Sitting in God’s presence – reading the Bible, abiding in His presence – praying without ceasing, and living life in His presence – choosing Christ over the temptations of the world is one of the sweetest gifts we have here on earth – where we truly experience the beauty in the spiritual blessings He gives to us. This is the abundant life – knowing God and living life as He has called us to.
If you desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, by studying the Bible, the In His Presence Teen Bible study series is a great study for small groups or for someone who wants to study solo. These studies teach foundational truths, encouraging teens to sit in God’s presence, reading His word, and to live out their faith.
Victory is Found in His Presence
The End: The Book of Revelation
Jesus is returning! Does that excite you or freak you out?
Personally, I get excited. But it’s because I have studied the book of Revelation and the truth of God’s word eases minds. There is no fear for the Christian in end times. Why? Because the revelation of Jesus Christ assures victory for the Christian – the book of Revelation is a promise of rescue! Jesus Christ is the Beginning and the End. Rest assured, the end is good for the believer. For every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights – James 1:17, and Jesus Christ is the greatest gift – 2 Corinthians 9:15. Just give me Jesus!
The non-believer, however, has every right to fear. Do you care whether your friends know Jesus or not? See, here is the thing, friends don’t let friends die without Jesus. Hearts should be rejoicing for those who rejoice in the Lord, and they should be weeping for those who refuse to accept Him as their Savior – Romans 12:15. God has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel – Mark 16:15; the best and sometimes the most hardest place to start is with those you are close to. But believe me, as you go through this study, your heart will be triggered to reach out to the lost. Any person in their right mind would not want people to face the coming judgment. Nothing can stop this judgment from taking place – sin entered the world and God’s holiness demands that it get dealt with. God in His love has given us a warning and He says, “the time is near” – Revelation 1:3. But know this, the Giver of good gifts promises to bless you for reading, listening, and obeying the words found in Revelation. Seriously, it’s worth it!
Enjoying Life in His Presence
Radical Living: the Book of James
The book of James shouts – “People will be able to identify whether you are a Christian. They will see radical living when you obey God. Believe it! They will see the difference.”
Here, James, the half brother of Jesus, is writing to the Jews who were scattered due to persecution. They were persecuted for their faith; so he is reaching out to the hurting, calling them to heroic endurance by way of refusing to cave to temptation. It’s a book filled with straight truth, as James says, “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.” – James 2:24 NLT. Faith without works is dead and useless – James 2:17.
We are not saved by works, we are saved by grace when we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior – Ephesians 2:8. “Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done so none of us can boast about it” – Ephesians 2:9 NLT. But our faith is useless, unless it is witnessed in our obedience to God who “created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” – Ephesians 2:10 NLT.
So you see, faith is clearly witnessed by a crowd with divided loyalties. When the crowd observes genuine Christians living radically by being doers of God’s word, not simply listening to it, they see how genuine believers are not swayed by the world’s ways. Genuine Christians prove their faith by living honorable lives, doing good works with all humility that stems from godly wisdom – James 3:13.
When you dive into this study, my prayer for you is that as you ask God to illuminate His truths to you, you will hear His voice so clear. He will tell you how He wants you to live radically for Him!
Joy in His Presence
Redeeming the Time: Psalm 16:11 for the Girls
God blesses us with moments in life to redeem the time. A sweet gift from the Most High. It’s a time when we can sit in His presence, enjoying His perfection – experiencing the fullness of joy – while heeding His direction. Nothing is wasted in the life of the child of God. He loves us so much! He knows our works, for He created our heart – Psalm 33:15. We are His masterpiece created to do the good works He has called us to – Ephesians 2:10. Seriously, a blessing!
“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Psalm 16:11
God shows us the path He desires us to take. He shows us His desires. Everything is revealed to us in His Word; all we have to do is search His heart to find it. But the question is, do you want to? In His love, He allows you to choose.
My prayer for you is that as you go through this curriculum your love for the Lord will deepen, as you experience the fullness of joy in His presence. Living life in His presence is truly the best part of the abundant life.
Redeeming the Time: Psalm 16:11 for the Boys
So often in life, we forget that God loves it when we seek Him. He loves it when we sit in HIs presence. We are a consumer culture. “Give to me.” “I want!” “Do this for me!” But do we ever give unto the Lord our time, our mind, our gifts? There are so many opportunities in this life to sit in God’s presence, using our gifts for His glory, redeeming the time. Seriously, that moment you find your sweet-spot, there’s no turning back. Trust me! You’ll know. Whatever you are doing for the Lord will fit, you will have a sense of purpose in life and you will love it. It’s not a burden living life for the King, heeding His will in everything.
In His Presence Teen Bible Study
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For more books by Alysa VanderWeerd, click here.