What Were You Created For?

Genesis 2:4-25


What were you specifically designed to do? Each person has special gifts and talents and was created for a unique purpose, but there is also a general answer to these questions that fits everyone. Do you want to know what it is? 


Well, it's NOT texting. So many teens love to text. Ever wonder why? Texting makes us feel connected to others. Posting on Facebook and Twitter has a lot of appeal too, because its all about social relationships. But sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the drama and log off feeling emptier than when we started. While texting, Facebook, and Twitter are fun options to digitally connect, it's important that we invest in relationships in other ways, too. 


What about those who live for getting awards? From academics, to sports, to who's who- all those are great, but they're just not what we were all created for. 


Some live life like it's all about making money. Having money is not a bad thing. But even if we plan to give it all away, its still not what we were created for. 


The one thing we ARE all created for is relationship. We were all created with a huge need for a relationship with God; and for relationships with other people. The word "relationship" means "connections." Can you think of some specific times when you've felt this strong need to connect with others? This is one reason why God created the Church- to build strong relationships with others who know him and to worship him together. If you don't already have a church, try to find a local church or youth group you can plug into this Sunday. You need them and they need you. 

Which Way Do I Go?

Proverbs 14:12- There is a way that seems right unto man, but it's end is death. 

How do you usually decide whether a certain belief or behavior is right or wrong? do: 

a) toss a coin: Heads it's right, tails it's wrong? 

b) weigh it carefully, considering whether it feels right?

c) measure it against what the majority things? (If it's pretty much accepted in your school, church, or community, it's probably OK)

d) none of the above? 

If you answered (a), you've got the a lot of company. Many people today make decisions this way. They may not actually flip a coin, but they don't lose any aleep over such a decision. They put more thought into what kind of dog food to buy than if a certain action would be right or wrong. 

If you answered (b), you chose an extremely popular model for determining right or wrong. People who choose this usually try to decide what's right or wrong based on their own opinions or feelings. They're likely to say, "I think it's wrong to hurt another person," or "I feel it's OK to get mad as long as you have a good reason." 

If you answered (c), you're with a number of people who make decisions about right or wrong they way you do. They try to decide what's right or wrong depending on what everyone else is doing. If they see other people cheating or breaking the law, they think it's OK for them to do it too. 

If you answered (d), you'll probably find yourself in the minority most of the time. But the truth is, we can't make right choices based on how we feel or on what everyone else is doing. Right and wrong are not determined by an individual's opinions or feelings or by what the government or society accepts or rejects. Right and wrong are determined by God, who is the original, the universal, the absolute standard for everything that is good and right. 

For example, lying is wrong because God is true. Stealing is wrong because God is just. Hatred is wrong because God is love. These things are wrong no matter what you may think or feel. These things are wrong, not because the majority thinks so or because society frowns on them, but because God thinks so. 

REFLECT: Proverbs 14:12 says: "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." How might choices (a), (b), and (c) above, have  the same consequences? Think back on how you usually make decisions about whether a belief or behavior is right or wrong. now think about Proverbs 13:12. To what consequence will your method of deciding lead you? 

PRAY: "God, help me consider your desires in every choice I make, especially when it's hard to do the right thing, like when I have to..." 

Advancing Through the Battle

As God’s children, we never have any reason to fear. If we stay close to Him, that will always be true, no matter our circumstances. Our Father is good. Our Father is loving. Our Father is more than we could ever expect. His goodness extends into all areas of life—including the battles we find ourselves in.

When we are attacked, some of us prepare for the long haul. We build fortresses and walls and settle down for a decade-long siege. We do not realize and perhaps aren’t open to the possibility that there is goodness even here, in the midst of hardship.

It can be difficult for us to understand why God is allowing this obstacle, let alone realize it might just be our Father’s doing. Though we are aware of the promise that all things work together for our good (Rom. 8:28), we typically hold this truth at a distance.

Here, however, our thinking needs to change. Every time we are attacked by something, God releases influence in our lives to overcome that attack. This means that we enter painful situations at one spiritual “level,” and, depending on our choices, we exit them at another level. If people attack us, we gain influence with people. If we are demonically attacked, we gain power and authority. From a human perspective, these tests may be painful and chaotic, and many of us run from them. But they are opportunities for promotion.

Stumbling Headfirst Into the Next Level

God’s power is seemingly absent in much of the Western church today. Many of us have been praying for more of His power, but His strength is not something that can just be handed to us. It is not something that comes flippantly or easily. We don’t obtain it with passivity; we earn it through battle—by walking with God through shadowed places and overcoming the things that stand against us. As Jesus said, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force (Matt. 11:12). If we want more of God’s power in our lives, we can expect conflict.

The question then becomes, What do we really want? Do we want to become champions of the Most High? Do we want to see God’s kingdom come on earth and to experience His power in our everyday lives? Do we want Him?

If the answer is yes, then change is in the air. In most cases, we can expect the road to get a little rocky. We can, actually, expect what many of us are already experiencing—times of intense battle! Herein we find the “battlefield promotions” of God.

That is why times like these are not times for fear; they are times for promotion. The way in which we handle difficulties is the key to our success. If we try to keep doing things our own way, we will stay exactly where we are, following the same road. But if we turn to God and trust Him, He will move on our behalf and help us overcome the darkness.

In the Midst of War

For years, I believed that if God wanted me to do something, I would be able to do it easily. So when the opportunity became difficult, I would quit, thinking God was no longer in it. Yes, sometimes God’s intended path has long, lenient stretches that are wide and flat and simple to navigate. But at this point in my life, I grow a little nervous when something seems too easy. Small battles tend to produce small champions. When given the choice to stay in the melee or run from it, I do my best to pick up my sword and look to God. I have spent far too much time running from my war zone, when there was no reason for it.

We live in difficult times. The world we know is shaking. But when we find ourselves in battle, we can remember that God is releasing influence in our lives to help us overcome that darkness. And afterward, when the dust has settled, we can stand there and experience the wonder that is found in walking hand in hand with Him in the midst of war.