It’s natural for Teenagers to identify with and compare themselves with their peers as they consider how they wish to be (or think they should be), or what they want to achieve. Teenagers are influenced by peers because they want to fit in, be like peers they admire, do what others are doing, or have what others have.

How do teenagers prepare to face peer pressure and win?

1)  Know where you stand on key issues like sex, drugs and alcohol and do not allow anybody make you deviate from your position.

2) Never be afraid to speak up and let others know your boundaries. You may get a bit teased at first but most people respect the boundaries of others when they know what they are.

3) Think of yourself as a leader and always act accordingly. The more you see yourself in a leadership role, the more comfortable you will feel asserting your own opinions and feelings.

Some people may not like it when you go against the group but doing the right thing is rewarding. Peer Pressure only works if you let it, if  you refuse to let it intimidate you, it loses its power. The secret is to be assertive without preachy or self righteous. Stand your ground  and remember, PEER PRESSURE CAN ONLY WIN IF YOU LET IT.

Prostitution is often referred to as the “oldest profession.” Indeed, it has always been a common way for women to make money, even in Bible times. The Bible tells us that prostitution is immoral. Proverbs 23:27-28 says, “For a prostitute is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well. Like a bandit she lies in wait, and multiplies the unfaithful among men.”

Prostitution not only destroys marriages, families, and lives, but it destroys the spirit and soul in a way that leads to physical and spiritual death. God’s desire is that we stay pure and use our bodies as tools for His use and glory (Romans 6:13). First Corinthians 6:13 says, “The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

Although prostitution is sinful, prostitutes are not beyond God’s scope of forgiveness. The Bible records His use of a prostitute named Rahab to further the fulfillment of His plan. As a result of her obedience, she and her family were rewarded and blessed (Joshua 2:1; 6:17-25). In the New Testament, a woman who had been known for being a sexual sinner—before Jesus forgave and cleansed her from sin—found an opportunity to serve Jesus while He was visiting in the home of a Pharisee. The woman, recognizing Christ for who He is, brought a bottle of expensive perfume to Him. In regret and repentance, the woman wept and poured perfume on His feet, wiping it with her hair. When the Pharisees criticized Jesus for accepting this act of love from the “immoral” woman, He admonished them and accepted the woman’s worship. Because of her faith, Christ had forgiven all her sins, and she was received into His kingdom (Luke 7:36-50).

Just like anyone else, prostitutes have the opportunity to receive salvation and eternal life from God, to be cleansed of all their unrighteousness and be given a brand new life! All they must do is turn away from their sinful lifestyle and turn to the living God, whose grace and mercy are boundless. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

All married people have one thing in common, that is, that they are married to a human being. Human beings are imperfect creatures who make mistakes, have annoying idiosyncrasies and change over time. Just by virtue of getting married, there is enough material present to cause a divorce.

Divorce affects families as well as friends, family and neighbors.  When marriages end, sometimes the children are used as pawns.  Divorce hurts children even more than the parents.  Children end up feeling guilty or simply caught in the middle.

Those who condemn homosexuals as being perverted usually do so in denial of the reality that every person is a child of God

Marriage

Marriage is a coupling of two individuals in more ways than one. It has physical, emotional, financial, social and legal aspects. No other relationship can come close to it in depth and scope. But how do two people go about finding a partner to get married to? There are two ways – arranged marriage or love marriage

“Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they blossom when we love the ones we marry.” is a  quote by  Tom Mullen but how true is this considering that arranged marriages still occur in most parts of the world even Africa.

In an arranged marriage, choosing a partner is a collective decision of the person to be married as well as his or her family members. The benefits are that choosing a bride or groom is a matter handled with due care and consideration and with a cool head. All efforts are made to ensure that the two would-be partners are evenly matched in terms of lifestyle, educational qualifications, family background, earning potential and even physical appearance.In an arranged married, choosing a spouse is a calculated decision in which emotions or heart have no role to play.For centuries, arranged marriage was the only way to marry in most cultures, and it was believed to ensure stronger, happier marriages.

In a love marriage, the decision to choose a particular spouse rests solely on the shoulders of the individual getting married. Parents and other family relations have not much of a role to play. They can give their feedback and comments but the ultimate decision always rests with the individual looking to get married. In love marriages, two individuals meet, sparks fly, body chemistry takes over, they fall in love and soon are at the altar saying their wedding vows.

 Can love grow out of an arranged marriage?

Money could also, in a certain sense, buy you love, but only with someone who only cares whether or not you have a good amount of money in the bank. It can’t buy your true love since that person will most likely care more about your money than about you. All money can really do for you is help you pay the bills and get things that you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Happiness simply does not come from owning a nice house and a nice car and maybe even hiring people to do all the yardwork and cleaning in the house. Those things can certainly be nice, but they won’t bring true happiness. True happiness comes from doing things that you love and being able to express the things that your passionate about. A big house can’t do that for you, and neither can an expensive car. They might look nice and they may make you more popular, but they will not make you happy if your dreams are less superficial.

RELATIONSHIPS are very similar to fireplaces. They can bring warmth and comfort into your home , making it a cozy place to escape the harsh elements we often face outside, but it take work.If you want a bigger and hotter fire you have to put more wood in the fireplace and because wood gets consumed rather quickly, in order to maintain the same level of heat, you must put wood in the fire at the same rate that it is being consumed. 

Love is a wonderful thing when both people contribute to the relationship.When love is fresh and new, you tend to notice the small things, compliment each other often and make continous effort with keeping it new and alive. As time goes on, so does life. Your life becomes hectic or busy with other priorities like work, children or household chores. They start squeezing out the love you once had. What happens next is that the flame goes out and the heat is gone!

