2024 National Youth Convention Essay Winner - Tyra F.

Faith Tabernacle AOH

“No Limit for World Changers”

It is much easier to stand behind someone and follow them rather than to stand out and it is uncomfortable to stand alone. It takes great courage to be a leader, to be admired, and needed. Although so much is required, everyone has the capacity to change the world. There are multiple God-fearing leaders that many admire today, Martin Luther King jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Billy Graham. But also many great leaders from much farther back in time, such as David, Moses, and Noah who are still admired today. It is not possible that any of these men would’ve known that God would’ve allowed them to reach their full potential. It is also not possible for them to have known that they would rebuild their communities or cleanse the hearts of nations, however, it was God’s love and mercy that allowed them to be such powerful leaders and creators of change.

Many profound leaders in the Bible did not have humble beginnings. Adam, Eve, Sarah, Jacob, Saul, to name a few, had fell from grace on many occasions (Hebrews 11). It was God’s love and redemption that caused a drastic change in each of their lives. Leading their lives by God’s example and giving God a “yes” no matter their uncertainty in any situation, allowed for them to change whole nations. Noah, alone, was tasked with saving the entire human race and animal kingdom, and without fail he obediently listened to God and was successful (Genesis 6:13-22). Moses killed a man before he saved all of Israel (Exodus 2:11-22). David, who was one of the greatest leaders of Israel, committed murder and adultery, but through God’s salvation he turned his life around and was able to usher in unity and God’s word amongst the people of Israel (Psalm 133).

God does not want perfection from us. Many great leaders had their shortcomings but these great leaders were successful because they listened to God as he guided them through plagues, spiritual, and physical warfare. To change your community or the world you do not need to slay giants or save nations, you need to lean and depend on God. Psalm 27:1 says,“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”. With God all things are possible. In all of your wrong doing, by seeking God’s forgiving kindness and mercy he will allow you to redesign yourself, people, and whole nations to reflect his will. God has set no bounds that does not allow his followers to not be leaders. He in fact has encouraged us to be leaders (Genesis 1:26). To be strong willed and proclaim him as Christ our lord. In these challenging times where the devil is running rampant and confusion is omnipresent, there is no limit for world changers (Romans 12:4–6; 2 Chronicles 16:9).

 

2024 National Youth Convention Essay Winner - Kennedy T.

Faith Tabernacle AOH 

“No Limit For World Changers”

Have you ever thought if you were in the right place at the right time, being where you were supposed to be? Sometimes I wonder if we are in the right place in our lives. 

Nothing is impossible when you are doing what God wants you to do. Sometimes, people can wonder why things aren’t going well for them. Their first thought is usually, “Maybe I am doing something wrong”, or “I don’t think I’m good at this”, but we rarely consider that, “Maybe this isn’t what God wants me to do.” 

During these situations, we need to stay prayerful. Throughout these times we should ask The Lord to show us His plan. 

You may think that you’re right all the time and we can be great all on your own. It is possible to succeed as long as Jesus is truly the head of your life. That’s why it is important to know God’s voice and know His Word.  It is good to ask someone of wise counsel that is qualified to give it.  When we obey God’s Word, we will surely get the victory in our lives.

I’m not saying that there won't be some challenges or hard times, because spiritual warfare is real; but keep your faith in Him. 

Overall, I’m saying that nothing is impossible with God, and yes, we can even change the world!  It can be hard to be saved if you don’t have a mind to do it. Salvation and grace comes from God and it is free as long as we give him all of us and not solely by our efforts. 

If we the church come together on one accord and through faith in Jesus, all things are possible as world changers in Christ.

“Receive His Grace”

As a child, many of us were very excited for the Christmas Holiday to arrive. We were excited to receive gifts from family and friends. Whether you believed that Santa Clause brought them or you were aware of your parents going to the store and purchasing what you asked for; the main thing is you were excited to receive your gift.

 All of us love to receive gifts, whether young or old, rich or poor, learned or unlearned we all know the warmth that we feel whenever we receive a gift. Gift giving is something that has been around for centuries, in fact it all started over two thousand years ago when God sent His son into the earth to hang, bleed and die for our sins. This gift of salvation through Grace was given and is available to all man kind.

