Not Easily Persuaded

Not easily persuaded

How many want to be used by God? How many want to be radical for God? How many know that there are some things we have to do and conquer and deal with? But God wants to use each and every one of you in a mighty way. You may not see it...it may not seem possible, but we all know He is the God of impossible!

I want to encourage you tonight - as you embark on this journey into a new school year, remember

This can be a new start - another level to maturity - don't look at it in the natural, look at it in the supernatural - look at the bigger picture - I know many of you in here have dreams and aspirations - I want you to hold on to that - God put those there for a reason, for His purpose. He needs missionaries, doctors, lawyers, nurses, teachers, firefighters, preachers...to send His word to His people, to increase His kingdom. Hold on to the dreams He placed in your heart. Don't let persuasions from your peers kill your dream, don't let persuasions from the world kill your dream, don't let persuasion from your circumstances kill your dream and don't let what you see kill your dream.

Prayer: Lord right now I want to pray over these youths tonight God...pray that their hearts are open Lord to the word taught here tonight...open their minds Lord, to the purposes you have for them...Lord right now I ask that when they leave here tonight that they have a fresh outlook on this new school year, a fresh outlook on their purpose, a fresh outlook on life, in Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Tonight we are going to be talking about being "Not easily persuaded" whether it's from your peers or people in general - whether it's from the world -- whether it's from your circumstances - or whether its from what you see in the natural. God doesn't want these things to affect us. He doesn't want them to affect you in your walk with Him. Before we get too far let's, look at 1 John 4: 1 in the message bible

My dear friends don't believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.

So when I was looking at this, the Holy Spirit said, you can apply this to every area of your life, you can apply the Word of God to every area of your life - Don't listen to those who say the Word of God doesn't apply today...every issue you have, there's a solution to it in the word of God - Look for yourself, study for yourself - study to show yourself approved..

So I ask you, what are you persuaded by?

Peers - They don't always have your best interests at heart. They sometimes either want something from you, or want you to be messed up like them. They try to get you to do the things your parents told you not to.

1 John 3:13 - Do not be surprised and wonder, brethren, that the world detests and pursues you with hatred.

Proverbs 13:20 Msg Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

Amp - He who walks [as a companion] with wise men is wise, but he who associates with [self-confident] fools is [a fool himself and] shall smart for it.

1 Corinthians 15:33 - Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character

The World - - Why should you be persuaded by the secular entertainment industry or those in the world? Why should you let the world tell you what you should act like, talk like, dress like, and think like? If you watch tv enough, you know the world is messed up. Why would we as believers, as children of God, want to do what they do or take advice from them?

1 John 2:15-17 Msg Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. Practically everything that goes on in the world--wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important--has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out--but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

Amp - Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one's own resources or in the stability of earthly things]--these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself]. 17And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

Romans 12:2 amp - Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

Msg - So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Your Circumstances - - Why should you let your circumstances - age, sex, skin color, not enough money, poor school choice, bad grades, being raised by single parents - why should you let any of that hold you back - God has the final say so. All you have to do is let Him be Lord over your life.

1 Timothy 4:12 amp - Let no one despise or think less of you because of your youth, but be an example (pattern) for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.

Philippians