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{Heart4Teens.com} *Living Supernaturally* ______________________________________ If you enjoy this free email service, I encourage you to spread the word to family and friends that we may bring inspiration into the lives of teenagers everywhere! If you are not on the list and this has been passed along to you, you can join Heart4Teens.com readers around the world by visiting: http://www.hundred-acre-woods.com/magic-list/Heart4Teens Visit our inspirational web site to read all the past articles in our archives and view the tons of resources we have there for teens! http://www.Heart4Teens.com/Teen_Stories _________________________________________ Living Supernaturally by Mark Matlock Imagine that you are someone who is fascinated by airplanes. You could spend a lifetime studying how planes work. What principles of physics allow those big metal birds to get off the ground? How much power does it take to get them up there? How high can they go? Which plane-builders are the best? You could know all that stuff about airplanes--without ever knowing how to fly one yourself. Knowing about planes and knowing how to fly them are two different things. I'm sure that knowing the physics of airplanes would be helpful for flying one, but it doesn't guarantee that you'll be able to land a 747 in the fog, right? In the same way, knowing about the supernatural world and actually living wisely in it doesn't always go together. In our emails this month, we've tried to grow in what we know about the supernatural world. We've learned that the Bible is the ultimate source of information about it. We've studied God, angels, Satan, demons, heaven, and hell. We've talked about ghosts, vampires, talking to the dead, reincarnation, and other ideas that distract people from the truth about the supernatural. We've explored some of the ways people get fooled into believing lies about the world beyond our senses. But all that "knowing" will be useless if we don't do something with it. Let's spend some time remembering how God tells us to live supernaturally. 1) Fear God, but don't be afraid of him. God is the ultimate supernatural being. He's the source of everything in the universe--whether we can see it or not. He's an invisible spirit, and he can do anything he wants at any time he wants to anyone he wants. It's his show. For Christians, living supernaturally always starts with respecting God's power above all. Especially in the Old Testament, the Bible calls that attitude of respect for God "fear." And if you don't respect God's power at least as much as you respect the power of a hurricane or tornado or nuclear bomb, you don't really get it. He's a million times more powerful than any of those things. Of course, believers in Jesus don't have to be afraid of God--even while we respect his power. Why? Because that awesome supernatural being has adopted us into his own family through Jesus. We're his kids! Romans 8:15 reads, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received a Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.' " Living supernaturally must start with understanding that the ultimate supernatural power is our Father. 2) Don't seek out a conversation with any supernatural being but God (and other humans). Angels fascinate us. We learned they were created by God and have lots of incredible powers. God may have even used angels to answer your prayers. But the Bible warns us not to worship angels. They're not God. And we're never told to talk to them or to try to communicate with them in any way. The Bible warns that Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), and in Galatians 1:8 we are cautioned not to listen to an angel who presents a gospel different from what is revealed in Scripture. Any person or book or movie that suggests we can get power or knowledge through reaching out to angels is lying. In the same way, God never tells us to look for ways to communicate with ghosts or dead people. In fact, the Bible sternly warns against this. It's not God's plan for his children to gain knowledge by talking to a loved one (or anyone else) who has died. That rules out using Ouija boards or psychics or any other kind of mediums to "the other side." They are all either frauds or they're harnessing power that's not from God. For believers, that's the wrong way to live supernaturally. Finally, God doesn't encourage us to chat with Satan or other demons, either. They're specialty is lying. Even if we succeed in communicating with them somehow, we're setting ourselves up to be deceived. What if you're being demonically oppressed or fear that Satan is influencing your life? Shouldn't you tell him to get lost, like so many Christian teachers suggest? I don't think so. Who is it that frees you from the power of Satan and demons? God does it through the Holy Spirit in a believer's life. So go to God directly and ask him to take care of the enemy. Why is this such a big deal? Two reasons. One, God wants us to come to him for information and communication with the supernatural world. That's why he provided his Word and why he made it possible for us to talk to him through prayer. Second, if you can talk to the most powerful supernatural being in the universe and know that he hears you, why would you need to talk to any other being? God is the only direct contact with the supernatural world that we need. 3) Respect the power of Satan and demons, but don't obsess about them. As we studied, God urges us to take Satan's supernatural power seriously. He's a roaming lion out to destroy us. He's a liar out to deceive us. Satan and his army of fallen angels are a serious threat. Living supernaturally means taking that threat seriously. Put on the spiritual armor of Ephesians 6. Ask for God's protection. Take the time to know God's Word well enough that you're not easy to fool when the enemy tries to trip you up. Mostly, resist this supernatural enemy by getting closer to God. James 3:7-8 promises that Satan will flee when we get closer to God. If the danger is real, don't be afraid to take drastic measures to protect yourself. What kind of drastic measures? Daily prayer. Memorizing Scripture. Avoiding books, movies, and music for entertainment that lead your thinking and emotions toward darkness instead of light. On the other hand, our relationship with God is not just about avoiding the enemy. Yes, Satan can trip us up and slow us down--even lead us away from the truth. But he cannot steal us away from God. He can't change God's love for us, and he can't change what the truth is. We are totally secure in God's hands. So we don't need to make our everyday lives about Satan or demons. We don't need to assume that every secular book, song, or movie about the supernatural world is from Satan or guaranteed to lead us into darkness. Satan has no authority over Christians. He is not our master. 