 John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 As a result of God’s love for us being so great, He was willing to give His only son to us that we might live through Him. This gift of Grace has been made free for us all. Whether black or white, famous or barely known by men. Christ is giving us all a gift , a free gift of Grace that we may feel the warmth of His love. Now although this gift is free for us, it wasn’t free for Christ. He paid the ransom for our sins with His life.

 1 Timothy 2:5-6 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

 He actually sacrificed His life and was willing to die that we may live. A man who knew absolutely no sin became sin for us.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

He became sin so that we would have access to this free gift of salvation. For we are all saved by Grace through Faith.

 Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

 No one is excluded from receiving this gift. Maybe there were times you experienced as a little child, where your parent(s) weren’t able to get you anything for the holidays. I know you remember the sadness that you felt as a result of feeling left out or simply forgotten about. Maybe you saw all of the other children playing and you weren’t as excited because you didn’t get a gift that year. Well I’m here to tell you that this gift of Grace is available to everyone! It’s not anything that you have to work for, you simply receive it from Christ. There’s no need to feel unworthy, because we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.

 Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

Don’t allow the enemy to use shame and guilt on you to prevent you from receiving all that God has for you!!

 Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

 Receive the love of God by receiving His Grace for your life. The amazing thing about receiving the gift of Grace is that when you receive His Grace gift you actually receive the gift of Life and you’ll be able to receive an even greater reward one day, and that is hearing Him say,” Well done thy good and Faithful servant.” Don’t you want to hear God tell you to enter into Heaven and dwell with Him? I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t want to hear Him say depart from me you worker of iniquity. I dare you to Receive His Grace today, it is available to you.

 Min. Arkimberly Jiles 

DO NOT DOUBT!

 

In a world where we are often trained to fact check the words of individuals or get a second reference to someone actually telling the truth; it becomes harder and harder to actually trust that what people are saying is even true. From the White House to your family's house, there are so many broken promises that generate so much disappointment and fear. Amongst a number of fears, doubt and faithlessness are the top two categories prevalent in most homes today. The uncertainty of people not telling the truth is actually something that we allow to spill into our relationship with God.

Many around the world have began to doubt whether or not God is real or if there will be a second coming. We as men and women of God have even began to doubt the personal promises that we’ve received from Him. Maybe He’s promised you healing, or a spouse, or maybe He’s promised to bless you with your own home. People of God now is not the time to doubt anything that God has told us. It may not look like things are shifting, it may look as if everything is still the same, but may I suggest to you that God is always working for us, even when we cannot see it.

Do me a favor, put your hand out in front of your face, go ahead. You see it? That’s how real our Father is, that’s how real His words and promises to us are. John 6:63 tells us that His words are spirit and they are life.

John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Everything that God speaks is truth. Everything that He speaks is honest. It’s not that He won’t lie; He cannot lie!

Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?

God has not forgotten the promises that He made to you. He is only preparing you for the manifestation of what He’s already done. These things that you are looking for in the earth have already taken place and are completed in the spirit realm. We must remember that nothing about us is earthly. We are only here as spiritual beings having a natural experience just as our Father in Heaven did. We are apart of this world.

Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

A lot of us are lacking the transformation that we need in order to see the promises of God manifested in our lives. He wants to prepare us and give us the wisdom on how to steward what we are asking for but because we are in such a hurry; we are willing to receive the promise prematurely and therefore waste it. Don’t doubt anything that God has told you.

If He said He’s going to heal you, He’s going to do it!

If He said He’s going to open up a door for you, He’s going to do it!

If He said you’re going to have children, expect to give birth!

God is good for all of His promises. We must possess the currency of Heaven needed to give birth to all that He’s promised us and that is Faith!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Profess, declare, decree what the Lord has spoken to you. Even for some of you it is the promise of salvation. If you BELIEVE, REPENT and be BAPTIZED according to Acts 2:38 you shall be filled with His Holy Spirit. A lot of us are wasting our energy on trying to see whether or not God is “lying” that we don’t even realize He’s incapable of lying. No matter the time frame, no matter if we think He’s forgot; He’s more than capable to deliver on His promise. Think about it; there are so many believers in the Bible that God made promises to and no matter how long it seemed to take, God delivered on His promise to them. Let’s take Abraham for example. He was promised a son by God at the age of seventy-five yet He didn’t actually receive the manifestation of the promise until he was one hundred years old.

