Have you ever found yourself pondering the resilience of faith amidst modern challenges? Join us on a journey through the lives of young Christians navigating the complexities of contemporary society, drawing parallels with the unwavering conviction of Biblical figures like Daniel and the trio who faced the fiery furnace. Our discussion centers on the real-world pressures of social media and peer influence, and we provide actionable advice for cultivating a network of support and enhancing spiritual practices through regular prayer and Bible study.
In this episode, we're not just recounting ancient narratives; we're crafting a blueprint for living your faith boldly, day in and day out. Whether you're surrounded by a like-minded community or standing as a solitary beacon of your beliefs, discover how to fortify your spiritual resilience against the ever-shifting tides of popular culture. Get ready to be empowered and inspired to uphold your convictions with grace and courage, much like the heroes of old.
Have you ever found yourself pondering the resilience of faith amidst modern challenges? Join us on a journey through the lives of young Christians navigating the complexities of contemporary society, drawing parallels with the unwavering conviction of Biblical figures like Daniel and the trio who faced the fiery furnace. Our discussion centers on the real-world pressures of social media and peer influence, and we provide actionable advice for cultivating a network of support and enhancing spiritual practices through regular prayer and Bible study.
In this episode, we're not just recounting ancient narratives; we're crafting a blueprint for living your faith boldly, day in and day out. Whether you're surrounded by a like-minded community or standing as a solitary beacon of your beliefs, discover how to fortify your spiritual resilience against the ever-shifting tides of popular culture. Get ready to be empowered and inspired to uphold your convictions with grace and courage, much like the heroes of old.
Speaker 2:
Hey, I want to welcome each of you to the RSM Teens podcast and today I just want to talk a little bit about what it means to be a young Christian facing the challenges and opportunities in today's world. But before we get into some of that and it's very familiar passage that we're going to kind of launch off in today and that is in the book of Daniel but what is your favorite energy drink? If you had to pick a favorite energy drink, what would you choose? What would be your choice or selection of energy drink? This morning I have a Ghost Sour Patch, kids Blue Raspberry energy drink sitting before me and I'll be honest with you, I've been out of control here recently with these energy drinks and I'm going to have to put those to rest before long, but right now I'm going to enjoy the rest of this one anyway. I'm going to try to, I should say, because I will say I am not a fan of the blue raspberry. The red one is a whole lot better, but that is completely up to you. But what about being a teenager today? It's challenging, it's tough. I'm not going to sit here and act like it's not. Being an adult today is tough, but I will say that there's so much more access at your fingertips than there was even when I was a teenager just 10 to 15 years ago. So I want to encourage you all and lift you up a little bit here today and just try to be an example of how we can stand in today.
Speaker 2:
So you think about Daniel and the lion's den. Right, imagine being Daniel. He was a young man taken from his home, he was living in a foreign empire, but he stood firm in his faith. He prayed to God despite knowing what would happen and that it could lead to you know ultimately, his death. But his courage to stand, even when facing the lions, it showed us a power in faithfulness. But I will tell you that he didn't just end up in the lion's den, able to make that decision to stand. It had to start when he was younger. Remember Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, these three young men. They refused to bow down to King Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue and they were going to stand firm in their beliefs, even at the risk of being thrown into the fiery furnace, but it's the same thing. Their story taught us that integrity and the miracle protection that comes when we stand for God, when we stand in God.
Speaker 2:
So what are some modern, maybe, challenges that we would have with standing firm? So, in today's culture, it can sometimes feel like you're standing all alone, right. So being the only one standing up for an individual, all alone right. So, being the only one standing up for an individual, especially when you hold to Christian values, the social media, the peer pressure, a popular culture, it often pushes a narrative that contradicts what the Bible teaches. Okay, and again we go back and we look at the example of Daniel in the lion's den. We look at the example of Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, and they had to stand in their present culture, even when it wasn't popular to do so. And it's very important that we make the decision to stand, even though it's not going to be the popular opinion, even though it's not going to be, maybe, the socially accepted norm of our time. So what are some practical ways, maybe, that we can stand?
