More than 3,000 young people age 9 to 30 packed CCF on Saturday for the youth portion of the Epicenter conference, and several hundred prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord at the end. It was a very powerful afternoon. I had such a fun time teaching from the Word about End Times prophecies, sharing my testimony of how I came to know the Lord and grow in my faith.
I also shared Lynn’s and my love story, which the kids really responded to enthusiastically. (I wish I had more opportunities to tell this story; it was a lot of fun). Explaining that they might be the last generation before the Lord returns, I urged the kids to walk in purity and prayer as the day of the Lord’s return draws near. Specifically, I encouraged them not to date one-on-one in high school but rather have fun in groups and concentrate on developing life-long friendships, not romantic relationships. In college and beyond, I encouraged them to remember that the Lord has created one person especially for them, and them especially for one person. Pray and ask the Lord to let you be asleep in love until you both are ready, and then trust the Lord to bring that special person to you at just the right moment. In the meantime, work on becoming a godly man or woman, worthy of loving someone sacrificially in marriage. And I told the group how Lynn and I made a covenant when we were courting not to kiss unless or until we got engaged. Explaining the power of purity and how the Lord would bless a decision like that, I urged the kids to make the same covenant not to kiss someone until they get engaged.
“Guard your heart,” I told them. “Don’t give your heart away to anyone until the Lord makes it absolutely clear. Ask the Lord to give you someone who loves Jesus more than you, who is stronger and deeper and more committed to the faith than anyone you can possibly imagine. I did, and it has made all the difference in our marriage.”