Teen to Teen: 365 Daily Devotions by Teen Guys for Teen Guys

By Patti M. Hummel

What more encouraging way to gain perspective than by talking to someone who has been there, especially when that someone is one of your peers.

Written expressly for teens by teens, this unique 365 day devotional is filled with personal experiences that are relatable and heart-felt.

In addition to learning teen to teen how to deal with difficult issues and maneuver the often trying path to adulthood, each devotion leads teens to move into a deeper relationship with Christ as they recognize that He is the answer to life's problems and strife. Through the stories of others, teens see how God works in our lives when we open ourselves to Him.

The devotion includes hundreds of teen authors and teens love reading what their peers have written. This devotional creates a safe, social atmosphere for teens to learn that they are not alone and that God is at work in their lives. Teens learn from other's failures and triumphs how to make the right choices. The impetus for this devotional is to help teens understand how God can and does work in their lives.

Also available in a LeatherTouch edition.

Don't miss these other products in the Teen to Teen series:

• Teen to Teen 365 Daily Devotions by Teen Girls for Teen Girls
• Teen to Teen Journal
• Teen to Teen Academic Planner 2019–2020

• Language: English
• Publisher: BH Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781433681684

Patti M. Hummel

Patti M. Hummel, author or contributing author of nineteen books, including three best-sellers, has written numerous articles for Christian magazines and speaks to Christian women's and youth groups and to author training schools in the US and other countries. The President of the Benchmark Group LLC in Nashville, TN, Patti has earned numerous awards for sales and leadership accomplishments. She was married to the late Rev. Donald R. Hummel, Sr. She is the grateful mother of three adult children, four ADORABLE granddaughters, and two GRAND sons. She makes her home in Nashville, TN, and attends Grace Community Church.

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Teen to Teen, Digital Edition

Based on Print Edition

Copyright © 2013 B&H Publishing Group

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-8167-7

Published by B&H Publishing Group, Nashville, Tennessee

BHPublishingGroup.com

Dewey Decimal Classification: 242.63

Subject Heading: BOYS \ DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE \ TEENAGERS

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

Introduction

As a teen male in today’s society, do you question what you see in men that are supposed to be representing God to you? Do you find life difficult to live as a Christian when what the world offers is much more appealing? Is there a battle raging inside your heart and mind that you feel ill-equipped to deal with? Do you wonder about being a husband, father, church, and community leader? Well, don’t be discouraged by the wonder and doubts you may be experiencing. Your feelings and your questions are not uncommon. As a matter of fact, there are teens all over the world wondering, doubting, and questioning what is going on in their lives.

Teen-to-Teen: 365 Daily Devotions by Teen Guys for Teen Guys will bless and encourage you as you read from your peers how they are walking through the valleys, how they are praising God when they reach the mountaintops, and how they are abiding in Him as they learn to embrace all of Christ by His abundant grace. This book will aid you as you learn to go to the Word of God and as He teaches you how to live the Christian life consistently and with great joy.

Ephesians 5 and 6 explain that consistency in the Christian life is essential. Be encouraged to listen to the Father heart of God and allow Him to remove the doubt, the questions, and wonder and as Paul reminds us, Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music from your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ (5:15–21).

My prayer is that every young man who reads these devotional messages will be drawn closer to the Lord God in a deep relationship that will illuminate the world around them with the gospel message of hope that does not disappoint.

Dr. Fred Luter Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Convention

Senior Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, New Orleans, LA; husband; father to a precious daughter and to a son; one of God’s mighty men

JANUARY

Delight in God’s Word

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping Your word.

I have sought You with all my heart;

don’t let me wander from Your commands.

I have treasured Your word in my heart

so that I may not sin against You.

L

ord

, may You be praised;

teach me Your statutes.

With my lips I proclaim all the judgments

from Your mouth. I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees as much as in all riches.

I will meditate on Your precepts

and think about Your ways.

I will delight in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

(Psalm 119:9–16)

Prioritizing

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. —Genesis 1:1

When we look at the story of creation, there are so many important details that it would take years to study the relationships between each and every one. But one of the most prevalent themes is God’s sense of order. Everything that He created is absolutely necessary for the next one to follow. Sunlight and water are created before plants, and plants before beasts, so that everything can work the way it is supposed to. This reveals God’s value of order and prioritization.

