Many young people especially teenagers are facing some terrible problems at home, school and in the community. 

Some of the most prevalent problems are peer pressure, bullying including cyber bullying, addictions, depression, suicide and aggressive behavior.

Let us look at some of the issues that are affecting the youths and identify solutions from the word of God.

Peer pressure

Every teenager needs love. They are at the stage of their development where they are trying to find their identity and to assert themselves as an individual. Thus they do not want to feel as if they are isolated, and different.

They want to be included, so they tend to follow the most popular group in schools.

An example of this can be seen on a wider scale on the social media. The young and famous singers and media personalities have the most followers consisting of millions of youth.

They view these stars as a role model or mentor. Unfortunately, if these famous people are not living up to a certain standard, the kids will be led down the wrong path.

Sexual exploration.

Teens are curious to know about sex and the changes that are affecting their bodies. They want to explore and experiment. Their inherent craving for love led them down the wrong pathway to seek for it.

Unfortunately, not every school have sexual education in their curriculum, and many parents are embarrassed to discuss sex with their kids.

Thus teens will seek their peers or older perverted men/women to learn and explore about sex. This leads to teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease.

Suicidal

Teenagers who are experiencing extreme highs and lows; they are always depressed or bored; they do not want to talk to anyone or be involved in anything, so they stick to their room.

These are actions that should put parents on the alert that their child needs professional counseling. Do not be afraid or ashamed to get help immediately before it is too late.

Solutions

     1. Mentoring

The bad spirits that are involved in peer pressure are jealousy, envy, pride, low self-esteem, and loneliness.

The Bible states that you are the head and not the tail, you are above and not beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13).

While my son was in high school, I told him that whenever he was following behind his friends wherever they go and doing whatever they do, he has automatically become the tail.

Ask yourself, “Am I a tail?” I am sure that your answer is, no. So do not behave like one.

Mentoring is desperately needed in the Church. What is mentoring?

According to Wikipedia mentoring is the development of a relationship between an older and experienced individual and a younger person. The more mature person will guide and teach the young one in basic life skills, professional work or in their education.

It involves communication and relationship over a long term period. Mentoring has nothing to do with giving money to the younger person or buying clothes and articles for him/her.

You do not have to be wealthy or highly educated to mentor the youths. Your only qualifications are your good moral character and your life of integrity.

The Bible states that the older women should teach and admonish the younger ladies (Titus 2:1-6). However, mentoring is sadly lacking in the church.

This situation is unfortunate because the devil is in the world mentoring the young people in the community and over the social media. He is teaching them how to use guns, make bombs and kill themselves and others.

What is the church doing? How many of them has established a mentorship program for the community?

How many mature Christians have identified at least one young person in their church that they befriend and try to make a difference in their lives?

Part of the great move of God to harvest this millennial generation is through teaching and mentoring.

      2. Get Involved

Young people should become involve in extracurricular activities at school. These include music, writing, drama, arts, poetry, home economics. These will help the young persons to build their character, self-esteem and to identify their talents.

Every young individual should develop a hobby such as reading, writing, drawing, singing, music or sports. Playing video games and texting are not hobbies. Your hobby should build up your intellectual ability and self-confidence.

       3. Abstain and Control

Sexual feelings are a natural part of growing up. It is a natural function of the body similar to your respiratory function. When you have sexual feelings, it means that you are normal, and are growing up naturally.  But you can control your sexual urges.

When you have the impulse to urinate you have to urinate because holding it will build up toxins in your body which will eventually kill you. God made the sexual urges so that you can reproduce when the right time come.

He made it so that you can control it and you will not die. God can help you restrain your sexual desires until the right time.

You can also learn to control your sexual feelings by becoming involve in extracurricular activities at church and the community. When you are busy doing productive things you will not even know that you have sexual urges because they will become dormant.

If you are idle in your free time, the devil will find work for you to do. He will begin with your mind and plant perverted thoughts and ideas in your head.

Pretty soon a corrupted spirit from the pit of hell will attach itself to you, and this polluted spirit will attract other wicked spirits who lives in other individuals particularly the opposite sex.

These perverted men or women will gravitate towards you and whisper many things in your ears. They will tell you how much you are cute and attractive and how much they want to give you love. They will even offer you money and promise to marry you. All of these promises are lies from the pit of hell.

These depraved men can only offer you their sexual anatomy. They can only give you sexual intercourse, a baby, and a sexually transmitted disease, not to mention the years of emotional turmoil which will affect you for years unless you seek God to rescue you.

If you reach the latter stage, you would have wasted many years of your youth which you can never recover. Therefore, prevention is better than cure. So abstain from sex in your teens and young years and occupy yourself with healthy activities.

Avoid reading romance books. They are filled with perverted sex and fantasies. They are not real. Romance books are the products of someone’s fantasies. They are whatever the writers imagine their world to be.

Write your own personal story in a diary. Tell the Lord your feelings and aspirations in words in your journal. The Lord will read your letters, and I promise He will answer them in your lifetime if you allow Him to.

   4. Renew your mind with the word of God and think positive thoughts.

The suicidal rate has increased as a result of some gruesome spirits such as loneliness, anger, depression, fear, pride.

I want you to know that God has not given you a spirit of fear but love power and a sound mind. Humble yourself by thinking good and positive thoughts about yourself, accepting who you are, and loving yourself.

Then show love to your family and those around you by being kind to them, avoid gossiping and slandering.

Be still and know that God is God. Ask Him to calm your spirit and make you moderate not too high nor too low. Meaning you will not be over happy and hilarious this minute then significantly low the next. But, you will be moderately consistent and finding joy in your everyday life.

Yes, you may become disappointed by someone else bad behavior towards you but do not allow your anger to last no more than an hour, then take control of yourself and tell yourself that this is the day the Lord has made, and you will rejoice and be happy in it, in spite of.

Give thanks and praise to God in singing and making melodies in your heart all the time.

Keep your heart and mind pure by thinking only good and positive things all the time. Think only on things that are pure, lovely, sound, happy, virtuous and loving.

      5. Receive the love of God

At your age, you need to be loved. You do not need sex, you need love, and they are not the same. Anyone can have sex, and no one needs to teach you this act. Even the animals know how to copulate.

You need love, and very few people know how to give and show you love. Sometimes your parents and siblings do not know how to show you love. But, I know someone who can express and give you all the love that you need at this stage in your life. He is your Creator! Jehovah is His name, the Great Almighty. Here are a few love verses from Him:

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness, I have drawn you. Again I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt, O virgin of Israel! (Put your name here) You shall again be adorned with your tambourines, and shall go forth in the dances of those who rejoice. (Jeremiah 33:3-6)

 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 

I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; since you were precious in My sight, you have been honored, and I have loved you; therefore I will give men for you, And people for your life. Fear not, for I am with you. (Isaiah 43:3-5)

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. 

 Greater love has no one than this than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant, does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. 

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another. (John 15:9-17)

The problems affecting the young people are so broad and extensive that I will have a follow-up post to this one which will be published later.

Additional References: Wikipedia; Family First Aid

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