I'm a student about to start my second year of university and I have a big problem making my money last all term. I'm worried about going into debt and want some advice from a Christians who can help me.

We have asked our friends at the Speakeasy Advice Centre here in Cardiff to give an answer to this question. Here is what they say:

"Student life can be really hard. Our advice is to budget. If you can work out how much money you have and how much you want to spend then you can decide the best way to manage your finances. If you are in serious difficulty then phone the Speakeasy Advice Centre on 029 20453111 and make an appointment to speak to one of our solicitors for free. They specialise in debt and welfare benefits and will give you commonsense help from a Kingdom perspective."

We asked Matt Gregor who works with us, and graduated a couple of years ago what he thought:

"I found that the bank I had a student account with were really helpful, and if I knew I was going to be terribly overdrawn for a season I would explain that to them and was amazed how accommodating they were to me. Keep talking to the bank if you're near your agreed credit limits, they'll look after you if you keep communicating".

Here is an idea on how to budget: -

Income:

1. Student loan
2. Wages
3. All other money coming in

Total income :-

Outgoings:

1. Rent
2. Food
3. Books
4. Study Materials
5. Gas
6. Electricity
7. Telephone
8. Health costs
9. All other costs
10. Non-essential spending money

Total outgoings:-

"I'm 15 and my Youth group at church have this big problem with praising God and stuff - I am involved in our worship group and I am always trying to make the worship more fun for them but they don't seem to think that they can worship properly unless they are at an Ignite event or Soul Survivor."

Sometimes leading worship can be a difficult and thankless task. Here are some thoughts that I hope will help:

• Get some other musicians involved with you.
• Use some CDs to worship with.
• Ask specific young people to read a Bible passage, pray or share what God is doing in their life as part of the worship time.
• Create a cool vibe in the room you use- with lights, candles, cushions etc.

We have a monthly Ignite team prayer day with about 10 of us and we use some of the ideas above to get us worshipping.

Definitely keep on praying that the other young people will really want to worship God in your meetings and not just the big events. Above all keep plugging away and trusting God, it is a real spiritual challenge to lead others into worship, you need to be a passionate worshipper yourself.

1 SAMUEL CHAPTER 12 v 10-24, especially from the New Living Translation, will give you some encouragement and insight about worship.

"But be sure to fear the LORD and sincerely worship him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you." (1Sam. 12:24)

"In a devotional about the cross of Jesus, you said that it's one place we can always go as Christians. What if we can't find it? I'm stuck right now in one spot, and God is somewhere, calling me. I know that He wants me, but I really don't know where to go. Does He want me to do something extra to get to Him? Or does He want me to wait patiently here for Him? I'm confused!"

When we talk about always being able to go to the cross, we mean that the cross of Jesus, God's love and sacrifice and forgiveness, are always available for us. We need only accept the gift of Christ's death on the cross once, but we can continually thank God for it and draw our hope and strength from it. That's why churches use the communion service so often!

If you have never accepted God's offer of forgiveness and new life through the cross then you can do so right now by simply saying these three simple words to God:

SORRY - for trying to live life my own way instead of your way
"But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong." (1 John 1:9)

THANKS - for Jesus taking the punishment I deserved when he sacrificed himself on the cross "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

PLEASE - come into my life now by the Holy Spirit, make me a new person and help me live a life that glorifies you.
"What this means is that those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun!" (2Cor. 5:17)

If you have said all those words to God and really meant it, either now or before, then you don't have to do anything extra!

We often read through the crucifixion story in the Bible to give me inspiration and to hear from God. If you seek God he will definitely find you! God never moves away from us, but sometimes it is us who are distant from him.

"I'm a girl of 18 and have been a Christian for about 6 years now. For a long time now I've felt the calling of God on my life, especially ministry, and especially to preaching. I began preaching when I was about 13, with testimonies and the like at concerts and youth group. When I preach, I can feel such an extreme anointing of God, it makes me feel alive, like this is my calling- like nothing else on the planet does. However, on the flip side, I really love school and for a long time I've struggled with trying to balance ministry and school. Where does it all fit together? I'd love to drop it all and be a preacher, but these days you need a career, I want to honour my parents, but I know God will provide all I need. Did you struggle with what to do with your life? Can my calling be on both? I want to honour God with my gifts and abilities, but my heart is for youth, and evangelism."

