YOUR YOUTH AND GOD | KAIROS GLOBAL | MAY 2023

Author: Toby Dinoop

Intro: Young people need to put God first in everything they do, writes teenager Toby Dinoop in this testimony.

Your teenage years are a point when you are crossing a line, going from a child to an adult. During these turbulent times we experience many changes, from physical changes to social changes. You may experience changes that you notice right away, to changes that only become apparent when you look at a picture of yourself two years ago. Along with these changes comes a change of freedom, you get to become more independent, you take your own responsibilities that you never would’ve had when you were eight. These teenage years can be riddled with a full spectrum of emotions from happiness, to sadness and everything in between. Now it’s important to remember that every single thing you have experienced has been set into you by God. He is the one who made every single person capable of anything. Most of all God understands every single problem that you may have. He wants to help you conquer all that troubles you, all you need to do is believe in him and go forward.

Struggles and Temptations 

As much as I hate to say it, life will bring struggles, it’s unavoidable. Some people experience problems, many people experience temptations, and difficulties. Sometimes at this age you want to experiment in life, to try out new things, and this is a double-edged sword. On one side you may end up finding something incredibly great, or even a new hobby, on the other side there can be things that completely and utterly ruin lives, potentially even ending it. So it’s important to always remain wise and think to yourself, ‘What would Jesus do?’ Because just like everyone, Jesus was human at one point, tempted relentlessly in the desert for forty days, but of course since Jesus is Jesus, he overcame it. We need to be just like Jesus and overcome all of the temptations and struggles that come our way. The book of Zechariah (13:9) states I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘These are my people’ and they will say ‘The Lord is our God’. Just like precious metal that have to be melted down purified, God sends us these adversities to strengthen our faith and become unbreakable.

Making sure God is Number one

As a teenager, you need to remember is that God is number one in everything, he is your utmost priority. It’s understandable that teenage years are extremely stressful, especially during those later years; your entire future is on the line, all your hopes and dreams, everything is at stake. Sometimes we put God in a bit less of a spot in our priorities, the very God that could bring down rulers, lift up the humble to great power and cast down the proud. You’re going to want to make him your number one priority. Now this doesn’t mean that you should neglect all of the other things in your life, eating is important, sleeping is important, studying is important, enjoying your life is important, however it never hurts at all to make sure that God is number one in your life. Maybe you could do something like praying in between your studies, because if you prioritise God, no matter how little you do extra, God will surely repay you in kind, You may not even notice for a very long time, but it will surely happen.

Trust in God

Throughout your teenage years and just life in general, you will be faced with heavy uncertainty on what may happen next. No matter what you do or how well you plan there is always a chance that it may fail. And it’s a scary thought, doing absolutely everything you can just to achieve something and not yielding any results from that. But that’s when it is most important to put all of your faith in God and understand that God has a plan, for each and every single person on earth. A while back I faced plenty of uncertainty in my life, unsure of how my life was going to turn out, things were looking kind of bleak. I mustered the courage to confide in my mother about everything that was going on. She comforted me and gave me one key lesson, to trust in God’s plan that he would surely turn everything well for me as long as I obeyed his precepts. Now while I can’t say I’m absolutely certain about my future, and I can’t say all the fear and uncertainty is gone, I can say that when these thoughts come into my head, I remember that God truly has a plan for me and that everything will be fine in the end. While I can’t say my faith is unshakable, I know that if I trust God, things will end up fine. While it will vary in difficulty from person to person, you need to do your best to trust in God. It will only serve to help you in life. Another thing you could do is to confide in your parents, they are here to guide you and to guide you well, and always remember, God has a plan.

For each and every human being God has a plan, even in these shaky years of being a teen, and when you are scared for how things will turn out, God will make sure to make things turn out well for you in the end. It is also important to remember that what goes on is temporary in life and that heaven is eternal, as a result God should be at the very forefront of our lives and to understand that our lives will end up great in the end.