Being a teen can be tough! From body image to friendships, you can sometimes feel like you are trying to figure this all out on your own. In this 7-day reading plan for teens, we will uncover what God says about these trials and how to overcome them!
RESPECT MY CROWN
Day 1
Scriptures: Romans 12:12, Psalms 103:8
PATIENCE
Life is full of frustrations and adversity. I wish I could candy-coat this for you, but the truth is that life will always have its ups and downs. Sometimes it really stinks. When we pray to God for patience, God doesn’t just drop down a magic bowl of patience from Heaven for us to gobble up, and everything is great again. Instead, God provides us with trials and tribulations to learn patience.
God doesn’t want us to ignore what is happening or avoid our problems. He was us to embrace it. The word tells us,
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
Even research shows patient people live a better quality of life! It doesn’t mean we don’t get upset or angry. Those are natural emotions. It simply means we remember who resides in us before becoming impatient with others.
The Lord is compassionate and merciful, patient, and full of faithful love.” (Psalm 103:8)
Our goal is to be more like Christ every day.
I want to encourage you to write out the areas where you most need patience. Is it with a teacher, parent, sibling, or maybe a friend? Don’t be afraid to take those situations to the Lord. Describe to God what the issue is and that you desire His help. Sometimes we cannot change the situation, but God can change our hearts and how we view the situation.
Day 2
Scriptures: Colossians 4:6, Proverbs 15:18
COMMUNICATION
Communication helps us cultivate amazing relationships with family, friends, peers, and even co-workers. We build our relationship with God by communicating through prayer. God speaks so much through His Word. Let’s be honest; we don’t always communicate well. Negative emotions can affect our communication causing serious damage to our relationships.
Whether it’s “ghosting” – refusing to communicate or “verbal lashings” – yelling, screaming, saying mean and hurtful things. We must remember this isn’t the communication God desires from us.
When you talk, you should always be kind and pleasant so you will be able to answer everyone in the way you should. (Colossians 4:6 NCV)
What is pleasing to God is that our words are kind and pleasant. Let’s do a self-check! Are my words uplifting, or am I spreading gossip? Am I aiming for peace, or am I being petty? Am I listening well, or am I reacting without understanding?
Communication begins with our heart. We should always lead with love in our communication. Tell the truth in love. Pay attention to body language and when you don’t know what to say, seek the Holy Spirit to intercede and provide the words for you.
Day 3
Scriptures: Genesis 1:26-28, 1 Peter 3:3-4
BODY IMAGE
We live in a world where beauty standards bombard us daily, such as how to wear our hair, style our clothes, and even adorn our faces based on current beauty trends. When it comes to our bodies, let’s just say that plastic surgery is not the highest-paid medical specialty for no reason.
To understand the significance of our beauty is to recognize the foundational concept begins with knowing we are made in His image. (Genesis 1:26-28) Being made in the “image of God” provides the unique opportunity to be a representation of the kingdom. Think about the ways you describe heaven. What words do you use? I would use words such as holy, the highest place, beauty, and a place where God dwells. Now, think of how you describe yourself. Because you represent the kingdom due to being made in His image, the adjectives to describe you should match those above.
Today, I challenge you to see yourself differently. Remove the views from the manmade standard of beauty and see you through the eyes of Christ. Embrace your uniqueness. Speak loving words to yourself about yourself. Remember, the standard of beauty will change daily, but the one thing that remains the same and will never change is the Word of God.
Day 4
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 15:33, Ecclesiastes 4:9, Proverbs 12:26
FRIENDSHIPS
Connecting is a God gift. He designed us to desire the company of each other. As Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 shares,
“Two people are better than one. They can help each other in everything they do. Suppose someone falls. Then his friend can help him up. But suppose the man who falls doesn’t have anyone to help him up. Then feel sorry for him!”
Haven’t you ever noticed how great you feel after hanging out with good friends? Science has proven the positive chemicals of dopamine and oxytocin are released when you are in good company. This, in turn, allows us to feel happier and calmer. What a great benefit of developing positive friendships. The keyword here is “positive.” What qualities does a good friend look like to you? Being trustworthy, loving, and honest are just a few qualities I think of when I think of some of my good friends. They are also loyal. They lift me when I am down. My good friends are dependable, accountable, and above all, godly.
You see, a good friend will be a godly friend. They will never entice you to do things not pleasing to God. A good friend will be loving and bring joy to your life. When I think of Abraham being called a friend of God, I think about how high of an honor this was. Not everyone received this title. We can be this way with our circle of friends as well. Not everyone should be called a friend. We must recognize friendship as a sacred vow. We must first know how to be a good friend to receive friendship in return. As Matthew 7:12 shares, “do to others whatever you would have them do unto you.” If we are not willing to treat others positively, how could we hold others to this standard? As I shared before, connecting is a God gift, and friendship is a sacred vow. True friends will always encourage you to do the right thing, even when our flesh screams to do the opposite.
