Do you ever wonder if the effort you invest is even worth it? The time you devote to your work, the decision to improve your property, another expense to keep that car running, and maybe the efforts you put into your spiritual life and kingdom building.
I am deeply grateful that the board members of High Impact Ministries and our amazing team of supporters are on board with the idea that we aren’t about flashy, numbers driven, celebrity status ministry.
This week in our High Impact Teen Bible Study in the juvenile center in Normal, IL, I met a completely new group of teens. Our study this week focused on wisdom from Proverbs 1. As I broke down the process of following God’s path of wisdom verses following the path of the foolish person from scripture, God really began to move in the hearts of these high school guys and girls. They wanted to talk. One by one they expressed how hard life is growing up fatherless, not having a stable mom to give guidance, and the incredible pressures of gang life in the community. When we reached Proverbs 1:10-19 where it speaks of sinners “enticing” us to do evil, one guy literally jumped in his chair as if he was jolted. He said, “This is unbelievable! I didn’t know there was a passage in the Bibnle that literally descibes my life. I feel like this was written about me.” The spirit of the Lord was moving deeply.
Last night I drove to Champaign, IL. The drive from my house is one hour and fifteen minutes. I had two Bible studies with two different groups. The response in the first group was much the same as the session in Normal, IL the day before. It’s amazing to see teenage guys respond to God’s word in this way when they have little to no background in the church. But it was the second group session that affected me the most…
I walked into a classroom for my second Bible study. In the back of the classroom, seated in the very back row, in the far right corner, was a high school boy. All by himself. I asked the security staff, “Is it just the two of us, or will others be joining us?” He told me it was just this one boy in this group. When I walked in, I imagined I’d be standing up front, leading a Bible study with a group of teenagers, but here I am, looking in the back corner of basically an empty room, and only one person. I walked to the back, pulled a chair up to his desk, introduced myself and asked if he needed a Bible. In a shy, quiet tone, he said, “I have my Bible right here.” The Bible he showed me was one of the Bibles we provided last month as part of the gift bags we shipped to hundreds of youth in juvenile centers. He also showed me his High Impact Teen devotional journal and said he knew when I walked in that I was the guy whose ministry provided these for him. He said, “Ken, I’ve been wanting to write you a letter to tell you about the ways God is working in my life.” His Bible was frayed, the cover was curled around the edges, the pages were frayed, dirty, and curled in all directions. The devotional journal was filled with writings of his time with God. He told me he read the book of Epesians last week and is excited about the next book of the Bible he will finish. We spent thirty minutes in Proverbs together. He was like a sponge, eager to digest all of it.
One person, one gospel, one Saviour, one conversatiuon, one small effort… you and I have no idea on this side of heaven how our life may have touched the life of another for all eternity. Someone, somewhere, may be sitting in their chair, in a room alone, pondering you, your testimony, your care for them, and your example of Jesus.
Christmas is coming soon, and I’d like to share a special project you can participate in!
We are calling our Christmas Project “Good News for Youth.” We will deliver a Christmas gift bag to youth in Illinois, Tennessee, and Indiana juvenile centers. Each bag will contain a Student StudyBible, Christmas gift devotional books such as The Case For Christmas, A Love Worth Giving To You At Christmas, Why The Nativity, a High Impact Teen Spiritual Journal, as well as Christmas gospel tracts. We will also include knit hats, gloves, and some Christmas candy. Imagine spending the Christmas season away from family as a teenager, with little to no contact with loved ones. At times like this, God often moves in special ways to speak the message of His love into hearts and minds. We want youth to know there is “Good News.” Christ was born so that they might receive the greatest gift of all… God’s gift of salvation. What a great gift to receive this Christmas!
You Can Help In Two Ways
Your donation will provide a “Good News For Youth” gift bag with these powerful gospel tools. Our goal is to impact at least 300 youth this Christmas, and, if possible, many more. We can do more as God provides through His people. To give to this project, go to https://kenturnerministries.org/give/and select High Impact Ministries and the subfund “High Impact Needs – Special Projects.”
Write a letter to a high-risk and fatherless teen in juvenile detention. We are collecting letters to teens in juvenile centers this Christmas and could use your help! See these instructions and consider writing a letter to a high-risk, fatherless teen. We have an online form so you can write and submit it online, and we will print it and include it in the special Christmas Gift bags we are distributing.
A. Online : Here is the link to write and submit your letter.https://forms.gle/9YEfHxfcDsVeL3u38 B. Or you can write your message in an email and send it to me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org (Include the subject line “Letter to Youth.” C. Or you can mail a note to teens at our address: High Impact Ministries, PO Box 375, Benson, IL 61516
Your gift at this time will also provide funds to continue sharing the life-changing message of the gospel with fatherless youth throughout the rest of this year and next year!
God bless you as you prayerfully consider partnering to spread the gospel to fatherless youth.
Your gift will help bring the gospel to fatherless youth!
On this Giving Tuesday, join us in our outreach to high-risk and fatherless youth. Your gift to High Impact Ministries will be used to bring the hope of the gospel of Jesus to youth who desperately need it.
Here are a few ways your gift today will help us reach youth at the end of the year!
High Impact Ministries – Outreach project to provide Bibles and devotional journals to fatherless youth in juvenile centers across Tennessee, Indiana, and our newest outreach in Illinois. Our other project is to provide Christmas gift bags to 500 or more teens in juvenile centers. Each teen will receive a gift on Christmas with personal toiletries, a Bible, and a devotional book. Your gift will impact hundreds of youth.
High Impact York – Our outreach in York, PA, led by Tom Vietti, focuses on reaching high-risk and fatherless youth in the York County Youth Development Center and the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center. Tom also leads a Wilderness Discipleship Ministry throughout the year. Funds are needed to bring the gospel to the youth in York, Lancaster, and the surrounding area and for expenses to grow the Wilderness Discipleship Ministry. Thank you for praying and partnering with this vital ministry.
Join us and make a difference in the life of a fatherless teen on this “Giving Tuesday.”
Some people struggle their entire life dominated by a specific sin and never experience relief. They even memorize Bible verses about it. They quote the verse when temptation comes. That’s supposed to work, right? Like taking a pill for a headache and expecting it to go away or spraying for ants and watching them roll over and die! The Bible says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee.” It’s right there in Psalm 119:11. So what’s the deal with all this ongoing struggle and lack of victory in our life?
Why can’t we just learn a Bible verse and claim it? BAM… problem solved! Well… it doesn’t work like that.
Here is how the Bible solves our sin problems.
It Starts with a Complete Reliance on God.
The phrase “Thy word” tells us that God is the source of all truth and He is the source of all strength and victory. He has proclaimed Himself through His written word and His word is powerful. People have great ideas, good advice and can give all kinds of opinions but ultimately we should believe and know that God’s word trumps all other sources of wisdom. When we become fully persuaded in our heart and mind that God and God alone is enough and He is at the core of all that we believe, we are on the right foundation to experience victorious living.
We Must Allow His Word to Be Carved into Our Character.
To “hide God’s word in our heart” is much more than memorizing a Bible verse. It’s way more than that! To “hide” means to essentially be so convinced of the truth of His word that it becomes carved into the fabric of our hearts. Our heart is at the depth of who we really are… it’s deep into the core of what shapes our character and our entire belief system. We are so convinced and convicted of its truth that we are willing to say, “I don’t know that I could ever disobey God in this way… this is just so wrong and unacceptable.” It’s not that we will never sin again… but it takes our commitment to obediently follow Him to a whole new level.
The Bible Breaks the Bondage of Sin.
If I understand that He is so powerful and He is the source of all truth, and I allow His word to be carved in to the core of my heart and character, then I will experience much more victory over what used to be the bondage of sin. Sin will not be so powerful because the light of who God is will be so much more powerful.
