Students Standing Strong

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S3 Stories of Strength

Home > S3 Stories of Strength

Ethan

March 30, 2020 4 Comments

“Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:14-16 NASB

At the age of 7, my parents divorced: I didn’t know why, but I knew that I couldn’t see my father as much anymore, and I had to move away to a downtrodden house on my grandmother’s property. Looking back, my brain could only comprehend a fraction of what was happening, due to my naivety, but one thing I knew was clear: my mom wasn’t acting right. At that time, my mother was taken control of, for some time, by 4 mental illnesses inside of her: manic depression, bipolar depression, schizophrenia, and multiple personality disorder. That’s when things went further downhill.

At age 8, my mother took me out of all sports: I lost my friends, I lost my passion, and I lost an outlet for my endless energy. It was hard, and I didn’t understand why it had to be me? Why did God let my mom attack my pastor, so he had to file a restraining order? Why did my mom attack my Dad? Why did I have to do the grocery shopping while my mom was too sick to do it? Why did my Mom try to kill me and my sister in our sleep, and why did God have me escape all of it just to talk to y’all today?

There are more questions I have asked, and many more that have been answered, especially the one about why I am here. I am here because I have been called to proclaim the gospel, as a believer in Jesus, and I couldn’t be happier. My main focus today is faith and the power of just a small amount of prayer; in fact, it was just a small prayer that led to my life completely changing forever.

One day, when I was in third grade, I heard Matthew 10:33, which says,  “But whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” The message hit me hard, and I realized all that time that I had been denying Christ. I had continually denied Christ’s ability to change my life, so I decided to start praying as he could change it. Soon after, I proclaimed my faith through baptism, and I trusted in Jesus; In God’s eyes, he could not be in my presence before, but when I accepted him into my heart, he immediately jumped at the chance to enter into it and enter into my life.

Immediately, God’s work could be seen: At age 10, after the 4 hardest years of my life, my father gained custody of me and my sister. At the age of 11, I entered counseling, to go through what I had endured. At the age of 11, I gained friends and started sports again.

My life was changed forever, by such a small prayer, from such a small boy, and yours can too. James 5:16 talks about how the prayer of a righteous man is ”powerful and effective”. A man’s prayer is righteous only if he prays in faith; if he doubts, he will be “driven and tossed by the wind”. (James 1:6) Don’t let the devil tempt you to doubt God because of your fear, and if he does, root it out with scripture.

If you fear the world, then you have everything to fear. If you fear God, you have nothing to fear.

For the Spirit of God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

A small faithful prayer can change anything, including your life, and my prayer is that you will be audacious and share that with others as well.

Blessings, Ethan – Colleyville Heritage High School S3 member

Filed Under: General

When God Says Go

March 23, 2020 8 Comments

God will walk with you when everyone else walks away.

When God called me to start a Christian club, I was happy to obey. Yet, throughout my journey, my most common complaint was “God, why must I walk this path alone?” Don’t get me wrong, I had my parents, but they couldn’t go to school with me. They couldn’t follow me into the principal’s office. And the people who could; my classmates and friends, well…they didn’t. I only had one friend who actively helped me before my story hit the news. There was only one friend who saw my triumph, along with the tears and trials that came before it. This friend is not a high schooler. He is a Jewish carpenter who lived over 2,000 years ago!

I felt incredibly alone, and I knew I was not capable of fulfilling my calling by myself. I found it easy to relate to the prophet Jeremiah. “‘Oh Sovereign Lord’ I said, ‘I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!’ The Lord replied, ‘Don’t say, “I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!’” (Jeremiah 1:6-8) 

God created us to need companionship. When you are doing what God wants you to do, at some point you are going to struggle. The enemy wants you to quit and one of his methods of doing this is by making you think you are alone. When you stand for the Lord, you may be surprised to find that you stick out like a sore thumb. I am not saying your friends will abandon you; they just might not be interested in “your Jesus thing.” But Jesus is always interested in what you are doing, especially if it’s for the Kingdom.  He is a perfect friend who will never leave you. He can keep you strong in any struggle and will equip you for any calling.

Challenge: I challenge you to walk with Jesus, even when that means walking alone.

Jesus promised to always be with us. When you feel alone because you chose to pursue God’s calling on your life, talk to Him. He will listen and understand even if no one else does. His grace will be sufficient for you.

 

-Daniela, New York Student, Standing Strong

Filed Under: General

My Journey in Students Standing Strong

March 4, 2020 4 Comments

My Journey in Students Standing Strong

Hi, my name is Ava and I have been involved with S3 for 1 year at Cross Timbers middle school.

Over this past year, S3 has increased my Bible knowledge and has helped strengthen my relationship with the Lord by getting into the Word. I tell you this because before I was involved with Students Standing Strong I was really asking questions and wondering if Christ was truly real or not. Once I got into S3 it helped answer those questions and seek my faith on a deeper level. I, as a twelve-year-old, have realized that once you seek your faith it is something that I can call my own. Attending S3 on campus at my school has allowed me to connect with other students who are on the same Christian journey as I am.

I would highly encourage other students to attend S3 because it has impacted my walk with the Lord and it allows so much hope in a hopeless generation.

        

 

Many blessings,

                      Ava

Filed Under: General

Brandon

February 18, 2020 4 Comments

Brandon, President, and Founder of Student Ablaze Campus Ministry grew in his walk with the Lord through Students Standing Strong (S3) a student-led Bible club. He was in eighth grade at Harris County Carver Middle School in Georgia, when he first walked into an S3 club! Brandon was very shy with his faith and was more comfortable keeping it to himself, especially in school. But, God really began to open him up during his time in S3, and God gave him the push he needed to step up as a leader. Brandon took a leap of faith into leadership, with God on his side and the help and encouragement from Ms. Victoria, his S3 Adult Coordinator.

Brandon said, “The more I began to become a part of this S3 leadership team, the more open I became about spreading the Gospel and talking to people about Jesus.” Once Brandon began high school, he was asked to be a leader of Students Standing Strong at Harris County High School.

He was accepted as a leader but still felt shy. Brandon said, “I can’t allow what happened in middle school to replay now, so I’ve got to change my perspective.” Brandon said he knew God had given Him a platform, and he was going to trust God to guide the way and calm his nerves. Brandon said, “Students Standing Strong really helped me become strong in my faith and also gave me the ability to speak about Christ and not be ashamed or afraid, no matter what people think or say.”

Brandon is now at Georgia Southwestern State University, boldly sharing the Gospel on campus and to those he meets.

Click here to bring Students Standing Strong to a school near you!

 

Filed Under: General

Daniela’s Bravery & Boldness

February 13, 2020 21 Comments

 

14-year-old New York girl Stands Strong when her public school forbids a legal, student-led Bible club on campus. Students Standing Strong club members, from around the country, wrote Daniela letters of encouragement for her bravery.

 

 

 

 

 

S3 is grateful to have been featured on Fox News, following up with Daniela’s boldness in her faith!

“Students Standing Strong members across the country were glad they could encourage First Liberty client Daniela Barca, because of her boldness and bravery for standing up for her faith in Jesus Christ!” Click to read more!

Please share the link on your social media to bring the good news to others!!

 

https://www.studentsstandingstrong.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Student-Daniella-stands-up-for-faith-w_-FLI-1-1-1.mp4

Filed Under: General

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