what it means to give. The confusion comes in when we mix what He asks of us with our heart in what we choose to give Him. The nature of giving is very simple. It is much like the way He intends for His children to walk with Him. We become His children when we receive Jesus and what He did to save us from our sins as the only way to Heaven and not to trust anything we can do on our own. We walk with Him on a daily basis when we let go of our own attempts to follow Him and let Him teach us what it means to walk with Him, and then respond in obedience.

The way that He desires that we give is not by giving all that we have in hopes of "attaining" selflessness. He desires that we hold up to Him all that we have and keep in close communion with Him. When He prompts us to give is when we should respond. Trying to manufacture it on your own will only bring confusion.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Personal Struggle

Quesiton:



I am having a difficult time overcoming sort of an awkward subject, masturbation. God has saved and delivered me from so many thing such as drugs and alcohol and many other things but this is just one obsticle I'm having a hard time getting over... Could you give me some advice?



Answer:



I would like to first refresh you on the perspective that Christ wants His children to take. Our being and our life flows from Him. We are the reflection of the image of Christ and because of Him we are alive. Outside of Him, we cannot do anything. I say that to help you realize that it's only through the redemptive work that Christ has done in you that you will walk in victory. The victory does not come through your own will or strength to resist. It starts when you submit your desires and your passions to Him. Jeremiah 17:9 says that the heart is deceitful. Jesus said that out of the abundance of the heart, man speaks, and James 4 says that no man can tame the tongue. So in essence, masturbation is an outflow the desires of the heart which you cannot tame. It starts when you let go of all the desires surrounding this outflow and surrender to Christ and allow Him to steer the desires of your heart and seek to walk in His obedience.

I would encourage you to become a student of the Word. Out of reading His Word and committing yourself to letting Him teach you through His Holy Spirit, you will see for yourself how to walk in His Will and stay pure in Him (Psalm 119:9-11). Then next I would encourage you to walk in accountability. You cannot fight this alone, you need to be open and honest with yourself about this struggle, with the Lord, and with other believers who are fighting the same fight of purity. When you walk in the light, bear each other's burdens, and pray for one another, you walk in the light, and grace of Christ, He will help you walk in His grace, embrace His forgiveness which is already yours, and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

Now I want you to know that this is a journey, that there will be times of struggle. But slipping and falling is not the judge of failing. It's if you will get back up and keep moving forward. Christ is not interested in perfection as much as He is persistence.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question:



I am trying to learn more about wisdom and becoming more wise. Do you know of any ministries that give wisdom devotinals or have wisdom books for teens? Please let me know!



Answer:



That’s a great desire to have, to want to be more wise. I would like to pass along a quick thought on wisdom. Wisdom is not knowing a lot of facts about the Bible or anything like that. It has to do with knowing Jesus, and through knowing Him, how to obey Him in our lives. Getting to know Jesus starts with quieting yourself and soaking in His presence. There are few devotionals for teens that are published that I would recommend. Bill Scott has written a 365 days of devotionals called Rock Your world specifically for teens. Another devotional that I would recommend would be one written by Sarah Young called Jesus Calling. There are plenty of solid ones out there, but here’s a good start on what I would recommend.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Prayer

Question:



I've always had problems when I try to pray. I keep getting distracted. what should I do? and when I try to read God's word, I don't understand it. it's confusing.



Answer:



I know this because I've had this same battle many times. We have the promise from God's Word that He will keep our minds at peace when we are focused on Him (Isaiah 26:3). If our minds are not focused on Him then there's no way that we can focus. Whenever someone has trouble focusing on Him in prayer, it's either because of worry about something that is completely out of one's hands, making the focus of one's attention on something in place of God, or having something that needs to be confessed to Him and make right. Now this isn't the 3 absolute pillars of making sure you're right with the Lord but more than likely things fall into these 3 areas that need to be taken care of so we can focus on Him in prayer.

