21 Days To A Teenager’s Spiritual ChangeSample

Do You Know Who You Are for Him?

Think about your best friend. If you have one then you should know that there are no barriers between you. You are not afraid of this person and there are no rituals or special language. The relationship you have is close and deep. Jesus wants to be this kind of friend to you. You can come to him with all your sins and sorrows, and He will take them and give you peace instead of fear. He invites you to be His friend, which means that you can pour your heart out in His presence. Yes, He invites you to talk to Him when you go through joy, sadness, temptations, and trials. When we are weak or burdened He says, “Hey, I am your best friend!”

God offers us a deep and abundant bond. He wants to be your father, but He also wants to be your friend. Friendship with Him is founded on conversation. God calls you as a servant, but He calls you His friend. He wants a relationship in which He is close to us and we are close to Him. He wants a relationship where we both are comfortable. That's why you should ground your self-esteem in the way He sees you and not in your feelings, your achievements, or other people's opinions. People change their opinions, they can tell you nice things in the heat of the moment, and then their words can change when you have a fight. However, when it comes to God, it is totally different. You will always be His beloved child. No matter the circumstances or all the things you've done, He will always be your daddy. So feed on the Word of God, on the passages that talk about your identity in God. Try not to compare yourself to others, but if you do, just stop and thank God for all the things that make you different.

Maybe right now all you do is use your friendship with God to come to Him with a 'to do' list and you want Him to take care of everything. But he says, “Jacob, Michael, Emily, Hanna, Joshua, Emma, Aidan, Ethan, could we just spend some time together? Just you and me? We could read the Bible together. I know you are super busy, but maybe you could find a few minutes for Me. I know you are anxious and worried about the things on the list, but everything is going to be alright. I will take care of it, so don't you worry. Let's just talk today. Why don't we just meet for the sake of meeting?”

Prayer: Lord, thank you that I can be your child. But I also thank you that I can be your friend. I want to have time for you because I know that to have a relationship with you, I need to find time for you. Thank you that you love me and long to have a relationship with me. Amen.

Challenge: Think about the ways you could show your love to God and then . . . do it!