By BEN Larson

Flame On this last year, we talked about breakthrough— real breakthrough. The kind that only God can bring. How do we find it? How do we experience it? I want to keep encouraging you: don’ t stop pursuing breakthrough with God. He’ s the One who created you, created everything around you, and He looked at it all and said it was good. Genesis 1:31a( NIV) says,“ God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”

And here’ s the beautiful part— He wants a relationship with you. He wants to talk with you. Not just you talking at Him … He wants you to speak to your heart, too.“ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”( James 4:8a, NKJV).

Recently, Rachel and I walked through something that left us both saying,“ God … do our prayers only last one day?” We were a little bit frustrated. But even in that moment, God used it to grow us. We live in a fallen world where good and evil are both at work, and the evil in this world does not play fair. It wasn’ t that God wasn’ t listening- it’ s just that the darkness around us wasn’ t backing down from the prayers we already prayed. But even in the confusion, God keeps inviting us closer. He wants a relationship. He wants our whole hearts. He wants us to seek Him daily, to pursue Him the way He

faithfully pursues us. I love this verse in Jeremiah 29:13( NKJV),“ You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.”

I find this verse so encouraging. God tells us that our efforts will not go unmet! What areas of your life are you experiencing breakthrough in this year? For us, this is a really special season. We’ re leaning on God in new ways, feeling His love surround us, hold us, and wrap us in His arms.

As a student, I know it can be hard to lean into God sometimes. Hard to trust Him in the middle of your situations, the peer pressure that is all around you, your friendships, and the decisions to make. You face things every day that feel heavy and overwhelming. But hear me, the more you lean into God now, the stronger you’ ll become. I wish I had leaned on Him more when I was a student. I wish I had the relationship with God that I have now, as it would have saved me a lot of heartache! Proverbs 3:5( NKJV) says,“ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding.” We can put our trust in God for all our needs. If you bring it to Him and listen for His answer, He is sure to meet you right where you are. But know that God’ s answers sometimes might not be the answer that we were praying for.

So let me encourage you: lean into God for the breakthrough you’ re searching for. Don’ t give up. God will meet you right where you are.“ Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest”( Matthew 11:28, NLT).

Now for amazing opportunities for you to experience God in new ways, and build friendships! I want to invite you to your Regional Youth Event. Every CMA region has one, and you can even go to other regions’ events too. We have no“ territories” here in CMA; we are all one Family! You’ ll see ads for these in upcoming HeartBeat articles. These events are an amazing chance to have fun, build friendships, and grow your relationship with God. Reach out to your local chapter or state leadership for more information or even for opportunities to get a ride. CMA

Ben and Rachel Larson serve CMA as National Evangelist Youth Movement.

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