hey christian teens, im new here so i dont really know what to do. Anyway im writing because im in need of help i grew up a christian who usally knew what i stood for & believed. i always had passion for the Lord & could not wait to serve him. Well things changed about 4 years ago when i was 14 i developed major depression which evan landed me in the hospital at one point, this sickness or whatever you want to call it has compleatly changed my personality & my worldview. But the worse part is it has really affected my spititul life i cant remember the last time i felt actuly close to God & the thing is nobody relly knows from the out side im in a good family(a pastrs daughter) who is just shy, which im really not. Anyway i wanted to join this so i could make some friends with fellow christians who may need some help living in this crazy rollercoster called life so to whoever is out there good night & God bless

Hi Sister,

Im not a teen But I do know that You have struggles with depression and although it is something very hard sometimes to overcome, Its not impossible. Sometimes I know things seem hopeless But God gives Hope where there is none. God is there for you no matter what and please, just always try and remember that through the rough times. He will never ever leave you. He is there for You and wants to wrap His loving arms around you, to comfort you and give you Joy and Peace and Love. With me I go through struggles and I have hard times But I also know that He is always there for me and will never leave me and as Long as I have Him everything will be okay.

I am praying for you.......

Just another note......... the Womens room on chat is an awesome room to come to and we have teens that come in often and its a great place for encouragement and in talking with other women about your struggles and trials it can help a lot. May God Bless you and keep you

This is the room name if you come to chat just type
/join #Spiritled_Woman we are there almost every night from 9pm until about 11pm CDT or later Hope to see you there sister

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Hi sad girl I know what you mean. Now that I am a first year at varsity everything is so different and I don't know how to fit in with other people. I don't know how to be me I have identity confusion, should I stick to what I believed in when I was in high school or just change to have friends cause then I didn't have friend and I find it hard to let go of my old personality ,even though I didn't have friends I was serving God happily ,now I just do things I wouldn't do then just to get accepted by the people and I find it hard to keep up with this "new me" which is a lie. I don't know what to say I feel like I am telling the people a lie about my true identity.

i wish i could say it will all get better soon but since im still waiting myself all i can say is there are others like us we are not alone and i know that our God will never abandon us even when our "friends" do so hang in there it can only get better, i have to cling to that hope , your sis in christ

Howdy,

Many of us who are older have been through the same thing. We all have phases of our lives that can easily equal yours. A few quick tips can easily get you through the trials, however you have to be willing to listen. The challenge if most youths aren't open to the ideas. We have all been there, so putting the question back on you.

Are you willing to be open to follow through with suggestions from us old fogies? If so, I can post some of my suggestions that worked for me. Others will probably do the same then.

thank you for responding, and yes any advise you have would be greatly appreciated, thank you

Quote:

Originally Posted by sadgirl thank you for responding, and yes any advise you have would be greatly appreciated, thank you

Sometimes reading the Psalms will help, especially when the words you read sound like something you would say or identify with.

Then there is always going to Jesus in prayer as He is always there for us to serve as a refuge.

Being an old fart, well not really here are a few points that I have learned. Your parents and other folks are usually right. I know that is a tough one to swallow, but it's true.

Life is not always fun or happy. Think of it as God throwing you curve ***** to help you be a stronger child for Him. Using this grace and mercy we can learn from these experiances, and grow to have a deeper faith and understanding of His love for us.

People who are your friends as a youth, generally won't be your friends later in life. Think of this as experiances. We find good/bad friends. So God uses those interactions to help shape us to be the child He wants us to be.

So look around at your current fellowship group. Are they helping or hurting you? Do you have people who love you unconditionaly, Are you willing to be loved? It's rough being a kid now. Lots of us had it much easier since we lived in a different time, but the challenges are still the same at their foundation.

Many online folks can help good advisors, but you are ultimately the one who has to choose the right path. Check out The Jesus Tract it lays it out pretty simple and straight forward.

We are always here to listen, so make sure you use us as resources as needed.

Sjoe, I think being a teenager is a challenging time. Lots of changes happen - sometimes quite quickly - and through everything that happens to you (some you maybe like more than others) every person has a tremendous desire to feel that they are ok; that they are good enough to be loved and accepted.

I only realized at 20yr that I had struggled with depression most of my life till then. God made me free from it, and when He did, it felt like taking off a jacket - almost tangible. This was the spiritual side of my freeing experience.

Someone also helped me understand better (reminded me again) how our body, soul and spirit is also connected with each other, and a problem in any of the areas could affect our experience in another part of us. I also went to my doctor who helped me understand how stress affects me on a hormonal level. This formed part of my depressed emotional experience. He helped me with the right medication to help my body be in balance. So that took care of my spirit and my body, both which was affecting my soul (feelings). So once I had some of the issues resolved, I was able to start focusing on what I was spending my time thinking about and the way that I was speaking. I could start renewing my mind too and in the end God has brought me so far that I can't believe that I used to be the sad, moody person I used to be.

I encourage you to investigate possibilities for your predicament in all 3 areas. Are you eating well? Do you exercise (and consequently) sleep well? Do you work hard, and have fun often? Who are your friends? What music do you listen to and what movies do you watch? etc.

I also want to encourage you to not become discouraged because of feeling far from God. No matter what you feel, God says He IS ALWAYS with you. Our feelings does not change who God is. Keep spending time with Him and reading your Bible. At any moment God can show you something that can change your life irreversibly! His truth sets us free!

Also speak to yourself in the mirror - tell yourself that your Heavenly Father loves you unconditionally, until you feel it fill your heart! (We had an assignment for our Bible study group the past week - we had to tell ourselves in the mirror that our Heavenly Father loves us unconditionally - 7 times, 3 times a day, for 7 days. It was said that it would open our minds and hearts to really receiving God's love and letting it fill you up. I decided to take the challenge and I diligently did it for the week - even though I've known this for many years of serving the Lord, I had such amazing times in God's presence this week. It most certainly blessed me in a noticeable way! I felt very loved by Him INDEED! Try it!

I also want to encourage you to spend your quiet time with God with some good praise and worship. Sing by yourself or listen to an anointed worship CD - sing with all your heart - lift up Jesus! We can't tell God how awesome He is without being uplifted ourselves. Worship wins the war, babes!!

Also during this time of worship, look back over your life, remind yourself of all the times when God had come through for you, times when you DID feel Him close and felt loved, times when He answered your prayers and it blessed you. God never changes. He did it back then, and He can and will do it for you again, love!! He loves you with a love that humans can't even begin to understand. How can He not care about what happens to you?!

Lastly, I want to encourage you with Heb 13:5 (Amp) ...for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake you nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]

You are not alone!

as a fellow teen well nearly 20 oh scary lol
but i find the teens yrs hard i find i go thru phases with god 1 time im on fire for him and then the nxt i die down and stuggle to feel his presence and his voice

look our god is a mighty god and he is omniscient he knows and hears all
hey that could b good or bad xD but wen we pray he hears us so pray 2 him that u can feel him i do that read ur bible with some xtian nice xtian music in the background and just wait on him just thats wat i do and i find it works it just a gr8 feeling