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Part 3: Maria Long - PEER PRESSURE
Jen G: How did you deal with the everyday peer pressure that every young person faces as far as popularity, dating and being apart of a crowd? Eve though you seem like you were pretty set apart, did you deal with a lot of that?
Maria Long: Yes, that's why my heart is for teens and youth ministry.
All my friends were having pre-marital sex and like getting into drinking
and stuff like that. It was just hard because I was so close to them.
If I wanted to hang out with them then I was exposed to those things they did.
So it was a difficult balance to keep my friends and still maintain my value system.
Jen G: How did you stay away from it? Make that decision to just say no.
Maria Long: Well for one it kind of helped that my friends like were looking for me to mess up. It's almost like accountability gone wrong but most of all I think God put a burden in my heart to reach my friends and so for some I knew I was the only picture of God for them in their lives so that's what helped me.
Jen G: And you helped them by living the lifestyle.
Maria Long: I tried. In high school honestly I did my best. Then I took a year off before going to college the summer before my freshman year we moved to a new place. My sister and I tried to make spiritual friends, but our old friends from high school kept asking us to hang out. We knew they were into partying and we just wanted to make Christian friends. Well we started hanging out with that crowd and it is one of the biggest regrets of my life. Because though I really didn't get involved in that scene, but my little sister did for about 2 years. It broke my heart because I felt like it was my fault.
Sometimes the influences around you can be too powerful and you just shouldn’t put yourself in that situation no matter how strong you are. I had a very solid foundation. Many teens don't have that with the Bible and God
I just think it's a HUGE risk.
Jen G: How did you really get serious about God? Not making being a Christian a title, like lot of young people have a hard time developing that relationship with Christ.
Maria Long :
I had people I looked up to mentors and just so many great examples. People that kept me accountable and I guess u have to see the value of it. You have to see that He works in other people's lives to believe that He can work in your own. Today too many teens just don't have a testimony.
Jen G: What are a couple of things young people can do on their own or with a friend to grow in Christ?
Maria Long: They can't see Him working in their lives so they think He doesn't exist because they have never experienced Him or asked Him to work.
Get a version of the Bible that you can read. My first Bible was a comic book Bible
Because I hated reading! Get a bible you will read because there is so much there!
That’s how you get to know God in the first place. Then I would say start asking God to reveal His plans for your life, ask for direction and start keeping track of your prayers.
The most meaningful thing for me has been the fact that I’ve kept a prayer journal since I was about 17. I have many. So many of my songs have come from that journal.
When I read back at what I was going through at the time and how God answered me it reminds me that He has a plan when I'm going through a tough time plus I just think it's good to write your prayers to God because you are more likely to think about Him and what you are saying verses just saying your prayers and saying the same thing.
Jen G: Totally, then looking back you know what he's already done.
Maria Long: Yes! You know I found an old prayer journal and I asked God 7 years ago to help me record, I wanted everyone to know how much I love him through my music. It blew me away because I never even remembered that that was a desire in my heart. Sometimes we forget our own desires but God never does!
Jen G: That's crazy cool and so true! Wow, I'm getting so much from you and your walk. This is awesome!
Maria Long: Thank-you! I find God so inspiring!
Jen G: He is!
Maria Long: When I did a public high school ministry God impressed me that each kid should have their own journal. You will not believe what those kids wrote in the they poured their hearts out and we saw some major power of prayer!
It brings tears to my eyes because those teens will never forget how God has worked in their lives!
We need families that pray. Parents that take their kids by the hand when they are struggling and say we need to pray and ask for God's power. Teenagers can be the most amazing and powerful examples for God that's why Satan works the hardest on them!
He knows what they’re capable of!
Jen G: Yes He does!
Maria Long Part 4: FAMILY & FALLING IN LOVE...
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