Raising Successful TeensSample

Strong and Courageous

The culture has become increasingly secular and often discriminatory toward religion, Christianity in particular. In light of that, help your teen solidify in his mind the answers to these questions. 

1. Do I believe the Bible is the absolute truth of God? 

2. Do I believe Christianity is distinct from other religions?

3. Do I believe there are multiple ways to get to heaven? 

4. Do I believe that all other religions are false? 

5. Do I believe in the deity of Jesus? 

Your teen should be able to clearly defend what he believes. You might be asking how you can do that. 

We find the answer in Joshua 1. God told Joshua to follow His laws carefully. This command to “meditate on” and “be careful to do everything written in” is one requiring a focused discipline. 

God wants you and your family to have a well-grounded confidence in who He is. He knows that this confidence will not take shape without hard work. My older brother, Kent, just finished running his first marathon. He is fifty years old and understood that getting from the starting line to the finish line would require strong discipline. He knew that without hard work, he would never be successful. God knew that in order for Joshua to be successful in leading the nation of Israel, he, too, would have to work hard. He would have to above all study, know, and reflect on Scripture. 

The more you read and meditate on the Bible, the more you believe in God. His Word teaches us how to place confidence in who He is and who He has created us to be. Romans 1:19–20 and Psalm 19:1 teach us that we can see God’s glory, thus placing confidence in who He is, by looking at His creation. Just as our physical eyes see proof of the wonders of the earth, our spiritual eyes see proof of the wonders of who God is. Your teen counts on you to lead him into the wonders of God’s Word. 

Lord, I confess that today’s culture sometimes confuses me too, even swaying me to wonder what is really truth. I want to be immersed in your Word so that I can answer these five questions well and help [teen’s name] to answer them too. Guide us into all truth. Amen.