Do you guys ever feel like the world is just kicking you in the face? Or better yet giving you a little shove in the back while you’re walking in a large crowd.

You just feel crammed in and you’re doing all you can do to keep your balance and the next thing you know you’re falling?

I feel that way sometime. It reminds me of a scene I watched in “To Save A Life” last week. The main character is changing his life around, trying to learn about God, and doing his best to do the right thing… as he does this his world crashes down around him.

The other day I left my Garmen (navigation system) in the car. Well, it got stolen. Do I need a Garmen? No. Was it nice to have though? Yes. Its just one of those kicks, or pushes in the side. You see, that night Amanda and I had some friends over for a game night. We all had fun and what made it all the better was that we were all friends from church and we could share our faith together, whether it was that night or other times.

We were building the City of God together. Finding my Garmen stolen the next morning could have really discouraged me. Okay, let’s be honest, it did discourage me! But I didn’t despair. I reported it to the police and inssurance company, complained to Amanda for a bit, and then I just had to shrug it off.

What helped me shrug it off? Well that night as Amanda and I went to bed we prayed for that person who stole the Garmen. Prayed that he/she really needed it, and prayed that God’s Will and Justice be done in their life.

As you journey through life and walk towards God the devil and society are going to do all they can to frustrate you. They’ll lead you to believe that it’s easier to give up on God. But in truth your life will only become more heartbreaking, more frustrating, more lonely.

If you’re struggling right now with anything, keep your eyes on the prize. Not the end of high school, or moving out of home, or getting out of a bad relationship. Those are just blips on the screen, no matter how important or big they are, they’re still just blips. The prize is heaven, the prize is a relationship with Jesus, and its bringing as many people to that place and into that relationship as possible.

So how do you keep your eyes on the prize? Well prayer helps. But if you don’t know how to really pray how do you learn? Look for friends around you who have a genuine relationship with God. You know who they are. You can only fake a relationship with God for so long, it comes to the surface eventually.

Come to Life Teen! Surround yourself with people and places that will remind you of God. Filter out those things that tempt you to ignore God. (TV, Video Games, Internet, Drugs, Friends who talk down about God).

Remember, God is Love. And Love never fails.