When it comes to reading God's Word, it's the same as in prayer. We don't have the wisdom or knowledge to decipher the wisdom of God from our own minds. It all comes from Him, and He is the One who gives us the ability to understand His Word because of Jesus (Luke 24:45). He will teach you to understand when you let go of the worrying of trying to "get it" on your own and rest in His Work of saving you that He has already done for you. Set your focus on Him and be still to see Him.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

My Brother

Question:




I have an older brother, and he really is a great older brother. There is only a ten month difference, so we're really close. We spend time together all the time, and we tell each other everything. He's super fun to be with, and I can always depend on him. He's always had an issue with yelling(mostly at me), and I figured that's what all brothers were like. Lately, though, it seems like he's not being like a brother. Sometimes he'll just explode on me, yelling about the most trivial things, and it really scares me. Sometimes he'll start throwing stuff, and pushing me around. When we go out, I have to be really careful not to touch him. One time, I accidentally brushed against his shoulder while we were shopping, and he started to yell at me and he kicked me in the shin. He didn't kick me that hard. It left a small bruise that went away in a few days, but he does this all the time. Sometimes for no reason, but usually it's when I touch him in any manner. I thought maybe it was normal for older brothers to be like that, but I really don't know. Is it normal for brothers to be like that? 'Cause it REALLY scares me. I'm afraid all the time I'm going to do something to set him off. The thing is whenever he's not upset, he's REALLY great. He's helping me with homework, giving me advice, playing games with me, etc. That's why it's really easy for me to forget and accidentally do something he'll get mad at. If it isn't normal how can I get him to stop? And if it is normal... I don't know what to do, because I can't stand it. Please help.



Answer:



It sounds like your brother has some real anger issues. It’s one thing for a brother to get into fights and hit a younger brother because guys are naturally more physical with their aggression. He doesn’t understand that what he is doing is damaging his relationship with you and that girls are meant to be related to with more care. It also sounds like he’s got some issues with being close to other girls. It honestly shouldn’t be an issue for a younger sister to give him a hug or anything like that. The first thing I would do is pray for your brother. It’s common to have things that people struggle with for whatever reasons. But if something like this isn’t addressed soon, it will grow into something very serious and become a big problem that will really hurt him down the road. The next thing I would do is talk with him. Let him know that he can't do this. He might look at it and think that he can handle that kind of fighting but he needs to get his eyes off his own reactions and see that he’s hurting a younger sister that he needs to stand and protect. If talking to him doesn’t work or isn’t showing progress, tell your parents what you have told me. You did a very good job of explaining what’s going on, use these same words with them and let them know that this will get worse if he doesn’t deal with this.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Life Dedication

Question:



I am new to dedicating my life to the Lord, and I am having spiritual attacks from all over I was wondering if you would be able to share a few words of advice? Please write back, Thank you.



Answer:



You're taking a great step in your walk with Christ. Evidence of that is the enemy attacking you. I believe that a healthy perspective on our lives is to look at us as vessels. When God was sharing with Ananias that He wanted to use Saul (later named Paul) He mentioned that he was a chosen vessel (Acts 9:15). Living your life in Christ means that you are choosing to refuse to be satisfied with this present temporal life for His purpose and His Kingdom. The enemy knows that when you find your satisfaction in Him and are filled with Him that He will use you in a way that they will not be able to stand and you will be using your life for His eternal purposes in your life and the lives around you. The Lord will allow you to be attacked in areas that He wants you to learn to look to Him. What the enemy wants you to believe is that your weaknesses lack of ability disqualifies you from the desire Christ has placed in your heart. The Truth is that the Lord will allow them to attack to show you your inability so that you can rest in His ability. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). In these times of feeling troubled, set your focus on Him and allow Him to set your eyes above these troubles and rest in knowing Him and learning more of Him everyday. (Colossians 3:1-3)


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question:



My best (and only true) friend is a pastor's son. However, he's very into alcohol and he's done drugs and he's definitely not a virgin. His family has no clue. The hardest thing is I'm very close with his sisters as well. Today the oldest sister read an email to him from some girl that said that the girl regrets having sex with him. Obviously, this was her first time hearing about this side of him. He truly is an amazing guy and has helped me in my darkest times and really helped me grow in my own relationship with God. How do I help her deal with this pain? And I feel like I need to talk to him, too. He's such a strong leader and I'm so afraid that this will taint what others see in him and be led astray.



