WARNING SIGNS

Many times, we want to explore, we want to enjoy life, we want to do what our friends are doing, we want to wear what they wear, eat what they eat, drink what they drink, eat the way they do, walk and talk the way they do, we want to feel among as youths. That is exactly how we put it....Feel among.

Because of this attitude, many youths have missed it; we often chose a wrong path because we want to be like our friends. Remember that you are not living your life for your friends; many of us have ignored the warning signs….

When you have the Spirit of God in you, there are some signs you receive when you want to take some decisions in life. These signs are called the warning signs… a warning sign can either be positive or negative, it tells you if what you are about to do is right or wrong…

Let me share an experience with you. There was this young girl who loves to live her life just the way every other girl lives it…she grew up in a Christian home, her parents not too strict but tried to ensure that she lives a godly life. Because of this, she is restricted from living her life the way other girls do but she longed for it…she enjoys receiving calls from the opposite sex and listening to their sweet deceiving words, she felt it was just normal because most of her friends in school talked about it… however, whenever she makes attempt to go out with her friends after school hours to visit some of their boyfriends, she feels uncomfortable and reluctant….

She never knew that feeling uncomfortable and reluctant were warning signs… these warning signs came as a result of her background and her family. Remember I told you she hails from a Christian family where she is trained to behave in a decent and Godly manner. Most times she won’t go with her friends telling them she feels it’s not right but instead of fleeing from them she continued to listen to their stories and experiences.

Remember the bible says in proverbs 1:10 ‘My child, if sinners try to entice you, do not consent’ but she didn't heed to these word…Evil communication corrupts good manners, she never listened to the warning signs, she ignored them completed and got into trouble.

Her friends continued to persuade her until she was totally convinced, she followed them and was raped on one of the visits… that is one of the dangers of ignoring warnings signs… Be careful not to fall victim of this. In her case, she was raped, some other people might not be very lucky; some can get killed in the process.

We are not perfect humans but I strongly believe it’s never too late to turn to God when you know you have missed it… God loves, He will be willing to receive you back into his arms the moment you confess your sins and run back to him… Remember the story of the prodigal son in the Bible, after he misbehaved, his father still welcomed him and accepted him when he realized his mistakes. The same is true with God, he gives wisdom and leads one in the right path, which is only if you can fear Him and obey his commandments.

Fearing the Lord is the beginning of moral knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction…the fear of the Lord is to hate evil, pride and arrogance, the moment you fail to regard God you become a fool. It’s because so many young people fail to fear God and obey his commandments that is why it is very difficult for them to obey their parents, I will say if you can not obey and fear Him that created you how much more can you obey your parents. Always listen to the instructions from your father and do not forsake the teaching from your mother. 

The Bible says obeying them will be like an elegant garland on your head and like pendant around your neck.
A Garland is a wreath of flowers as a decoration and a Pendant is an ornament hung from a chain round the neck.They shall be an ornament of grace upon your head…. A garden looks so beautiful when it is decorated with good scented flowers, obeying your parents makes you look beautiful just like a garden decorated with good scented flowers, this brings grace upon your head.

Looking all around today, I find it difficult to believe how young girls and boys have deeply engaged themselves in sexual activities, unholy relationships and even early marriage. It is very common to see a young girl of fourteen years (14) who is sexually active and some even getting pregnant. We live in a society where the young ones are exposed to pre-marital sex, drugs and all sort of corrupt practices. Some of our young ones do not have the correct knowledge and understanding of some words as the society has given some words different meanings entirely.

When I was younger, I believed so much in keeping and making friends and also building a strong relationship with them. But then the understanding I have on issues like this is that having a good relationship with friends, siblings, parents, neighbours, and extended family members’ helps to promote and create mutual love and understanding.

The kind of friendship and relationship we had then was not based on sexual feelings at all. It shocked me of late to see young ladies, guys, boys and girls going into relationships based on sexual feelings, lust, infatuations and even for some selfish reasons such as money and gifts from the people involved.

I know the world is developing and Technology is improving fast, everyone is now enlightened on so many issues and things, this is good but seems to have its downside. This is because it has also heightened the moral decay that exists before among the youths of today. For example, one-night stands, casual sex and unfaithfulness to spouses are among a long list of vices that have increased due to technological advancements in communication such as social media and instant messaging. A lot of people tend to use technology to do the wrong things despite its good intended uses. But as leaders of today, leaders of the future, are you learning the right things, are we being positive in our thinking…

Some youths have allowed their sexual desires and youthful lusts and exuberance to destroy their lives and ambitions… many have failed to hear from God, they have refused to listen to their parents, some have killed their dreams because of imitation, some don’t even know what they want to become anymore… they rush into early marriages and end up rushing out, abortion has become a normal routine for some ladies, stealing, drug trafficking, internet fraud, and all sort of criminal and corrupt activities. Where exactly are we heading to, if the people who are suppose to bring out the best in the coming generations can’t even bring out the best in themselves?