4) Practice prayerful wisdom. What we need most in a world full of supernatural and spiritual ideas is wisdom--the ability to separate truth from lies. Christians must learn to build strong discernment muscles--or we will get caught by the "thinking traps" that snare so many people. How can we practice discernment? Listen and understand what is being taught about the supernatural world by friends, teachers, entertainment, or anything else that deals with it. Compare it to what the Bible teaches. Ask God for wisdom, and make some choices. Is this teacher presenting the truth or a clever lie? Should I learn more about this or should I walk away because of where it leads my mind and emotions? Should I challenge what this movie is teaching when talking about it with my friends or should I keep my mouth shut? Those can be hard choices. But God promises wisdom and discernment to make those tough decisions: "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him" (Proverbs 1:5). 5) Live in the Spirit. It might sound creepy, but if you're a Christian you have a foreign Spirit living with you right now. Of course, it's God's Spirit. And as we studied, his Spirit gives you supernatural powers that are out of this world. Don't ignore that supernatural power; live in it! Use it for good. As that great spiritual leader and web-slinging crime-fighter Peter Parker once said, "With great power comes great responsibility." That's not just true for Spider-Man. Because of the Holy Spirit, you can have supernatural joy, peace, patience, self-control, and love. Don't settle for a life without those things. You can also supernaturally make a difference in your church and the world by using the spiritual gifts the Holy Spirit has brought into your life. You can stop being spooked about the supernatural world and start living in it! 6) Live like heaven and hell are real places. As Christians, we claim there is an eternal place of torture and separation from God called hell. And we also say that for those who accept Christ, this life is just a brief moment before an eternity in heaven with God. We say we believe those things. But how would people who really believed such ideas live supernaturally? Wouldn't they be involved in doing whatever they could to persuade friends and family to escape eternal punishment by trusting in Jesus? Wouldn't they spend a lot less time worrying about things in this life that are not going to matter to us one hundred years from now-like movies, hair, clothes, and all the other stuff we spend so much time thinking about? Wouldn't they be investing in things that will still matter in heaven? How would you live today if you knew that a huge earthquake were going to destroy your city tomorrow? What would you do to warn people? On the other hand, how would you live if you knew you were going to receive a million dollars next week? How much time would you spend worrying about your current bank balance? How we live says a lot about what we really believe. Do you believe in the supernatural world? If so, don't be satisfied with simple belief. Don't settle for just knowing about spiritual things. Start flying the plane yourself. Start living supernaturally today! Mark Matlock, founder of PlanetWisdom.com, is the author of Don't Buy the Lie and Living a Life That Matters. Used by permission. See Mark's books online at the YS store: http://shop2.gospelcom.net/epages/YouthSpecialties.storefront/en/searchmask?allByAuthor=Matlock _________________________________________ Thought For The Day: "Fear makes the wolf bigger than he is." Verse for the Day: "...though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear! I am confident that God will save me." Psalm 27:3 Teen's Thought For The Day: "You are never to old to be hugged." Parent's Thought For The Day: PAUL REVERE'S MOTHER: "I don't care where you think you have to go, young man, midnight is past your curfew." Coach's Thought For The Day: "You need to play with supreme confidence, or else you'll lose again, and then losing becomes a habit." --Joe Paterno Deep Thought For The Day: "Of late it has become popular to pose the question, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), but I find that when people answer, their response is to the question What Would I Do If I Were Jesus." __________________________________________ Author MICHAEL T. POWERS www.Heart4Teens.com Contributing Author to Chicken Soup for the Teen's Soul on Love and Friendship and 24 other inspirational books. "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20 _________________________________________ ALL-STAR Ministry --The Youth Church of Faith Community Church in Janesville, WI If you are in 6-12th grade and live in the southern Wisconsin/northern Illinois area and would like to check us out, we meet every Sunday night from 6:30-8:00 PM at Faith Community Church which is located at 2931 Lucerne Dr. in Janesville, WI. (About 3 blocks south-east of The Skating Place.) All-Stars: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights! Open to all youth grades 9-12. The Outlet: 6:30 - 8:00 PM Sunday nights in the Multi-Purpose Room! Open to all youth grades 6-8. Currently we have students from Fort Atkinson, Milton, Janesville Craig, Janesville Parker, Marshall, Orfordville, Clinton, Beloit Memorial, Beloit Turner, South Beloit, and Hononegah. E-mail me back if you have any questions about our weekly meetings or would like to come to any of our events that are listed below... We have way too much fun and then, most importantly, talk about issues that are relevant to you as a teenager. Upcoming Topics: November 6 -- The Case for the Brady Bunch November 13 -- The God-Man November 20 -- Special Guests: Team Ithemba (All Ages are welcome to join us on this special night!) November 27 -- Only One Came Back _______________________________________________ Teen Community Groups 6:30 - 8:00 PM Wednesday nights (September though May) These groups are limited to no more than ten teens and are split into Jr. High and High School ages. This night is for those teens who want to dig deeper than what we do in All-Stars, but may not be ready to be a part of the Xtreme Teens. These cell groups will also be doing special activities with each other as the year goes on to build community. Sixth graders meet at Kent and Rachel Martin's house: 1324 E. Racine St. (Call 373-0886 if you have any questions!) Seventh and Eighth graders meet at Tedi Knox's house: 429 1/2 Harding Dr. High School age meets at Matt and Kristi Kauffman's house: 4339 Fox Hills (Call 758-1243 if you have any questions!) Xtreme Teens Xtreme Teens meet on Wednesday nights from 6:30 - 8:00 PM all year round at the Powers' house. This group is very extensive with weekly homework, memorization, service projects, etc. Students interested in this group will have to fill out an application, provide references as to why others think they should be involved with this, and sign an agreement as to what is expected of them. Admission into Xtreme Teens is on a case by case basis. Contact Pastor Michael for more details! |
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Touching Lives - One E-mail at a Time! Author Michael T. Powers - HeartTouchers @ aol.com
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