Evidence of God’s creation (Psalm 19:1; Romans 1:18-20), the events and miracles recorded in the Bible (John 5:33-40), scientific evidence of design, and the reality of logic all point to the existence of a spiritual world—and human beings have a part in that world too in the form of souls. While the Bible is not super clear as to the full nature o

Contentment is about being mentally and emotionally OK with the state of things as they are. That seems like a difficult thing to do though, doesn't it? As Christians, we are called to be content with God's will for our lives and not worry over what we do not have. Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat o

Bitterness is a biting resentment that clings to a person like a flesh-eating parasite. This unpleasant affliction shows itself with some of the following symptoms: harsh, unprovoked cynicism and an antagonistic attitude that can become downright hostile. Something bitter can be described as "sharp like an arrow or pungent to the taste, disagreeabl

Sometimes it feels like the world is stacked against us. Problem after problem, inconvenience after inconvenience—it all builds up until someone cuts in front of us in line, then...kablewy. Suddenly, everything is this person's fault. They made me mad. They tested my patience. They made me late for the thing.Blaming others is a way of redirecting o

The co-existence of God's sovereignty and humankind's free will has been a hotly-debated topic among theologians across the centuries. Understanding how God can have complete control and yet also grant free will to people is a mind-boggling concept. Most argumentative folk will take one of two extreme viewpoints:Viewpoint #1: Human beings are God's

Sometime between Valentine's Day and the beginning of spring, U.S. retail and grocery stores seem to experience an invasion of pastel-colored eggs, painted wicker baskets, and little furry bunnies. Not to mention the bags and bags of candy. These things are all indicators that Easter is coming. But wait—isn't Easter about the resurrection of Christ

In the Christian community, it's almost assumed that we're supposed to be married at a young age, join all the couples Bible studies, and eventually become parents—like there's a formula we're supposed to follow for life fulfillment. If you are a single teenager, you may see everyone at school and church dating each other and might start to panic,

Masturbation is the act of sexually stimulating yourself. Usually this involves the use of pornography or anything we can conjure up in our imaginations. Both guys and girls may fall into this habit. Usually for guys it's a visual imagery thing; girls might struggle with visuals or pornographic fiction. First off, let me encourage you that you are

What's the best-selling book of all time, with 5 to 7 billion copies being printed?1What book has a count of 168,000 copies sold, given away, or distributed just in the United States every day?2What book could be read in its entirety in 70 hours?What book has parts originally written in Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic?What book is technically one book b

Doubt is one of Satan's favorite ways to turn people away from God. He used it on Adam and Eve (Genesis 3), and he uses it against us all the time. One sneaky trick Satan knows is that if he plants a single seed of doubt in a person, that individual can allow it to grow without the Devil lifting a finger. Because of that, doubt really comes from tw

Food is not inherently bad. Eating is not inherently bad. Food is literally the fuel God made to run this amazing machine that is your body. Enjoying eating? Also, not inherently bad. If God had wanted to, He could have created us without taste buds or only provided one type of tasteless "fuel" for our bodies to run on. But instead, "out of the gro

Krampus is a demonic figure birthed from Austrian/Eastern European folklore that can be summarized as "the anti-Santa Claus." According to this mythos, while St. Nicholas (classic Santa Claus) spreads joy and gives presents to good boys and girls at Christmas time, Krampus visits homes to punish disobedient children. The appearance of Krampus in fo

Sola scriptura is the first of what are called "The Five Solas." These are Latin phrases that became the rallying cry of the Protestant Reformation in the early 1500s. (Learn more about Reformation and the Five Solas: What are the five solas?) The Five Solas:Sola scriptura: "Scripture alone"Sola fide: "Faith alone"Sola gratia: "Grace alone"Solo Chr

Over the last hundred years, movies have moved from being a curious and magical novelty to something so ingrained in mainstream culture that to have never seen a movie is similar to having never ridden in a car or touched a computer. And over that period of time, movies have become not just a tool for mindless entertainment, but also a tool for spr

Feeling overwhelmed happens. Whether we’ve taken on too many responsibilities for work, school, friends, or family or we're in a situation outside our control, like sickness or trauma, it's perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed. Pressure from temptations, jobs, school, friends, family, and even our own goals and expectations can pile up and seem unm

CW: Suicide, Abuse, Mental Health Disorders, Depression, Self-Harm If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or ideation, you are not alone. We receive many questions about this topic, and multiple 412teens writers and volunteers have fought (or are fighting) this very same war. Know that each day you are alive is a win. You already have

Wanting what someone else possesses has been a part of human nature since forever. Remember when Adam and Eve's son killed his brother in a jealous rage (Genesis 4:3-8)? Later, God told Moses to write down for the Israelites, "Hey, stop envying other people's stuff!" (Exodus 20:17; paraphrased). In the New Testament, Jesus clarified, "Stop envying

A super simplified definition of sin is anything that "falls short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Sin causes us to feel shame because we are in violation of God's commands. But sin isn't always a clear-cut list of things "not to do." Sin is a heart condition that affects our motivations, thoughts, and actions. We can do the "right thing" with

It doesn’t take much scrolling on social media to come across the concept of “manifesting” things in our lives. Sometimes it looks like the power of positive thinking or choosing "good vibes only". Sometimes it’s about the law of attraction, which purports that the magnetic power of your thoughts can bring you what you want. Sometimes it’s like Rho

CW: suicide, depression, abuseThe "symptoms" of being suicidal are, unfortunately, not as obvious as we might think. Our kneejerk reaction might be, "I'd know if I was suicidal!" or, "I'd know if my friend was hurting that bad!" But suicidality isn't triggered by one-size-fits-all reasons, and the transition from an emotionally-healthy state to a s