Prologue

Being a Christian teen comes with its perks, but it also comes with its adversity. Jesus Christ did not promise that a life devoted to following in His footsteps would be easy. In fact, He promised us that we would face troubles, that we would fall upon hard times. Trials are not designed to destroy your faith, merely to test and ultimately strengthen your faith. Look at your growing faith like you are building a dam. You don't know how strong your dam is until you let the water come. Trials and tests in our life are like the water, and our faith is like the dam. The water isn't there to destroy the dam, merely to see if it is strong enough. As we grow and mature, we begin to face more pressing trials and problems in life. Building a solid and firm faith now will make things smoother and easier to understand in the future.

Generation NOW is the title chosen for this devotional, and I'll give a brief explanation as to why I chose this title. Generation NOW stands for "Generation Not of the World." As Christians, we are called to be separate from the world. We are commanded not to conform to the world's standards, to the world's view of things. Teenagers face this problem daily - in the media, in their schools, among their friends, and often even in their own homes.They are pressured to walk the same path as the world, to make the same mistakes, to choose a life of sin over God. Now more than ever, Christians teens are being pressured to compromise their faith and give into temptation.

One of the most important things for a growing faith is fellowship. Fellowship with Christian adults and teens builds a strong support. To have Christian friends your age looking out for you, for people to understand what you're going through and be there for you. Teens in the world today often leave out this important part. It is important to have Christian friends that share your values. You need people that will back you in times of trouble. You need people that will steer you in the direction of God, because they have either been there, are facing it, or just have Godly advice. So in writing this, I want to be able to be a writing support for Christian teens who may be lacking in this area. I write this to make it known to my fellow Christians, that you do not stand alone.

Please join me in my journey as I share God's word in this devotional, Generation NOW. Please pray with me, as I seek for God's will in these words. Please let me know if you are encouraged, or want to be encouraging. I long to have a connection to my fellow Christian teenagers, as I too often need that support. So will you join me? Will you take the stand, the daily walk? Will you be the part of a generation that is not of this world? Maybe you want to be, maybe you're against it, maybe you're just afraid - just know that I write this either way, supported or rejected.