Now for us, prioritizing is usually a very hard task. We rarely take time to plan our actions—and, most importantly, our time—to create the most efficient plan. But we need to realize that without a definite plan and without having guidelines and priorities by which we live, we are wandering hopelessly through life and more than likely won’t reach our full potential. Understand that God must come first in everything, lining up the remainder of our priorities with His Will to help us become more like Him. In fact, if we, as Christians, do not have some sense of priority in our lives, then we are living wrong. Though it may come easier to some more than others, God expects us to be able to prioritize and keep Him first. Start by making sure your actions line up with God’s will, then list the things you value and spend most of your time on. See what your current priorities are and make sure they match up with what you want them to be.

Cody Brandon: 17, Old Hickory, TN

The Fellowship at Two Rivers, Nashville, TN: Mt. Juliet High School, Mt. Juliet, TN

Dealing with Sinful Desires

You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. —Ephesians 4:22–24

A disobedient child stuck her hand between the car and the door as it was closing, smashing her hand. That pain will be enough to keep her from doing that again. Sometimes I act like a child, but in my case it pertains to sin. I repeatedly stick my hand in the proverbial door. We have a loving Father who warns us against getting into sin. He tells us how it brings about guilt, sadness, pain, separation, and fear. We decide, however, that we will be fine doing it our way. So we stick our hands into cheating, stealing, sexual sin, disrespect, and just plain ignoring what our heavenly Father has to say about our lives and our choices. God still loves us and forgive us; however, He will not always remove the consequences. You might say, When I sin, nothing seems to go wrong. Why should I stop? It often takes months, or even years, to recognize how our choices affect our lives and the lives of others. The consequences of sin aren’t always obvious or physical. Fundamentally, sin takes us further from God, causing our spiritual lives to suffer. Jesus offers us help, eternal life, meaning, and purpose. Sin will remain an epidemic until people realize that the only thing that can fill the holes in their hearts that they try to fill with sin is Jesus. I think all of us need to learn to walk closer to and depend more on our Savior every day.

Luke Merrick: 15, Springdale, AR

Immanuel Baptist Church and Shiloh Christian School, Springdale, AR

Family

What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. —James 4:1–2

If you’re like me, sometimes your family can be super annoying. There’s always a specific family member that will really get to me for a certain period of time. It seems everything they say or do gets under my skin! So why did God give us our families if all they do is annoy us? You can think about it this way: God gave you your family as a challenge to conquer. He specifically formulated each family member to exhibit qualities that would annoy you. Really! God gave you your family so that you could learn to get along with each type of person in your family. He knew all of the types of people you would encounter throughout your life, and He placed each member of your family in your home so that could help you grow in areas He knows you needed growth. So, rather than trying to get away from your family, why not spend some time with them? Try to overlook it when they do stuff that irritates you, because they will. You can choose whether to allow their behavior to rain on your parade or not! Try to learn to get along with them, knowing that in doing so you are improving the way you will get along with other people for the rest of your life. What we learn at home is the foundation for life when we leave home!

Micah Cooksey: 19, McMinnville, OR

Valley Baptist Church, McMinnville, OR

Some Simple Things

Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God. —Micah 6:8

Sadly, I haven’t been a good follower of God’s commandments. Jesus died for my sins, and the more I learn from the Bible the more I see that I’m not following God like I should. I can’t break free from my sins. Yet, there have been ways out, and there has been progress. Sin can only be overcome through Jesus. I was given good advice when I was younger: deal with the simplest and most manageable sins in your life. Ask God to help you recognize and overcome your sins and see ways to reduce temptation. I used to curse and talk about unwholesome things. Asking for help made me aware that the company I kept was not good. I have to watch those things now. Be mindful of your tongue, slow to speak, and control your thoughts because they influence your life. Let God help you overcome sinful habits. Keep your thoughts focused on God and His Word, asking Him to help you. The results and growth in Him will amaze you. One sin put down can lead to two sins put down, then three, and eventually you can see improvement in your Christian walk. You will have times of increased difficulty and times of failure, but God is there to rescue you from those pits. Surround yourself with good wholesome things and people, so that you may be uplifted. Focus on Jesus and His promises, because He can be trusted to help.

Robby D. Land: 18, Gatlinburg, TN

First Baptist Church and Gatlinburg-Pittman High School, Gatlinburg, TN

Favoritism

My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. —James 2:1

In this passage we as the church, God’s children, are told to not show favoritism. If you read the rest of the chapter, you’ll see the author uses the example of a rich man and a poor man. He says that if these two men walk into the church, we shouldn’t treat the rich man as if he is better than the poor man. Favoritism can also speak to many scenarios we struggle with. One that most men our age would struggle with is if two girls walked into church one day, and one was beautiful and the other wasn’t. We shouldn’t completely ignore the one we don’t find attractive, focusing on and treating the one that looks good as if she is more of a person than the other one. The common thing in both of these situations is selfishness. Instead of viewing people as equals, as we should, we let their outward appearance or financial status define them. This is an area we struggle with but don’t really view as sin. However, James 2:9 says, But if you show favoritism, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. As Christians, we should view people as lost or saved. We shouldn’t let things such as money, outward appearance, skin color, gender, or race define how we view people.

