Marina Abraham - A More Excellent Way: A Spiritual Growth Journal for Young People

What teens and others
are saying about
A More Excellent Way

A More Excellent Way balances the need for spiritual growth with practical, real-life strategies for achieving success. This book is for every young person looking to grow.

Joshua Olaleye

Africa Christian Fellowship

This book contains a lot of key information for young people. It is clearly structured and accessible, making it easy for anyone to read. I really enjoyed the inclusion of Bible verses which help us to see how God is calling us to live.

Roresimi Disun-Odebode

student, University of Oxford

The desire to improve ones self requires discipline, courage and persistence. If excellence is the standard that you wish to ascribe to, reading this book will help. Identify your goals and discover how to achieve them. Avoid those things that can derail your progress. You will be inspired and motivated to change your outlook and behaviour in order to become more excellent in all that you do.

Dr Victoria Uwannah

CPsychol

Chartered Counselling

Psychologist

A very readable book that will help young people on their spiritual journey. Become more Christ-like by becoming closer to Jesus.

James McMahon, Youth Worker, Newbury YMCA

A more excellent way

A spiritual growth journal for young people

MARINA ABRAHAM

AuthorHouse UK

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403 USA

www.authorhouse.co.uk

Phone: 0800.197.4150

2018 Marina Abraham. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotation marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV Permanent Text Edition (2016). Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Published by AuthorHouse 05/01/2018

ISBN: 978-1-5462-8991-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-8992-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5462-8995-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,
and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery Getty Images.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. [Biblica]

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV). Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NCV are taken from the New Century Version, Copyright 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

The Common English Bible Study Bible. Nashville: The Common English Bible, 2011.

The ERV uses the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (1984) as its Old Testament text with some readings from the Dead Sea Scrolls. Also, it follows the Septuagint when its readings are considered more accurate. For the New Testament, the ERV uses the United Bible Societies Greek New Testament (4th revised edition, 1993) and Nestle-Aland Novum Testament Graece (27th edition, 1993).Copyright 2006 by Bible League international.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Website

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from THE MESSAGE. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. Website.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NET Bible Copyright 2005 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.bible.org All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Dedication

To God my creator, thank you for your unfailing love for me, for choosing me as a vessel worthy of your use. I return the glory for this work to you my Father.

To my husband, Samuel Abraham, thank you for all you do for our family.

And to all the young people throughout the world for whom I write this book, that you may come to know and imitate Jesus Christ in all you do.

Contents

Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION: YOUR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY

I will show you a more excellent way

As a teenager, I went to church every Sunday. I enjoyed going to church because it was a day we got to wear our best clothes. But I hardly understood what Christianity was all about. I heard about Jesus dying for us, but that didnt really sink in (my friends didnt want to get into trouble for someone else, let alone die for them).

Only at university did I start to have a clearer understanding of what Jesus had done. By that age, I had to start unlearning some habits and attitudes which did not reflect my life as a Christian. I realised I needed to be a representative of Christ in all areas of life, but this was a real struggle because I didnt know how to go about it.

There is no amount of work we can do that will buy us salvation or make us worthy before God (Ephesians 2:8). However, God wants us to be like Him. He wants the price paid by Jesus to be appreciated by us and shown in our lifestyle and attitude.

Achieving this can be difficult, perhaps especially for children and young people, because of the particular challenges they face. Some young people do not have the spiritual guidance they require to grow, while others succumb to peer pressure and leave the path they have been taught to walk while growing up.

This book can help you. It sets out a practical way to develop a more Christian attitude and lifestyle. You will begin to appreciate who you are in Christ, grow in joy and peace, and start to realise your amazing potential.

At the beginning of the year, many people set goals for their lives; these may be around their studies, career, sport, health, family or relationships the list goes on. People rarely set goals for their spiritual lives, and because many adults fail in this area, they feel incapable of guiding their children in spiritual growth.