A Christian Teenager

Man, do I remember when I was a 17 year old teenager. Its NOT easy. This is actually spiritual growing pains. A Christian who is a teenager who is able to learn through mistakes will become a great Christian when he/she gets older. Without these temptations circumstances, your self-discovery of spiritual maturity will not be learned. Our greatest teachers are those circumstances you are facing because they are reminders that we are still sinners and we are to be trained into spiritual growth. When we most aware of our weaknesses, we are more inclined to collapse into God's strength and experience His amazing grace. "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. 12:9). In 1 Timothy 4 explains that Christians must choose their priorities carefully like an athlete as to have disciplined lives forgo some desires that may hinder doing God's will and please God as you are after God's own heart. "An athlete who aspires to win the coveted prize does not indulge himself"(J. Oswald Sanders). Reading Hebrews helped me understood that I am to be aware of obstacles and hindrances I would meet during my life, to throw me off balance that hinders doing the Will of God that could entangle my life easily if I do not submit myself to God's power of grace. God's grace is more than sufficient in my life that I am to fix my eyes on Jesus who is my author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2). Faith and Grace together is to "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV). What should motivate me like an athlete who trains for the Olympics to win a gold medal such self-discipline and willing to face the endurance of the spiritual training as Hebrews 12 and other biblical passages describes? What is my spiritual prize since I already have my gift eternal life? What are my eternal rewards? If I am to take my temporal rights and privileges, what happens to God's eternal will? I have learned that it is God's will to submit to the Holy Spirit and keep on filling me (Ephesians 5:18). Like an athlete when training, I should always keep drinking water so that I won't be dehydrated and feeling weak. With that thought in my mind, I should always keep filling the Holy Spirit in my life so that I am able to act and react any difficulties in my life with God's power (Grace). The power of Grace through the Holy Spirit is my strength that I am able to boast and win for Christ at all costs (see 2 Corinthians 12:1-12). "What I am great advocate of looking into the past, I could warn everybody against living in the past. The only justification for looking to the past is that we may learn great lessons from it and apply them" (Martyn Lloyd-Jones) By avoiding the mistakes of the past: "Those who fail to remember the past are condemned to repeat it" (George Santayana) By repeating the victories of the past: "Those who fail to remember the past are condemned not to repeat it" (David B. Calhoun) Continue in Faith: Acts 14:22 'strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," . Colossians 1:22-23 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.