Clay Norman: 18, Albany, GA

Sherwood Baptist Church and Sherwood Christian Academy, Albany, GA

Nature’s Proclamation (Part 1)

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. —Psalm 19:1

God’s brilliance and creativity shine forth in the entire world around us. I love to surfboard. Whenever I paddle out into the ocean on a surfboard, I get to truly enjoy the sea and the world around me because I can see the glory of our God. Every aspect of nature points directly to the existence of an omnipotent God. For any human to so much as hint that the world somehow changed into its present state by evolution is to degrade the status of an almighty God. In man’s heart, he knows that evolution is a theory with no solid foundation in fact. He has invented the theory of evolution so that he may live in a way that pleases him, without ever having to answer for a single sinful act. Although many people put up a façade of believing the theory of evolution, if they truly considered the so-called facts that support evolution, they would see that the only explanation for a beautiful world like ours is that a beautiful God like ours created it for His own good pleasure. For instance, a single cell can have 60,000 proteins, of which there are 100 different configurations. Besides this, there are extremely complex cell types. The chances for the random assembly of a cell are 1 in 104,478,296. This is so far-fetched that it is basically impossible. Only when someone knows the truth about how the earth was created can he truly enjoy its beauty.

Luke Abendroth: 16, Lancaster, MA

Bethlehem Bible Church and Bethlehem Bible Church Homeschool Co-op, West Boylston, MA

Nature’s Proclamation (Part 2)

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands. —Psalm 19:1

When surfing early in the morning, the sun shining on my back and the ocean shifting beneath me, I feel the true power of our God. When someone who believes in a Creator sees a sky full of brilliant stars, a waterfall sparkling in the sunlight, or a horse’s bulging muscles as it gallops down a beach, he can appreciate the awesome splendor of a sovereign God. In each gnarled oak tree, each flash of lightning, or every roar of thunder the believer in Christ Jesus sees his Creator’s own design. Although the only way to truly enjoy nature is by seeing God’s handiwork in everything, it is possible, maybe even common, that a man sees the evidence of a Creator in creation but has never heard the name of Jesus. This is why we are called in Matthew 28:18–20 to go out as missionaries into the world and preach the gospel. Without a substitute for our sins there is no hope for salvation. We can do nothing to save ourselves. The only way to be delivered from sin and the eternal punishment of God is to have someone to pay for that sin. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did that at Calvary. He came down from heaven and lived a perfect life, then was sacrificed on the cross for all believers’ sin. On the third day, He defeated death and rose again according to the Scriptures. We should not rest until we are right with a just God. He will deliver us from our sins so that we can enjoy the beauty of heaven.

Luke Abendroth: 16, Lancaster, MA

Bethlehem Bible Church and Bethlehem Bible Church Homeschool Co-op, West Boylston, MA

Lust

We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! —Ephesians 2:3–5

Lust is a problem. The Bible tells us that we will struggle with lust. It’s hard for boys to stop looking at girls or to stop watching pornography on the computer screen. It’s hard for girls to put down the fiery romance books or stop watching romantic movies. Ephesians tells us that, We all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh. It is a constant battle being fought in the war against sin and Satan, but God provides hope for us in the war, even when we were dead in trespasses, [He] made us alive together in Christ. God is here, and He is ready to help us win this battle. Job 31:1 says, I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I look at a young woman? Matthew 5:29 instructs, If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown in hell. God has a plan for us to win this. Bounce your eyes from looking at that girl and change the channel when the sensual commercial or show comes on. If there is anything that causes you to lust, destroy it! Get rid of the porn sites, put up parental blocks, burn the romance book, and break the romance DVD. God is available in prayer and through His Word to help when the temptation to lust haunts us. Call on Him.

Zach Watkins: 16, Henderson, NV

Highland Hills Baptist Church and Green Valley High School, Henderson, NV

Go!

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. —Matthew 28:19–20

The Bible has much to say about outreach, as we see in the verse above. Christians have received a calling from God to reach out to the lost and point them toward Him. No matter how badly you’ve acted, it just matters that you reach out. You can also repent of your ways. Take Paul for example: as Saul he arrested Christians for their beliefs. Then Jesus came to him and told him to knock it off. Saul was blinded but then was healed. Saul who was also called Paul began to evangelize the world, which is amazing, right? We need to develop a relationship with the person who needs God, then invite them to church. What I’ve discovered is that people are more likely to come with a friend than with a stranger. If they go to church, that’s great, keep inviting them. It’s important to ask and to be you without putting pressure on them. Using the ABCs of Christianity may help. A: Admit that you’re a sinner. B: Believe that Jesus is God’s Son. C: Confess your faith in Jesus, your Lord and Savior. The lost need a person to help them find Jesus. They need living encouragement.

