Jesus said, “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)

According to a recent Gallup poll, the percentage of US adults who self-identify as “something other than heterosexual has increased to a new high of 7.1%—double the percentage from 2012, when Gallup first measured it.” More alarming is that “roughly 21% of Generation Z Americans” (born between 1997 and 2003) identify as LGBT.¹

Why are so many young people rejecting heterosexuality? Could it be as simple as Bill Maher recently suggested, “The prime directive of every teen is, anything to shock and challenge the squares who brought you up”? Or is there something much more sinister at play?

Satan’s prime directive is to “steal and kill and destroy” everything God creates. What is more fundamental to beings created in the image of God than identity and sexuality? If Satan can change how a person understands those two aspects of his or her humanity as early as age four or five, the enemy of our souls has gained leverage that can only be counteracted with the Word of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Recently, I spoke at a high school assembly. As I looked out over the audience, my heart swelled with compassion. As an adolescent, I struggled with my identity after my father revealed to me his obsession to be a woman. Had God put him in the wrong body? Had God put me in the wrong body? Those questions haunted me for years and jeopardized my ability to become the woman God designed me to be.

As I studied the smiling, and the sullen, faces in the auditorium that day I wondered how many of those teens waged a similar battle. Who in their life was instilling doubt, confusion, and angst about gender and sexuality? “Gracious Father,” I prayed silently, “give me your words for these precious teens today. In the power of Jesus’ name, amen.”

Here are the five affirmations I shared that day.

1. GOD LOVES YOU

Again and again, God speaks of his love for us in the Bible. In Isaiah 43:4, he says, “You are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.” We are so precious, I told the teens, that God sent his Son, Jesus, to die for us so we could live forever in heaven with him. Young people need to know that nothing they ever do or don’t do can separate them from God’s love. Romans 8:39 says, “Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Every day, tell youth God loves them.

2. GOD CHOSE YOU

Every person searches for identity and purpose. “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” are questions that can propel us to achieve or mire us in misery. God told the prophet Jeremiah, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart” (1:5). Jesus said to his disciples, “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit” (John 15:16). Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.” Every day, remind youth God chose them to be part of his family.

3. YOU ARE A MASTERPIECE

No one is a random collection of cells either before or after birth. God created each person with specific talents, skills, strengths, and weaknesses. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Not even identical twins have identical personalities and skill sets. Each person’s uniqueness is God’s stamp of approval on that individual’s worth. Every day, tell youth that only they can do “the good works” God designed them to do.

4. YOU ARE VICTORIOUS IN CHRIST

The world is scary. The neighborhood, school, or even home can feel unsafe. That’s what happens in a world full of sinful people. In 1 Corinthians 15:55, Paul asks, “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Jesus defeated death and sin when he paid the penalty for our sin on the cross and then rose from the dead. Some battles seem unwinnable, some problems unsolvable. And they are, apart from God. Remind youth every day that “nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). He will always win. We all need to give him time to give us victory.

5. YOU ARE STRONG IN THE POWER OF CHRIST

We all feel helpless at times—frustrated, unprepared, or inept. And that’s okay. God does not ask us to be invincible. He is all-powerful. God doesn’t ask us to figure out everything on our own. He is all-wise. He told Paul, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). The internet gives us access to more knowledge than we can ever absorb. But the wisdom to discern truth from error and the strength to hold firm to truth comes only from God. Tell youth every day that depending on God, not themselves or others, is the only path to certainty and fulfillment.

AFFIRM GOD-GIVEN IDENTITY AND SEXUALITY

The medical community and national health organizations now use the term “gender-affirming care” to promote “hormone-related treatments that delay puberty or promote development of masculine or feminine sex characteristics” for both children and teens.² What they are actually advocating, though, is gender-reversal care and those treatments, according to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo “have the potential for long-term irreversible effects,”³ including cardiovascular disease and cancer.⁴

With the sword of God’s Word, the armor of his promises, and the power of the Holy Spirit, I won the identity war. I embraced the gender and purpose God gave me when he formed me in my mother’s womb.

Let’s not push our youth toward destructive mindsets or medical treatments. Instead, affirm their God-given identity and sexuality so they can enjoy the “rich and satisfying life” only he can provide.

¹Jeffrey M. Jones, “LGBT Identification in U.S. Ticks Up to 7.1%, Gallup.com, 17 February 2022, https://news.gallup.com/poll/389792/lgbt-identification-ticks-up.aspx.

²Patrick Boyle, “What Is Gender-Affirming Care? Your Questions Answered,” Association of American Medical Colleges, 12 April 2022, https://www.aamc.org/news-insights/what-gender-affirming-care-your-questions-answered.

³Jon Brown, “Rachel Levine’s Claim All Agree on ‘Gender-Affirming Care’ Is Slammed by Doctors ‘in Hiding’,” Foxnews.com, 11 May 2022, https://www.foxnews.com/us/doctors-slam-levines-claim-gender-affirming-care-fear-speaking-in-hiding.

⁴Susan Mayor, National Library of Medicine, “Review Warns That Risks of Long Term HRT Outweigh Benefits,” 28 September 2002, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1124208/.