Seventeen & The Other Side of Youth

During my early teenage years I just knew that 17 would be the perfect year of my life. It was more than a mere 16 where I am just driving but not quite 18 where I’ve entered “adulthood”. The seventeen magazine confirmed it for me. Why else would they name a magazine seventeen. 

I remember the pressure of the world around me feeling heavy. I wore mini skirts, worked my first fast food job, and tried so hard to be a good girl while chasing the world. I cruised around town in a barely running car I bought on my own with the radio turned loud. The cassette tape slid right into the tape deck with ease. The heater may not have worked in the dead of winter but the tape deck did. 

As I flirted with the ways of the world chasing life for the moment and nothing past it. I knew better but could not understand why people were concerned about the path I was walking. It wasn’t that serious after all. Eventually I would figure it out. Eventually. And life was endless. After all, I was barely 17. 

This morning I reminisced about those days. From the aqua net hairspray to the youth functions. It wasn’t all fond. I remember feeling how bad I wanted to fit in. The struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral. The battle for my soul. 

Mommas 

As I now sit on the other side of youth raising my own children for round two. I see the serious. The serious I could not understand before. I see it. I refuse to deny it. Mommas, I suggest you see it too. 

We are in a time much different than anytime before. We are watching it before our very eyes. Permeating the culture our children are battling for their souls within. The struggle between good and evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral. The war they battle in for their soul. 

In these days, culture is being redefined at rapid speeds. Fast paced with a click of a button on social media, catchy hashtags, half truth memes, and groups people are looking to belong to as a “community”. Our entire culture, an entire generation of youth, and children younger and younger access the worldwide web of unfiltered evil waiting to spew the acid of sin on their soul. 

Immorality called moral.

Evil called good.

Unrighteous called righteous. 

Washed up versions of truth called tolerance. 

Censorship called learning.

Silencing called harmony.

Conformity called unity. 

Unholy called holy. 

Satanic religions masked as social justice movements called progressive Christianity. 

Sexualization of women called empowerment. 

Gender confusion called acceptance.

And the list goes on…

As I reflected on the agenda of the day, I actually thought, it’s much worse than the aforementioned. 

Morality called immoral. 

Good called evil.

Righteous called sin.

Truth called hate.

Virtue called dirty.

Holy called unholy. 

Jesus called not enough. 

Bible called outdated & not applicable for the world today. 

Jezebel celebrated, sought after, praised, and followed by the masses based on a position of authority, power, and money.

Biblical principles for holy women of God called bondage while sexualized girls and women are called free and empowered. 

Tragic.

Let me be clear. 

No God fearing Holy Ghost filled woman can support, promote, celebrate, or ignore the jezebel agenda of this time that seeks to permeate the culture with sin and immorality devastating the world your children are raised in for generations to come. 

I will say it again.

No God fearing Holy Ghost filled woman can look for common ground, meet in the middle, ignore, and support the obvious agenda with one goal; moral rot.

I will say it again.

No God fearing Holy Ghost filled woman can raise her daughters and sons to celebrate, support, or promote Jezebel with the masses as a role model to seek and follow. 

It is time. 

The culture you support, passively or actively, influences, shapes, and molds your children one of two ways.

Make no mistake. There is no in between.

Either you lead them to Christ. Or you lead them away. Period. 

Mommas, do not be confused. Do not allow the devil to deceive you. Do not believe his lies as they come straight out of the pit of hell. They will burn you and your children. Do not play with the fire. 

Take Jesus into the fiery furnace with you and walk out unscathed without even the smell of smoke. 

Mommas. It is time. Time for the God fearing Holy Ghost filled women to stand up, put on your armor, pick up your sword, and WAGE WAR. 

Scripture 

“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone.”

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:1-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5 NIV‬‬

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:10-18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:3-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Bobbie