Confession breaks the power of secret sin. If you talk to someone about it, you are less likely to continue doing it. You don't have to confess to a priest, but it is recommended that you find a trustworthy, mature Christian. If you have sinned against someone, you should also confess to them and ask for their forgiveness.
Ephesians 5:4 says, Dirty stories, foul talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. I don't know about you but I seem to be bombarded by foul language wherever I go - work, the shopping centre, the park... Many TV shows and songs are full of foul language and crude jokes too. While I can't just not go to work to avoid the bad language, I can be careful about what I watch on TV and the music I choose to listen to.
When you're surrounded by this kind of behaviour and language, you sometimes find that it rubs off on you. Romans 12:2 says, Don’t change yourselves to be like the people of this world, but let God change you inside with a new way of thinking. God changes us through his Holy Spirit that lives in us, through reading, studying, and memorising the Bible, through prayer, and through spending time with other Christians. Sometimes Church seems irrelevant or boring but the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians not to give up meeting together. Why is it important? If we spend all our time in the world, we absorb the values and attitudes of the world. We need to spend time with other Christians so that we absorb the values and attitudes of Jesus. We meet together to:
Hear teaching about God's Word Praise together Pray together Build relationships with other people who love Jesus Encourage each other. Going to church on Sunday isn't the only way to enjoy fellowship. You could join a Youth Group or Bible Study group. There might be a group of Christians that meets at your high school or university. You might be part of a small accountability group with some other Christians or meet with a Christian mentor. These are all ways you can experience fellowship. Ephesians 5:3b says, There must not be any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God’s holy people. Greed is something that many Christians struggle with. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements telling us what we need and deserve. We think we need the latest smartphone, clothes and accessories. We believe that we will be happy when we get them, but the reality is that any happiness derived from getting what we want is short-lived. Stuff doesn't make us happy, yet we yearn for it as though it will. Some of the most miserable people I know of have millions of dollars and everything that money can buy. I have met some pretty happy people that don't even have enough food to eat.
God doesn't want his children to be greedy. We should long for Jesus, not money or stuff. |
About UsShort and sweet inspirations for Christian teen girls. Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|