Making Maximum Impact as a Teenager – Part 2
Dear Reader,
Welcome to the concluding part of this teaching. In the previous edition, we examined the power of focus for an impactful in life. This week, we shall continue our topic, Making Maximum Impact as a Teenager.
Another tool to make maximum impact as a teenager is:
The Power of Choice. The Word says: I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19). No matter how long you live on earth, your life span is broken into a time frame: years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds. Consequently, whatever your assignment on earth, you don’t have eternity to accomplish it; you only have a season. So, handle it well and maximise your days so you can live a life that counts. Your impact in life is largely dependent on how well you effectively exercise your power of choice.
A choice is the act of selection, especially of the best part or alternative. We live in a world of choices, and we make choices on a daily basis consciously or unconsciously. For instance, your haircut/hairdo, your clothes and your friends are all products of choices made by you! The choices you make either make you or break you. Therefore, you must recognise that the ability to make a choice is God’s gift and blessing to mankind, and the blessings of the Lord make rich; it is sorrow-free (Proverbs 10:22). May you use it positively to your advantage in Jesus’ name!
As a teenager, you have been empowered by God to make choices in every situation or circumstance you find yourself per time. You were made in God’s image, but God permits you to exercise the gift and power of making choices on a consistent basis. Those who end up as thieves or touts also had the power to choose between right and wrong. But some due to peer, environmental and other influences, choose wrong above right.
Understand that your choice will bring about changes, either negative or positive. Also, your choice will determine your destination. However, you have been predestined by God for glory and not for shame, but your choice in life will determine your end (3 John 1:2). Wherever you are today is a product of the choices you made yesterday. We are confronted daily with choices; either to pray or not, to read or not to read, what to eat, wear, where to go, and who to follow. God honours the choices you make, and the devil has no choice but to do same. Therefore, wisdom demands you be futuristic in your choices. Those who built the tower of Babel had the plan to build a tower that would reach heaven, but God had to stop them; if not, they would have succeeded in the plan (Genesis 11:6). Also, Daniel chose not to defile himself with the portion of the king’s food as it was offered unto idols before it was served (Daniel 1:8). His choice made him stand out among the other princes that were taken into captivity in Babylon. Likewise, Joseph had the offer to commit adultery with the wife of his master, but because he feared God, he ran for his dear life even when the woman tried to lure him into sinning against God (Genesis 39:12). When your friends, try to force you to do that which is against the law of God, what do you do? Flee! The Bible says: My child, if sinners try to lead you into sin, do not follow them (Proverbs 1:10) (NCV). Don’t make choices on impulse. If you do, you will end up regretting it.
Many teenagers are in a hurry; they just can’t wait. They are so much in a hurry about everything, and it reflects in the choices they make. For them, it is either now or never, and that is how the enemy ends up catching up with them. You will not be caught by the enemy in Jesus’ name!
Bad choices can lead to death, as in the case of Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:3-5), Amnon (2 Samuel 13:27-28), the teenagers who mocked Prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:23-24). Jesus is our perfect example of one who did not give in to pressure or wrong choices. He endured the cross and despised the shame of the present for the joy that was set before him, the joy of tomorrow (Hebrews 12:2). He endured the inconveniences of the present for the future. I don’t know what pressure you might be under right now; the good news is: that challenge, pressure or tension is only for a moment. It is not allowed to be permanent; its time is almost over! Your story is just about to change positively!
However, overcoming pressure cannot be made possible except with the help of Jesus, the One who made the right choice so we all might live. If you are not born-again, please say this prayer of faith: Lord Jesus Christ, I come to You today. I am a sinner, and I cannot help myself. Forgive me of my sins and cleanse me with Your Precious Blood. Deliver me from sin and satan to serve the Living God. From today, Lord Jesus, I accept You as my Lord and Saviour. Thank You Jesus for saving me! Now, I am Born Again.
Congratulations! You are now born again and a child of God. He loves you and will never leave or forsake you. With this, you are guaranteed all-round rest and peace, in Jesus’ name! Please write or call to share your testimonies with me through oyedepofaitha@gmail.com OR 08141320204 and 07026385437.
For more insight, these books authored by me are available at the Dominion Bookstores in all Living Faith Churches and other leading Christian Bookstores: Make Your Life Count, Singles with a Difference and Salvation: The way of Escape.
