Today was another fantastic evening in THP Students! This was one of those evenings I enjoyed so much because one of our students shared something on his heart. We often talk in THP Student Ministries about how this is a safe place for students to grow and learn. It’s essential for us to create a space for students to step out of their comfort zones and learn how to share their faith, and one of our students did just that tonight. Below are his notes, but I wanted to present what we broke down at the end of his message for this blog. In Acts 17, we see the Apostle Paul ministering in Athens. As he stands among the people, he looks at the culture and begins to drawstrings from what the culture knew to the truth of Jesus. This is precisely what one of our students did tonight as he drew strings from a popular book series to point us back to fundamental truths.

Student Devotion

Today, we will examine some of the different characters from the Wings of Fire series and discuss some of the many things we can learn from them.

Just as the dragonets in the series are chosen to fulfill a prophecy, Christians are chosen by God to be part of His plan and have a unique purpose in the world.

Overcoming Fear and Doubt (Turtle)

Turtle, often seen as a fearful, lazy, and useless dragonet, overcame his fear and adversity for the people he loves, similar to how Christians deal with a lot of hate and avoidance by people of the world, but we must learn to overcome that fear for the people we care about

The Power of Unity (Clay):

Clay’s strength lies in his ability to bring others together. Similarly, Christians are called to unite in love and support one another, regardless of differences.

Choosing Right Despite Temptation (Tsunami):

Tsunami, who struggles with her impulsive nature, represents the temptation to make wrong choices. Christians must actively choose to follow God’s teachings even when tempted by peer pressure or other influences.

Finding Your True Identity (Sunny):

Sunny, who is often underestimated due to her small size, reflects the idea that our worth is not defined by outward appearances but by our relationship with Christ.

The Importance of Forgiveness (Starflight):

Starflight, who is initially hesitant to trust others, can remind us of the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation, an essential aspect of being a Christian.

Dealing with emotions (Moon) 

Moon is a small dragonet with the ability to read minds. She struggles a lot because of her powers, often not understanding which emotions are hers or others. She learns to control her powers by keeping her friends around her who have kind thoughts. She learned to know the difference between her feelings and others’ feelings. Often, Christians can’t tell which thoughts and feelings are theirs and which are the world’s and will make impulsive decisions because of it. This is why we need other Christians in our lives to help us navigate what is of God and what is not.

Church Hurt & Self Image (Qibli)

Qibli is a terribly hurt dragon who struggles a lot with his past. His family abused him greatly, so he struggled with being around the scorpion den where he used to live. But when he was younger, he was adopted by Thorn, the leader of the Outclaws, a group of dragons aiming to change the scorpion den as life went on, Qibli fought for the good of people but was struggling with his self-esteem because he would find himself thinking about selfish and deceitful things. Some Christians will leave the church because of a person who hurt them in some way. Sometimes, with self-esteem issues, they will find themselves thinking that they don’t deserve to have anything or be happy.

To end this evening, we gathered together and asked each student to pick one of these topics. As we prayed over our individual prayer needs, each student prayed over one of these topics and those struggling with them.