Adolescence And The Dangers To Avoid | Grace & Truth, Inc

Feature 2 – July/August 2022 — Grace & Truth Magazine

Adolescence And The Dangers To Avoid

Adolescence is the age of change, and it is universal in that everyone goes through this stage of development to enter adulthood. The period is a vulnerable time, particularly between the ages of 13 and 19. This is not an easy period for adolescents and their parents because of the various changes and dangers, but it can be a time of godly development.

Some Changes And Possible Dangers Of Adolescence
There are many deceptive and dangerous temptations which adolescents may encounter. Let’s list some of them:

Addiction to telephones, internet, cyberspace, social media, gaming and the like.
Changes in hormone levels may lead to an obsession with body image.
Desire to have things their way instead of a godly one could result in behavioral issues and challenges to parental authority.
Compliance with peer pressure or to find acceptance can lead to risky behaviors and their associated consequences, such as alcoholism, smoking, drug use, sex and disease.
Distraction from completing educational assignments and goals.
Identity crises with feelings of confusion, insecurity and mixed emotions.
Wrong choices as to be with what crowd.

However, even in these dangers adolescents can have victory over the temptations through a relationship with Jesus Christ, which leads to an intimate fellowship with Him. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57 NKJV).

Some Suggestions To Avoid These Dangers
• Avoid Addictive Behaviors. You can stand up for Jesus in His power and strength. “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil” (Eph. 6:10-11). You should use things like your cell phone, internet and cyberspace for necessary services only; do not spend time looking at things which are sinful and appealing to the flesh. Give your body, your mind and your will to the Lord Jesus (Rom. 12:1-2). If you are already struggling with addiction, there is hope for you in Jesus Christ. Expose your sins to Him, express your sins, and expel your sins. “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy” (Prov. 28:13). “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (Jn. 8:36). Also, inform your parents of your struggle and get professional help if needed.

• Avoid Identity Crisis. God knows you and has a purpose for your life. He said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). Therefore, stop being preoccupied with your identity and feelings of confusion, mixed emotions and insecurity. Instead, put your faith in God and, like King David, say, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14). He knows you, loves you, cares for you, accepts you, and values you (Jn. 1:12, 3:16; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 1:6).

• Avoid Mistaking Lust For Love. You are loved by the greatest lover – God Himself! His love for you will not fade, will not falter, will not fail, will not end (Jn. 3:16; 1 Cor. 13:4-8; Jn. 13:1). Therefore, say “Yes” to true love in Jesus, and “No” to lust.

Lusting is wanting what is not yours. Lust entices you and then enslaves you. However, you are more than a conqueror through Christ who loved you (Rom. 8:37). Through Christ, the power of the Holy Spirit, and praying and believing God’s Word, you can resist lustful affection, lustful attraction, and lustful ambition. These are always appealing to fleshly gratification, because they are given by the Devil. God said, “Do not love the world or the things in the world [the world’s system headed by Satan] … For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 Jn. 2:15-16).

• Avoid Yielding To Peer Pressure. When you are yielded to God you do not have to fear negative peer pressure to defile yourself. Although others were participating in the king’s delicacies, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine” (Dan. 1:8).

Also, King Nebuchadnezzar commanded all the people to fall down and worship the gold image he had set up. But three young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, refused to bow to the king’s demand to worship his image, and they refused to bend under the pressure by all the people. God saw to it that these three young men were not burned in the fire. Instead, as we read in Daniel 3, they had freedom and fellowship with the pre-incarnate Christ!

Refuse the pressure to participate in sinful pleasures, including partying with ungodly music, substance abuse, and sexual activity. Be selective and choose friends who will build you up without breaking you down in your character and in your love for the Lord Jesus and for your parents. Make wise choices even as Moses, “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25).

Examples Of Some Christian Adolescents
There are some adolescents who in the midst of these changes, challenges and dangers are not yielding as captives, but “are more than conquerors” through Christ who loves them (Rom. 8:37). In this world in which sin is glamorized by the media, these adolescents are making a difference by standing up and speaking up for the truth in Christ at camps and at schools. They are impacting others by obeying their parents in the Lord; by their communication of truth in love; by their gracious conduct; by their confidence in God; and by their commitment of living a life of purity in a peer-pressured, polluted society. As the apostle Paul encouraged Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12; consider Eph. 6:1). Thus, safety is not in the absence of danger for the adolescent, but it is found in the presence of Jesus, the Deliverer.

By Emanuel V. John