A far cry from the days of smoking a cigarette or using profane language to upset the elders, a segment of today's youths are pushing the limits of bad behaviour to frightening extremes, swapping toys for knives and guns with deadly effect.

Liverpool is still reeling from the heartbreaking murder of 11-year-old Rhys Jones a few weeks ago, the main suspect a boy of just 15 years. Just prior to Jones's death, the nation was saddened by the killing of 47-year-old father Garry Newlove by teenagers outside his home in Warrington. And in London, residents on the capital's estates are struggling to come to terms with a string of teenage killings this year.

Throw into the messy pot recent headlines lamenting high levels of alcohol and substance abuse, as well as alcohol-fuelled violence and vandalism among Britain's youngsters and we have a fairly dark picture of British youths today.

It may seem a daunting prospect to reach out to youngsters, particularly at a time when they are getting so much negative press. But most young people are simply looking for fulfilment and just don't know where to find it. It is our responsibility, therefore, to make ourselves 'user-friendly' before the God who remembers each of His children by name, the prodigal sons especially.

As Christians we must turn instinctively to the light and become the light ourselves. That means volunteering ourselves as God's tools for building communities of Christ-centred love, even when that comes at some cost or risk to ourselves.

It is extremely encouraging to know that there are Christians being used as God's tools to shine the bright light of Christ's love into every community. The wonderful thing about tools is that they don't answer back, they don't disobey, and they don't question whether or not they are being used. They just know that they are being used and they let themselves be used!

Imagine that the table salt refused to come out of its shaker one day because it felt it couldn't make any difference. Our food would be so bland! We may be tiny and invisible to the world but God has called us the light and salt of the earth and He wants to scatter us - everywhere!

Our tongues are the same. They may seem small and insignificant, but they possess enormous power to bring life with words of love, comfort, encouragement and hope; or death, with words of accusation, deceit, jealousy, hatred and anger. In the daily battle of words to win the hearts of our youths, our tongues need to be moulded by the Lord to speak the words of truth to their hearts - that they are loved by God, that they are made in the image of God's love, that their lives do have God-given meaning and purpose to love Him and our neighbours as ourselves.

Salesmen know all about the power of words to sell products that people don't actually need or want. Satan is the very clever salesman who knows how to package something bogus as something genuine. "Get plastered", "a body is just a body", "go on, put that person in his place", then we'll be truly happy, so he tells us. Satan has successfully sold his package of lies to so many people.

If we are to win over Satan then our words have to be smarter. When the tongue works together with the treasure of the Word in our hearts, then that tongue becomes as sharp as a sword. God wants to use our hands, our feet, and especially our mouths to proclaim and testify the truth of His love - the only thing that can bring true joy and peace. There are many parts of me that God can use to speak of His love to others, but none more so effectively than the Word of God, the Bible, through which He speaks directly.

Much of society may be at a loss to know how to break the deadly web of violent crime and alcohol abuse ensnaring so many young people, but Christians already know the solution - Jesus Christ, the perfect revelation of God's love. It's simply a matter of getting ourselves into the best position for God to bring that solution to those who don't yet know, even when the prospect of our own part in that solution seems bewildering to us. When society starts to believe that it doesn't need God, then it is a clear sign that society needs God more than ever.