Nigel James replies with some thoughts about your passion for preaching:

1. If you have heard God's call on your life to preach then you MUST be obedient!
    
2. This doesn't necessarily mean you will be a full-time professional preacher- we have a man working with Ignite who has been preaching and bible teaching for 30 years but was head of Biology at a school for all that time- he preached on Sundays and in the evenings.
    
3. Some people and churches will be uneasy about a young person and a female preaching. At Ignite we are about to lose a girl called Naomi who has been working on our team for 5 years. She is a gifted speaker, evangelist and communicator. But she has had to face some pressure from being firstly, female and secondly, young.
    
4. You aren't the finished article! It may take some time for God to prepare you and put you in exactly the right place to serve Him best as a preacher. I knew the call of God on my life as a 15 year old but it took many years of experience before I felt I was at a place to preach effectively even though I'd been preaching since the age of 18. I'm still learning now!
    
5. Do everything you can to gain experience, tools for speaking, get familiar with Bible passages that you can speak about, stay close to God and use every opportunity to grow. Even if you go the academic route God can use that time to strengthen you as a preacher.
    
6. Some verses that have been crucial to me and might be a help to you:
    
    "I can't impress this on you too strongly. God is looking over your shoulder. Christ himself is the Judge, with the final say on everyone, living and dead. He is about to break into the open with his rule, so proclaim the Message with intensity; keep on your watch. Challenge, warn, and urge your people. Don't ever quit. Just keep it simple. You're going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food ... catchy opinions that tickle their fancy. They'll turn their backs on truth and chase mirages. But you ... keep your eye on what you're doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God's servant." (2 Tim. 4:1-5)

"My best friend was saved this past January. The first month of her being a new Christian she was all excited about it and about knowing Jesus. Now she has a new boyfriend who is 20. She lies to her parents, goes and spends the night with her boyfriend and gets drunk with him and his friends. I tried talking to her about it, but she thinks that as long as her and Jesus are "best friends" then it's all good. How can I help her?"

This sounds like a situation where you can begin to pray outrageously (as we call it) for people or issues that you can't cope with alone but that you want God to break into. If you can find one or two other Christians to meet with and pray for your friend this would be immensely powerful. Use the example of the paralysed man being taken to Jesus by his friends and lowered through the roof to meet Jesus.

The bible tells us: "Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.'" Matt. 9:2

In other words it was the faith of his friends, not his own faith that sorted him out! If you keep praying for your friend then God will give you the right opportunities to speak to her, witness to her, and lead her back onto the right path. You're doing a good job as a caring friend!

Here are some things you can continue doing:

1. Keep on praying for her
2. Be there for her
3. Love her
4. Don't compromise what you believe and stand for
5. Carry on praying!

I think there are a couple of issues here. Firstly drinking...

The Bible clearly says, "Do not get drunk".
(Ephesians 5:18)

Why? Well, there are loads of obvious reasons why it's not good ... you end up doing things you might regret; consistently drinking too much can be very bad for your health etc. However, I think Paul's point here is about being under an influence that affects you. He goes on to say, "Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you".

Being under the influence of alcohol, doing what it makes you feel is OK, is directly opposed to being under the influence of the Holy Spirit, letting Him fill you and control your life. We have a choice as to what we will allow to have an influence over us. God asks us not to let alcohol be that influence with the way it affects our actions and judgements, but to let the Hoy Spirit affect our decisions and the way we live our lives.

The second issue is going out with your friends

I think it's healthy to have good friends ... some of whom share your faith and some of whom don't. Spending time with friends who might not have the same beliefs as you is great, but it means that you have to make decisions before you go out as to what is acceptable for you.

So, ask yourself some questions "Am I going to be in an environment where I'll feel confident to say 'No' to anything I don't want to do? Am I going to drink anything at all?"

The point is, decide beforehand what you're happy with before God, and stick to it. Don't just turn up and get carried along in the flow of a good night out!

