30 Devotions For Youth LeadersSample

“News from the front...” This week I received an email update from one of my team members that was titled “News from the front.” This military reference set the stage for an update about our staff ministering to middle school and high school students at a camp in Oregon. What followed was a detailed account of places where the battle raged, places where victory had been claimed, and places where the intensity of the struggle seemed overwhelming. At Youth for Christ, that level of intensity does not surprise us—when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed, a battle surely ensues. “News from the front”... isn’t this overstated? The intensity of the language seems strong, perhaps alarming... is it really necessary? This is a battle for territory in the lives of young people who relinquish their souls without a fight. This is a battle for the sanctity of God’s creative design in teenagers’ lives. This is a battle for hope and love and honor and all things good and righteous. It infuriates the Evil One to see the redemptive power of Jesus move. Satan is a liar—distorts the truth about any and all aspects of God’s love to cast shadows of doubt or fan the flames of personal destruction. The Evil One has no rulebook. When we invite a battle, like we do each week at YFCamp, we witness Satan’s work in painful ways. But we press on, armed with the Word, the Spirit, and the army that is the Church. We offer grace and mercy and transformation; we deflect lies with the truth and extend love to defeat hatred. “News from the front...” Good news, God’s news. This is our calling and hope. We fight for the cause of Christ and extend His transformational power to the most hopeless and helpless. We pray, “God help us,” and He does... over and over and over again. In spite of the enemy, against all odds, the battle belongs to the Lord.