Answer:



The first thing that you need to know about your guy friend is that he may have some good qualities, but he’s got some heart issues and probably needs to learn things the hard way. What he is meddling in is going to get out in the open. The Lord has a way of exposing what we try to keep secret. It would be for his benefit if you let him know that what he is doing goes against the Lord and His plan for his life. He may already know this, but hearing it from another believer puts it into a different light.

Bottom line with your friend is that you ultimately are not the one to help your friend. But you can be a great influence in letting her know you care for her, in praying that the Lord touch her heart, and in pointing to Him in your friendship. When I say you are limited in helping your friend, I mean that the Lord is the only one who can heal her heart from this hurt. I would suggest encouraging her to talk to an older godly believer about the situation and receive some godly perspective from a mature believer. If she tries to keep this to herself she will not heal properly. This may have been done in secrecy, but if she brings this into the light with the right people, she will heal.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Trust

Question:



How do I completely give over my need for control in my life to God? I've been struggling with this a lot recently and I know that His plan is best, but trusting in that is completely another thing for me. I've been badly hurt by those I've trusted the most in my life, and it's extremely frightening to completely trust in someone I can't see with my eyes.



Answer:



I understand that you’ve been hurt in the past, and that would make it difficult to want to trust someone because it’s out of your control and there’s the risk that you would be hurt again. But let’s put this into perspective. If you were wanting to trust another person, you would more than likely see a side to that person that looks good at first or offers something in that relationship that you would feel would comfort a need in you. The risk to trusting that person would be in finding out that there is more to that person then you first saw and this person was not what he appeared to be. Everyone has holes, and outside of Christ there would be no reason to put any confident trust in anyone. This is a common situation in someone hoping a person can be trusted.



But it’s important to understand that you can’t equate Christ with any other person. For starters, it was through Him that the world and everything else was created. It’s through Him that we have eternal life because of His death on the cross and resurrection. Because of Him we have that connection to the Father that we could not ever have on our own. The only reasons why we wouldn’t trust Him is because we misunderstand Him or we misread His working in our lives. Think about this. It’s through Him that you are alive right now. He holds everything in this world together, including your life. Every breath that you are breathing is given to you from Him. He has given you a family and placed a roof over your head, clothes to wear, and food to eat. He has given you salvation and the freedom in this life to choose to follow Him. He is holding existence together, and He is more than able for you. We don’t have any control over anything. We might feel secure in things having a similar outcome if we do things the same but that is not control, that’s just being predictable. If you focus on your hurt you’ll never trust Him. But if you admit your struggle to Him and focus on His ability over your lacking, He will change your perspective.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question about following Christ

Question:



I have an issue, that's kind of bugging me, I've been a Christian all my life, however whether I've been a practising one is another question. And on countless times I find myself coming back to Christ and saying this time I'm not backsliding, but inthe end the same thing happens and I've turned my back again. This time I've asked God to direct my path, introduce me to the right friends and places. However I feel that God has had enough of me, as though I'm a dirty White shirt that not even bleach can wash off, I fear thAt I may even backslide again! What can I do?
I must say, I stumbled across your iPhone app while trying to look for something Godly, while still down to earth and I must say it's helping so far, so thanks, the daily devotions are much appreciated.




Answer:



Before I explain this, it's important for you to understand and stand confident on what it is you received when you asked Christ to come into your life. When you received Him, He cleansed you from every sin you'd ever commit in this life. You can't judge God based on how people respond when you mess up. He knew you would mess up and has already forgiven you. He knows that you have a sin nature (we all do) and that you wouldn't follow Him perfectly. What Christ is concerned about is not so much when we mess up and are honest with Him about our mistakes. He is concerned with messing up and continuing on in a lifestyle and not being repentant.

It's also important to grasp the perspective on being close to the Lord in order to walk in a close relationship with Him. When we think of backsliding, we think of doing things that are wrong. If you look at Romans 3:23, the definition of sin isn't merely doing bad things. Sinning according to Scripture is missing the mark, and that mark is the Glory of God. So whenever we sin, we are actually acting out of being out of fellowship with Him. Yes, the obvious signs of being out of fellowship are doing things that we know are bad. But missing the mark can just as easily be doing something that's good with one's own personal motives instead of out of love that our Father pours into our hearts.