Instead of blaming themselves for not feeding the fire, many couples blame the fireplace and say that it stopped working and they all too often begin to look for warmth from other sources. Couples in this cartegory stop holding hands, hugs become a thing of the past, dinner is spent reading the newspaper (if they even still eat together) and when the meal is over, he goes his way and she goes hers.

A relationship requires constant work and attention. The enemy wants us to take all of our focus off the relationship and apply it elsewhere, knowing that if we keep our eyes off it long enough we will loose it.Think back on how you treated each other when you first met, how you talked and the actions you took. Think back to the time when things were great and full of passion and do now what you did then.

“Community Leadership Initiative (CLI)” (an organization formed to help create awareness, prevent, intervene in cultism/gansterism and rehabilitate those that have forsaking it on Nigerian campuses) revealed the number of students (Supposed graduate) killed or maimed as a result of cult related violence are given below:
Students Killed between June 1985 –June 1996          are       77

Students Killed between July 1996 – July 2007             are      1743

Students Maimed between June 1985—June 1996       are     141

Students Maimed between July 1996 –July 2007          are     6733

Those inside these cults not only have to fear the loss of their lives to rival groups or same cult during mutiny, the risk of been permanently maimed or deformed for life, they are branded like Cain in the Holy bible whose forehead was marked for murdering his brother, Their heart is always open to spiritual attack from satanic forces, the risk of disease greatly increases with the choices and activities that these cults and gangs participate in. Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Hepatitis B and C, and a host of other blood borne diseases as well as infections ranging from skin ulcers and localized abscesses to stroke, Botulism, Tetanus, destruction of lung tissue, and infection of the heart valves can be transmitted through sharing unsterilized syringes and needles for drug use. The use of cutting and involving blood in initiation ceremonies bring with it the same risk of spreading these diseases. The sexual promiscuity and immorality of the gangs/cults also brings with it its own set of fatal diseases. HIV and AIDS are still dominant, followed by Syphilis, Chlamydia, Trichomoniasis, Gonorrhea, and Genital Herpes. These diseases are very real, very dangerous, and very deadly.

No matter what someone has done within these cults/gangs, there is still hope of redemption. Through physical and spiritual cleansing, we are free from this shackle ravaging our youths. This is what this clarion call is asking. That you stand up and take your place as a child of peace and not a child of affliction to humanity

Becoming a humane person sets you on the path of emancipation from cults/gangs, and it requires wisdom and action. We, however, want you to be part of something bigger than any cult or gang. You are more valuable to your parents, your teachers, and us than the price that is being paid when you let a cult or gang take over your life.

In closing, this clarion call is going out to you, the students and youth of Nigeria and the world.  You are presented with a choice today and we pray that you will make the right one.  Your life is sacred and must be kept pure.  Head this call by saying a defiant – NO to cults and gangs. God Bless as you heed this clarion call for peace and share the message with others.

– culled from http://www.campuscults.net/clarion-call.html

Introduction:

Incest is any sexual activity between close relatives ranging from fondling to intercourse between family members who are not married (often within the immediate family)  irrespective of the ages of the participants and irrespective of their consent. Generally, it is considered incest if the child has been used in a sexual manner by: fathers, or step-fathers, mothers, or step-mothers, brothers, sisters or cousins as well as members of their extended family such as grandparents, aunts and uncles. Incest is any sexual activity between close relatives (often within the immediate family) irrespective of the ages of the participants and irrespective of their consent, that is illegal, socially taboo or contrary to a religious norm. The type of sexual activity and the nature of the relationship between people that constitutes a breach of law or social taboo vary with culture and jurisdiction. Some societies consider it to include only those who live in the same household, or who belong to the same clan or lineage; other societies consider it to include “blood relatives”; other societies further include those related by adoption or marriage.

The most frequently reported type of incest is father-daughter incest. However,sibling incest occurs as often, or more often, than other types of incest. Incest between adults and prepubescent or adolescent children is considered a form of child sexual abuse that has been shown to be one of the most extreme forms of childhood trauma, a trauma that often does serious and long-term psychological damage, especially in the case of parental incest.

Whatever the reason or the excuse for incest the offenders use, it is wrong! Adults are responsible for protecting, loving and nurturing children, not traumatising and hurting them.

Sexual abuse of any kind is a traumatic experience, but it doesn’t have to ruin your life You may feel guilty because you consented to incest or allowed yourself to be molested. Nevertheless, God will forgive you.

To feel truly free, its important that you forgive your abuser. Holding on to the resentment and anger will only hurt you and you will not feel totally cleansed. Once you pray for the person and ask God to forgive him or her, the heavyburden within your heart will be lifted away. Although it is often hard to forgive and forget, you can REMEMBER WITH FORGIVENESS.

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Until the recent times when the grave consequences attending the total negligence of genotype started taking a worrisome turn, true love, which is considered by all as rare and only God-given, would have been all that is required for a couple to walk down the aisle to exchange nuptial ties. Today however, as the fear of bearing a sickler as child becomes the beginning of wisdom, a million dollar question that all intending husbands and wives must answer in their decision to marry is: What takes preference: LOVE OR GENOTYPE? And it is not alarming that of late such a question has in many cases started to generate serious confrontations between the head and the heart.

True Love is divine and true Love is a blessing but if you find out that you and your partner are both carriers of the sickle cell trait (AS) or one AS and the other SS, would you still go ahead and get married: trying to draw the line between LOVE and the menance of having a child with sickle cell? Would you follow your heart or use your head?

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