School has begun. You might be starting college, high school, or middle school. You will be meeting new people and making new friends. Will they know you are a Christian? Will they know by your example, by the words you speak, and by your character?
According to Dictionary.com, character is “the sum of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person…” Examples of these traits are “moral or ethical quality, honesty, courage, integrity, favorable reputation, a good name and respect from others.”
Those qualities sound exactly like how God wants us to be and to live, as in Titus 2:7-8: “In all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”
Doesn’t that sound like moral or ethical quality, honesty, courage, integrity, good reputation, a good name, and respect from others? Girls, if you behave in such a way that no one can say anything bad about you, the person who might tell a lie about you can only be “put to shame,” as God tells us. Because you are living the life God commands you to live, they will know that you did not deserve the unkindness they spoke of you.
Sometimes it is difficult to be the only person, or one of the few, who won’t go along with your friends’ wrongdoings. First Peter 4:16 says, “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this manner.” Have you considered that others might feel as you do, but just don’t have the courage that you have to stand up for what is right? Perhaps they need you to lead the way.
I’m not talking about being “weird” with your convictions. You don’t need to shout “Praise the Lord!” or “beat people over the head,” so to speak, with your beliefs. But you can share God by your example and having the character traits that God would be proud of. Matthew 6:5 says, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. . . .” They were praying to be noticed, yet they were not living as God told them to live. They were hypocritical. They wanted people to think they were living righteously, when indeed the only thing that made people think they were godly, is that they were praying so loudly that people noticed them. On the outside, the hypocrites looked like “perfect Christians” but in the inside, their hearts were prideful and sinful. Their private lives were not godly at all.
We are to be the “light of the world,” as God tell us in Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” We will accomplish that by having the character within us that God desires. Colossians 3:12–17 says, “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts. . . .”
To love like God loves and to let His peace rule in our hearts means that God must be on our minds constantly. He can’t be there only part of the time, because that is when we become spiritually weak, and Satan is ready and waiting to fill up the empty space in our hearts and lives where God should be. We should instead choose to allow the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts so there is no room for Satan’s temptation. James 4:7 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
We begin to sin more when we stop meditating on God regularly. Have you ever noticed that it is hard to pray when you are intentionally sinning? God and sin cannot live in the same place. We are usually ashamed or embarrassed to approach God when we know we are sinning. Doesn’t Satan make sin so appealing that we don’t always want to stop the sin?
When our hearts are fully repentant of our wrongdoing, then we can humbly bow before our Father in Heaven with a sincere and remorseful heart. Keep God close to your heart and let Him be constantly alive within you so that there is no room for Satan to dwell there!
Pray to God when you are weak. If you have a good friend whom you trust, confess your weakness to her and ask her to pray with you. Galations 6:2 says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” There is power in prayer. Find friends who want you to be in Heaven someday, instead of friends who will tempt you to sin.
Be an example to others so that by your character you can help lead them to Christ. We will be held accountable someday for everything we do and say, according to Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds” (emphasis added). So strive diligently to be an example of good deeds and to be pure in doctrine. Let whatever you say be beyond reproach so that no one can say anything bad about you. Live your life so there is no doubt about who, and whose, you are, and they will know.
Let us pray:
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please help me to have the strength and the courage to stand up for You and for what is right. Please forgive me when I sin. Help me to always fill my heart and life with You, Lord, so that there’s no room for Satan to enter my life. Help me to live my life so that others know I am a Christian. Help me to be the example You want me to be. Thank You for Jesus and for Your love and forgiveness.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
By: Carol Gartman
Standing out at school can be a simple thing, by dressing differently and avoiding curse words that many speak without thinking. But you can also stand out by helping other people in your school: someone’s backpack has broken and their stuff has spilled out all over the hallway. Do you stop to help them, or do you rush off to class because the teacher will make you write an essay about being on time? Think about the answer while reading through this song, “A Beautiful Life,” by William M. Golden.
God will know why you did help someone – because they needed help, or because you thought there would be some reward involved – or why you didn’t help. “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:5-7).
I am a mom, dealing with an 18-year-old daughter who has her first boyfriend. He is 23–a scary thing for me. Anyway, my daughter thinks it’s fine to be on the phone at all hours of the early morning. I know this is wrong. She says, “Get over it, Mom; it’s summer. I can talk to him whenever I want.” Well . . . can you show her why it is not wise, let alone that her parents have asked her not to do it, and month after month she still does it?
