LETTER TO TEENAGERS ~ Precious Victor Akah

The other day, my husband was sharing with me the news of a 20-year-old boy who strangled, dismembered and buried a 19-year-old girl in a shallow grave for ritual purposes after collecting N400,000 (Nigerian naira) from her parents. Horrendous stories like this and many more alike repeatedly cover the front pages of our newspapers, blogs and social media feeds. 

Some of us (adults) read this news and just sigh and continue with our lives, not realizing that if we shut our mouth from speaking against these vices and also keep flooding the social media space (where teenagers are) with the truth, warning them about the dangers of living such destructive life, in order to curb this mayhem, our children may not be entirely safe. 

You may be training your teenagers well, but how about the teenagers they mix with in school, in the neighborhood, church and other public places? This is why you must not only look out for your child, but seek the good of every teenager around you. "Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had." Philippians 2:4-5 counsels.

If you're reading this as a teenager, this is one of the best things you've done for yourself, and you'll understand why, now or later, so do well to read this letter to the end.

THE LETTER

PRECIOUS VICTOR AKAH writes,

As a teenager, one of the things I desperately longed for then was FREEDOM. Being under my parents and guardians, I couldn't do most of the things I wanted to do because I was living under their roof and they took care of my feeding, education and every need I had. I enjoyed these things but felt caged at that time because of the many restrictions they put. I yearned so much to gain "FREEDOM" and start doing whatever I wanted to do without limitations; without anyone restricting me, threatening me, obstructing me, or telling me what to do.

This is what you may be yearning for right now as a teenager. I wanted to grow up so quickly and get into higher institution where I would gain some bit of FREEDOM: eat what I want to eat, wake up when I want to, cook when I want to, go out and go to wherever I want to, do whatever I want to do, and most especially, start working and earning my own money, that to me then was the highest level of FREEDOM: being able to earn your own money and spend it however you want to. Hmmm! Sounds good, right? Of course yes!

I realized that FREEDOM is a WANT that every teenage boy and girl have in common. 

Well, I got this FREEDOM eventually, but what I didn't realize then was that such FREEDOM, if not held in check by a Superior authority, can lead to GREAT BONDAGE and cause a glorious life destined for greatness to shipwreck. This explains why some teenagers are drug addicts, smokers, alcoholics, promiscuous, sex addicts, fraudsters, and ritualists (engage in ritual murder to obtain ritual money). None of them are experiencing TRUE FREEDOM, all of them are in GREAT BONDAGE, believe me. And if you're in this bondage already, there is hope for you. JESUS CHRIST is that hope. If you can accept Him into your life and surrender all to Him, He'll grant you TRUE FREEDOM indeed.

Thank God I was rescued on time by JESUS CHRIST. The reason why a lot of GOOD teenagers turn BAD after obtaining physical FREEDOM is purely because they refused to subject the FREEDOM they got to a superior authority and become accountable to them.

Without accountability, any teen, no matter how good they may be from home, once they gain physical freedom, has the tendency to malfunction and turn bad the moment they get into the world and mix with the world. They cannot resist nor withstand the pressure to turn bad no matter how they try without submitting their freedom to a higher authority and become accountable.

As a teenager, whether boy or girl, if you must retain the good behavior you gained from home or from godly guardians and achieve the big dreams you have deep in your heart, you must put your freedom in check. You must become accountable to someone superior to you in age, wisdom and life experiences, (someone you highly reverence and take every counsel they give you because you know it is TRUTH they feed you with always) and let them guide you through life. 

I did not know this as a teenager and as a result, I used my freedom wrongly and regretted the consequences. But God showed me mercy and came to my rescue before it was too late for me. Thank God for Jesus Christ the Saviour and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Some teenagers, immediately they gain physical FREEDOM, start to experiment with things only adults are meant to meddle into, and because it is not right for their age, neither have they developed the emotional, social, mental, physical, financial, spiritual and intellectual capacity to handle such things, they end up with sad stories. 

A teenager is a person aged between 13 and 19 years. If you're within this age category, you have no business experimenting with love, hard drugs, sex, pornographic materials, rituals, and all sorts of dangerous and sacred things, if not, you may be burnt to ashes or escape with serious burns. 