Realize this… you and I have been given a powerful source of truth and an instruction book for life called the Bible. People throughout the ages have tried to eliminate the Bible from civilizations and many people that have gone before us have died for their belief in the Bible. People have spent their lives in prison to defend the Bible and others have sacrificed everything just to have one page of scripture. Please don’t take it for granted today and commit yourself today to start reading God’s word and trusting it with all your heart!
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. – James 1:5
When Life Doesn’t Make Sense, Ask God For Wisdom
Did you know that God gives wisdom and He will gladly give you all the wisdom you need under one condition? What is that one condition? You have to ask for it. It is that simple. In James chapter one, Christians were experiencing all kinds of trials, but those trials were producing the benefit of patience and maturity. It’s God’s nature to bring good results amid bad experiences.
If you are going through tough times right now, chances are, you are very confused at times. In your confusion, you need wisdom and clarity. God promises that if you ask Him for wisdom, He will give it to you liberally. And He will give it to you without reproach. You don’t have to “deserve wisdom” or have it all together to get His wisdom. You just need to ask for it, and it really is that simple. It’s a promise from God with no strings attached.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. – James 1:5
When You Rely on God’s Wisdom Your Life Is Filled With Peace
The pure wisdom God offers leads to peace. It leads to a peace that passes all understanding. The wisdom God provides is first and foremost pure wisdom. It is free from a mixture of impure motives, selfish agendas or lies. God gives true wisdom born within His heart of unconditional love for you. His wisdom is rooted in ultimate truth, and if you ask Him for it, He will give you unlimited access to His wisdom. That kind of wisdom living will flood your life with peace. Peace in your family, peace at work, and peace in your spiritual life.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. – James 3:17
When You Find God’s Wisdom, You Have Found His Treasure Chest For Living
How would you like to wake up one day with all the resources you will ever need for the rest of your life?
Several years ago I met a guy in his early 4o’s living in Indiana. He was working on a Bible study project, and I met with him to learn more about it. While explaining the magnitude of the project, he also shared how he got started on it. He was working for a company, where he had been in his “cubicle” for years, and one day a manager stopped by his desk in October and said, “Since you own shares in the company I think you should know that the company was sold. So, you can continue to work until the end of December, or you can go home today. Whichever you choose, you now have enough money from the sale that you will never have to work another day for the rest of your life.”
He went on to explain to me that the next twelve months were the most difficult days he’d ever experienced in life. His loss of purpose, loss of focus, and confusion about life hit an all-time high. It took a lot of work to get back to feeling “normal and happy.”
God promises when you find wisdom, God’s wisdom, it’s like you have just discovered a treasure chest for life. You will be happy; you will have understanding, your five talents will become ten, your days will be better, your paths will be more pleasant, and more peaceful.
Happy is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding; For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, And happy are all who retain her. – Proverbs 3:13-18
When You Choose Wisdom You Are Buying Opportunity
The choice is not as complicated as it may sound, either walk circumspectly (accurately, exactly) or carelessly. To walk circumspectly is to embrace the guidelines and the directions our heavenly Father has given us. It’s a commitment to use caution, to crosscheck our move before we commit so that we know we are not carelessly going the wrong way.
Walking circumspectly redeems the time. It is literally as if you are buying an opportunity. If you want to make the most of this one life God has given you, stop, think, pray and ask God for wisdom along each step of your journey.
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. – Ephesians 5:15-17
When You Have Reverence For God, You Gain Knowledge For Life
The fear of the Lord is a healthy, reverence for Him. If you want to attain all the knowledge, He has to offer you, start with the foundation of reverence for God. When you elevate your view of God, valuing and respecting all that He is, you will be rewarded with wisdom for all areas of life.
The alternative is not great. Fools despise wisdom and instruction. A foolish person ignores God, doesn’t value His word, and has no regard for His voice in their life. Wisdom will not come to this person and life will continue to be hard.
Make Him central in your life. Value His word. Listen to His voice.
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction. – Proverbs 1:7
