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"Pow! Pow!"
Jana stopped chewing and turned to see who the jerk was who was shooting firecrackers in the cafeteria. Then somebody screamed. "Eeeeeek!, Oh, no!!, Help!, he’s got a gun!"
Sandwich, soda and chips scattered every direction as Jana scrambled under the table and peered through the space between the chair legs. It was Tony, the guy who sat on the back row and always slept through English class. With trembling hands he clutched a handgun . It was pointed at Mr. Ford, the English teacher. "Don’t move!" Tony screamed. "I’m going to make you pay for what you done!"
Jana buried her face in her arms and moaned as she lay on the floor beneath the table. Just yesterday she had overheard Tony tell Pete that he was going to take care of Mr. Ford for giving him an F in English. She knew she should report the threat to the office but was too afraid. Afraid Tony might hurt her too.
She peered through the chair legs again, then moaned. Some guy was laying on the floor in a pool of blood. "Why didn’t I tell?" she sobbed. "Why, oh why, didn’t I tell?"
What is the first thing that goes through your mind when you hear or read about an incident such as the one above? Could this kind of thing happen at your school? What is your biggest fear at school? Shootings? Bombs? Somebody setting fire to the school? Knifings? Fighting among other students?
No one should have to live in fear every time they enter their school doors. Schools should be a safe haven, a fun place. But violence is all around us. There is no escaping it. And everyone one of us is at risk. So, what do we do?
First we need to understand what causes violence. Violence is a spiritual problem that begins with Satan. Studies show that violent TV programs, negative music and problems in the home causes teens to become violent. They are hurting and they are striking out. Anyone who has not put their trust in Jesus and made Him the Lord of their lives is at the mercy of the devil, and Jesus said, "The thief (devil) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." John 10:10(NKJV) "Oh, I don’t need religion or Jesus," some will say. "I want to live and do things my way." What they do not realize is that Satan is having his way in their lives if they are not protected by the power of God. We are no match within our own strength to win the war with the devil, and we have no guarantee that we will never be in the line of fire. "But I’m not a Christian and everything is going ok with me," some may say. That is because someone who loves you is praying for your protection.
Violence in schools is also magnified by the media. Any time there is an incident every little detail is thoroughly covered by television and the newspapers. When violence prone teens watch and read, it fuels their own desires to strike out.
So how do we deal with our fears? We deal with them the same way two very famous Bible men faced theirs. First, there is King David. For many years he spent most of his time running from murderous King Saul who wanted to destroy David for nothing more than jealousy. You can read about it in 1 Samuel 18-31. What did David do when fear tried to dominate his mind? Read his own words. "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4 (NKJV) Although David’s son, King Solomon had a peaceful reign, he gave us some wise advise about a good fear. "In the fear (reverence) of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. The fear (reverence) of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death. Proverbs 14:26,27 (NKJV) A healthy reverence and faith in the Lord is our safely. We can face our days at school with confidence.
Does that exempt us from violence. No. We still live in a fallen world, Satan’s domain. But God can give assurance when we pray. Most importantly we can pray for our school. "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16(NKJV)
SOMETHING TO DO:
Get a group of Christian teens together.
Make a prayer list of your schools needs: safety of all students, safety of teachers and other employees, protection from the powers of Satan, for the salvation of teens who are troubled and violence prone.
With permission from your school authorities meet regularly to pray for your school.
Finally: Realize that you as a child of God have the authority to defeat Satan. Memorize these verses: Mark 3:15 & Mark 16:17, then when you are faced with a violent situation use them and KICK THE DEVIL OUT OF YOUR SCHOOL
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