by Ken Turner | Faith, Spiritual Growth
As a youth minister Part of my “job” is to have an answer to give when a teenager comes to me with a problem. I’m usually okay with that but one day a few years ago I found myself in a conversation with a very distraught teenage boy and when he asked for advice, I said, “I don’t know what to tell you.” I still remember that moment of total helplessness.
I met Anthony in a juvenile detention center where I was leading a Bible study with a room full of teenage guys. During the Bible study Anthony began to get emotional and eventually his emotions got the best of him. He left, went to his cell and sat on his bed and began to cry. We could hear him crying while we were downstairs in a common area finishing our study. Our study quickly ended and I asked a security guard if I could talk to Anthony and she encouraged me to go up to his room to see if he would want to talk.
Sitting on the edge of his bed, I asked Anthony to tell me what was wrong and if I could help. After several minutes he calmed down enough to talk. He went on to tell me that he has no one and Christmas is coming soon and he feels all alone and scared. He told me how he lost his parents at age two, his 21-year-old sister is addicted to drugs and can’t help him and his grandparents passed away. He looked me in the eye with tears flowing and said, “Don’t you see… I don’t have anyone.” And I said, “I don’t know what to tell you.” Then we both began to shed tears.
Immediately, God reminded me… I am with Anthony. So I said, “Anthony! Wait a minute! You are not alone. Remember a few weeks ago when you accepted Jesus as your Savior? Well He is with you. As a matter of fact, God is with you and you are not alone… you are not fatherless… God is with you now and he will be with you for the rest of your life! This is great news.”
Anthony began to smile as I said we need to pray! The more I prayed for God’s peace and presence in his life the more happy he became. As soon as I said “amen” Anthony looked at me with a huge smile and said, “I feel so much better now, I know God is with me and I know I am not alone.” I heard from from Anthony a few weeks later through a friend. He said, “Tell Ken God is good… He placed me in a great home and I’m doing great now!”
Guess what? If you know Christ as your Savior, He’s with you always. Psalm 139 is a great chapter to read today. There are four key truths God is teaching us in Psalm 139.
- God Knows You – Psalm 139: 1 – O Lord thou has searched me and known me. He knows when you sit down and rise up… He knows everything about you.
- God Is with You – Psalm 139:3-12 – God is behind you and in front of you, has His hand on you, and always covers you with His presence.
- God Made You – Psalm 139:13-18 – He covered you in the womb, He saw you when you were an “unformed substance” and He fashioned all of you.
- God Leads You – Psalm 139:23-24 – Allow Him to search your heart, and reveal any wickedness and know that He promises to “lead you into the way everlasting.”
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
“You will be the same person in five years you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Charlie Jones, author of Life Is Tremendous.
So, if reading can change a person so dramatically… imagine how much more enriched our life would be if we read the Bible… the most powerful book ever written?
So here’s my challenge to you… begin to read with a desire to grow! This is different than reading out of obligation to complete an assignment. And make reading the Bible a top priority.
Here Are 9 Benefits of Reading The Bible From Psalm 119
- Victory Over Sin In Your Life
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Verse 11
Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously. Verse 29
I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. Verse 101
- Cleansing From Sin
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Verse 9
- More Joy
I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. Verse 14
I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word. Verse 16
- Wisdom and Direction
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Verse 18
Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors. Verse 24
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law… I shall observe it with my whole heart. Verse 34. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. Verse 99
- You Will Be Revived… Rejuvenated
Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness. Verse 159
I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O Lord, according unto thy word. Verse 107
- Renewed Strength
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. Verse 117
My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. Verse 28
- You Will Experience Liberty and Freedom
And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. Verse 45
- Less Shame and Embarrassment
I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. Verse 46
Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed. Verse 80
- Comfort in Affliction
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. Verse 50
Consider mine affliction, and deliver me: for I do not forget thy law. Verse 153
I was impressed the first time I read David’s plea in Psalm 51:10. It tells me that he sometimes came face to face with his own inadequacies and his own lack of desire to really change and grow. If you have lost the desire… the real hunger and thirst to know God more… why not pause right now and ask Him to renew a spirit of hunger and thirst for Him?
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
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
How’s it going with your parents? Has it ever occurred to you that there are over 7 billion people on the earth and of all the billions of people you could have as family, God placed you right where you are for a purpose. According to the BBC Website’s calculator on “where do you fit in to human life” I was the 3,173,426,221st person alive on Earth and 76,947,364,311th person to have lived since history began.