You can't think of backsliding as just doing bad things because that's what man sees on the outside, and remember that God looks at the heart. Getting fellowship in line with God has nothing to do with doing things to get right. It starts with getting your perspective right, and that means going to His Word to see what that means. Psalm 46:10 starts with a command to be still and know that He is God. We can't get saved by anything that we do, and we can't walk in a close walk with Him out of anything that we can do. When you get your eyes off yourself and the worries that we so easily get entangled with, we will be able to see through faith Him reaching out to us. What you have to do then is set your heart on following Him. Whenever we live carnally (outside of Christ) we put ourselves in a box, the same type of box that those who don't know Christ live in, and that is a life based on your feelings. We have to set our eyes on Christ and let Him teach us what it means to live our life in faith. This is not a one time fix. This is a lifelong journey. There will be mess ups. A righteous man falls many times and gets back up. Don't focus on your own personal holiness because we don't have any, and any that is seen in us is reflected from Christ. Set your focus on knowing Him and let Him reveal Himself to you.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

The Holy Spirit

Question:



So I am looking for verses about when the Holy Spirit indwells somebody. Thanks!




Answer:



That’s a good question. What we have to understand first is when the Holy Spirit came down to us. He came down in a somewhat different pattern with the Apostles on Pentecost because the Lord had not yet been fully glorified until that point. Jesus said in John 16:7 that if He didn’t leave earth, the Comforter couldn’t come. In Scripture, the Holy Spirit was not able to permanently indwell believers in the Old Testament because Christ had not yet come. He would come on people to help them perform the work of God but then would leave. When Jesus died and rose again, the veil was torn in the temple and we have direct access to the Father through the Holy Spirit. After the 40 days of completion of Jesus' ascension the Holy Spirit came and indwelt those who believed in Christ. That passage is found in Acts 2. Read Acts 8:36-40, 10:44, 19:5-6, and you will see that whenever Christ was preached, what He did to make us right with the Father, and the people responded and believed, the Holy Spirit came on them. The Apostle John said in 1 John 4:13 that proof we belong to Him is His indwelling Spirit. He confirms in our hearts that we belong to Him. Some people have the gift of tongues, others do not. The gift of tongues was given in Scripture as a sign to the Jews that Gentiles could be brought into the Kingdom (Acts 10:44-45, 1 Cor. 1:22). People will have different answers to your question, and my personal opinion wouldn’t hold any more water than anyone else’s. We have to see from Scripture what the Lord has shown for ourselves.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Cutting

Question:



I've been dealing with cutting for almost 4 years now and I stop for a couple weeks then start back. The longest I went was 143 days. I want to stop but sometimes I fall short and get stuck in the moment and want to cut. How do I stop cutting I want an answer and I know you can write it down or make red marks on your arm an even the To Write Love On Her Arms thing helps to but is there some sort of miricle answer I'm addicted to it and I don't think my mom understands.



Answer:



The addiction of cutting is not something that someone can understand if they haven't gone through it themselves. I honestly can't say that I can relate with you in dealing with self-injury, but I know about the power of strongholds. It sounds like you are very aware of alternatives to cutting and you have made valiant effort to stop this. I commend you on your resolve. What you are hoping for in a miraculous stopping of self-injury does not exist. It would be nice if I could say magic words and you would never deal with it again, but our life in Christ does not work like that. The struggle that you have is not with cutting, but with the longings of your heart.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed or the need to satisfy your desires, you run to a blade. These are what you do when you give into your desires. What Christ wants you to learn is to turn to Him. This is not something you decide to do when you are struggling. It's something you must do now, and learn to walk this life in the new creation He has made you. You can't think of turning to the Lord to help you stop cutting, because reality is cutting is just one struggle on this side of life. Turning to Christ has to do with coming to Him with YOU. You're thinking of stopping cutting as something you can do when coming to Christ has nothing to do with performance. He wants you to come to Him and just be real with Him. Open yourself to Him and let your guard down with Him. Let Him release the stuff you've held onto deep in your heart. As you allow Him to cleanse you from the inside out, He will teach you what it means to walk in victory and not just in "not cutting".