I challenge you to take a close look at your friendships. Do they reflect the God in you? Do they treat you as you treat them? Cherish those who bring joy and be willing to sever ties with those who would entice you to do anything opposite from what God calls you to do. You are worth having positive friendships, but never forget that you must first be this good friend.
Day 5
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 6:18, 1 Peter 2:11
PURITY
No one ever had the “sex talk” with me when I was a teen. Sometimes, parents find this to be a difficult task. As I have visited with teenagers, I commonly hear responses that include, “But if I don’t do anything, he won’t like me anymore.” I’ve also heard, “I didn’t know alternate forms satisfying sexual desires were still considered sex,”. When counseling teens on abstinence, the lack of knowledge on this subject for our teens is astonishing. Even more so, the lack of knowledge about sex from a Godly perspective is more disheartening.
The truth is, God never intended for sex to be something negative. The sin of the world changed the perspective of many. We must remember sex is not a man-made act. Our Heavenly Father created sex. It was created with splendor in mind to be enjoyed in the context of marriage.
“Let your fountain be blessed, and take pleasure in the wife of your youth.” (Proverbs 5:18)
To take pleasure sounds like goodness to me. Imagine performing an act pleasing to God when done in the way He intends. According to the Word of God, being willing to remain pure until you are married is well worth the wait. He desires for us to have a lifetime of great sex, but accomplished through marriage.
When we choose to have sex outside of marriage, we expose ourselves to the soul ties of the enemy. This is a counterfeit of God’s plan. A soul tie is where two become one within a relationship. First Corinthians 6:16 states,
“and don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the scriptures say, ‘the two are united into one.’”
We become enslaved when we experience ungodly soul ties such as having sex outside of marriage.
I know what you are saying. It’s so much easier said than done. Being a teenager with so much peer pressure and hormones can make remaining pure a hard task. But you can do hard things. I challenge you to reflect on the goodness of God you will encounter if you abstain until marriage. If you’ve experienced an ungodly soul tie, please know that you possess the power to take back what the enemy stole. It requires you to repent and turn away from the sin (Acts 3:19) and then make a new covenant with God. Our God is a God of forgiveness and redemption!
Day 6
Scriptures: Philippians 4:6, Luke 12:25
STRESS
I first want to acknowledge and validate your feelings – stress is REAL! Even as a teenager, there are so many things that can have you stressed daily. Homework – stressful. Teachers – stressful. Coaches – stressful. Parents – Stressful. Friends and family life can even be stressful. God isn’t surprised at all by your stress. He guides us through His word about how to handle stress.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
Let’s break this Scripture down. God does not want us to worry about anything. He has it all covered. Even when it looks bad, He is aware, and it has its purpose. With a grateful heart, we should bring it all to Him. God is so merciful, and for that, we can be grateful. He wants to hear from you! Your prayers and your problems – bring it all to Him! It is God who provides us with peace.
Worrying gets us nowhere. Really. Even the Bible says in Luke 12:25:
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?”
I know it’s tough sometimes not to worry, but it shows our lack of faith in God when we worry. So the next time you find yourself becoming a worry-worm, remember God’s got your back! Tell Him what is stressing you and surrender it all to Him with a thankful heart knowing it is done.
Day 7
Scriptures: Mark 11:25
FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is a tough one! It is why we saved the best for last! It’s one of the most important factors in building our relationship with God. Our ability to forgive others is directly attached to God’s desire to forgive us. I need forgiveness every day because I don’t always get it right! So this means I have to forgive people for the pain and hurt they caused and forgive myself for the part I may have played.
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25)
I have a friend I didn’t speak to for almost two years. We were both mad at each other because we hurt each other’s feelings. We were friends for about eight years before our fallout. The entire time we didn’t talk, I thought about her often. She had always been a great friend, and I missed her dearly. I reached out to her one day. We talked it out and transparently acknowledged each other’s feelings, took accountability for our actions and apologized. Our relationship has flourished to new heights because of forgiveness.
Sometimes we don’t always get the chance to talk it out with the others involved. Maybe the other person isn’t open to forgiveness or even having a conversation. Either way, forgiveness starts in our hearts. Here are a few tips for beginning the process of forgiveness.
1. Honor your feelings and acknowledge those emotions.
2. Surrender it to God and ask for His guidance on the situation.
3. Pray for the other person.
4. Trust God to handle it from here.
One of the most powerful examples of forgiveness in the Bible was Jesus looking down from the cross and saying,
“Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
He was surrounded by his enemies, tortured, beaten, mocked, spit on, and wearing a crown of thorns. A pain we can’t even imagine, but He took a moment to ask God to forgive them. We should have this heart posture every day, but it takes work.
How about we start with one person today. Who is a person you know you need to forgive? Follow the above steps and release it today. You deserve to experience the freedom that comes with forgiveness.