3 ways I FAILED as a Christian Teenager

Me As A Teenager
I guess one failure could have been my hairstyle.
And look at that neck!

     I grew up in the church.  I was a PK (Preacher's Kid).  I've heard all of the stories of what that means,
and whether you have heard them or not, it probably doesn't matter.  The basics of it is, I should have known better.  There are too many failures to actually list here, so I'm only going to list 3 that have risen to the top.

Failure #1 - TALKING A LOT ABOUT THE BIBLE BUT NEVER READING IT
     Yes, I had the answers!  I could quote at least 2 verses which included John 3:16 and John 11:35.  I knew the "ABC's" of the Christian faith (Admit, Believe, Confess) and I could tell you every "children's" story mentioned in the Bible.  The problem was that I had no idea what any of it really meant or how it truly fit into God's Story and His plan for His people.
     Every year at church camp I would recommit myself and start reading in Genesis.  I knew those first few verses "In the Beginning" pretty well.  I never made it out of that first book.  Sometimes, after much conviction and encouragement from Christian friends I would read a few verses from one of the Gospels.  On occasion I would also follow along with the pastor as he preached from the Word.  But that was it...
     The reason this is such a big failure is because I had made a commitment to the Almighty Creator of the Universe!  It wasn't a commitment to read the Bible, but it was a commitment to follow Him.  It's extremely hard to follow someone and do what they ask if you do not know that person or what they are asking.  I proudly walked my high school hallways as if I understood God, but I had no clue.  I mean, honestly, who has time to read that huge book when there are some Imps to slaughter in Final Fantasy on the Nintendo?

Failure #2 - LYING...  TO EVERYONE
     I was a big fat liar!  I mean really!  I lied about everything.  I don't know where I got it or why I did it, but looking back it seems I lived most of my adolescent years in a lie.  I lied to my parents about where I went on a date.  I lied to my teachers about about what happened to my homework.  I lied to my friends when telling them about what I did the weekend before.  What was I thinking?  Most of the lies really didn't mean much.  I wouldn't have been in trouble if I had told my parents the truth.  I wouldn't have been less popular if I had told my friends that I went skating instead of to the movies.
    The big problem with my lying was that I began to believe some of the stories I was spinning.  It became really confusing trying to keep all of those stories straight.
     The failure in lying was two fold for me.  First, lying is a sin.  There is no need to do it and it can only hurt us and those around us.  Second, instead of lying to make the cut among my family and friends, I could have been demonstrating Jesus among my family and friends.  And that leads me to my 3rd failure.

Failure #3 - LEADING PEOPLE AWAY FROM JESUS
     It took me a while to realize this, but when a person claims to be a follower of Jesus and boasts how great it is, lives like he's following the devil himself and demonstrates a mundane existence, then who would want that gospel?

     Author Brennan Manning said,

“The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

     I wonder with great anxiety how many of my friends will never get to spend eternity with their Creator because of what I said and how I acted.  

CONCLUSION

     I hope you have been enlightened by my confession time.  I pray that you will learn from my mistakes.  Sometimes it is best to not have to suffer through your own failures when you can learn from someone else's.