Dangers For Adolescents

Feature 3 – July/August 2022 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Dangers For Adolescents

This world is full of dangers! Regardless of age, we all face things that can harm us. It is important to look at Scripture to see what the dangers are and how to avoid them, and the Bible teaches us how to manage when we find ourselves in danger. We often think of this physically, but we will primarily deal with what can harm our relationships with the Lord and others. While the title mentions adolescents – those who are transitioning from childhood to adulthood – these truths are for all of us.

We want to focus on four people: Moses, Joseph, Daniel and Timothy. Let’s see what we can learn from these young men.

Moses
In Egypt, Moses was born into an Israelite family (Ex. 2:1-10), but he was raised as a son of Pharaoh’s daughter. This means that he grew up in an environment where he had many material things around him, including clothes, money and education – anything to which a prince would have access. However, he knew he was an Israelite; he never forgot to whom he belonged.

Moses reminds us of a believer growing up in this world and having access to many things. Yet, as believers we must always remember that we belong to the Lord. What can we learn from Moses? Hebrews 11:23-29 gives us clues about some of the dangers he experienced.

Danger Of Education. Moses had every opportunity for an education. He grew up in Pharoah’s court and had access to the best instruction. However, this would have been the world’s teaching, which can be dangerous. Most of us have to go to school, and we are taught many things that go against the Word of God. The Bible teaches that we need wisdom (Prov. 10:1, 15:20), but we have to be careful about just learning. In 2 Timothy 3:7 we read that we can always be learning yet never come to the knowledge we need.

So, what exactly are we learning? Are we taking in God’s wisdom? He is Wisdom (Rom. 11:33), and He is the source of wisdom for us (Prov. 9:10). God’s wisdom allows us to know how to live in this world. The danger for believers is that worldly education often goes against Scripture. Our motivation for an education can often be to advance in this world. The Bible teaches us to provide for our family (1 Tim. 5:8), and we may need to learn a trade or skill to do so. Still, we should be striving to be educated in God’s Word and focus on our spiritual learning.

Danger Of Riches. Another danger for all of us is our view of money or riches. Moses made a choice not to be rich (Heb. 11:24-26). He was rich and he left it! If you were rich, do you think it would it be easy to walk away from it? Believers are told not to strive to be rich (Prov. 23:4-5), and we are not to store up riches on earth but in heaven (Mt. 6:19-21). If we want to be rich we will fall into various problems (1 Tim. 6:9). While Moses grew up with money around him, he knew that riches are temporary, and he made serving God the most important part of his life. He was an example of laying up treasures in heaven and not on earth.

Riches do not last; they typically lead to problems. Early Christians gave away their riches rather than keeping them (Acts 4:34). We are told the “love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10 KJV). What is our view of money or riches? Is our desire to accumulate or to give away? The Lord taught that it is better to give (Mt. 19:21).

Joseph
Danger Of Sexual Immorality. From Genesis, the world has been filled with sexual immorality. Joseph is a good example of someone who was faced with such temptations and chose instead to honor the LORD.

Sexual immorality is a danger for every young person. However, it is not limited to them. It is sin even when the immorality is only in our thoughts. Remember the Lord said that looking at someone and having evil thoughts is the same as the action (Mt. 5:28). We live in a world of “looking”; technology has made it very easy to “look.”

In Proverbs 7:26-27 we read that sexual immorality has cast down strong men. So how did Joseph successfully handle sexual temptations? Reading Genesis 39:1-21 we see Joseph had been sold as a slave in Egypt and ended up in Potiphar’s home, where he grew in his position. Potiphar’s wife urged Joseph to commit sexual sin with her, but Joseph refused. He resisted the temptation because he knew that if he did not he would be sinning against God! He would also have been sinning against her husband and himself, although the possibility of sinning against God was a primary concern.

Likewise, when we commit sexual sin – whether in action or thoughts – we are primarily sinning against God. In 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 we are told that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we should glorify God in our body. We should use our bodies to glorify God.

Joseph realized that he needed to stay away from Potiphar’s wife. Scripture says he did what he could to avoid her (Gen. 39:10). He put up barriers or made arrangements so that he would not be tempted. Do we do that? We may face the same temptations every day as Joseph did with Potiphar’s wife. Like him, we need to put up barriers so we can avoid even being in the presence of something or someone that tempts us sexually.

Daniel And His Friends
Like Joseph, Daniel was a young man who was taken away from his home and put in a new country. However, when he was taken away, three of his friends were taken with him: Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. They were all given new names and were expected to conform to the customs of the country in which they were held (Dan. 1:7), where they faced many dangers.