The Message says,
"Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of Him". (Ephesians 5:18)

It is totally normal to go through times when we doubt God! Maybe you feel a bit "dry" spiritually; perhaps you're starting to wonder if God is real; maybe you're just fed up with trying to live for Him. Whatever the specific situation, doubting God and not feeling on top form spiritually is completely normal, and most Christians go through it at some stage.

So, here are some top tips for when you feel like this:

1. Recognise you're in a low patch. If you actually take a moment to acknowledge that you're not where you once were in relationship to God, you can actually start to deal with it.
    
2. Determine to keep on spending time with God even in this dry patch. James 5:13 (Message) says, "Are you hurting? Pray". Or in the New Living Translation, "Are any among you suffering? They should keep on praying about it". In other words, we need to spend time with God, speaking to Him and reading His Word whether we feel like it or not. When Jesus had a testing time for forty days, he kept relying on the Word of God to get Him through (see Matt 4).
    
3. Ask "why do I feel like this?" Remember that you are a whole person made up of different parts ... a spiritual, physical and emotional being. Sometimes, how we are in one part can affect the rest. Maybe you're physically exhausted, or it could be your hormones putting you in a bad mood or maybe you've been spending too much time doing stuff that isn't good for you emotionally ... any of these things could be affecting how you are relating to God.
    
4. Keep a journal. If you keep a diary of how you feel, what prayers you've prayed to God, how He's answered them, anything you've learned from God etc, you can look back and see how God has helped you out of a similar situation in the past. This should encourage you that He can help you now and that you will get back on your feet again.

Overall, know this, "Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength" (Isaiah 40:31)

All of these are important questions. Here's what the Bible says about it...

God created man and woman for relationship with each other. Part of that is a sexual relationship. Because this was God's idea, He obviously knows best how this should work. He gives us guidelines in the Bible of how to conduct ourselves in relation to our sexuality. He clearly states that sex is for a husband and wife,

"A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one". (Gen 2:24) To have sex before you are united in this way makes a joke of all that God planned. It's as if we see the whole package of choosing the right person, committing your life to being with them, and then simply snatching one part of that, and putting it in a context in which it just doesn't belong. This can bring all kinds of problems. So, if we accept that purity is the best way ... how should we keep ourselves pure until that time that we're married and sex is in its proper place?

We need to change our mindset from thinking: "How much can I get away with before I'm married?" to thinking, "How can I please God most in my sexuality? How can I keep as far away as possible from sex so that it definitely stays inside marriage as God intended it?". Jesus' comment on all this was, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God" (Matt 5:8)

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty, here are some practical tips for staying pure

1. Commit before God that you will keep yourself pure. A promise to God is a serious thing.
2. Decide on your own (if you're single), or with your boyfriend/girlfriend (if you have one) exactly what will be appropriate physically in your relationship. Commit to each other that you will stick to it.
3. If you're in a relationship, don't spend so much time on your own that you are constantly fighting temptation. Enjoy being a couple with friends too!
4. If you find yourself in a moment of temptation, leave the situation immediately, so you can gather your thoughts, remember the commitment you've made and not do something you may regret.

However, if you've done things that you now regret and don't feel at all pure, God offers forgiveness. Listen: "Cleanse me and I will be clean, Wash me and I will be whiter than snow". (Psalm 51:7)

Ask God's forgiveness and then start again with the list above.

Above all, remember that your sexuality is sacred ground and you will never regret purity.

First of all, thanks for your honesty. There are loads of young people out there with similar issues who never confront them, so thanks for taking this first step.

You say that because you're a Christian, you know you can't be gay, but you feel that you are. It's probably a good idea to decide what we mean by the term, 'gay'. There is a difference between sexual orientation and sinful behaviour.

Your sexual orientation seems to be 'gay', in other words your unchosen feelings and the attractions you have. But that's the point - they're unchosen - you have not decided to feel this way.

YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT THERE IS NOTHING IN THE BIBLE THAT CONDEMNS THE WAY YOU ARE FEELING.

It is only your response to those feelings which could be wrong.

