The world today isn’t the same as it was a few generations ago. Young people today face pressures that were unimaginable then — from widespread violence and immorality in the media, to easy access to drugs and alcohol.

At the heart of it all, however, is a spiritual problem: We’ve failed to teach our young people the difference between right and wrong. Some people today even deny there is such a thing as right and wrong, saying that everyone should be free to live any way they want to. “If it feels good, do it” is the philosophy many people urge us to follow. They reject the idea that God has given us the moral and spiritual truths we need to live peaceful and fulfilling lives.

But when we live only for ourselves, the result is chaos — and we see it all around us today. We’re like the people in the Old Testament who rejected God’s moral principles, but paid a terrible price as a result: “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7).

Is there hope? Yes, if we’ll realize the dangers we face and turn back to God in repentance and faith. He knows what’s best for us, because He loves us. Pray for your town and its leaders; they need God’s wisdom. And pray too that spiritual revival may come to our nation, as people turn in faith to Christ — beginning with you.