As a teenager, it seems like adults won't take me serious when I tell them that I've given my life to Jesus. How can I convince them?

It is always refreshing to hear young people declare publicly their faith in Jesus Christ. What you must remember at this point is that it may take time for those around you, and especially those closest to you, to really believe that something has happened in your life.

In Paul's letter to young Timothy he gives some instruction about how to deal with this issue. He says "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." (I
Timothy 4:12).

You should not hang your head and say that you are too young to make a difference for the cause of Christ. The Old Testament prophet Daniel was just a young man who was taken far away from home when he

"purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself.."

. You too can be an example of what a Christian should be in the words that you speak, your lifestyle, in the love you show toward others (even your little brother and sister), in your attitude, the way you demonstrate your trust in God and in your godly morals. Youth is not a time to "sow your wild oats", because whether you are a Christian or not, you will reap what you have sown such as the sickness that comes from the abuse of our bodies (lung cancer resulting from cigarette smoke, or cirrhosis caused by alcoholism, or mental illness brought about by narcotics usage). BE AN EXAMPLE NOW and realize that you can be a testimony for Christ regardless of your age.