Revolutionary Leaders

Back-To-School Spending

According to the National Retail Federation these are the amounts that the average shopper spent this year of back-to-school items.
$231.80 - Clothing and accessories
$129.24 - Electronics and computer related equipment
$108.42 - Shoes
$94.02 - School supplies

I wonder how much has been spent - invested - in being spiritually ready to go back to school this year.
$94.00 - Youth Advance
$29.95 - Fire Bible
$12.99 - Christian T-shirt
$3.00 - SYATP wristband

Christian paraphernalia and money spent aside, what have you truly invested to prepare yourself to get back to the grind of 180 days of school? Hopefuly you've been praying for your teachers and peers. Maybe you've even fasted a bit.

PR's Challenges for Back 2 School Readiness
1. Compact NIV Bible - Take a small Bible to school with you. You never know when opportunity may present itself for you to share your faith. Besides, you can always read during study hall instead of taking a nap or shooting spitballs.

2. Spirit of Prayer - Of course you'll pray before a quiz or test, or you'll pray for that someone special to say yes when you ask them out, but prayer needs to be more than that. Those are what I call crisis prayers. You also need to be praying for your teachers, your peers, and yes even your parents and sibling.

3. Plan of Attack - There are a 101 ways and methods of sharing our faith with non-believers. Find ONE that fits your personality and style and learn it thoroughly. Practice presenting it to yourself so that when the opportunity comes (and it will everyday if you keep your eyes open), you'll be able to effectively present the gospel. Your "plan of attack" could save someone from an eternity in hell, so be prepared.

4. Power of the Spirit - The Bible clearly tells us that we will be filled with POWER after the Holy Spirit comes upon us so that we can be a witness to the world we live in. Pray for Spirit's power to be explosive in your life so that you can follow through on your plan of attack.
5. Lean on your friends - Everyone has friends, but I'm talking about the friends that have "like faith". Friends that challenge you to grow in your faith, not ones that bring you down. Lean on them. Hold eachother accountable for your actions.