"What is going on with teenage girls in the world today?

What is going on with teenage girls in the world today?

Welcome to the weekly broadcast of Jeshurun Ministry GB's program. Preach the gospel, trouble is coming to the earth. The program designed to help you live victoriously in times of trouble.

Yes. Let's talk about what is going on with teenage girls today. Well, according to Luke 10: verses 38-42, there were two sisters, Mary and Martha. Both of them loved the Savior and so did their brother Lazarus. They lived in the town of Bethany, just outside of Jerusalem. Perhaps they were both in the kitchen preparing the meal at first, but as soon as the Lord began teaching, Mary left the kitchen because she wanted to be where Yeshua, the rabbi, was. She wanted to sit at His feet as He taught the people.

Mary was perhaps not lazy and loved cooking and serving. But she had a decision, a choice to make. Should she continue in the kitchen with Martha preparing the meal or should she sit at the feet of the teacher, the greatest rabbi that ever lived? She loved that special feeling that she got when He taught God's Word. and she wanted to learn more and more about the Father. So she decided she could not allow the opportunity to pass by. And when Martha turned around, Mary was nowhere to be found.

Martha went out and complained to the Lord and tried to get Him to send Mary back into the kitchen to help her. And Jesus simply told Martha, but one thing is needed. That is only one thing is really important. Only one thing is required and Mary has chosen that good part that good thing which will not be taken away from her. In other words, leave Mary alone. She's made the right choice.

Perhaps we have some Mary's listening to this message. Some have placed the highest value on the presence of the Lord and on His Word. Well, we have some good news and some bad news.

Here's the good news. According to the experts, young girls are achieving unprecedented milestones in education and digital literacy today.

Now, the bad news. They are also navigating what psychologists and global organizations call a modern health crisis, a mental health crisis.

In fact, let us pray. Dear Lord, thank You for the anointing of Your Holy Spirit on this message. Let this message penetrate the hearts of young girls everywhere in the world. Give them the wisdom that comes from Your Holy Word and cause them to turn away from the perverted so-called wisdom of the world system. Open their eyes, Father. And we pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. Amen.

My friend, please make sure that you press the subscribe, like, and share buttons on this video and help us send God's word out to young girls everywhere in the world. Thank you very much.

What do they mean by saying that today's young women are dealing with a mental health crisis? Well, before 2010, the rates of youth depression, anxiety, and self harm were stable among young women of the adolescent age. They were not increasing in a noticeable way. Then after 2010, something happened that caused a tidal wave of depression and anxiety among adolescent girls. More young girls were reporting persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness and loneliness.

What was the cause of this? And why are more young girls harming themselves today? What are they doing on their cell phones? Why are they not genuinely happy? So, here's a story about a young lady. Let's call her Martha. In 2010, Martha was around 8 years old and there was a sudden change in her childhood that was not planned. All of a sudden, her growing up life changed. Playing time with her physical toys around her house or at Grammy's house and in the schoolyard stopped almost suddenly.

You see, Martha began to be busy on the cell phone. She became busy with what is called virtual global and highly structured activity. It seemed fun enough but to be truthful it was very stressful and it is indeed stressful. In other words, she stopped playing and developing like normal young girls did in the past. Most of her play time now was spent online. She was thrown to the wolves without realizing it. And not only was she unaware, but her parents did not realize what had happened and was happening either. Sadly, neither Martha nor her parents knew that her normal development had been dramatically arrested.

Something began happening to Martha that was happening to hundreds of millions of young girls all over the world. Psychologists say that their brains were being rewired. Their brains were being changed and not for good.

The Christian communities describe it as bad or evil spirits getting into our children. A tidal wave of anxiety quietly began sweeping over Martha and young girls like her everywhere in the world. It was a quiet storm that rolled in while we slept. It takes a village to raise a child. You've heard that expression many times. This is the way that God ordained for raising a child. He designed a system where parents got help from other family members like grandparents, siblings and also from neighbors, teachers, friends who would actively help them care for and raise their child. This is why children learn to call persons auntie and uncle who are not their biological aunts and uncles. These individuals are simply a part of the village that that child was raised in.

