Making My Faith My Own
By guest author
KAYLA WRIGHT
Licensed Christian Counselor
Specialist in Child & Adolescent Therapy
Life Training Christian Counseling
Adolescence and young adulthood bring about unique changes in our lives. Not only are we discovering our own identity, but we are also defining a faith of our own. It is a period which includes challenging our old ways of thinking and seeking answers outside of our parents. Jesus encourages us to seek answers. In Matthew 7:7-8 NIV, he says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” So why can it be so hard to step out of my parents’ beliefs to search for my own?
God Must Be On The Throne
Parents are a wonderful gift. They teach us how to live successfully and equip us to act responsibly. However, parents are also imperfect, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). At times, they can be teaching misunderstanding, sharing the Lord through a wounded lens, or not fully explaining something to the extent it can be understood by you. Knowing this, when we choose to seek God for ourselves, we have to accept the possibility, and probability, that our parents have been wrong about some things. We must make a choice to seek God’s Truth over our parents’ guidance. When we remove our parents and place God on the rightful throne in our lives, we are able to grow in our faith while loving our parents where they are.
It Takes Effort and Intentionality
Choosing to make our faith our own takes physical and emotional effort. We no longer trust the words of others at face value, but are choosing to seek answers in the Bible for ourselves. Ephesians 6:10-20 encourages us to put on the armor of God to fight against Satan’s schemes. Verse 17 instructs us to “take on the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” We also know that “all scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:12 NIV). In order to apply the Bible as it is intended, we must bury these Truths in our hearts. We have to decide time with God is important enough to take time away from other areas in our lives, and set the boundaries necessary to protect that time. Eventually, the words we study will fill our thoughts and overflow into the words we speak.
It Will Lead To Transformation
Growth can be scary. We are moving forward into a place that is unfamiliar, so we have to rely on someone outside of ourselves. When we begin to seek Jesus for ourselves and not because those around us are, we choose to place our faith in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” For some, this is encouraging news! They are ready to no longer be defined by their failures and pain. For others, though, this is intimidating. They have found safety and complacency in who they are right now, and to become something new, they would have to let go of what they hold near. We see this in the interaction with the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10. When Jesus tells him to sell his possessions and follow Him, to get rid of the old to accept the new, the Rich Young Ruler walks away sad. While the notion of becoming new can be scary, it is important to understand, when it comes to being new in Christ, it is a great thing! Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” When we are made new in Christ, the old that passes away is the evil parts of ourselves, to become holy as God is holy. It is a process that can be difficult at times, but it is so beautiful. I challenge you to take some time to assess your relationship with God. Are you making your faith your own?
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Kayla Wright joined the counseling team at Life Training Christian Counseling in May of this year. The passion of her counseling work is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of TEENS AND PRE-TEENS.
Kayla is nationally licensed as a Christian Counselor by the National Christian Counselors Association, with an advanced board certification in Child & Adolescent Therapy. Kayla gained extensive experience and credibility in providing counseling to teens and pre-teens during her tenure on the staff of Revive Christian Counseling in Owensboro and Madisonville, Kentucky.
Kayla Wright, as well as each of our other counselors, offers convenient sessions at our office in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as online counseling via Zoom or FaceTime. Please click on this link to learn much more about how our COUNSELING FOR TEENS & PRE-TEENS in Louisville, Kentucky can help the child you love find the highly-effective, Christ-centered help they need. Contact us today at 502-717-5433, or by email at kayla@lifetrainingcounseling.org