Life is beyond the frivolities social media parades in front of you. When I was a teenager, I had no access to a smart phone nor social media until I turned 18. Now you have access to both, so, you must be careful to use it positively to your advantage and not let your exposure to it shipwreck your beautiful destiny.

Jesus Christ saved me a year after I passed teenage years (at 20 years). And believe me, it was the most significant and the best decision I ever made in life. I surrendered my physical FREEDOM to Jesus and became accountable to Him and He began to guide me through life. I still went back to my parents and became accountable to them since I had no other physical superior authority over me then that I could trust with my life to provide me with godly counsel besides my parents.

Today, I thank the Lord Jesus Christ that I grew in and with the wisdom He provided me and made good decisions. I am joyfully married with a great son God has blessed my family with and I have a flourishing career and a good job. I'm also fulfilling His plan for my life and realizing my glorious destiny. This too can be your story and even more, but it starts with surrendering your life and FREEDOM to Jesus, so He can guide you through life. 

Say this prayer with me if you want to surrender all to Jesus: Lord Jesus, I believe in You as the Son of God. I receive You into my life as my Lord and Personal Saviour. I receive your forgiveness for my sins and I receive the gift of the Holy Spirit you have given to all who believe on your Name. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me Your child." 

Congratulations for making this great decision. Remember though, that pressure and temptations from the world will come to make you use your freedom wrongly, but always resist it by going back to Jesus (in prayer and in studying the Bible) to know and to do what in His wisdom, He has instructed you to do in the face of every temptation and pressure to do wrong. Also, submit your FREEDOM physically to someone trustworthy enough to feed you with the TRUTH; stay accountable to them, it'll help you greatly not to abuse the FREEDOM you received.

Be courageous, victory is yours through Christ Jesus who strengthens you. Do well also to put your studies first after your relationship with God. Let no one lie to you that school is a scam. One of the principal things (besides God's favour and help) that secured me the good job I have today is my educational qualifications. If I had spurned school, I would not have obtained the lucrative knowledge I have today. Education is important; education is lucrative. Study hard.

ELIZABETH ISINKA writes

I call the teenage stage a journey to an unfamiliar city, a journey one must undergo to reach maturity and adulthood. The diverse new experiences you will encounter is the journey, and adulthood I like to call the destination. You have never been an adult before, hence you need all the guidance you can possibly get to avoid mistakes. 

You see this city called adulthood is a beautiful one, but if you hurry to arrive at it through the wrong part, you will spend your time as an adult regretting and feeling if only you knew better, this is because, teenagers naturally love to explore and want to be an adult as soon as possible. You feel the need to belong, most times some teenagers don't get the required love and attention they need from their parents, and so they head outside to look for it, they crave to love and be loved, and all these cravings and desires can lead you astray if not well guided.

Some common mistakes teenagers make which you must avoid are: 

• Yielding to the temptation of sex before marriage just for the fun of it, it never ends well, trust me. 

• Exploring alcohol and drugs when they are within your reach to feel on top of the world, to not be characterized as a novice, ignoring the mental damage it causes you and how is steals your ability to reason like a brilliant human.

• Paying unnecessary or too much attention to the opposite sex and your looks (especially for the young girls, making use of make-up too early) thereby selling your innocence and right to enjoy appropriate liberty from the burdens and concerns of adulthood.

• Feeling the need to talk back at your elders or even parents; this is so common these days, because you feel you are no longer a child (if you feel the need to remind people that you are no longer a child, then you really are a child).

• Switching moods quickly and exercising no self-control when you are angry because you do not understand the school of emotional intelligence.

• Ignoring the Almighty God when you are young only to realize later how pleasant and enjoyable He could have made your life.

The only way to enjoy peaceful teenage years void of catalogues of mistakes is to seek knowledge, learn about the things you don't know from proven authors and good people around you, enjoy the process, have fun with family, derive joy from being different from the corrupt ones, refuse pressure by all means, love and seek God in the days of your youth.

God bless you.

OLUCHI IFEGWU writes,

Dear Teens, being a teenager is an exciting, fun-filled experience that is supposed to be a fulfilling memory once adulthood beckons. This depends on what you choose to channel your energy to. Technology has made it impossible for ignorance to trend. Ninety-nine percent of everything that pertains to life is on the internet. What if I tell you that what we don't know is more than what we know. It is called SIR: Self-discovery, Ideas, Revelation.

