18 Aug 2009
Stephenie Meyer had a dream one night that led to a four-book series and sales of 40 million copies. This sounds good until you find out the series is about vampires. Meyer’s books target teens and young adults. She categorizes them as “suspenseful romance.” But what these books are selling our youth is much more than that.
The Twilight movie ─ which raked in 7 million in box office sales in the first few hours ─ is about a 17-year-old girl named Bella who falls for Edward, whom she finds out later is a vampire. Though he looks at her oddly, she is drawn to him. He’s drawn to her, too, specifically, to the scent of her blood. In her dream, Meyer envisioned Bella as “just your average girl” and Edward as “fantastically beautiful, sparkly, and a vampire.”
Though they fall in love, their relationship is difficult because, as Meyer says, “the vampire was particularly attracted to the scent of her blood, and was having a difficult time restraining himself from killing her immediately.”
The movie is no longer in theaters, but the books remain on the best-seller lists. And now the CW Television Network is getting in line to cash in on the vampire hype. CW is heavily advertising its newest brainchild, Vampire Diaries, set to air on September 10, 2009. And they’re not the only network pursuing such “dark” themes.
So, what is so fascinating about falling in love with a guy who wants to drink your blood? Why do these themes attract youth? And what kinds of messages do they send? In many ways youth can relate to these characters. The characters experience loneliness, fear, rejection, envy, anger, jealousy and insecurity. They want love, validation and acceptance ─ just like our youth. And the romance theme is a big attraction because it offers much of what may be missing in their lives.
On a deeper level, Edward represents a century old predator. He’s appealing, yet he desires to rob Bella of her life. He represents the thing or person that lures youth. What is a lure? A lure is something that tempts or attracts with the promise of pleasure or reward. It attracts through temptation and enticements (seduction). These lures seek to drain the life and destroy the spirit of a person. Among other things, they can lead youth into abuse, sexual perversion, rage, control and exploitation. You get the point.
Like Edward, certain situations and relationships can seem appealing. But they are fatal attractions ─ a trap! Our youth have been fed enough fantasy, romance and suspense. They need reality – from God’s perspective! They need His truth, the ability to discern good from evil, a desire to follow His plan for their life, and the grace to stay the course.
God has given us a mandate to pray over youth and young adults for five days, starting Wednesday, August 19 – Sunday, August 23, 2009. We need you to join us! We have God’s assurance that, as we unite in prayer, He will do a great work in the hearts of youth by opening their eyes, healing their hearts and restoring them to His redemptive plan. We don’t want to miss the opportunity to be a part of such a great transformation. Do you?
God specifically told us to share the prayer strategy over the Internet so that as many people as possible could join us. Below is the prayer strategy He’s given us for the next five days. We have listed scriptures you can use as a guide as you pray. As God reveals things to you and gives you additional scriptures in prayer, know that He is showing you His heart and how he wants to move in the lives of youth. Go with the flow, as He leads.
Be creative in your prayer strategy. You can pray alone, with another or a group. We encourage church groups, youth groups, clubs, teachers, parents, co-workers, neighbors, forum members and others to get involved. In short, anyone can join forces. Pray at home, during your lunch hour, in the car, on the bus, waiting for a meal, walking or exercising. If you can breathe, you can pray.
We want to pray continuously from Wednesday, August 19 – Sunday, August 23, 2009. You can do this by praying for an hour or two or more a day. Then continue to pray throughout the day, in your heart, as you agree with God and believe in faith for the fulfillment of His will.
The Prayer Strategy in Three Phases
Phase #1 Pray that God will show you (identify) situations, people, circumstances and elements that are predatory in nature and seek youth as their prey. (Prey refers to one that is defenseless, especially in the face of attack; a victim.) For example, He may show you specific situations that ensnare youth, such as abuse in relationships, choking games, sexual exploitation, cyber-bullying, cutting, anorexia or drugs. You can focus on two or three of these areas, as you ask God to show you the root causes, symptoms and manifestations.
Scripture References:
1 John 2:15-17
Galatians 5: 19-21
2 Corinthians 4:2
Phases #2 Next, based on the root causes that God had shown you for your two or three areas of prayer, ask God to break the bondages, cut all ties to these elements, and close the doors that have allowed these elements to come into the lives of youth. Also pray that God will help youth and young adults distinguish properly between good and evil, Godly wisdom and man’s wisdom, and healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Scripture References:
Isaiah 42:20
Ezekiel 44:23
Ephesians 5:11-12
Phase #3 Ask God to heal, restore (them back to His intended purpose), strengthen, and release His work (salvation, deliverance, grace, affirmation, perspective, love, power, mercy) into their lives.
Scripture References:
Ephesians 1:18
Ephesians 5: 7-10
Isaiah 61: 1-3
Thank you for joining us as we endeavor to protect and preserve our most precious commodity – youth. May the Spirit of God lead you as you exercise your Kingdom authority and faith this week in prayer.
Call, text and e-mail others to ask them to pray as well. And don’t forget to let us know what God is showing you and doing in your midst as you pray. We’d love to hear about and share your breakthrough stories. Just go to our “Forum.”
On behalf of our youth, thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Montina & Terrance Hollins
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