Sinful behaviour in this area consists of those acts of the will, when you decide to act on how you feel. Homosexual practise is condemned in the Bible along with many other things.

I believe the good news for you is that the temptations that you feel can be overcome. Check this out...

"No temptation is irresistable. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation's power so that you can bear up patiently against it". (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Did you get that?...

You can have victory over this area of your life. If you stand firm in wanting to please God, He may or may not take away these feelings you have, but His promise to you is that you can overcome each moment of temptation to act on how you feel.

So, embrace God's offer of help, set your mind on having victory over your actions, and don't feel condemned. God's love for you is massive...His power to help you is infinite...and His compassion for your specific situation is more than you can imagine!

‘Self-harm’ is the term used for when someone deliberately causes harm to him or herself. The term covers all types of deliberate injury, ranging from hitting to burning, scratching and poisoning. But the most frequently talked about type of self-harm is cutting. Because we are all totally unique and different from each other, it is impossible to pinpoint why people self-harm and so there is no such thing as a typical self-harmer. Self-harm is something that can affect anyone of any age and background. Although everyone is different, it is probably safe to say that at any given moment there are many other people in a similar situation to yours. This does not diminish the seriousness of your experience; it simply goes to show that you are not alone.

Where is God?

While you may be going through a terrible time, and you may not be surrounded by a supportive family and friends, there is one person who is there for you regardless of anything. He doesn’t have a time schedule, and you don’t need to make an appointment three weeks in advance; with him it’s an open house all day, every day and he’s always in. He knitted you together in your mother’s womb and knows the exact number of hairs on your head. That person is Jesus. He wants to be with you though your troubles as well as your best times. He wants you to lean on his shoulder and to place your trust in him. He wants to be there for you and to gather you under his wing. His answer to help you will always be “yes” so all that’s left for you to do is ask.

The importance of talking therapies

As humans we think that we can handle anything and stand up to everything that the world throws at us. But sometimes we need to admit defeat. We can’t always deal with everything that is thrown ant us. But that doesn’t make us failures. How can we possibly do everything? We’re only human after all. We need to accept the help that is available to us. There are people out there who are trained to help us; the sole purpose of their employment is to teach people how to deal with their issues, whatever they may be, so that they may be free from them. It’s what these professionals are there for. Admitting that you cannot cope alone is one of the most courageous things that anyone can do. To obtain a full recovery, some kind of therapy is essential. Talking therapy treats the underlying causes of the problem, unlike drug therapy which usually just suppresses the symptoms. It is possible to achieve a certain amount of recovery without professional help, sometimes even a significant amount. But we are not mean to deal with everything on our own. A therapist or counsellor will be rational, will give you honest opinions and will have no emotional attachment to you. Yours will not be the first case they will have seen. There are no connections, and they won’t even be slightly shocked by what you are telling them. They are not there to judge you; they are simply there to help you in a professional capacity. Build up the courage to accept assistance. Speak to your doctor or if you are still in school or college, to a teacher that you trust.

Accountability

I can give no better advice that to be accountable to someone as soon as possible. Being accountable simply means having someone to whom you are answerable for your actions. They should be someone with whom you can share what you’re going through and who can advise and encourage you. Often your friends may be going through a lot of the same things as you or maybe have other problems of their own and so I would totally recommend someone a little older, a little wiser and slightly more removed from the situation. Once you can admit that you have a problem that needs to be sorted, the hardest part is over. Habitual self-harm can sometimes become almost a “part of you” and by giving it up you may feel that part of your being will be taken away. Sometimes you don’t want to see your scars fade because you’re worried that you won’t know who you are anymore or how you will function.

These people can encourage your progress. These people are invaluable but remember too that they don’t have all the answers. Unless they’ve been there themselves, they won’t be able to understand totally, so don’t be disappointed if sometimes they don’t seem to have the answer to every question that you have.

My friend is self-harming and I don’t know what to do

We are only responsible for ourselves and for our own actions. We can advise, encourage and be there for our loved one, but at the end of the day we cannot make their decisions for them or control their actions. Everyone is responsible for their own actions.