If you have serious concerns about your daughter’s relationship with her boyfriend, we recommend sitting down with your daughter, at a neutral time, and lovingly voicing your concerns about her relationship. Begin this session with a joint prayer, asking God to open both of your hearts to each other, and to help you both understand how the other person feels. Explain to your daughter that you’re concerned for her, and that while you understand being in a relationship is very exciting, it’s not wise to allow a relationship to take over one’s life. If staying up all night on the phone is causing her to be too tired to go to work or help out at home during the day, that is a problem, so lovingly discuss that with her. If you have made a bigger deal than you should have made about the situation, ask her forgiveness during your discussion. Tell her that you want her to feel like she can share things with you, then make a sincere effort to not judge her or give her advice unless she asks. Just listen to her. Listen to her tell you why she likes her boyfriend, let her tell you about what she sees in him, and love her as she explains to you what she wants in a future spouse. If your daughter isn’t ready to talk, respect that too, and let her know that the door is open whenever she’s ready to share that part of her life with you.
Q. Dear Rachel,
Q. I love your magazine!!! I have a question. We left our church and I don’t like the one we are going to right now. There are only about 5 kids; none of them are my age. And the congregation is mostly elderly people. How should I tell my mom I don’t like it? Thanks!!!
Q. Dear Rachel,
The issue is never the issue. In this case, it seems to be that good guys are not attracted to you, but the real issue is that you are not attracted to the good guys who are attracted to you. And isn’t that how relationships are
There are guys out there that have their heads in the clouds, and there are some who have their heads in the sand. As funny as it might sound, these are the guys that girls seem to notice initially. The first guy is mysterious and romantic; the other is like a lost puppy begging for someone to take care of him
The Bible is here, and it has been here for literally thousands of years. That it is an ancient and highly regarded book, no one can deny. But is it written by intelligence higher and greater than man? How did the Bible get here? How did it come to be? That is the question at issue. Christians believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, that it is a revelation of the mind and will of the Creator Himself, that it was written by inspiration of God and is, therefore, without mistake or error (inerrant and infallible).
A. THE CLAIMS OF THE BIBLE ITSELF. The Bible directly, expressly, and clearly claims to be the Word of God in numerous places (see, for example, such passages as 
The apostles claimed to be speaking, preaching, teaching, and writing that which came by direct revelation from God, the commandments of the Lord, and that what they wrote was scripture! This was, in fact, exactly what Jesus had promised them, that the Holy Spirit would guide them into remembrance of what Jesus said, and into all truth (
One must deal with the fact that the writers of the Bible specifically stated their writings came by revelation from God. For the believer, this is no difficulty at all. On the other hand, if one does not believe in God, then he must explain how the Bible came to be. If it is not from God, then who wrote it? And if it is not from God, why did all the writers claim it was? Were they all mistaken, or were they deliberate liars?
It’s time for school to start again. No more time for sleeping in and having all day to procrastinate on projects. We will begin to focus much of our minds on getting supplies, finishing up our summer work, and getting new clothes (which really isn’t bad…). We’ll be overtaken with getting everything ready, eventually starting school, and doing the homework from the early “starting” days of school that our teachers will probably give to us.
I went to the Dollar General store and got a girl’s backpack (they only had girls’, no neutral), thirty eraser caps, twelve colored pencils, six mechanical pencils, a portable pencil sharpener, two folders, and glue. The most expensive thing I bought was the backpack. I spent about $9 total on this project. That’s pretty good, especially considering how much we tend to spend on our own school supplies. I also looked around my house for things that I knew I would never use. For example, unsharpened wooden pencils. If you have any loose-leaf paper at home, you can take that too. I took the supplies to the local primary school and said that I’d like to donate the backpack and everything in it to the school to be given to a child who needed it. You might want to call a school in your area and ask them if they accept donations.
According to Matthew 6:3-4, we are commanded to give to the poor, without announcing to everyone what we are doing. “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” We can help others more than we know. We need to consider others to be as important as ourselves. God has given us time, and we need to give some of that back to Him, and use that time to show others who He is.
I used to love the beginning of the school year—new books (I love to read!), new clothes, new pencils, new backpacks. Basically, I just love fresh starts.
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My freshman year was one of the hardest times in my life. I moved to a different city, away from all of my friends, including my two best friends. I started attending a public high school after being home schooled for two years, and I was having a rough time with other things in my life as well. I made friends, but only two of them really understood my heart. One of them was Seth. Seth was a grade below me and in a different school, but we rode the same bus. He always sat directly behind me and would ask how I was doing. He could tell the minute he walked on the bus if I was having a bad day. He always knew instinctively what would make me feel better, whether it was leaving me alone, telling me jokes until I had to laugh, or listening to me tell him about my bad day.
There are so many people around us every day who need to know about God. The girl who wears the mini skirts and belly shirts is begging to be loved. She doesn’t know that what she’s missing is God’s love. The guy who makes mean jokes in order to feel superior needs to know the God who is King
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