A Young Person Who Makes a Difference! |
Those Who Live by Faith |
Daniel, like Samuel, chose the way of the Lord.
As a young person Daniel, along with the tribe of Judah, was taken captive to Babylon (meaning confusion). The king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, ordered the chief eunuch to choose some from among the sons of Judah (Dan. 1:6). They would have to be young, cultured and attractive to serve in the palace and among them was Daniel. Dan. 1:5-8 says: "And the king appointed to them a daily portion from the king's choice provision and from the wine that he drank, and appointed that they should be brought up for three years so that at the end of the time they might stand before the king … But Daniel set his heart not to defile himself with the king's choice provision and with the wine that the king drank, so he requested of the leader of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself". The king of Babylon, who represents Satan, determined what they had to eat.
Young person, do you know what you eat at school every day? What the "king of Babylon", what the prince of this world has determined. The T.V. shows, fashion, magazines, music, everything was determined by the king of Babylon. But in Dan. 1:8 we see that Daniel took a stand. What if you take a stand? You just have to positively determine whether you know your God. Daniel knew Him. He was a second generation young person, who was also brought by someone. But there came a time when he took a stand. You also need to make a definite stand: "I need to know my God". Do you know why you are weak and passive? Because you do not know your God. When you know Him, when you have an experience of Him, you will have the strength to say: "No, I don't need this, I am not going to do it, I am not going to contaminate myself with this". Young person, we are going to say "no" to what is of the world, the flesh, Satan, and self. Even if they say that you are old fashioned or out of style, it does not matter. It is better to be "old fashioned" in the kingdom than to be "modern" in the outer darkness. Do not desire to be valiant for this world; that can lead you to seek quests that jeopardize your physical, moral and spiritual integrity, apparently innocent but harmful, that will leave you scarred for the rest of your life. Rather be a young person who is valiant for the Lord, whose quests involve preaching the gospel, speaking for the Lord in school, distributing healthy Christian literature. Be a young person of faith who lives not by what he sees, but by faith.
Daniel was a young person of prayer, having a life of prayer which was hidden from others but not hidden from God (Dan. 6:10). He did not pray before the God of his father or the God of his mother. He prayed and gave thanks to his God. It was a personal experience.
Young people, we challenge you to have a personal relationship with God. How many young people have knelt down to pray? Many times the Lord will take us through experiences that will take us to our knees to pray and give thanks. Dan. 9:4-3 says: "So I set my face toward the Lord God to seek Him in prayer and supplication with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed to Jehovah my God and confessed". This is a young person who knew his God, who prayed, gave thanks and confessed his sins. Can you not be like this? There is one who says, "In the church, a young person does not pray, does not read the Bible, does not preach the gospel nor offer". It is necessary that we change this concept. You are not a young person of this world. That is in the past. A young person in the church today reads the Bible, prays, preaches the gospel, visits cities and offers.
A certain young person at the age of fourteen, after visiting a certain Christian group asked permission to speak and it was granted. He spoke concerning the tripartite man (the three parts of man: spirit, soul and body). While the young person spoke, the pastor cried. When he finished the pastor asked him to return. There were other young people, one fifteen and one eighteen years old, who brought seventy people to call on the name of the Lord. They spoke from noon Saturday till the following Sunday at noon. Aside from establishing a meeting on Saturday they also established meetings during the week in that city. These young people were not passive but strong and active. They strengthened themselves to the point that they exceeded many people's expectation. There was a group of young people who prayed for forty-five minutes while fasting and some of them said I never thought I could pray so much nor did I feel the time go by. Other young people have had experiences of offering, of serving the Lord with their material riches. This is another concept that needs to be changed. A young person needs to take part in offering.
2 Cor. 4:18 says: "Because we do not regard the things which are seen but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal".
Heb. 10:35-39 says: "Do not cast away therefore your boldness, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance in order that, having done the will of God, you may obtain the promise. 'For in yet a very little while the Coming One will come and will not delay. But My righteous one shall live by faith; and if he shrinks back, My soul does not delight in him.' But we are not of those who shrink back to ruin but of them who have faith to the gaining of the soul".
Young person, be one who lives by faith. If you persevere in living by faith you will do the will of God, you will obtain the promise, you will not shrink back to ruin, and God will delight in you.
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