Speaker 2:
A couple of things that I wrote down here is finding support in our communities. Surround yourself with friends who share the same biblical values that you share. There's strength in numbers, okay, there's strength in numbers in a negative effect, and there's strength in numbers in a positive effect. But who are you running to? Who is your community? Who is your support system? Is it somebody, a group of individuals, online? Is it a group of individuals at youth group? Is it a group of individuals at school? No, is it a group of individuals at your workplace? Who is your support group? Because who is your support group? Those individuals that are speaking life into you, maybe when you don't even necessarily understand that that's what's happening. Those are the individuals that are going to influence you.
Speaker 2:
Another one that's massive, that we often neglect is regular prayer and Bible study. I'm talking about actually studying the word. You know, we had a Bible study this week and we went over Hebrews chapter 3, and it's important that we don't just read from the surface level of that text but that we deep dive into it. We understand exactly the parallel between and comparison in that passage between Moses back in the Levitical law days and we look at the same example of Jesus and how he's relevant to us today. There's a lot of applications to be made, a lot of parallels to be drawn, and so without deep diving into that, you'll miss a lot of gold nuggets in that. So, actually studying the word, getting out your Strong's Concordance, understanding what the word meant in its original language and going on and knowing that, but being a light Okay.
Speaker 2:
So finding support in your community, regular Bible study and prayer and being a light Standing firm is not only about saying no to the world, but this is where we miss it. It's about saying yes to God, like God. If you want me to do this, yes, god. If you want me to go to school here, yes. If you want me to marry this individual, yes. If you want me to stay away from that individual, yes. And it's about saying yes. Oftentimes we don't have any much problem saying no to the obviously bad things, but we don't always say yes to God when he is speaking to us.
Speaker 2:
You know, young person, I remember when I was your age. I remember being pulled in two different directions. I remember, you know, wanting to fit in, be cool. You know, do these socially accepted things at the time. And I'll be honest, a lot of times I did that. A lot of times I fell to the social norm or I, you know, went along with the logic that maybe me and my friend group had come up with and we thought was awesome.
Speaker 2:
But there came a point where I had to make a definitive decision that, hey, I am going to do what's right. I've wasted two or three years, I've made mistakes, I've done things I shouldn't do, I've formed some habits I shouldn't have and I was wrong. And biblically, I had to come to that realization and admit hey look, I'm going to put those things behind me, I'm going to move forward and bury those things. You see, there's verses all throughout the Bible like this. This actually happens to be my life verse. But Joshua 1, 9, have not I commanded thee. Be strong and of a good courage, be not afraid. I think it's interesting.
Speaker 2:
At the beginning of Joshua, joshua is stepping on the scene and stepping into the leader role after Moses. He was Moses' assistant there for some time, but it's interesting to me how many times in this first chapter of Joshua it says be strong and of a good courage, have courage, be bold and young person, I want to challenge you be strong, be of good courage, don't falter to the belief systems and ideologies that we're going through today. And so we learn from Daniel, we learn from Shadrach, meshach and Abednego, and they stood firm in their faith. You want to read more specifically about this and actually dive into the text of it. Daniel, chapter 6, daniel, chapter 3.
Speaker 2:
It'll give you great insight, but remember that taking isn't a take. I can't talk. Taking a stand isn't about facing the fire alone, so to speak, but it's about knowing who stands with you. So be bold, be brave and be unwavering in your faith. You're allowed to be unwavering in your faith because God stands with us. Okay, don't forget to put to practice sometime this weekend, standing firm in your faith, being bold, hey, if someone says something, hey, I don't necessarily agree with that, I'm sorry, but that, hey, you want to do. No, I can't do that. You know I'm not better than anybody, but I just can't do that. I want to thank you all for tuning in today. I want to challenge you to tune in next week to RSM Teens Podcast. Share this with a friend and hopefully they will greatly enjoy it. Have an amazing weekend. We'll see you here soon.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening. Please subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss an episode While you're at it. Please leave us a rating and review. Our goal is not to replace your personal devotion time with the Lord, but to give you the option to tune in through the week and get a boost from the Lord throughout your day. Do life big and remember there is no greater joy than walking daily with the Lord.