How will you operate your gadgets without the producer's manual? You can never discover yourself without the help of your Creator. You discover yourself, you discover your purpose which is embedded in "whatever you are willing to do to make people happy or to make the world better". Self-discovery affects your choice of friends, words and lifestyle. Self-discovery gives you a platform.

Ideas makes you valuable. Be creative. When people who have discovered themselves and are creative find themselves in a class, the distinctive factor will be Revelation which gives one an Edge.

Above all, PRAYER, which draws you closer to your Creator. SIR is embedded in prayer. You pray to God because you love Him, you pray for Self- discovery, Ideas and Revelation. Pray always. By the Grace of God, you will overcome the temptations associated with being a teenager especially in this Jet age, Amen.

BLESSING EMEDON writes,

Dear future Generations:

Being a teenager can be tough, especially in today's world where there are so many challenges, temptations and pressures. It's important for you to have a strong foundation to lean on during these difficult times.

It is important to cherish the time you spend with your family, whether it's sharing meals, enjoying family time or going on vacations together. It speaks a lot about who you are because when you are on your own out there, that is the time to practice the godly foundations your parents has laid on you. 

Today, many teenagers are so eager and desperate for quick wealth. Know this that any wealth you acquire from fraud, scam, rituals, promiscuous life and dishonoring God will not last. It will end in depression, sad ending and death. 

My dear teens, have you read the Bible verse that says, "Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body". (1 Corinthians 6:18). Each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in a passionate lust like the pagans who do not know God. God has promised you that He would never allow you to be tempted to the point at which the only alternative you have is to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13). You cannot overcome flesh with worldly weapons. 

You have victory over a specific temptation when your thoughts and actions about it are Christlike. The temptations faced by teenagers are the temptations of the world, the flesh and the Devil, specialized for the vulnerabilities of teenagers. How you deal with them will determine your progress towards spiritual maturity.

Have courage, though the Devil rules this world and you live here in the flesh, you can overcome them all, for "Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world".

Lastly, how do you resist temptations?

1. Be reconciled to God. This is your first step in overcoming temptations as a teenager. Repent and have faith in God.

2. Meditate on God's Word and listen to the Holy Spirit always. Obedience to the leading of God is the way to our greatness in this world.

3. Deny ungodliness and cultivate Godliness. Stand in holy places. Attend Godly programs.

4. Avoid tempting situations and decide to do right always.

5. Be transparent to God and others.

6. And finally, have godly friends. The friends you have can make you or mar you. Choose good and depart from all appearance of evil. May the Lord increase the measure of your faith in Him, Amen. 

MILICENT SUNDAY writes,

Being a teenager today is so different from my time. The world has changed so much in the last few decades and it seems like being a teen is so much harder now, but can be easier when the Holy Spirit helps and leads you.

In my time, we were worried about when to get out to play and we were forced to come inside, now, it's reverse. This challenge makes being a teenager today so interesting. It's an adventure figuring out this strange new world.

Some of the challenges you face today as a teenager is majorly caused by social media, friends and family. Oftentimes, we become what we see or hear. Some of the lifestyle on social media you see may spur you to want to be like and look like them (doing drugs, flirting, drinking alcohol, womanizing, and expensive lifestyle) which you will not be able to meet up with, and this might tempt you to want to involve in illegal acts, do money rituals, sleep around to afford such lifestyles.

So, you need to filter who to keep and who to let go among your close friends, relatives and social media friends. It will make your life easier. The teenager stage is full of energy and emotional strength. So, equip yourself with much knowledge. The better you prepare, the easier it will be for you to cope as you advance to adulthood. Learn many skills as possible. And always keep asking questions when you don't know or are confused about a thing.

God bless you.

We hope you have been blessed by this letter. If so, we would like you to share it with your teenage friends or teenagers around you, so that they too can be blessed. We pray for you in Jesus' Name, your destiny shall not be truncated. You'll not suffer a shipwreck. You will not fail in life. 

You'll not use your freedom in the negative but use it productively and positively to realize your dreams and fulfill God's good plans for your life. You shall be a blessing to your generation, and through you, all nations on earth shall be blessed. You'll make right decisions. And may God give you someone trustworthy enough to constantly furnish you with the TRUTH and provide godly counsels; and receive grace to stay accountable to them.

God bless you.