So Be Ready with a Strong Faith
As a teenager, you probably feel overlooked or ignored when it comes to the impact you make in the kingdom of God. The Bible offers several examples of teens who changed the course of History, the most popular two are King David and Mary the mother of Jesus. David was a teenager when he slayed Goliath. Mary was a teenager when she carried our Messiah in her womb. Yes, God uses teens to turn the world upside down for His glory! A teen’s testimony or conviction to follow the Lord may speak more powerfully to a nonbeliever than the most studied theologian, popular pastor or eloquent Christian speaker.
Trust that God will Use You
Adults tend to label teenagers as the future generation of the church. But, you are just as much a part of the church NOW as you will be tomorrow, next week, next year or several years from now. Your impact is as essential now as it will be in the future. Yes, you are the future of the church, but you are also the current church. So, don’t hide behind your age, or the label people have placed on you. Instead speak about what you do know in words that make sense to you. Then, trust that God will use you for His glory. Even though the world says you’re unimportant and insignificant, God sees you otherwise. He has already made Himself strong through you.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
The Spiritual Spectrum
Your spiritual walk is very personal. Only you know where you stand with Christ and where you struggle with your beliefs and relationship with Him. So, take a moment to step back and realize that every Christian’s spiritual walk exist somewhere along a spectrum. There are Christians who have a very strong faith and relationship with Christ. There are others who may be weaker but are learning about Him and His ways every day. Everyone fits somewhere along this spectrum. Your positioning probably slides up and down the scale depending on the experiences you’re currently facing.
People along the scale with little knowledge of the Bible, those who are struggling in faith or those who feel small or feeble in comparison to others, may be made strong because of their weakness. There’s a scripture that says when you are weak, God is strong. The writer of that scripture, Paul, said he will boast in his weakness because that is when God can be most revealed. When you’re feeling weak in faith, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). According to the scripture, those who think their knowledge of the Bible or their faith in Jesus is weak may actually be the most influential people in the kingdom of God. Where their weakness lies, God’s strength can prevail. Your heart for Christ may be a greater impact than the thickest book, most polished sermon or articulate speech.
God uses people from all walks of life and all stages of faith. Regardless of where your relationship is with Christ, know that He is using you to impact His kingdom. Through you, He is bringing people closer to Him. You’re revealing a truly compassionate and loving God to the world around you. So, share your story, tell your testimony, believe that God is teaching you something and divulge that to others.
A teen’s testimony or conviction to follow the Lord may speak more powerfully to a nonbeliever than the most studied theologian, popular pastor or eloquent Christian speaker.
Growing Closer to God
God wants you to grow in faith because He wants to grow closer to you. He wants a deep, intimate relationship with you. As you speak more about what God is doing in your life and how He is making you strong, your relationship with Him will grow. To gain more knowledge about God, spend time in prayer. The more you pray to the Lord, the more opportunity He has to answer your prayer and the more likely you’ll be able to recognize that answer. As your relationship grows, you’ll more clearly hear Him reveal things to you through conversations, sermons, reading scripture or other Christian books, journaling, etc. The more you invest in these practices, the more you’ll be able to sense and understand His strength during your weakness.
You may never know how the Lord has used you to impact the life of another. But, if you have had an influence on someone because of your willingness to let God’s power work through you, we’d love to hear the story. Share with us via email or social media message on Facebook of Twitter. We can’t wait to lift you up in prayer, praising God for the work He’s doing through you.
