Dear young Christians, keep short accounts with God. The moment you find you have failed and sinned, do not trifle with it. It is a serious matter, because it interrupts your communion, and nothing can make up for that loss. Therefore, at once own up, and confess it to your Father, and receive His forgiveness. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). If it has been failure towards others, then do not hesitate to confess it to them also, however humbling it may be. This will keep your conscience clear and in exercise, and will promote communion and increase your joy.

Read the Word. One great reason for the failure of many of the Lord’s dear people is that they do not read their Bible. They seem to have no appetite for it. A chapter, morning or evening, seems to be all they think needful. If they treated their bodies to such scant nourishment they would soon be in a state of collapse. The great thing is to cultivate an appetite for the Word. Read it much, and mingle your reading with much prayer for light and help, and for grace to make it good in your own soul and operative in your life.

Carry a pocket edition or portion constantly with you. Do not be ashamed to be seen reading it. Let it be your counselor. Wisdom is there; light is there; everything you need is there. It is the voice of God, which the Holy Spirit causes to be heard in the silence of your inmost soul to guide and counsel you. It is also the food of your new life; therefore "as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow thereby”(1 Peter 2:2); otherwise you will be a spiritual dwarf.

Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest your Bible, with much fervent prayer. Be not discouraged if you do not seem to get much at a time. You will get a sufficiency for your need, and you will always find you have enough to give to others if you have heart to do it. "There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth …" (Prov. 11:24). So the more you give, the more you will get to give, and the greater will be your joy in giving.

Pray much. All men of God are men of much prayer. They live in the spirit of prayer and find their delight in taking time to talk with God. Prayer is the expression of the Christian’s entire dependence on God. It is human weakness clinging to Almighty strength, linked up with eternal and tender love. Lean hard on Him.

Take care not to neglect your private prayer. The moment you find yourself becoming lax in that, you may be sure that there is something wrong. Pull yourself up at once and examine yourself. See to it that the hindrance is removed, or joy and the power needed to overcome in your life will be lost, and a fall may result. Do not live before others, but before God. Keep watch for answers to your prayers, and remember to give thanks for such. Be grateful.

In summary, let all these things become a constant habit of soul with you, and your happiness is assured. "But to Him that is able to keep you without stumbling, and to set you with exultation blameless before His glory, to the only God our Saviour, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, might, and authority, from before the whole age, and now, and to all the ages. Amen" (Jude 24,25 J. N. D. trans.).
"Just balances, just weights . . . shall ye have:I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 19:36).
"Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them:for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:16).

Solemn, weighty words! What holy watchfulness in needed!