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

About My Friend

Question:



I have a question. What do I do when I have a friend that yells at me every week? Because it feels like I did sonething wrong which i didn't. A lot of the times I feel bad for what I did.



Answer:



It sounds like your friend has some issues in her heart that she’s not settling. A healthy friendship is one where both people are honest and communicating with each other. The truth is that no one is perfect and in friendships you know that’s reality. True friends are people who know the good and bad about you but are your friends anyway. It sounds like this person is trying to control you by putting you down. You don’t have to take that. I know you want friendship and that’s what makes this hurt, but she is not being a real friend to you. The next time you see her, prepare your mind ahead of time and let her know you are not going to take this yelling that she is doing. Let her know you want to be her friend but she is not going to put you down like this. Be praying that if there’s anything that is in her life that is hurting that she be honest about it. Being a friend isn’t about just being nice, it’s about being real. You be the friend first by being real and call her on her wrong.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Struggling

Question:



Hey, I have been dealing with porn. The thing is that I'm also married to a wonderful woman. I just can't stop looking at this. Plese help



Answer:



This is a very common struggle among men (as I’m sure you know) and unfortunately the line of this does not stop with unbelieving men. Men of God struggle with this just as much as unbelievers and stay in defeat. I would like to share a couple of realities with you that you have to accept in order to move forward in victory. You have to be honest about your struggle. You’re in over your head and you don’t know how to stop. You are completely powerless against this because the enemy is yourself, not the images. This is a lifelong fight and not a quick fix. You did not get where you are now overnight. More than likely it started when you were and adolescent and now you see years of hiding and protecting this secret. Another thing you need to realize is that you already have the victory in Christ. Now I said it’s a lifelong fight, the fight is to learn to stand in His victory, but He has already won. When Christ conquered sin and death on the cross, He overcame the addiction to porn.


Now there are a couple of steps that you need to implement in your life to walk in this victory. The first starts with confession. This secret has got to get out in the open. Not with everyone because not everyone is equipped in Christ to help you. You need to share this with Christ first, then out of obedience to Him with your wife, your pastor, and those in your life who are Christ to you (James 5:16, 1 John 1:9). Next, you need to keep this in accountability, that means being open and honest about those times that you fall with those people who you confide in and will encourage you to push forward in Christ. You then need to get involved with other men of God who are fighting the same fight. If you know of a group I encourage you to get involved with them. If you don’t, contact me and I’ll help you find a place to get involved. Next, you need to let God change your heart with His Truth and fill you with what you need to combat that lie that porn will satisfy. Your heart believes this lie because you have given yourself to it, now you must choose to focus the attention of your heart to Christ and let His Truth set you free. If you are filled with Christ, you won’t find satisfaction anywhere else.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

The Bible

Question:



I`ve been talking to my non-christian friend about God stuff and he asked questions I didn`t know the answer to:

Why there are so many versions of the Bible (King James, NIV, Living translation, Today`s International version etc)?

Who wrote the Bible? I know it was written by disciples and other people appointed by God, but then he proceeded to ask how is it 100% from God when those people`s personal opinions or insight slips in there? Then how do you know that what`s said in the bible is true?

If a person doesn`t know if they believe that God exists or not...what can I say to convince him that God does exist? I`ve already told him my life story.

He thinks he doesn`t need God in his life because he doesn`t think anything would change or be different...he`s one of those people that has everything together, very resilient, thinks logically, very positive and a good person all around...how do I convince him he still needs God even after I`ve told him that Jesus loves him and died for him so that he can have a relationship with God and spend eternity with God?




Answer:



These are some deep questions that your friend has, and for the most part not a lot of Christians really know how to address it off the top of their heads. For that reason I would encourage you to do some personal research. To give you some helpful tips, we have help websites that deal exactly with this issue. If you go to our website at www.freeourfamily.com you’ll find a link that says Resources. Under that link you’ll find a link that says Help Sites. Click on that and under the topics click on Biblical Accuracy. A good site under this is Bible Researcher. Mind you that this information is not the easiest read, meaning that it’s not reading for entertainment, but it answers your friend’s questions to the T.


