Some of the most on-fire Christians I know are teenagers. The Lord has preserved a large number of young people who call on His name regardless of what everyone else is doing. The Lord always does that, but my question for today is "What IS everyone else doing?" From my vantage point I see three camps. Many young people see no God but themselves. They ignore every message from Him in honor of what they would rather be doing. Another group is lost in church, but the meaning and the Holy Spirit are missing from their congregations. They hate church, and they are left wanting and wondering. The last group is a large and growing group that's begun taking up what many a nation of young people have taken up before--New Age (or should we call it "old age" remixed) religions. This group is probably the most dangerous of the lot, because at least the other two groups know they're not "down with the Lord!" Satan's lies work well on this last group because their hearts have been grabbed by things taught by demons. "They are full of superstitions from the East; they practice divination like the Philistines and clasp hands with pagans. Their land is full of silver and gold; there is no end to their treasures. Their land is full of horses; there is no end to their chariots. Their land is full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their fingers have made. So man will be brought low and mankind humbled--do not forgive them." Isaiah 2:6b-9 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

If there's a biblical word that's not used much any more but that is still quite applicable in the world today, it's got to be "haughty." Often the Lord describes sinful people as having haughty spirits or a haughty nature. Stiff-necked is also a similar phrase that brings an immediate word picture to mind. At the most root level, haughty means being prideful and vain. All sin comes from a prideful and vain approach to life. Is it any wonder God had such a problem with it? There's nothing He can do for such a person--they're they last people to acknowledge either Him or their need for Him. So what does a person who thinks they may be guilty of such a sin do? They go to the cross and remember what the Lord has done for them. They remember who they really are without Him and how sinful they are. Self-inspection with the aide of the Holy Spirit will do much to aide in putting a haughty spirit to death. I'm reminded what a pastor friend of mine said just this week, "If a dog is biting my son, I'm not just going to go over there and tell it to stop! I'm going to kill that dog!" Putting make-up and perfume on a haughty spirit would be like scolding that dog. Put it to sleep--permanently. Then wait and see what you're God can do through you! "You save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low." 2 Samuel 22:28 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

To a lot of young people, drinking as much alcohol as possible is just plain sport. It's fun to try to out drink your friends and still "maintain". Of course, many a young person who decides to drink to excess will be the old person of tomorrow with DUI arrests, liver problems, and all the other things that can come along with drinking. All that, plus God isn't happy about it either! Hmmmm... You think it's worth it? "Woe to those who rise early in the morning to run after their drinks, who stay up late at night till they are inflamed with wine." Isaiah 5:11 Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks," Isaiah 5:22 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I hated to do it, but I kind of had to scold a young woman in front of a Bible study group today. She chose to say something unfitting about her parents in front of the group, and when I tried to stop her, she added "Anyway my older brother's a strong Christian and he completely agrees that they are jerks!" Since she chose the time and the place, I didn't feel like I had any choice. My response: "You are not honoring your parents with that kind of talk, and if your brother is bad-mouthing your parents to you, he's not half the Christian he thinks he is." You may not always agree with your parents, and in fact there will be hundreds of times when you don't agree with them at all. This fact does not give you the right to disregard the Lord's command to honor your mother and father. Tell them you disagree. Pray for yourself and for them. If necessary, talk to a pastor or youth leader about the issues in private. But never, never, speak ill of your mother and father in front of others. It does not honor them and it does not honor God. "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." Colossians 3:20 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

I've found that that majority of people who want nothing to do with religion are still interested in having their children learn the values and ethics that come along with it. For most Americans, that means that parents are usually not opposed to allowing their children to attend Vacation Bible Schools, youth groups, etc. This is interesting to me because one of two things generally occurs. Either the young person begins to believe that religion is only for children, and outgrows it as they begin struggling with sins, OR, they give their lives to Christ and have a dramatic effect on their homes, some even leading their parents to the Lord. As a father, if there's one thing I want for my children it's that they have a strong relationship with Christ. For the non-Christian father, unfortunately even the good things they want for their children will be worthless unless Christ creates a miracle in them! "The offspring of the wicked will never be mentioned again." Isaiah 14:20b  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Of all things you've ever been given, ever accomplished, or ever learned, what is your favorite thing? What one thing stands out in your mind as the biggest, best or brightest possession you have, whether tangible or intangible? As a Christian, that one thing is supposed be your relationship with your Lord. If it's anything else, if it's anything other than what you have, then whether you realize it or not, you've been foolin' around on your God. I said to the Lord, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing." Psalm 16:8  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

It seems weird to me that anyone would even want to be worshiped. I guess I'm not even fully able to understand God desiring our worship because I cannot fathom being God or even god-like. I'm not a guy who's ever wanted anyone to worship me. The most I've ever wanted was for people to like me. I've even wondered if that was bad and often I've thought that maybe I should care less what people think about me. What seems even weirder than all that is that people would actually worship Satan. Don't they understand what he stands for? Don't they understand that he's never wiped a tear, but he's created nearly all of them! And then I recently got a shock when I learned that I often do worship Satan. How? He gets me to do it by prompting me to worship myself! When we put ourselves on our homemade thrones, we deny our God His rightful place in our lives, and we worship Satan (and the flesh) by proxy. His throne elevated above God's in our lives. And wasn't that the sin that caused him to be thrown from heaven in the first place? "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3  Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate

Dating is not a concept you'll find in the Bible, so I'm constantly contacted by Christians who want biblical advice on dating. I'm not very well liked when I respond, but hey, the advice is free, they can take it or leave it! So, why don't they like me? Because I always say that dating is something you should not do until you are ready to marry, AND... that a Christian should NEVER date a non-Christian. Now for the reasoning... Dating is something Americans do to see if the other person fits their needs and desires. Christians should be trying to find out if GOD would have them meet the OTHER person's needs. And why not date non-Christians? Because people who date can fall into "like," and then into "love," and since you cannot marry a non-Christian, then why date one? "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?" 2 Corinthians 6:14 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate