• God wants us to live responsible lives.
• Our lives should be guided by the teachings of Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
• As Christians, we should acquire skills that will enable us to live responsible lives.
• To lead a responsible life, one should have humility, kindness, fairness, honesty, respect, commitment and faithfulness.
• We should learn to accept ourselves the way we are and thank God for creating us.
• As Christians we should not blindly follow what our friends tell us to do. We should instead do that which is right at all times, even if our friends leave us.

My character 

• Our characters are who we are. It is whom one really is when no one is around or watching.
• God requires us to have good characters.
• We should follow the example of Jesus who was honest, obedient and respectful to both God and human beings.
• We should be good whether or not our parents or teachers are watching because God always sees us.

Socially responsible behaviour

• To be able to relate well with all people, we should develop good behaviour that is acceptable to the society.
• The Bible should be our guide in this.
• 1 Peter 2:1-3 tells us to rid ourselves of all evils like jealousy and deceit.
• Colossians 3:20 teaches that we should obey our parents for that is what pleases God.
• Romans 13:1-5 says we should obey our authorities because authority comes from God.
• These are examples of teachings that we need to follow in order to please both God and others.

Setting goals in life

• When setting goals we have to be clear about what they are and be committed in our search to meet them.
• We have to seek God’s guidance through prayer.  
• We can also seek advice from people who are older, such as our parents, teachers, pastors, and sincere friends, on what goals to set and how to meet them.
• Goals should be SMART. That is:

1. Simple
2. Measurable
3. Achievable
4. Realistic
5. Time bound. 

• Writing them down and setting deadlines for ourselves will enable us to keep track of how well we are doing.
• If we do not achieve a goal, we can consider why and adjust it accordingly.
• To get a certain career, we should be commit- ted in our studies and seek guidance towards achieving it.

Developing life skills 

• Life skills are abilities that enable us to deal with problems or dilemmas that arise in our lives. They help us make and maintain long-lasting friendships.  
• These life skills are

1. Being assertive

• This is being firm and clear on what we believe is right without hurting the feelings of those who disagree.
• We should be able to say ‘no’ to peer pressure and to stay away from engaging in irresponsible behaviour.

2. Critical thinking -

• We can avoid making mistakes by not hurriedly making decisions.
• We should patiently consider a problem from all sides before making a decision.

3. Being creative 

• When we are creative we are able to see problems that are likely to occur and find different ways of solving them.
• When we are influenced by our friends to do something bad, we should create a way of telling them no without hurting them.

4. Making decisions 

• We should always make the right choice especially when choosing friends.
• We should be able to look at the advantages and disadvantages of selecting from each of our options.
• We should learn to do what is best for us according to God’s law.

5. Listening and responding 

• We need to learn how to listen to other people when they talk to us.
• We should show them respect by listening to what they have to say, without being distracted by other things.

• We should not refuse to answer others when they talk to us.
• If our friends tell us about a problem they have, we should not laugh at them. We should instead listen and try and see how best to help them.