Now, I’m sure there were many things that ran through Abraham’s mind, yet he believed God for his promise. In fact, we know the story of what happened with his wife convincing him that God needed assistance to bring his promise to pass. And that’s what a lot of us have been trying to do, assist God with what He’s promised us. I’m here to tell you that God is more than able to bring to past that which He has promised you! Stop doubting what He has said to you and make sure that your Faith is where it needs to be. You want to help Him out? BELIEVE Him!

Min. Arkimberly Jiles 

FAITH

Hebrews 11:6

 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

To believe or not to believe is a question that runs through the minds of many individuals today. Whether a believer or a non-believer some have questioned whether they should continue to have faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” This tells me that faith or belief isn’t visible. Contrary to what many may believe today, we simply aren’t going to see that which we already have at first; not until it’s manifested in the earth and that is only by the command of Jesus himself.

 

 Do you see the breath that you breathe? No, yet every minute you’re alive you are breathing. This is the same principle of Faith. It’s believing in something that we are assured is there, yet we can’t see it just yet. Maybe you are believing God for the approval of the adoption of a child, maybe you are believing God for a house or a truck for your family. Or maybe you are believing God for salvation. Either way, whether you’re believing for a house on a hill or for the healing of your body it’s something that you can’t see with your present eyes yet it’s already there. Faith is not only believing in the invisible before it is manifested by God; it is KNOWING that before you see it naturally, you already have what you say or ask. 

 

 1 John 5:14 says, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us.” This tells us that we have what we say whenever we ask according to His will. His will is that we believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

His will is that we first believe that He is. His will requires us to believe that He exists even though we can’t see Him. And if we ask anything according to His will then we have what we say. 1 John 5:15 “And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

Faith is knowing and being assured that it already is. 

 

You were not alive when God spoke the world into existence, yet you are alive today in the world that He created. Believing in God requires risk. You have to be willing to risk and forsake all else for the solid truth that He is. You have to be willing to know that whether your family members or friends believe or not you must take a stand of Faith and believe in the unseen. This is exactly how the world was created. God being God spoke the world into existence by Faith (Himself). Mankind was not there as He spoke, yet His trust and the knowing that He had of us being here today, prompted Him to continue to speak it into existence. Although the earth was null and void then look at how populated it is now. Faith is patient. Faith is willing to wait and see the works of the Lord. Faith is willing to be encouraged even when it seems that all is failing. Your Faith should be unwavering and not predicated on the situation you are facing because although you can’t see it naturally, Faith assures you that it is there.

 

 That Faith ladies and gentlemen is God. God is Faith and Faith is God. Have Faith, have God. Allow Him into your space. Allow Him to be the very reason for your existence. Believe in Him and do not doubt, although you can’t see Him build up your most Holy Faith in knowing that He (God) is there. Jude 1:20 “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”

 

Min. Arkimberly Jiles  

Pray Even If You Don’t Feel It

Prayer, an action word. 

Prayer, communication with God. 

Prayer, something you were taught to do even as a little child. Maybe you prayed before you went to bed, or maybe your parents trained you to say your grace and pray before an ounce of food touched your mouth. Whether you learned to pray as a little child or you’ve developed a personal relationship with God since you’ve been an adult; prayer, which is communication with our Heavenly Father, is essential to our growth in God. 

 

In a world with so many options or selections, it’s easy to think that we have a choice in whom we pray too. But may I suggest to you that prayer is divine conversation with your creator, and our creator is God, Jesus Christ Himself. We often hear people say I’m praying for you, but in reality it’s just become a conversation piece. People aren’t really praying to God, they just use their words to say they are praying. But can I encourage you to pray more? Can I encourage you to pray even if you don’t feel anything. Prayer, much like the gift of salvation isn’t based off of emotionalism. It is pure assurance and confidence in God that whenever we pray, whether we feel something or not; we know He is with us. 

 

True enough God moves upon each of us in different ways and there are times when you will feel the tangible presence of God upon your body, but it doesn’t mean when you don’t feel anything that He’s not there. This is what Faith is, the assurance or confidence that God exist even when we can’t see Him. Faith is trusting and knowing that something is what we believe it to be even when we can’t put our eyes on it. Prayer is effective communication with God. He hears us no matter what our educational or social background is. Prayer is a universal language and when we use it, God hears us from His home in Heaven.