It can be extremely hard when we see someone we love going through something so painful and we feel powerless to help. However, while we cannot take away their pain, we are not totally powerless. We don’t have to be a trained psychologist in order to be supportive. We can be there to listen and we can be a shoulder to cry on. We can advise and we can encourage them to seek professional help. We can simply let them know that we are there or them at any time, and love them for who they are - regardless of their problems.

© Jess Wilson “The Cutting Edge” 2008

We've all gone through this situation at some time or another. Of course, Jesus never promised that following him would be easy or would be an end to our problems.

God did promise this however:

Deut. 31:6
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you"

So however tough life might be God is always there. You have to rely on that truth rather than being led by the way you feel; you might feel really bad one day and really great the next, but God loves you the same on both days. Part of living as a Christian is trusting what Jesus has done for you and not simply trusting your own feelings.

Whatever the situation is, talk to the Lord about it because he cares for you. Ask other people to pray for you as well, and learn to trust what the Bible says. Being part of a local church and a youth group that cares for you will really help. In the New Testament we see Jesus calming a storm on one instance, and God keeping Paul safe throughout a stormy journey on another. So God might calm your storm OR he might help you get through the stormy waters. Whichever, God will be with you.

Phil. 4:6
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. "

Phil. 4:7
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Learn to include Jesus in all you problems! He is interested and he wants the best for you. Even though you might not feel like it you are a valuable child of God.

1 Pet. 5:7
"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you."

Dear Ignite,
I'm really finding it hard to go to church, can't I just come to Ignite events, check the website out and not bother with church?

We've been asked this before, and our answer is always the same: we believe in the local church!

Ignite isn't a church, we support all the good stuff that goes on week in week out in local churches all over the UK, and if you have signed the Ignite declaration you'll be serious about church too.

1 Cor 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

This verse reminds us that each of us has a part to play in church, and that once we separate a part of the body from the main body then that part dies off.

Rick Warren, in his book "The Purpose Driven Life" gives 6 reasons why you need a church family:

• It identifies you as a genuine believer - if you aren't committed to a specific group of followers you can't claim to be a disciple of Jesus.

  John 13:35
  "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

• It moves you out of self-centred isolation - showing you how to get along as God's family.

  1 Cor. 12:26
  If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.

• It helps you develop spiritual muscle - full participation in church life will strengthen you.

  Eph. 4:16
  From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

• The body of Christ needs you - there is a unique part for you to play.

  1 Cor. 12:7
  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

• You will share in Christ's mission to the world - the church is God's instrument on earth.

  Eph. 2:10
  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

• It will keep you from falling away - you can be responsible to leaders and they can keep you on track.

  Heb. 3:13
  But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

A few people on the bulletin board have been struggling with this question. So here's some practical suggestions:

God has spoken to the whole world most completely through Jesus, so it's always worth staying close to him if you want to hear God's voice and it's important to see what Jesus has already said to you and about you in the Bible. Will God actually speak out loud to you? Well, not always but some people do hear God that clearly! The boy Samuel heard God speaking to him three times before he actually realised it was the voice of God.

God's voice can be heard through the Bible - when you read it seriously you'll find God telling you loads of different stuff. God will never say anything to you that goes against the Bible, so if you think God is telling you something through a friend or even a church leader then check it with the Bible.

Psa. 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path"

The Holy Spirit lives in you if you are a Christian, and often he'll prompt you or prick your conscience about stuff. The sense of right or wrong that you have deep down is from God! Often God will simply give you a strong sense about a particular issue.

When you speak to God in prayer he'll want to answer you, but you have to be prepared to listen! Finding time, space and silence to listen to God is a vital part of knowing that you have heard God speak. So your regular quiet times with Jesus will be crucial to hearing from God.

The Bible says this:
John 10:27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

Which gives us the clue that it is possible to hear and to recognise the voice of Jesus. The Bible also mentions that our sins can separate us from God and what he wants to say to us, so always confess your sins openly and honestly to God.

If you are uncertain that God has spoken to you then check it out with someone else, read the Bible together, ask God for confirmation, and trust that he has got something to say to you!