Terrell Strain: 13, Spokane, WA

Airway Heights Baptist Church, Airway Heights, WA; Medical Lake Middle School, Medical Lake, WA

Effort

There is no favoritism with God. —Romans 2:11

When I was at a Young Life camp in New York, there was a girl I thought was amazing. I wanted to ask her out, but every time I tried, something would come up or I would get nervous. I decided to take a different approach. Since I have always been able to speak well through music, I thought I would play her a song to get my point across. I went out early by the lake and hid my guitar; then later she and I were at the lake and she sat down on a bench overlooking the lake. I took out my guitar and began to play the first couple lines of In My Head by Jason Derulo. And I sang the rest of the song to her. She really loved it, and that was my way of asking her out. I was thinking about this a couple of weeks ago, and I realized I had put a lot of effort into that. I went out early, hid my guitar, learned the song, and got her out there. Then I thought, I have never put that much work into anything having to do with my relationship with God. Now, you are probably thinking, What does asking a girl out have to do with a relationship with God? It really doesn’t, but I’m talking about the work I put into asking that girl out in an interesting way. If we all used the same amount of effort in our spiritual relationships, we would be so close to God. In Nehemiah, the people worked hard and put all their effort toward rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem. If we are that diligent in building a relationship with God, it could be like the wall, strong and firm with a sturdy foundation and base.

Daniel Baehr: 17, Manassas, VA

Emmanuel Baptist Church Youth Group and Emmanuel Christian School, Manassas, VA

Things Will Get Better!

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. —Romans 8:28

We can think of dozens of times in our lives when things weren’t going as well as we thought they should; times when we felt like everyone was against us and we had no one to go to. But there is always someone. God has our whole lives planned out before we are even born, and everything that happens is part of that larger plan He has created. So even though it seems that nothing is under control, it is, just not under our control. Though it may look like a situation will never get better, and nothing good can come of it, something always will whether we realize it or not. My brother, Matthew, is a great example. Diagnosed with leukemia when he was very young, he spent a long time in the hospital undergoing chemotherapy, and it took a toll on his small body. My mother stayed in the hospital with him the whole time, offering encouragement and caring for him as much as she could. My other brother, Jedediah, and I visited him often. Matthew spent the worst times of his life in the hospital and almost died! He was so determined to not let cancer defeat him, and it didn’t. He pulled through and has been in remission for years, which he thanks God for. Instead of trying to forget the whole situation, he is a light for others with cancer. He witnesses to people with cancer letting them know that you can beat it and survive. I firmly believe that because, and only because, of my brother’s testimony and the hope that he gives people, more people have beat their cancer, trusting God in all things!

Jacob LaValley: 16, Pageland, SC

Mount Moriah Baptist Church and South Pointe Christian School, Pageland, SC

Temptation

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it. —1 Corinthians 10:13

Temptation is something that we all deal with. It is a real problem and Satan knows that, so he loves to use temptation on teenagers. It’s strong. Be careful! If you let it, it can control your entire life. Temptation can cripple every step you take in your walk with Christ. In fact, temptation will keep you from making any more steps forward with Christ. Temptation will keep you spiritually still. Every day you wake up, you wish you could shake this thing, but temptation is a stronghold, and it grows stronger every day when we do not deal with it. Don’t let temptation take control of your life. It’s not worth it. Trust me, if you are dealing with a temptation, remember that God will always provide a way of escape. Control your temptation; don’t let it control you. Submit to God . . . resist the Devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

Christian Smith: 17, New Orleans, LA

Franklin Avenue Baptist Church and New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School, New Orleans, LA

Living without Fear

For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. —2 Timothy 1:7

I’ve been a very competitive person all my life. From Little League all the way through high school, I’ve always wanted to win at everything I’ve been involved in. I would prepare in practice and work hard to be the best I could be for every practice and for the big game. I would be confident and ready to go all the way up to game day, but there was always a moment of weakness I could never prepare for—pregame fear. For some reason I could never overcome it, and it would leave my body in knots. The pressure of it being the big game would throw me into a panic. One day I was in Sunday school, and the subject was David and how he had responsibility and felt the pressure of millions of lives that were at stake. Everybody was watching him. Talk about a humbling lesson. Reading about David and then coming across the Scripture in 2 Timothy helped me to realize that no fear was too big for God to help me overcome. So whether it’s the big game, final exam, or even having the courage to preach the gospel, God has given us everything but a reason to fear anything we face.