 

 You may be praying one day and suddenly you get the urge to stop, all because you feel like you aren’t being heard or you don’t feel anything. Don’t stop, Keep praying; this is all a trick of the enemy to side track you and stop you from doing what even he knows works. Even the devil knows there is but one God and when we, the children of God cry out to Him; He hears us. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” So if we humble ourselves and pray, He didn’t say if we pray and feel something. He simply says if we humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from our wicked ways, He will forgive our sins and heal our land. So many of us are in need of healing and restoration. We need to be cleansed and made whole, but the only way to get this is through prayer.

 

Pray when you see something happening. 

Pray when you don’t see anything happening.

Pray when you feel something.

Pray when you don’t feel anything.

Pray when you’re happy.

Pray when you’re sad.

Pray when you’re frustrated.

Pray when you’re mad. 

 

Our emotions don’t bully or intimidate God, they don’t run Him away. God is able to handle whatever situation we bring to Him, the key is that we actually bring it to Him through prayer. Prayer is not only communication with God, prayer is a dangerous weapon against the enemy. It is a tool that we as believers can use to fight in this spiritual war. Ephesians 6:12 we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. So that means this war isn’t over flesh and blood. And we are only effective warriors when we pray using a weapon that is not based on flesh and blood either. So don’t wait on a feeling to solidify or validate the authenticity of your prayer or interaction with God. Allow your confidence in Him, the assurance that you have in God to rise. As a lot of the older saints would say, you must know in your “knower” that God has heard you. Whatever you do, DON'T STOP PRAYING!!

 Min. Arkimberly Jiles 

 You Are Enough!!!

Many times we go through life focusing on the accomplishments and achievements of those around us. We hone in on their success, not stopping to appreciate that which God has placed on the inside of us. But may I suggest to you that “You Are Enough!” You are just as gifted as the next individual and because God has created us, we have all been endowed with power after we’ve received His spirit. Power; God given ability that supersedes anything we’re able to do in our flesh, on our own.

 

 The fact that we tend to focus on others more than we rest assured in what God has given us, can be offensive. Offensive to whom, you might ask? Offensive to God! Because He is the one that instilled the God like capabilities within us, whenever we discredit ourselves; we’re really discrediting Him. We are all important, we all matter, we all have a purpose and that purpose is found in Christ! Isn’t it wonderful to know that what you admire in someone else, God has placed something unique within you as well? And what I love about God is that He’s really big on original and limited editions. He doesn’t make something more than once. All of us as humans are distinctive and there are no duplicates. Even with twins, none of them have the same DNA, God in His wisdom has given all of us a unique distinction that separates us from one another yet He knows all of us to the T! How about that? God is so in tune with who we are and who He has created us to be. In fact Luke 12:7 tells us that He even knows the number of hairs on our head. 

 

 I know as parents sometimes it’s easy for those who have twins to mix up their children in the beginning. It’s hard for them to distinguish who is who? But in God there’s never a mix up, He knows exactly who we are; better than we know ourselves. And so it is in the spirit, God has created us all with unique capabilities that will be a blessing to those around us. That’s why it’s important that you know,

 

 “You Are Enough”

 

“You Are Important” 

 

You have something to bring to the table. What God has placed on the inside of you is not only for those that He’s given you influence among, but it’s also for the up building of His kingdom. 

 

I mean, that’s what it’s all about right? Souls? God admonishes us in “Mathew 28:19 To Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” This is why it’s so important that we know who we are, because the giftings and callings that God has placed on the inside of us can draw people to our Lord and savior. No one person can teach the entire world, but with the spirit of God on the inside of us; we are able to allow Him one individual at a time to complete the work that He started through us. Understand that you are not a loner, you are not gift less, you have a purpose and you matter! Contrary to popular belief, we all have something that we can share, whether young or old, rich or poor, white or black; we all have something that God in His wisdom filters through our minds to uplift His people and up build His kingdom. So the next time the enemy tells you that you don’t matter, you tell him, “I am on the mind of God.” 

 

The next time he attempts to confront you with thoughts of abandonment, you tell him that Matthew 28:20 says “Lo, God is with me always even until the ends of the earth. You are enough and you can do ALL things through Christ Jesus who strengthens you! 

Arkimberly Jiles