Number two, Martha had moved from the village to the global stage almost overnight. She stopped discovering who she was by talking to other girls her age in small groups of family members, classmates, neighborhood friends. She became isolated with her cell phones, separated from the village. And so she began developing a false sense of who she was and was plunged into unreal comparisons, downright unhealthy comparisons without any true human interactions. She lost the ability to detect facial and body cues that would help her to read human behavior. Instead of learning the things of the kingdom of of God, Martha was learning the ways of the kingdom of the world.

Instead of doing normal girly things, she was now busy discovering her smartphone. She was plunged into a situation where her social standing, her appearance, and even her thoughts were before the public and even before the world. She was being measured or judged 24/7 by things like views, comments, followers, likes, etc.

This was an entirely new world with no road map or clear directions for Martha and other young girls her age. There was now a heavy reliance upon social media in her life. No more time for girly type fun and laughter. When I was growing up, my sisters played jacks. They skipped rope. They did hula hoop. They learned to plat hair. They learned how to knit and how to sew.

Number three, Martha became sleep deprived. She started getting less sleep because very often her phone was in the bed with her. It was as if she was tied to this instrument like a dog or a horse was tied to a tree and could not break free of it. If a human does not get enough sleep, they will literally go crazy. But first, they will become depressed.

Number four, Martha was now being ruled by algorithms. Strange word. One of the main issues, if not the main issue here, are the platforms driven by visual algorithms that subject young women to a 24/7 loop of body standard comparisons, lifestyle form comparisons, validation by their peers, a world in which Martha was measured by likes, followers, comments, and views. This is not the way it was in the beginning, nor is this God's way.

There's a poem that was popular when I was growing up. It said if you compare yourself with others you may become vain or bitter for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. It goes on to say enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career however humble it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Let's think about this for a moment. What sense does it make for Martha or anyone else to constantly compare themselves to other persons? What sense does it make for her to constantly compare herself to other young girls her age? There will always be other young ladies who are better than she is, and there will always be some who are not as good as Martha is. What is the point in doing these comparisons over and over?

Therefore, the race to be perfect so you can be the best one in the world is an impossible race to win. It is a vain exercise since there are 961 million young women between the ages of 10 to 24 years old today.

Number five, Martha's home had been invaded and she had lost the safety and shelter of her girly cave. The second main issue is that there's no break from social dynamics for many teens. It used to be that when they came home to their safe controlled environment, they were separated from the world and other teens. They were separated from the bullies. In the past, girls were allowed to develop normally in the safety and the shelter of their home. This had gone away. And so that is not the way it is today.

Here's some data collected on adolescence since 2010. From 2010 to the present time, which is a 16-year period, clinical depression among teens practically doubled. Girls especially are consistently reporting higher levels of distress and feelings of persistent sadness compared to boys. Girls are under pressure to be perfect in many areas.

Number one, in achieving top academics. Number two, in developing an attractive personal brand online. Number three, in maintaining heavy extracurricular schedule. Fourthly, being socially conscious and active in global issues like climate change and others. For Martha, this constant drive for perfection generated a hidden sense of isolation or being unreal and feelings of not measuring up. She was faced with internal fears that she's not capable or not put together as well as she appeared to be from the outside. Essentially, Martha became fake and insecure.

Martha was often bullied online. She was no longer safe even at home because social media had created a digital exploitation risk where bad actors exploited the emotional and financial vulnerabilities of young girls online and sometimes promising relationship or security in situations that did not turn out well for Martha.

And so Martha developed a relationship with a computer bot. She fell in love with the Bot and it almost caused her to commit suicide.

There are some positives. More girls are completing school than 20 years ago. We're having more conversations about burnout. They say more conversations about anxiety, about loneliness, and many of today's girls and young women do not regard mental health struggles as personal failings. And that is great.

Many adolescent young girls are more willing to seek counseling support or advocate support for their friends today. Some young women have begun to practice digital boundary setting, taking screen breaks, joining healthy online communities that offer comfort and support. But these need to be based on the Word of God in order for the adolescent to get the real support that would go with them forever.

What is the science of what has happened to Martha? Well, Martha's brain has been undergoing change, but this change has been heading in the wrong direction. The human brain is not fully developed until an individual reaches the age of 25. I've heard this over and over again, but the normal development of Martha's brain had been hijacked.

