I was born and raised a Christian. My parents invested a some time each night to teach me about God’s word. I happen to be a fountain of questions about God’s word, so it was quite easy to learn. My single question would evolve into a three hour long conversation with my dad. We both enjoyed those conversations immensely. My parents even homeschooled me so they could monitor who i associated with, what curriculum I used. Some people call this ‘controlling’. I call it ‘loving’.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy and it is not proud. It is not rude or self seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no record of wrongs, Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protect, always trusts, always hope ,always perseveres. Love never fails.” – 2 Corinthians 13:4
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Tip #1 Get Into God’s Word
As a young girl I didn’t read the Bible much besides church reading. When I was young, I thought it was kind of boring. I believe that interest in Bible reading comes with age and maturity. For me, it gradually increased as I got older. In my tween years I got a bit more interested in it up until now. (my highschool years) I open my Bible eagerly. There’s such a great variety of advice all through it! I will caution you though. You will not grow your faith unless you open your heart to God’s advice to change for the better.
“Keep this book of the law always on your lips. Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. The you will be prosperous and sucessful” -Joshua 1:8
Tip #2 Pray, Pray and Pray Some more.
“Rejoice always, pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18
How can you develop a sweet ralationship with your heavenly father if you don’t communicate? I’ll tell you one thing; NO relationship will suceed if you don’t have good communication.
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father, who is unseen. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
Personally, I look foward to the end of my day when I’m laying in bed and i get to talk to my heavenly Father quietly, alone and uninterrupted. Some days I just pour out my heart. Other days I don’t necessarily feel like it, but I do it anyway because it’s an important daily practice. Nevertheless, it is an essential part in our relationship with God. He’s been such a comfort for me in my joyful and sorrow filled days. He feels what we feel. Let’s face it. We are human. We fail God daily. I have always been encouraged to pray before my meals. For some reason though, I have a hard time doing it in the presence of others. Don’t get me wrong! I’m not ashamed of my faith or God in any way, shape or form, but I feel that my prayers are personal and I don’t want people watching. However, I do want to change this. I mean, how do you think your parents would feel if you didn’t want to talk to them out in public? Not very nice. God probably feels the same way. Do you have a favorite place to pray? Do you have the same dilemma i have about praying in public?
Tip #3 Seek Older Christian Mentors
There are soo many wonderful Christian writers that offer great advice for teens. My favorite Christian writer is Elizabeth George. I have completely and absolutely loved reading her books. (In a later post I will talk about her some more.) She writes books specifically for teens and women of all ages. Here are a few books I’ve read by her:
A Girl After God’s Own Heart: A Tween Adventure With Jesus
As a young ten year old girl, I loved this book. In this book Elizbeth offers advice on friends, parents, our siblings, and your time with Jesus. It is a fun book for girls to personalize with spaces in the book for their personal thoughts.
A Young Woman’s Guide to Making Right Choices
As teens we get a lot of choice making thrown at us daily. Whether it be in school or at home. This book shows how God feels about these things and wow! It really makes you think about how you live and make choices.
Have you ever read any of these books? If so, what did you think about them? How did they help you? I highly encourage girls to read these books ASAP.
Well there you go! These are tips that have helped me a great deal in the past and i hope you benefit from them too.
God Bless! 💙
All for The Glory Of God 