Danger Of Conformity To The World. Daniel and his friends were in a country which opposed God. They had to decide whether they were going to obey Him in it. This is a test that young people especially face when they are in new places by themselves. Will they conform to the pressures around them?

These four young men were to eat meals from the king’s meat and share in the king’s wine. No doubt, the king and those working for him thought they were giving Daniel and his friends what would be good for them. But these four knew there were certain laws about the types of meat they could eat (Lev. 7, 11); the king’s meat would defile them.

The important point is that Daniel was going to need to make a decision. He could eat the food and no one from home would know; or he could, as men tend to say, take a chance about how the king’s people would respond to his saying he was not going to eat their meat. Daniel had already decided in his heart that he was not going to defile himself (Dan. 1:8). Therefore, he asked the man in charge for permission for him and his friends not to eat the meat, but to have vegetables and water instead. God rewarded Daniel and his friends for their faithfulness, and they all became wiser than everyone else. They were willing not to be conformed to the customs of the new country so they could do what God had asked of them.

We are told: “Be not conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). Do not let the world put you in its mold. The danger is that we might allow the world to decide what we will do, or that we give in to the pressure of those around rather than following God’s Word.

Danger Of Idolatry. In Daniel 3 we read about Daniel’s three friends, apart from Daniel at the time. The king had decided that everyone would have to bow down to a large golden image he had set up. This was something Daniel’s friends could not do, for God had said that they were not to have any other gods beside him or bow down to other gods (Dt. 5:7-9).

An idol is something in our lives that takes the place of God. In this case it was a large golden image. However, it could be a small image or anything that takes God’s place in our lives. In 1 John 5:21 we read: “Keep yourselves from idols.” We need to be watchful of them. What could be an idol or something that becomes more important than God to us? It can be sports, an athlete, a famous person, or the things we have. Even our children can become more important to us than God. One way to identify an idol is to ask if there is something that keeps me from reading my Bible and praying. Is there something that prevents me from meeting with God’s people when I should? Idols are a danger!

Timothy
Timothy was a young man who traveled with the apostle Paul. The apostle described him as “my dearly beloved son” (2 Tim. 1:2). Paul said Timothy was young (1 Tim. 4:12), and the apostle wrote at least two letters to him: 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. He referred to Timothy in six of his other letters too: 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians and Philemon.

Danger Of Ungodly And Useless Conversation. The apostle Paul told Timothy two times to avoid “profane and vain babblings” (1 Tim. 6:20, 2 Tim. 2:16). “Profane” means “ungodly,” and “vain babblings” is “useless conversation.” One of the dangers Christians face is that people do not simply accept what the Bible teaches. Instead, they want to go after other teachings. This may end up in useless conversation about issues. Sometimes we argue with people about biblical topics to no end or purpose. We find ourselves arguing for no reason.

In today’s world, with the internet, there is certainly plenty of useless conversation. This is a danger for the believer in that we read things that are not biblical, and it is harmful because we are also wasting time. The Bible tells us to be “redeeming the time” (Eph. 5:16), which means to treat it as something precious or to make the most of our opportunities. A danger for all of us is that we waste time in useless conversation.

Even as an adolescent, we should take advantage of the time we have to focus on learning the Bible and following the Lord. Do not let the danger of useless conversation take that opportunity away.

Danger Of Despising Our Youth. Paul told Timothy, “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). This is quite an example, isn’t it? A young person can be an example in all of these ways to those around them, including older people. We talked earlier about Joseph who was likely a teenager when he was sold as a slave in Egypt. However, the danger is that someone despises our youth.

We can think of ourselves as being too young to serve the Lord or to be an example for Him. However, the Bible is full of young people who faithfully served the Lord. Their stories were written down so we can read about them. There was the little girl in 2 Kings 5, David in 1 Samuel 17, and the young boy in John 6. Miriam, Jeremiah and Esther also served God already when they were young, besides the ones we just discussed in this article. God recorded what they did in His Word, and He takes note of what we do. Do not allow yourself to fall into the danger of thinking that because you are young physically or spiritually that the Lord cannot use you. He can and will.

Conclusion
We talked about some of the dangers that exist for young people. There are many more, and we need to realize that the Devil walks around “as a roaring lion … seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We must be careful and watchful.

If we keep our eyes fixed on the Lord Jesus (Heb. 12:2), He will help us to be those who overcome these dangers. And if we give in to a danger, the Lord is the One who can pick us up, as we read in Matthew 14. Pray that the Lord would protect all of us from these things.

By David Pickering

Jesus constrained His disciples to get into a ship, and to go before Him unto the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God. —Matthew 14:22-33 KJV