When you think about where you fit in to God’s plan for eternity, don’t ignore the fact that God has a plan for you and part of that plan is for you to gain wisdom. Have you noticed that you know more today than you did three years ago? That’s because you are older, smarter and hopefully wiser. So let’s talk about the “wiser” part for a minute. Are you really getting wiser? I hope so. If you are going to become a wise person you need to understand where wisdom comes from.
One of the greatest sources of wisdom God puts into our life is the wisdom we gain from our parents.
Here is an interesting truth from Proverbs 1:8-9.
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.”
Here are three ways to be right with your parents and in doing so… be right with God.
- Hear The Instruction of Your Father. God placed your dad in your life to guide you and teach you and its God’s plan that you will become a wise person as a result of being teachable.
- Don’t Forsake the Teaching of Your Mother. Dad is the spiritual leader that God is using to guide you and your mother is a big part of teaching you about the life God wants you to live.
- Experience God’s Rewards and Blessings for Living an Obedient Life. Proverbs 1:9 says the choice to obey your parents will be like an ornament hanging around your neck. This phrase is actually describing something like an “Olympic medal” that is an illustration of God’s blessing of wisdom that comes to those who choose to have a teachable heart and an obedient life.
Families are “ordained of God’ and you really can’t be “right with God” and be “wrong with your parents.” Maybe it’s time to sit down with dad and mom and say you are sorry for not being obedient lately. You’ll enjoy the sense of peace and God’s blessing and you’ll be surprised how much wisdom will come your way as you open your heart to the parents God gave you.
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
[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]In the book of Daniel there’s a story about a King named Nebuchadnezzar who demanded everyone bow down daily and worship a golden image… a false god. The signal to drop down and bow to the golden image was connected to music.
Daniel 3:10 spells out the “decree” from the evil king, “Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.”
Have you heard the story about three men named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego? These three men were among those who were under King Nebuchadnezzar’s rule but they were true God followers. When the music sounded they refused to bow down to a false god. Talk about standing strong under peer pressure!
When King Nebuchadnezzar heard about these three men and their refusal to obey him he called for them to be brought to him. He threatened them with a severe punishment. He told them they would be thrown into a furnace of fire if they didn’t bow down next time the music sounded. They immediately responded by making these things clear in Daniel 3:16-18…
- We will not bow down.
- Our God will deliver us.
- If He doesn’t deliver us… our legacy will be that we did not turn from God.
Read Daniel 3:20-30 to see the amazing finale to this story. In summary, they were thrown into the fire after the king turned up the heat seven times hotter. But these three God followers survived and within eight Bible verses… the evil king had a life-changing experience of his own.
The story of 14 year old Susan from Uganda is a more current illustration of the question, “How far will you go to follow God?” Her father threatened to kill her and her brother unless she was willing to deny Jesus.
Watch this video of her amazing determination to not deny the Jesus she loves dearly.
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Question, “How far will you go to follow God? Are you willing to give Him your all? Are you ready to stop yielding to peer pressure?”
Let your love for Jesus be stronger than the favor of your friends.
Verses to Read: Daniel 3:8-18
Daniel 3:17, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.”
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
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by Ken Turner | Faith
Nobody gets up in the morning hoping for a bad day.
Don’t you agree? I mean who jumps out of bed and gets excited about missing the bus, flunking a test or coming home to find out you are now GROUNDED because you um… I don’t know… missed the bus and flunked a test! =)
Of course there are a lot worse things that happen in life. Maybe you and your best friend had a “falling out” or maybe your parents decided not to stay together or someone you care about is battling with a terrible illness.
Did you know that God often takes these really tough moments in life and does the most amazing things? Maybe you’ve heard the verse, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28. Sometimes people don’t like to hear the “all things work together for good” stuff when they are really hurting. I understand. But let’s be open for a minute here and try to get a good Biblical perspective about how God uses trials.
There are Three Ways We Can Respond To Trials
And how you choose to respond will determine just how much good God can bring from the struggle. Here’s the good news about a bad day.
1. Despise It – This is the “I’m so mad” response. It’s the choice to focus on how unfair it is that something difficult happened to you.
2. Faint Under It – This is the “I give up” response. It’s the choice to focus on self… the “that’s it, I quit… I’ve had it” mindset.
3. Be Exercised By It – This is the “I choose too be better not bitter” response. It’s the choice to accept and trust in God’s perfect plan for you. It’s the realization that “there is a God… and I’m not Him.” It’s the willingness to be humble… not proud… and say to your loving heavenly Father that you trust Him and you are willing to let Him use the challenges of life to help you got and mature.
So if you’ve had some tough things going on in your life lately why not take a minute and pray about it and ask God to give you a new perspective. Tell Him you’ll choose to become better, not bitter.
Verses to Read: Hebrews 12:5, “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:” Hebrews 12:11, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”
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