CAPA Corner: Stand Firm for the LORD

     “Hey, try this!”  So begins many temptations to do something we should NOT do.  I remember hearing those words from several of my neighbors as they “dared me” to try a cigarette when we were just beginning high school.  They tried to convince me, “Smoking is cool.  If you want to be cool, you need to smoke.”  At that moment I was facing peer pressure – to do something that I knew was wrong, and I might be unaccepted by my neighbors if I didn’t at least try the cigarette.  Unknown to my neighbors, I had committed to the LORD that I would not smoke.  I took to heart the words of 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you were bought at a price (by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross).  Therefore honor God with your body.”  At that moment I had a choice:  give in to peer pressure or stand firm for the LORD.  By the LORD’S help, I stood firm for Him.

     As our students return to their respective schools, they will be confronted by pressure from fellow students to do things that they know they should NOT do.  They will be confronted by temptations that go far beyond the temptation I had to try a cigarette.  Will they fear their fellow students or the One who is the Master over our body and soul (Matthew 10:28)?  If they are true followers of Jesus Christ, they need to keep their eyes on Him and stand firm for Him.

     We need to pray for the students in our schools, and for the school staff members and administrators who want to see the students stand firm for the LORD.  There is a great way to begin committing to pray for the students, staff, and administrators of the schools in Central.  On Sunday, August 11, at 6 pm at the Central High School Auditorium, the Central Area Pastors Association (CAPA) is sponsoring “The Stand”.  This is the opportunity to gather together to pray that our students, staff, and administrators of our schools will stand firm for Jesus Christ throughout the entire school year.  He is our hope and our help for another outstanding school year in Central.  Please join CAPA that evening in “The Stand” for Christ in our schools.