I’ll give you some heads up though. You have to look at this from the perspective of God and not of man. Bottom line is God’s Word is God coming to man and showing Him how to have a relationship with Him. The responsibility is on Him to make His Word clear. He gave man the exact words He wanted them to write through His Holy Spirit over thousands of years and those do not contradict in nature. Jesus said Himself that not one little mark would fail from God’s Word. The heavens would fall apart before that happened. What you may not know is that there were Hebrew and Greek translators that were careful to translate every word pure to its form. If one made a mistake, they would throw away the whole portion and start over. They would match up their work with each to make sure they would not make any errors. There’s also the account of the Dead Sea Scrolls which have most of the book of Isaiah on them. They matched those documents up to what they had on Isaiah and they were a perfect match despite being written over a thousand years apart. There were also councils of the early church that examined the books that were known as God’s Word. They held up the books that we know today as written by God against those that were not. Those that were put to the side are known as the Apocrypha. I know what I’ve given you isn’t the whole thing but it’s good for you to do some personal study to learn this for yourself.


Ultimately, all the study is not going to convince your friend of his need for Christ. Now study will validate what God’s Word says, but this is an issue of faith. Your friend is making a claim on something he has not researched or gone to poor references for information he wants to think is true. God has to work on his heart to see his need for Him. For that you can be in prayer for him and that you be the witness he needs.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Control

Question:



I need help. How do you give things to god and not take them back. I find myself telling God to take over on situations and then talking about them again.




Answer:


That is a very good question that you asked. I apologize for not responding quickly to your question. But I would like to send you the Bible Study that we have scheduled for tomorrow because it deals with that exact same issue. I believe this study is practical application to this condition of the heart. Make note that this study is not meant to give you every answer to your situation, but to show what the issue is and what steps to take in dealing with the situation.



Deliverance



Psalm 35:24

Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness; and let not them rejoice over me.



Have you ever had those moments in your life when you felt very vulnerable? The things that you normally use to protect your heart just don’t hold up and you know you need a helping hand? I have had those moments. I have turned to the Lord in moments like that and He was faithful to give me strength not just to move forward, but to move forward in pursuit of Him. Instead of pursuing Him, the natural reaction of my heart was to be satisfied with what little He gave me and go back to doing my own thing. Unfortunately more times than not this was how I chose to react. If we are honest from our hearts, we are all like that. We may turn to the Lord in prayer for deliverance from a certain thing, but not for His glory. We would rather get out of it so we can be comfortable again. Proof of this heart condition is when our prayers are not answered right away. Our reaction towards God is one of being bitter and angry that He would allow us to get hurt. Brothers and sisters, this is the wrong attitude to prayers of deliverance.



If you look at David you can find the proper example of prayer for deliverance. He wasn’t asking God to save him because he was sinless. As we all know David is known for a great sin in his life. It started with David focusing his attention on the Lord and His working in David’s life. David had seen God reveal Himself through His Word, and through being Faithful in his life. David was asking God to save him because of His goodness and nothing of David’s own. His prayer was that anyone who attacked him because of the Lord’s working in his life would not succeed. A prayer of deliverance has nothing to do with you, it has to do with the Lord working in and through you for His glory.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Wondering about God and Suicide

Question:



Well I've read the Bible a little bit and it's not as bad as I once thought. I've realized that even though I want to die, God isn't going to let me until He thinks it's time so I've decided to start doing my homework again. My goal is to bring all of my grades up. I'm not happy yet, but I'm hoping to get there soon. Please share some of your thoughts with me.



Answer:



I know that this life can be frustrating and that it doesn’t turn out in ways that we wish it would. But I do want to tell you this, you will not find your happiness based on what you do, no matter how hard you try or how successful you are in reaching those goals. You will find your fulfillment based on who you are in Christ and what He has done for you. The answer is not out there, the answer is right there with you. The answer is Jesus, and you belong to Him when you called out and entrusted Him with your life. The way that you are lead by Him is by allowing yourself to quiet down, and push everything that fills your mind to the side, and you realize that He has your life in His hands and that He will take care of you. When you allow Him to place you in that mindset, then you are ready to be led by Him and find your fulfillment in Him. Following Jesus isn’t always easy, and at times it can be uncomfortable, but it’s the best thing you could ever do with your life. Because you are following a cause, Jesus, that is greater than you are. Truth be told, He is the greatest cause you could ever follow with your life. Please consider what I have told you and consider where you are and what Christ offers to you. He offers true life, the life you were meant to live.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Question:



Ok I always have a hard time with this. Books don't effect me but somtimes they can be pretty dark.I'm reading the book ravens gate and I can't tell if this is demaonic. There is still good and evil though.
I like the book but should I go on in this series?



