"How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word." — Psalm 119:9
Read: Psalm 119:9-16. In his book Counselling the Youth, Josh MacDonald identified with young people and named many of the challenges they face, then sought to offer solutions. Because of the delicate season of youth, young people are vulnerable to many destructive pressures — and they are eagerly sought after by many forces in society: churches, civil organizations, cults, even the military, all looking for energetic, vibrant young people to carry out their work and secure their future.
Consider some of the pressures young people face today: foul language, hard drugs, and fear or anxiety; illiteracy, unemployment, peer pressure, cultism, and gangsterism. Pornography is on the rise, and with the reach of social media the menace can seem untameable. Others wrestle with fashion obsession, gambling and gaming, and the mad rush for quick wealth. Still others carry marital challenges, divorce, single parenting, eating disorders, abuse, and rejection — and what of poor academic performance or failing health?
These, and many more, are the pressures endangering our teeming youth, which they must overcome to live meaningfully. And this is exactly why every young person needs Jesus and His Word so urgently — for He came that they might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Accept Jesus now.