by Ken Turner | Faith
Early in my youth ministry career our family made a move to Indianapolis, Indiana where I served as a youth pastor for over ten years. We decided to rent a small house out in a farming community until we learned the area and could decide where we would later purchase a home. The first night in the little farm house we were awakened early in the morning because a cow had gotten out of the pasture and was mooing right outside our bedroom window. After a couple minutes a person was knocking on our door to tell us they almost hit a cow in the road. Turns out, there were cows out all over the place! I called the farmer and he came to round them up and get them back in the pasture. I ended up calling him several times the first few days we lived there until he found the break in the fence where they were escaping and was able to fix it. I felt bad about bothering the farmer but when I called he’d say, “No problem, I’ll be right over, we were just sitting here looking at each other.” That always made me laugh. Of course he was joking but it put a picture in my mind of life on the farm where things were so laid back that people could just sit around and talk… or not talk… and just look at each other.
Sometimes when we try to pray it feels more like the experience of the farmer. We want it to be an easy, comfortable and smooth conversation with God but it feels like we are stuck just staring into space… not knowing the words to say.
But Jesus said prayer was important. It’s actually a very important part of our relationship with God. Read what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 26:40. And He came unto the disciples and found them asleep, and said unto Peter, “What, could ye not watch with Me one hour?”
Jesus actually said it should be possible for us to spend an hour in prayer. Have you ever spent one uninterrupted hour in prayer with God? No distractions, no interruptions… just you and God… in deep conversation.
It is possible to have a high-quality prayer relationship with God. Possibly one of the biggest challenges is just knowing “what to talk about” during your prayer time. The Bible gives us answers to many elements of prayer so let’s take a look at some of them.
Here’s a 30 Prayer Plan for You
*Over the next seven days, commit to spending 30 minutes each day in prayer by spending 5 minutes on each of these elements of prayer. Find a quiet place and enjoy some uninterrupted time with God.
- Praise: Praise God for who He is. Focus on His character and His traits as the one true God.
Psalm 150:1-2, “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.”
- Thanksgiving: Thank Him for what He has done and is doing in your life.
Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
- Intercession: Pray for others and for their needs.
I Timothy 2:1, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.”
- Supplication: Pray for your own needs asking Him to meet those needs.
Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Confession: Confess your sins and ask Him for forgiveness.
I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
- Listening: Sit quiet. Listen to His voice after asking Him to speak to you.
Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
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by Ken Turner | Faith
Every day you make decisions… lots of decisions! You decide when you will actually get out 
of bed. You decide whether you will start the day by brushing your teeth, taking a shower or eating some breakfast. You decide what you will wear, how you will do your hair and so much more. Most of these decisions are made without a lot of thought. But have you realized that there are so many decisions in life that take on greater significance? How do you really know what to do when faced with great temptation? What are you going to do about helping a friend who is struggling to do the right thing? How will you know for sure what God’s will is for your life? Who does He want you to marry some day? What is your life’s calling?
You know what you need? You need wisdom.
Read Proverbs chapter one and pay close attention to what the Bible says about wisdom. A person who really gets wisdom is a person who has an open heart, open ears to listen and a commitment to live differently based on God’s instructions from His word.
And you know what? As much as you and I might want to convince ourselves that wisdom is hard to come by… that is actually not true! Proverbs 1:20 says that wisdom “cries out in the middle of the street” like a woman screaming as to say, “Hey… this is the way! Over here!” Let’s be honest. If you have a decision to make why not ask yourself this question, “Based on my limited knowledge of the Bible… is there anything in the Bible that is for or against my current decision? Does the Bible say anything about this decision or are there any principles in the Bible that can direct me?”
Throughout my life I have sought to seriously seek God’s guidance in the decision making process. I have sought to carefully understand God’s guidance in dating, choosing a mate (I’ve been married to her now since 1987), choosing a vocation or life’s calling, where to live, friendships to invest in and so much more.
God will guide you in the process of making decisions if you will seek Him.
Here are 8 Questions to Ask When Seeking to Make Wise Decisions
- Will It Please God?
- Will It Please My Parents
- What Would Jesus Do?
- What Would My Parents Do?
- Is It Biblical?
- Will It Affect My Testimony?
- Will It Offend Someone?
- Is It Safe or Is It Smart?
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
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by Ken Turner | Faith, Ministry Update
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_text]God is doing great things in the Mountain View Youth Development Center in Dandridge, TN. Recently the TN Baptist Convention was able to capture and produce this short video sharing personal testimonies from some of the youth we are ministering to.
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by Ken Turner | Faith
Have you considered a commitment to Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior? If you have committed your life to Christ and want to live a Christian life as authentic as possible… check out the message of Hebrews 10:19-39.
Here is what authentic faith looks like.
You Understand That You Have Access to God (Read Hebrews 10:19-21)
When a person commits their life to Jesus Christ and accepts Christ as their personal Savior, there is now an immediate access to God. No more need to make sacrifices (like those in the Old Testament). Jesus stands as our mediator on our behalf and we are now linked to God the Father. Authentic faith understands that I now have an amazing open door directly to God and doesn’t take that for granted!
Hebrews 10:19-21
You Trust God Enough to Draw Close to Him (Read Hebrews 10:22-23)
Authentic faith understands that God is trustworthy and He is loving. Authentic faith lives with a desire to be closer and closer to God…not further and further from Him. Embracing a sincere relationship with God with a true heart, clean from willful and disobedient acts of sin. It’s a heart and body washed (through the testimony of baptism) and a commitment to “hold fast” to the truths of His word, never wavering in our trust that He and His word are true!
You Are Motivated to Make a Difference in This World (Read Hebrews 10:24-39)
Authentic faith involves:
- Provoking (influencing) others to good works… Godly living.
- Worship, study and prayer together with other believers.
- A fear of the consequences of sin.
- A realization that offending the spirit of grace is worse than breaking the laws of Moses.
- A respect toward the reality of God’s judgement.
- A realization of the glory given as a result of endurance through trials.
- Embracing the life of “living by faith.”
- A commitment to never “shrink back” from a personal commitment and conviction that Christ must be central in my life.
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
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by Ken Turner | Recommendations
Ken Turner has a heart for young men, especially those “at risk” who would normally fall through the cracks in our society. God is using Ken as a source of peace, love, and direction, in a world full of violence, hatred and confusion, He has the unique ability to transcend the barriers of age, race and culture, and impact youth with the love of Jesus Christ. I gladly and wholeheartedly endorse my dear friend Ken Turner!
About Buddy Jewell:
Buddy has a heart for youth and has participated in the High Impact Teen youth outreach in Nashville, TN along with Ken Turner.
Buddy Jewell burst onto the country music scene after winning the inaugural season of the USA Network’s hit television series “Nashville Star.” After Buddy’s win, Columbia Records released his self-titled debut album “Buddy Jewell” which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Album charts as well as #13 on the Top 100 Pop Album Charts. The album was certified Gold later that same year, selling over ½ million copies. Buddy’s first two singles, “Sweet Southern Comfort” and “Help Pour Out the Rain (Lacey’s Song)” both landed in the top 5 on the singles chart. Jewell has since followed up with 5 more albums, “Times Like These,” “Country Enough” , “I Surrender All”, “Wanted : LIVE “and his newest release, “My Father’s Country.”
www.buddyjewell.com
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