Answer:



If you look at Philippians 4:8, you'll see the guidelines for what Christ views as acceptable for what we pour ourselves into for godly living. You have to ask yourself this question; does what I'm putting myself into lead me into the new life that is in Christ or does it encourage me looking back at the old life? I'm not saying that you can't ever read anything that is not written by a Christian, but there should be a desire to honor and follow the Lord that needs to guide your decision making. If these books lead you to things or thinking that is not of the Lord, you need to stop it. This is something you need to come to terms with between you and Christ.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Friends Dating

Question:



Can I get your opinion on something my best friend ben is dating this girl who is not a Christian but he is a Christian and I am concerned because she is older then him and more experienced if you know what I mean by that and I really don’t want her leading him down a bad path at my school we have a prayer group that meets every morning before school to pray and the other day instead of going to it he stood with her and I am a bit concerned I want to know your opinion should I talk to him or should I just let it go also I use to like him and he liked me too and I don’t want him or her to think I am trying to take him because that is not my intention I only want to make sure he doesn’t make any choices he will regret oh and to top it all off his mom does not know anything and his parents don’t allow him to date!



Answer:



He's heading down the wrong path from the start. It's never a good thing to step outside your parent's authority and make your own decisions. Even if he disagrees with his parents' decision for him not to date, he needs to respect that because they are his parents. That alone makes it out of line. But the fact that he's dating someone who is not a believer makes it wrong from an authority standpoint and from his walk with Christ. It's clear in God's Word that an unbeliever and a believer just can't go together, they are going in two completely different directions (2 Cor. 6:14). Your friend is setting himself up for trouble. I would do what I could to warn him of the trouble he's getting himself into. More than likely he's not going to want to listen, but that is his choice. By all means pray that God would work on his heart and that he would see the danger of what he's doing.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Women Leadership

Question:



I have a mass communications class in college with an extremely liberal professor. Today, he touched on a Christian bookstore refusing to sell a magazine with a spotlight on women pastors, saying that they were legal in doing that, but old-fashion (he equated it with women and voting). I emailed him about it, and he is offering me a chance to explain why the bookstore would not sell the mag. I need a way to explain the Christian conviction about women not leading men in a way that won't make Christianity look outdated.



Answer:



Congragulations! You have stumbled on probably the most controversial topic relating to Christian living today! Seriously, this is a really touchy issue because this view has been interpreted with a lack of balance. While there is a position given regarding spiritual authority to men and women, it has nothing to do with superiority. For example, in Titus 1:5, Paul clearly states that the man is ordained by God to be leader in a church. It has nothing to do with being superior to women. It all has to do with position. God has ordained that a man be positionally over women. Just like Christ submited to the will of God as a Son. He was not less than God, He was actually equal. However, He positionally placed Himself as Son because of the will of the Father.

It really is a matter of God positioning a man as leader of a church. It doesn't mean that women cannot share encouragement or sing specials in churches. God has simply placed man as leader by His choice. In Christ, we are all the same. Christ looks at His children, whether Jew, Gentile, man, woman, all are the same in His eyes. To lift one over the other is really putting oneself in Christ's position. (So anyone who thinks they are a better Christian is dead wrong). I hope this helps. If not, please let me know.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Hello

Question:



Um, I got a question. How do I keep my mind on God when things get tough?
Also, how do I keep on thinking positive and not think that I have no purpose in live or things like that?



