Dave Dravecky, the former pitcher for the San Francisco Giants, was an inspiration to us a few years ago. Remember his dramatic comeback? Late in 1988, a cancerous tumor and some muscle had been removed from his pitching arm. His baseball career was over – or so it was thought!

Towards the end of the 1989 season, he returned to the mound and threw seven innings of shutout baseball! While throwing a pitch five days later, however, the dream came to an end. He suffered a fracture in his pitching arm while throwing a baseball. Then it was over for good.

Later, Dravecky talked with news reporters.

It was never a question of asking God why. The reassurance that God was in control kept me and my family under control. God has allowed me to be a light in a world of darkness, he said. I am commissioned, not to be a baseball player, but to be a witness for Christ.

Few of us will be tested exactly like Dave Dravecky. But the temptations to doubt God, buy into non-Christian thinking, or give up altogether in hopelessness will come. Fall is here, and you and your friends are kicking into high gear again. It's back to homework, teachers, jobs, and activities. Keeping Christ first, learning to think and live for him, will be your daily exam. Do you have a grasp on Jesus Christ and his Word that would lead you to conclude with confidence and enthusiasm, "God is in control. He has allowed me to be a light in a world of darkness."? Are his promises and commands at the center of your thinking and living?

Dave Dravecky is learning to keep the Word of God first in his thinking and living. But the work of training himself to think obediently about life and the world does not come easily. Be aware that as you seek to think and live obediently for Christ this school year, you will face a fierce battle. What can you do to be a light in a world of darkness?

Realize that the battle line has been drawn.

Jesus said, He who is not with me is against me. That's pretty straightforward. Jesus went on to say,  Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.Matthew 12:30, 34-35

The battle line has been drawn, and that is seen by what comes out of people's mouths – either good or evil. At times you'll see the lines drawn between family members or with teachers, coaches, bosses, and your friends. Their teaching or advice will be either for Christ or against Christ.

Teaching that is against Christ – and based simply upon what people think – is humanism. Unmasked, that is an immoral, antibiblical view of life and God's world. It is a system of beliefs, a set of values and morals that seeks to shape a person's way of thinking and living by referring only to man. Our nature is such that when we no longer believe in God and his Word, we will believe in something else. Be on guard for what you hear from those around you. Does it line up on the side of Christ?

Remember that non-Christian thinking and living knows no boundaries.

Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.1 Peter 5:8

The battle will come at the movies, in music, and on TV. The battle will invade the living room, the city hall, the classroom, the athletic field, and the job at the counter at McDonalds. False teaching and worldly influences come in all sizes, shapes, and packages. And so non-Christian ways of thinking and living will display themselves at nearly every turn in your life. That means the Christian life is not like a light switch that you can simply flip on and off. Learning to be a light in the dark world requires that you shine brightly for Christ 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!

Be ready with God's truth and hope.

In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.1 Peter 3:15

The Christian faith is the practice of God's truth. It is a faith that requires you to think about life, to examine the teachings that seek to shape your thinking and living – and to do both of these with God's Word as your guide.

Sixty-five percent of 5,000 American high school students polled in a Girl Scout survey said they would cheat on an important exam. (Read that sentence again.) Fifty-three percent of those same students said they would lie for a friend who had vandalized school property.

What will you do today to stand against the immoral tide? Will you hold out the hope of God's Word to a dark world?

The Lord told us that we are to love him with all of our heart, our mind, and our strength. Our emotions, our thinking, and our bodies must serve and love Christ, Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Do you love Jesus Christ? Do you believe his promises? Do you practice his commands?

Obeying Jesus Christ is the measuring stick of your love and loyalty to him. Learning to think and live obediently requires that you take seriously the need for Bible study. Measure your growth in understanding the Christian world-and-life view by your practice of reading, believing, and obeying God's Word.

Dave Dravecky learned to get his head and heart in gear with obedient thinking and living, He was tempted to run and hide from the world. But he sold, "I am commissioned to be a witness for Christ." Is that your conviction?