Dear Heavenly Father,
I am so incredibly thankful and happy that You called me to be one of Your very own. You saved me through Your Son, Jesus Christ, and because of this, I am being transformed into his image. In Hebrews 12:1(NLT), Your Word tells us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” As young people living in the world today, we are bombarded with many temptations. We don’t always understand that sin will weigh down our lives and trip us up. Sin will cause us to make mistakes that can have consequences for the rest of our lives. Please, Dear Father, open our eyes so that we can see this and recognize the tricks of the adversary for what they are.
Because of the instruction of Your Word, and the wisdom I have learned from faithful followers of Christ, I have stripped off many of my old youthful ways and turned to You. During my days of rebellion and disobedience towards Your Word, I put a smile on my face for others, but I was depressed and miserable. Even though I younger back then, the consequences of my actions were enough to cause a full-grown adult to tremble and panic.
Colossians 1:13-14(NLT) says, “13 For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.” This is what You did for me through Your wonderful Son, Jesus Christ! You rescued me from the darkness and bondage of sin, and now I’m free to live the life You destined for my existence. You want to do this for everyone, regardless of who they are.
It is only by Your grace and mercy that I have turned my life around. Father God, we know we’re not perfect. We may be a long way from who we will ultimately become through Jesus Christ, but we are not who we used to be because of Your love, mercy, and grace. We are being perfected daily as we learn more about You and more about the example of Christ through Your Word. Thank You, Heavenly Father for delivering us from darkness. There isn’t a word big or meaningful enough that will adequately express the gratitude we must have for all You’ve done for us through Christ. Because of him, we can live an eternity with You, and this is what You always wanted for Your kids.
You tell us through the wisdom of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 12:1-3(MSG), “Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, before your vision dims and the world blurs and the winter years keep you close to the fire.” This passage targets young people specifically, and it is easy to see why we desperately need this wisdom. We think we can do anything we want to do, any time we want to do it. In our youth, we don’t recognize the rewards and requirements of living a disciplined spiritual life, but if we will heed Your wisdom, we will build a foundation in our youth that can take us through our entire existences.
I’m thankful to see the wisdom of Godly living in my youth so that I don’t make costly mistakes. Many of the lives of my friends revolve around parties and things that don’t help them to be spiritually strong. I’ve had to strip myself of many people, so that I don’t allow anything to stop me from growing in Christ and receiving all that You have in store. It hasn’t been easy, but I have found that what I have gained has far outweighed what I have surrendered and released.
Heavenly Father, please let there be repentance in the hearts of young people like never before. Let them see the errors of their ways. Thank You for sending Heaven’s armies to the earth to deliver young people by the millions and release them from being bound and blinded by satan. We plead the blood of Jesus Christ for the lives of those whose names are written in Your Book of Life. Please Heavenly Father, let them hear the Word of Salvation and give their lives to Christ, so they will be set free. We pray this in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ■
Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright ©1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Stripped and Rewarded in Our Youth”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.