Contrary to popular belief, being a teenager is one of the most confusing and depressing times of your life. You are too young to sit with the adults, yet too old to act like a child. So where do you fall? Being a teenager means resting in the lonely middle, the ignored corner, the dumping grounds for everything wrong with "today's generation." So where do you turn when the world is against you? There are 10 bible verses that every teenager should know when times are getting tough and you feel like you are alone in this world.
1. Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
This is for all those times when you felt like you had no direction for your life. For those times when you just knew that your life was not as special. Just remember that God chose YOU. He made you who you were in spite of your flaws, in fact, because of your flaws. No matter who you are or where you came from, you were made according to His purpose and for a purpose!
2. I Corinthians 10:13
"No temptation has overcome you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
Use this when you feel like what you are going through is just too much. God only gives you what He knows you can handle. Choose to face your demons, and God will provide you the strength. Don't back down when the going gets tough, but instead, embrace the challenges set before you. They will make you who you are supposed to be!
3. I Peter 5:7
"Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you."
This is the moment when one would say, "Let go and let God." During the entirety of your life, you will be faced with hurt and with times of challenge. These situations are not to harm you, but to strengthen you and to test your heart. God stands with you for a reason, and that reason is to take your burden, your pain and your worry. The human mind is incapable of harboring so much anxiety, which is why we give it to God. If you can allow yourself to let God in, he will help force your pain out!
4. Galatians 5:22-23
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self control. Against such things there is no law."
These are the things you need to remember in your daily life. Your walk should be filled with the fruit of the Spirit. If you choose to submit your ways to God and let Him control your life, then you will be choosing everlasting peace, which is a gift unlike any other. You claim to be a Christian, but are you really living your life the way God would have you to? These are the ways you can show the world that you are a child of God!
5. I Timothy 4:12
"Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity."
Do not solely live for yourself, but live for God, and through that live for others. Be a light for those hidden in the safety of the darkness where they aren't forced to make tough decisions or take a stand for the one true King. You were put on this earth to lead others to Christ. Do not live your life without answering the true calling of a Christian. If you have faith in yourself and agree to teach others about God's glory, He will speak through you, and together you will give nonbelievers the opportunity of an everlasting life!
6. James 4:7
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
This is for when you are unsure of the right path. It will always seem so much easier to take the common path when in reality, the road less traveled is often the one that holds the greatest reward. It is no lie that the urges of the devil are plentiful. He will poke and pry at you until you are broken. He will continue to eat away at your soul until you are nothing but another follower of the wrong leader. Let yourself be vulnerable unto the power of God, and He will protect you from the evils of the world. When you stand with God, nothing can stand against you!
7. John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
If you walk alone you will not have peace, because true peace comes from the Lord. He knows and tells you that you will struggle in your earthly life. But you will struggle for what is only a blink in time in order to reach something that is so much greater than this life. God has overcome the world, and through Him you can hold peace in knowing that you too can overcome!
8. Deuteronomy 31:6
"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you."
Use this when you do not know who you can trust. No matter the circumstance, God will always be the one you can trust in and count on. When you are with God, you have absolutely nothing to fear, because everything you do will be for the glory of God, and He will always protect His disciples. When you stand with God, you are the strongest you will ever be. You never have to feel alone or inferior, because you hold in your heart the love of the one who is the ultimate creator of courage and of strength!
9. Psalm 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
When you choose to follow God, the path to righteousness will be made clear. You will no longer have to worry about where you are going and how you are supposed to get there. God's path will always be the one that is the most rewarding and the most plentiful. And with Him inside your heart, that path will always shine the brightest, even in times of turmoil. You will never have to be fearful of the direction of your life, because if you allow God to present Himself to you, the direction will be straightforward and pure!
10. Philippians 4:13
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
This is for when you feel useless and weak. Your strength comes from the Lord, not from yourself. God is the source of power and strength that lives within you. If it weren't for God, believers would continue to be fearful of what the new days may bring. If you rely solely on God to fuel you with His strength, you will never have to be afraid of troubles that come your way. He is the almighty and the only one who can ease the burden of a life full of fear!
When you choose to live a life without God controlling it, you are surrendering to the perils of the evil world surrounding you. When you choose to let God lead you through His own eyes, you are opening yourself up to a lifetime of fulfillment and peace. God is the only one who can calm our human minds and relieve us of our stress and pain. Without God we are nothing, but with Him we are everything. The fate of the nonbelievers rests on our shoulders and on our abilities to teach them the truth. Don't let such a pure and righteous opportunity pass you by. Become one with the Spirit, and let Him turn your youthful mind into that of a disciple of Christ.
