Prayer of a Teen for Christ

“Dear Lord,
May I not be complacent. The world has low expectations for teens like me, and I’m tired of just being the average teen. I want to step out of my comfort zone. I want to live this life that you’ve given me for you glory. May You be glorified in all that I do.
Lord, You have done so much for me. You died on the cross, and took the punishment of my sin so that I wouldn’t have to pay. You didn’t have to do it, but You did it because you love me.
Show me what you would have me to do. Help me to be willing to give up everything for You, to You. I’m tired of being quite. If I truly call myself a Christian, a follower of Christ, I must live for and imitate You.”
-Anonymous

As followers of Christ, we are called to live for Him, and we are called to imitate Him.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.” -Ephesians 5:1

What does it look like to you if you are imitating and living for Christ?

What should it look like?

The aroma of our lives

Back in March, the youth group leader of the church I attend asked a question that caught me off guard, but is an important one none-the-less.
“Does God have a sense of smell?”
In Genesis 8:20-21 we read that after the Flood, Noah built an alter, and praised the Lord by burning a sacrifice on it. In verse 21, we are told that God the pleasing aroma of the sacrifice.
Throughout the Old Testament, we read that when someone whose heart was right burned a sacrifice before the Lord; He smelled it, and was pleased.
God smells the aroma of your life as well.

2 Corinthians 2:15 says, “For we are the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

What kid of smell are you giving off?
Is your aroma pleasing to the Lord?

2 Corinthians 5:17- “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

Ephesians 5:1- “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.”

If you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior, then you are a new creation, and you are called to become an imitator of Christ.
Your aroma needs to be pleasing to the Lord. Your actions, appearance, choices, and thoughts need to imitate that of Christ’s.

Ephesians 5:2- “…live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Your life becomes a sweet smelling fragrance when you live you life in love instead of bitterness. Christ chose you to be a shining light to the world. Are you representing Christ well?

Trusting In The Lord In Every Aspect of Our Lives

There is a verse that constantly comes to my mind when I think about the hard decisions I have to make, and about all the confusing things that this life brings. That verse is…

Proverbs 3:5-6–Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your pathes straight.

Sometimes life seems difficult, and at times unbearable. We as followers of Christ are commanded to trust in the Lord.
When I think of the phrase “with all your heart” I think of something along the lines of “with every part of my being. A willingness to die for, and give your all for”
According to the dictionary the word “trust” means reliance, implicit faith, to have faith in, to give credit to, to belive, hope, or to confide in.

So we are to give credit to, believe, hope, have faith, and confide in the Lord with all of our being. Not trusting in ourselves (because we are wicked sinners (Romans 3:23), and we’re in need of a savior (Hebrews 9:22) (1 John 3:16))), but in everything we do acknowledge the Lord and He will make our paths straight. He will lead us in the way that we should go.

Now the word acknowledge is a very interesting word. It simply means to admit as true, or to give thanks for. We as Christ followers are to give thanks to God, admitting that He is true in every aspect of our lives.

So in closing, I want to encourage you all to rely on the Lord with every part of your being; giving thanks to God.

Age Doesn’t Matter

How many times have you felt like you couldn’t do something God wanted you to do because of your age? Have you ever felt like you were too young? I know I have. Maybe you thought something like, “I can’t do that, Lord. I’m just a kid. I don’t have enough experience.”

Though out the Bible, God used people who’s hearts were turned towards Him; regardless of age.

When Goliath challenged the Israelites and God; the Lord sent a young boy named David to kill the giant. (1 Samuel 17) Why him? Because his heart was turned towards the things of God.

God called a child named Jeremiah to be the mouth (so to speak) of the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:6-8) Why Jeremiah? Because his heart was turned to God.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a young girl who God used in a mighty way. When God wanted to send His only begotten Son to the earth; He used Mary. God Almighty used Mary because her heart was turned towards Him. (Luke 1:26-28)

In the Gospel of John, it is recorded that a young boy gave his lunch of five loaves and two fish to Jesus Christ. Jesus took those loaves and fish, and fed 5,000 people with them. Why was the boy used? Because his heart was on God.

Do you see the pattern?

“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” -1 Timothy 4:12

God doesn’t care if you’re young. If your heart is on Him (like the young people I mentioned in this post) then He will use you.

Walk The Talk

If you’re going to talk the talk; you had better walk the walk.

You all have probably heard this saying (or something along those lines) before. But did you know that a lot of Christians don’t walk what they talk? (Or they just don’t care)
I know I haven’t always done what I talk. In fact, one time I had been talking to a dear friend of mine about the importance of Bible study. About half way through my sentence; I stopped. I realized at that moment that I was being very hypocritical. I was telling this person that it is important to have a daily quiet time with God, and here I was not putting aside time with God on a daily basis.
Later on when I had gone home that night; I prayed to God and asked Him to forgive me. I also asked Him to help me do what was right, starting with having a daily quiet time with the Lord.
That was about 8 months ago. There are days when I don’t start the day off right by not reading my Bible, and I feel absolutely horrible about it. But now it has come to a point that when I realize that I haven’t read my Bible; I stop with whatever I’m doing and read my Bible. I don’t do it because I feel like I have too; I do it because I want too.
We are being very hypocritical if we say one thing, yet do the complete opposite.
I like how Paul puts it in his letter to the Romans. “You, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?” Romans 2: 21-23
I don’t know about you, but I find that very convicting!
The Bible is very clear about what God thinks about hypocrisy.
Isaiah 1: 10-15—“Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! ‘The multitude of your sacrifices- what are they to me?’ says the Lord. ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings, or rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of My courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to Me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations- I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts My soul hates. They have become a burden to Me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood;’”Now that’s a sobering thought! The Lord hates it when we act like hypocrites. It tells us so in those verses.
But He offers forgiveness to all those who willingly come to Him and ask.
“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of My sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. From the mouth of the Lord has spoken” –Isaiah 1:16-20
No sin is too hard for God to cleanse. Whether it’s being hypocritical or lying; He can make you as white as snow.
It’s your choice. Serve God or serve yourself…what are you going to do?