I've seen the Lord doing some amazing things in the lives of teenagers this year. I know it's because of the work of God and the result of prayer.
Call me crazy, but I believe this generation of students will have an amazing impact on our world and will pursue God with a greater zeal and passion than the generations before them. I invest more time now in prayer for young people than I ever have.
Today, I want to share with you 10 things that I pray for today's younger generation:
1. Purpose. I believe God has a plan and purpose for every student. I speak this over teenagers and ask God, no matter what their circumstances are, to give them passion and a deep-seated purpose for living (Jer. 29:11; Ps. 139:13-16; 2 Cor. 5:20; Jer. 1:5; John 14:13; Rom. 8:28-29).
2. Friendships. I spend time talking about the friendships young people develop more than other topics because I know the truth that you are (and become) who you hang out with. I pray God will give today's teenagers wisdom in choosing their friends and that God will bring people into their lives who will point them to Christ. I also pray that He will use students to encourage and build up each other as never before (1 Cor. 15:33; Heb. 10:25; 1 Thess. 5:11; 1 Sam. 16:7).
3. Character. Today's teen is bombarded with every temptation known to man, and the enemy is seeking to destroy their character. I pray that this generation of students may experience an ongoing transformation by having their minds renewed and that they will be examples to the world in their speech, lives, love, faith and purity. I also ask for more great Christ-like role models for our students, particularly among their own peers (1 Tim. 4:12; Rom. 12:1-2; Ps. 24:4).
4. Purity. I pray that God would give our students more of a hunger for righteousness than a sexual appetite and that they would see through the enemy's lies. I ask God to strengthen them and give them the drive to flee sexual immorality and help them reserve the gift of sex for marriage (John 8:32; 1 Pet. 1:5; Heb. 13:4; 1 Cor. 6:18; 1 John 4:4; James 1:12-14).
5. Passion. May God grant this generation of teenagers an anointing of power by the Holy Spirit to be the greatest witnesses for Christ Jesus that we've ever known. I also pray that their zeal for obedience would supersede any other human desire that they have (Acts 1:8; Luke 4:18-19; 1 Pet. 3:15; Matt. 28:19-20; Gal. 5:24).
6. Money. The root of all kinds of evil is the love of money. I pray that God would give spiritual eyes to today's teens and help them to view money as a great resource for Kingdom purposes. May God grant them contentment in plenty or when poor because of their richness in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19; Matt. 6:24; Eccl. 5:10; Heb. 13:5; 1 Tim. 6:10).
7. Submission and honor. I pray that this generation would submit to Christ and to those in authority over them. May He give them grace to love, respect and honor their parents, teachers, spiritual leaders and governing officials (Eph. 6:2-3; Heb. 13:17; Mk. 12:17).
8. Spiritual growth. I pray that God nurtures the soil of the hearts of young people and grants them a greater sensitivity to their spirit so that they may grow in the knowledge and grace of Jesus Christ. I also pray for more passionate workers for the harvest of youth ministry (Luke 2:52; Gal. 2:20; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 3:16).
9. Discernment. I pray God would give our teenagers the knowledge of the truth of God and spiritual eyes to see so that the enemy would not be able to deceive them. I pray they may also be able to discern between the teachings of the Living God and false gods or prophets (1 Tim. 3:9; 2 Cor. 2:11; John 17:17; Eph. 6:14).
10. Hope. May God help today's teens take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. I pray He would also fill every young person with the hope of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and protect their minds and hearts from hopelessness. May God also help them to cling to Christ during discouragement and soak up His strength when offering this same hope to others (Gal. 6:9; Eph. 6:13; Phil. 4:8; 2 Tim. 2:13; Heb. 10:23; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).
Join me in prayer for today's teenagers and share this with your ministry leaders.
Terrace Crawford, a popular speaker and writer, is a channel editor at ChurchLeaders.com. Terrace has been a mentor to students and youth workers for more than 15 years and connects with people everyday through his blog, terracecrawford.com and through twitter (@terracecrawford). He lives outside of Virginia Beach, Virginia.
For the original article, visit churchleaders.com.
Get Spirit-filled content delivered right to your inbox! Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
Dr. Mark Rutland's
National Institute of Christian Leadership (NICL)
The NICL is one of the top leadership training programs in the U.S. taught by Dr. Mark Rutland. If you're the type of leader that likes to have total control over every aspect of your ministry and your future success, the NICL is right for you!
FREE NICL MINI-COURSE - Enroll for 3-hours of training from Dr. Rutland's full leadership course. Experience the NICL and decide if this training is right for you and your team.
Do you feel stuck? Do you feel like you’re not growing? Do you need help from an expert in leadership? There is no other leadership training like the NICL. Gain the leadership skills and confidence you need to lead your church, business or ministry. Get ready to accomplish all of your God-given dreams. CLICK HERE for NICL training dates and details.The NICL Online is an option for any leader with time or schedule constraints. It's also for leaders who want to expedite their training to receive advanced standing for Master Level credit hours. Work through Dr. Rutland's full training from the comfort of your home or ministry at your pace. Learn more about NICL Online. Learn more about NICL Online.