The cell phone was causing Martha's brain to be wired in the way of the kingdom of the world, which is the opposite to the way of the kingdom of God. The world's way is not healthy. She had become addicted to her cell phone. It had become like a drug. The difference is that drugs like speed, marijuana, amphetamines, etc. provide a big hit of feel-good sensations to the pleasure center when they're taken, creating a big high.

On the other hand, the cell phone provides a lot of smaller joyful sensations to the system all day long and it's a legal drug. The cellphone is the gift that keeps on giving all day long and late into the night. This is why everyone has one and it is always in their hand or in their pocket. The difference between drugs and the cell phone is that phones are not illegal. They can always be in your pocket and everyone is doing it in plain view.

It is allowed even in classes. Now, the addiction is driven by the spikes of something called dopamine, which is a feel-good hormone released directly into the bloodstream. And even when Martha anticipates getting likes, getting views, getting comments and followers, dopamine is dumped into her blood, making her feel good. She likes this feeling and she goes out moment after moment, day after day to get more and more of feelings like this. In fact, the feel good happens even as she thinks about reaching for her phone.

And so Martha is always going back to her phone anticipating the dopamine spike even before she sees what is on the phone. Martha's phone is delivering a stream of social rewards. Her brain has been rewired to seek out more of these digital hits. Meanwhile, she's not focused on the real world. She's living in a fake world. Is Martha trapped? Is there a way out of this? Can her brain be rewired? Can she get rid of these bad spirits? I thought you'd never ask. Yes, most certainly.

There's very good news for Martha. The question is whether Martha is prepared to discipline herself and to do the light work required in order to generate this rewiring of her brain.

Well, what does this rewiring of the brain mean? The scientists call it creating new neural pathways. They suggest that Martha engage in some new activities without the cell phones.

The Christians call it deliverance from bad and evil spirits and suggest daily reading and study of God's Holy Word. For us Christians, study of the Word brings a whole load of rich benefits to us. It transforms us completely by renewing our minds. It help us to put on a new mindset and we put on the mind of Christ. It brings peace. It brings joy, courage, clarity of thought. Loneliness goes away and it gives us a sense of purpose.

My friend, the greatest thing that I've learned this year is that reading God's Word four times a week will transform your life in a specific way. The neuro theologians have proven that simply by reading the Word of God four times a week. We can rewire or transform our brain by reading a chapter or more of God's Holy Word four times a week and continuing to do so. The brain is eventually rewired. And if Martha continues her lifestyle of study of the Word of God at least four days a week, her brain will not return to its old anxious and restless state. Hallelujah.

Romans 12:2 says, "And do not be conformed to this world." That is, do not imitate this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

In other words, do not copy the behavior and customs of this world. But let God transform you into a new person by using His Word to change the way you think. Second Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show yourself approved unto God." Young people need to be studying so that they can be approved by God, the ultimate Father, and that they be a worker that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth, that is accurately handling the Word of truth. God has not called us to read one verse a day, friend. He has instead called us to study His Word. We are to read it over and over so that it can sink in. We are to meditate upon it, chew on it. And so studying the Word of God will help Martha get rid of bad spirits. It will change her thought patterns. It will increase her faith and confidence. Loneliness will go away from her and the peace of God will flood her very soul. In fact, Martha will be delivered. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Perhaps there's some young person especially listening to this message that does not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We want to give you an opportunity to make that commitment today. Please say this prayer after me:

• Father, I am a sinner.

• I'm sorry for all my sins.

• I crave Your forgiveness. Please help me, Lord.

• Thank You, Father, for Your forgiveness.

• Thank You for Your grace and mercy.

• I have decided to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

• Dear Lord Jesus, welcome to my heart.

• I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You.

• Please keep the key forever.

• Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth, to teach me Your Word, to control my life.

• Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul. Amen.

God bless and keep you.

Welcome, friend, to the body of believers in Christ. There's so many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime, we want to encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible. The Bible says unless you're born of water and the Spirit, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Let your pastor know you want to be baptized the way Jesus Christ was baptize. Begin reading the Word of God every day. It is your daily food. It will rewire your brain.

Begin in the book of John. Then go to Matthew, Mark, and Luke reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Pray daily. Attend at your local church. And one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself and we shall forever be with the Lord. What a glorious and wonderful time that will be. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.