A FaIth EXPERIENCE for Youth

Transcription

1 A FaIth EXPERIENCE for Youth

2 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. Psalm 25:5 A FaIth EXPERIENCE for Youth Jane L. Fryar

3 The mission of CTA is to glorify God by providing purposeful products that lift up and encourage the body of Christ because we love him. A FaIth EXPERIENCE for Youth Jane L. Fryar Copyright 2017 CTA, Inc Larkin Williams Rd. Fenton, MO All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of CTA, Inc. SIt down and buckle up The adventure is about to begin! This prayer journal includes nine chapters designed as launching pads for roughly nine weeks of thought, study, and action. It can CHANGE YOUR LIFE because God s Word works! Some of the truths you encounter will lead you to you THINK about your Jesus, your Savior, than ever MORE DEEPLY before. Some of the challenges posed will STRETCH YOU so far outside your comfort zone that snapping back to where you are today may not be possible. (And even if it were, you probably wouldn t want to.) Each weekly chapter has three pages with one main section per page: True!, Trust!, and Act! Read these pages, one by one, along with the callouts on each page. Finally, in the blank space provided, feel free to sketch, write, doodle, list, or respond in some other way. Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ISBN Printed in China

4 There are lots of ways to use this Journal: 1. Work through each chapter routinely on SPECIFIC DAYS. For example, Monday page one for the week; Wednesday page two; and Friday page three. 2. SPEND AS MUCH TIME as it takes to get out of each Scripture everything the Holy Spirit has put into it for you. For example, spend three days on page one, two days on page two, and six more days implementing the challenge posed on page three. 3. Get together on SUNDAYS 4. with friends to talk about what they have written and wondered about throughout the week as they worked through the chapter themselves. When you run out of space, get an extra notebook and write or doodle some more. No one will have exactly the same responses as anyone else. (And no one will check your spelling either!) So just read, think, sketch, and let the Holy Spirit use his Word to grow you up in faith. He wants to do that more than anything because he loves you! Tell me the truth True! Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. Psalm 25:5 Think about a time someone lied to you. What happened? Why do you remember the lie all these weeks (or years!) later? What happened to your relationship with that person? Now, read Psalm 25:5. Why do you suppose the psalmist prayed this prayer? What might happen if YOU prayed it? Inward Why are people sometimes tempted to suspect God is lying to them? How do you know for sure he never does? If you think he might, who could help you with your questions? Write, draw, sketch, or doodle here!

5 TrUST! Lots of people claim there is no such thing as truth. You believe what you believe because it works for you. I believe what I believe because it works for me. You have your truth, and I have mine. Sometimes that s, well, true! At least partly. Situations differ. Opinions vary. In life s most important things, though, it s not true and it really does matter. You can probably think of several examples with half your brain tied behind your back. ACT! Sometimes God s truth challenges us. When has that happened to you? Sometimes God s truth comforts us. When has that happened to you? Write, draw, or doodle about how you will face a specific challenge head-on while you relax in the true comfort of Jesus forgiveness and friendship. One day when Jesus disciples were wondering what to believe, he told them, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). So what does it mean that Jesus is THE truth? How does that make the prayer in Psalm 25:5 a radical even scary prayer? Radical = Getting to the root. Like radishes! OUTward UPward Psalm 25:5 does not say, Lead me in what s true for me and teach me. It does not even say, Lead me in truth and teach me. Instead it says, Lead me in YOUR TRUTH and teach me. Challenge: Pray this prayer every day for a month. Watch what God does. The love Jesus showed when he died for us is the greatest comfort of all. God s gifts to us start at the cross and cascade from there into our lives in a flood of blessings that grows and grows. Who needs a reminder of Jesus love today? How specifically will you be a messenger of that true (and comforting) truth? 6 7

6 YOU? QUALIFIED? May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. COLOSSIANS 1:11 12 TrUST! Believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose again qualifies you for heaven. The Holy Spirit himself has given you that faith. It s his gift. Heaven is great, but it s NOT all there is. The faith relationship God gives you with himself qualifies you for much more, not just someday but RIGHT NOW! Here is part of what God has in mind for you: That you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. Colossians 1:9 10 True! Not just anyone can compete in the Olympics. You have to qualify and only a handful of athletes do. Lots of racecar drivers would like to compete in the Indy 500. But only 33 qualify. Look for the word qualified in Colossians 1: Who has qualified you? For what? When does that start? So what? Christ does not call the qualified. He qualifies the called. Write, draw, sketch, or doodle here! Inward Strength. Power. Endurance. Patience. Joy. Thankfulness. What if Jesus were to give you all these because God the Father has qualified you? What if he already has?! Close your eyes and imagine what your life lived like that could be like. What most excites you about it? UPward What does it mean to increase in the knowledge of God? Challenge: Talk with another Christian about that phrase. Use Colossians 1:9 12 to anchor your conversation. The free gift of God IS eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 9