Seven Checkpoints Seven Principles Every Teenager Needs to Know

Introduction The Seven Checkpoints for Students Jared is a hard person to figure out. Many of his peers call him two-faced, a hypocrite. Their tainted view of Jared is justified. Even Jared would admit that he is a different person than he was four months ago. Back then, he was active in his church and a leader in his youth group as well as in a Christ-based club at his high school. He was considered a young man of strong faith. But something happened. Those who don't really know Jared, who don't know about his relationship with Christ, would say that he is just being a normal, fun-loving teenager. Those closest to Jared, however, see that he is spiraling away from God, and they blame it on her.Jared's about-face seemed to have started when she entered his life. What began as a simple attraction now consumes his attention almost twenty-four hours a day. The high standards Jared once held in regard to dating and girls have gone the way of the dinosaur. Lauren is having a difficult time believing this whole God thing. It's not because she doesn't want to. In fact Lauren hopes more than anything else that God is real and that He cares. But there are too many unanswered questions, too many tragic circumstances that don't make sense. It's not that Lauren has never given God a try. She was brought up in church. Her parents were very active in their congregation, and Lauren had no choice but to be in church too. At first she resisted, but as time went on she started to understand how much God loved her. She began to enjoy the worship, the teaching, and the fun she had with her friends there. She received Christ as her personal Lord and Savior, and her faith began to grow. But the phone call that dreadful night in January literally knocked her to her knees. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't move. In a shower of despair, shock slowly overtook her body and mind. My mom is dead? She just left the house! Is this a bad dream?Lauren never woke from that nightmare. Her mother had been killed in a car accident barely two miles from her home -- and God was to blame. If her mom hadn't been so involved at church, she never would have left for the Bible study that night. Surely if God really loved Lauren, her mom would still be alive.In the process of spiritual renewal and growth, faith is a critical, foundational element. For that reason it is imperative that you understand what faith is and what it isn't. Unfortunately, confusion over the definition of faith is rampant in the Christian community. Often faith is spoken of as if it were some kind of force or power -- something you can turn on when you need it -- if only you could find the right switch. But that's a faulty definition of faith. Confusion in this one area is the primary reason so many students abandon Christianity. It is the reason students have such difficulty trusting God with every area of their lives. It is also the reason so many students are unsure of their salvation. Conference after conference, meeting after meeting, camp after camp, they raise their hands again to indicate that they are receiving Christ as their Savior. They're not sure it "took" the last time. To be a Christian, you must have faith. But what exactly is faith? Let's talk about it. Checkpoint #1: Authentic Faith Read Job 1:6-22What was Satan implying in verses 9-11 about Job's faith?List everything Job lost that one day. How would you feel if this happened to you? Explain your fStanley, Andy is the author of 'Seven Checkpoints Seven Principles Every Teenager Needs to Know' with ISBN 9781582291789 and ISBN 1582291780.