Answer:



I understand what you’re asking. But the way that God works and what you are asking for are two different things. You’re wondering how you can fit God in your life and you were made to be fit into God’s plan and His Kingdom. It’s like you’re trying to fit a square object in a circular hole. It just doesn’t work. You have to look at God through the eyes of faith. Colossians 3 says that we have to set our eyes on things that are from Him above and not on things that are on the earth, because our life is in Christ. He IS your purpose. If you try to find it outside of Him you’ll only end up frustrated. Before you can be filled in fellowship with Him you have to let Him set your mind focused on Him so He can speak to you as you need.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

Friends

Question:



Ok, my sister is having a real hard time with friends. I've tried to give her advice cause I went through the same thing in elementary.

This girl was her best friend at school but now she just isn't. She is trying hard to be nice and not bossy. I know, well I really know that some girls are very harsh and some are forgiving with other girls at a young age. I feel bad for her because I remember how it felt when I was in her grade and no one will play with you at recess or sit with you at lunch. Somtimes it gets better as you get older but I know a couple of kids who were hated through elementary and in middleschool now. Any advice you could give her?



Answer:



People learn at a very young age how not to accept someone or what it's like not to be accepted. I wish it didn't have to be that way because all that anyone really wants from other people is just to be accepted. The best thing you can be as an encouragement to your sister is to love and accept her for who she is. Do what you can to show her that you love her for who she is on the inside and not what she can make herself appear to be on the outside. When people reject someone most of the time it's for what they see on the outside and all those things are very superficial.

Ultimately, your sister needs to see that who she is on the inside is what matters. People can try to get her down, but the only one who can keep her down is herself. If she learns to accept who she is and make those who love her that way as her friends, she will develop the right and healthy view of people and people who look after vanity won't bother her, as a matter of fact they will be the ones who are missing out.


Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.

About Sex

Queation:



So, I'm in love with this boy. He's perfect for me. And we plan on getting married in about 3 years. We both want to wait at least a month or two more before we sleep together. (We have been in love for about 3 monthes.) My best friend, who encouraged me to get back in touch with God, wants me to wait at least a year, if not until marriage. I really would just like another opinion on the "when". Is it a sin to have sex before marriage?

Also, my boyfriend is not a believer. I really want him to have faith. My pastor and you have both said that a marriage will only work if both partners believe. Any advice?



Answer:



You have to understand that there is going to be a differing of advice from me or most any other pastor and anyone who comes from a secular standpoint. The advice that I will say is based on a personal relationship with Jesus. From a human’s perspective this guy may be “perfect” for you. He may match up very well with you personality wise, likes and dislikes, and he may be all that you are looking for a husband. But know this, all that I have said in regards to him is from a human perspective. If you choose to base your decision on what you feel, or any natural response, you’ll more than likely sleep with this guy and maybe one day get married. If life were all about what we see, feel, grasp with our human senses then sex outside of marriage would be natural. But we are not just humans beings with nothing spiritual. God’s Word says that He is Spirit, and He created us in His image. That means you are a human with an eternal soul and He has revealed through His Word how He wishes us to live in according to His plan. If you have received Christ into your life, you are bought by Him and your life belongs to Him. God’s Word reveals not only that we are spiritual beings in a human body, but also how we can walk with Him through Christ and how to live our lives pleasing to Him. He has revealed that marriage is not just a change of last name. It is a spiritual union of two lives that from that point on must learn to walk as one. That is why God’s Word says that believers cannot be joined with unbelievers and expect a healthy marriage. It just will not work no matter how hard both may try. Both are heading in opposite directions.



Now in regards to sex, sex is an expression of God bringing two people together in unity. Since we are human beings with a spirit (in the case of believers the Life of Christ dwelling in us) sex is a physical, emotional, and spiritual bonding of two people. God designed for it to take place only in marriage because when someone has sex outside of marriage, there is no safety. When someone sleeps with multiple partners they rip who they are on the inside apart and share that with other partners. A believer is called to be faithful to the Lord and walk in purity until He brings the person He has for you together in marriage.



On a side note about what to base your decisions, you have to ask yourself on what are you going to make your decision. You may get many different opinions from people because they have a different set of values. What I have said is based on the values that God desires believers to walk.

Don't forget, if you have a question you can send it to me at asktheyouthpastor@xtrlive.com plus you can talk to us tonight at www.studenthopeline.com.