Patrick Stanford: 18, Albany, GA

Sherwood Baptist Church and Sherwood Christian Academy, Albany, GA

Don’t Go Back!

For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them. —Ephesians 2:10

Many of us know what it feels like to be forgiven of a sin that has been in our life for a while. It is that amazing, indescribable feeling that just takes over your whole body. It makes you so happy and proud that you finally overcame it. But, here comes the challenging part—keeping it out of your life. Once Satan realizes that he failed, he will try again and again to succeed, which brings a lot of temptation to give in and do it just one more time. But you have to stay strong! I know, easier said than done, but take a moment and think about it. Whenever you are stuck in a situation like this, just remember how that awesome feeling felt when you confessed and repented of your sin, knowing that God had forgiven you. You don’t want Satan to win, do you? Well, that’s exactly what you’re doing every time you give in just one more time and go back to your old lifestyle. Jesus is our victory!

Brandon Carroll: 17, York, SC

Hillcrest Baptist Church and York Comprehensive High School, York, SC

Shyness

The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected. —Proverbs 29:25

We pray for the opportunity to do God’s work, but when we see it right in front of us and get pumped about it, we freeze. The opportunity passes and we move on, sad that we were too shy to step up and make the opportunity a moment for God. How do we find the courage to take a chance for God without fearing the worst will happen as a result? How will people react if we act in a godly way and do the right thing? The verse above tells us that we can overcome this fear by knowing we will be protected by Him, as long as what we do is truly for God and ordained by Him. This means no harm will come to us as a result of doing His will. We might be hesitant to do the right thing, but knowing God is with us will give us a sense of confidence that is necessary, as we trust God that good results will follow. Who knows, someone may see you do the right thing and come to know the Lord because of your actions. Being willing to obey the commandments of Christ is the first step. He promised to be a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path.

David Joseph Dalesandro: 14, York, SC

Hillcrest Baptist Church and York Comprehensive High School, York, SC

Turning a Bad Day Around

Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. —James 5:13

My normal morning schedule includes me taking a shower immediately after I wake up. One morning it wasn’t until I was ready to leave home that I realized I was already thirty minutes late for school. When I eventually got to school, I remembered that I had forgotten to do some of my homework. Yuck! When I got to lunch that day, another unusual thing occurred: the cafeteria had run out of food. Then I went to baseball practice, and it turned out I forgot my gear. I’m sure most of us, if not all of us, have had at least one day like the one I just described. They have the potential to ruin your week. Then the next day, I got up on time and got to school early. At lunch, they served my favorite food. Coach decided to give us a day off. This was the exact opposite of the day before. James 5:13 says, Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises. All I had to do was pray. You shouldn’t let one bad day ruin the rest of your week. If you continue to have bad days, change the way you are praying. If you have a good day, and even if you have a bad day, give thanks to God. Prayer is a powerful thing. If you are having a bad or a good day, if you are sick or healthy, if you are wealthy or poor, prayer is one of the most important parts of your relationship with God.

Brandon Bohn: 16, Springdale, AR

Cross Church Springdale Campus and Shiloh Christian School, Springdale, AR

Put Your Trust in the Lord

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. —Proverbs 3:5

Have you ever had a problem, a question, or any kind of situation where you didn’t know what to do? Did you do what you thought was right, but the situation didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to? Maybe it was because you did not ask God or trust in God. Matthew 7:7 says, "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you.’’ Maybe if you had asked and sought, like it says in Matthew 7:7, the outcome could have been different. Maybe if you had set your trust in the Lord, like it says in Proverbs 3:5, and not done what you thought was right, the situation might have gone another way. We all run into problems and questions at some time in our lives, but we need to remember Matthew 7:7 and Proverbs 3:5 so that we can ask for the answer, search it out, and trust that God will do what is right in our life.

Clayton Teal: 17, Pageland, SC

Smyrna Baptist Church and South Pointe Christian School, Pageland, SC

The Boldness of Nigel

In Him we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. —Ephesians 3:12

I’ve known Nigel since the fifth grade, and God has turned his life completely around. Our church did several mission projects in a broken-down neighborhood in our city, and that is where I met Nigel. You could say Nigel was not the best person in the world. He was certainly not living for the Lord. He cursed all the time, and his lifestyle was very bad. God laid him on many people’s hearts, including mine. I became friends with him when he started riding our church bus to church. I watched as God began to work in his life, and he started becoming more open to the