Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: EXODUS 35:30–36:3; ROMANS 12:4-8; EPHESIANS 2:10 Do you ever feel unimportant, maybe a little invisible? Like you can’t make a difference? These feelings come from our enemy, Satan. If we feel small, he is doing his job well. But God encourages us to be led by what He says about us, not by how we feel. Our feelings aren’t always based on the truth, but His Word is truth. And, like good food,...

READ: ECCLESIASTES 4:9-12; 1 THESSALONIANS 4:9-10; 1 JOHN 3:16; 4:19 For my birthday one year, I expressed a desire for a chia pet. I’m not sure what appealed to me about these plant “pets.” They consisted of a clay flowerpot, usually shaped like an animal, that you filled with water. The water soaked through to the exterior of the flowerpot where it would nourish chia seeds spread into thin groov...

READ: PSALM 139:13-18; JEREMIAH 31:3; LUKE 15:3-7 The sun is setting, and as the long grass sways back and forth in motion with the wind, a young woman is walking down a dirt road after having left her newborn baby by a tree in the woods. She hopes someone will soon find her. Tears run down her cheeks as she wishes she could provide for her baby, but she knows she can’t. Her life in Africa is one...

READ: RUTH 1:1-5, 15-22; 4:1-15 When I’m anxious or overwhelmed or I feel like everything is going from bad to worse, I tend to look for the nearest exit door. I want out, and I want it now. Maybe you do the same. When life gets tough, maybe you escape by scrolling, snacking, sleeping in, shopping, or skipping school. In the book of Ruth, life got tough for a man named Elimelek, his wife Naomi, an...

READ: JOSHUA 9; JAMES 1:5 In Joshua 9, a group of deceptive people come to the Israelites. They bring moldy bread and wear old clothes, saying that they have traveled far and that the bread was fresh and warm when they left home. The Israelites examine their provisions, and then they accept the lies. Instead of going to God and asking Him what to do, they believe their visitors. Only later do the...

READ: MATTHEW 11:28-30; HEBREWS 4:9-10   Too tired to think, Too tired to pray. Where is life leading? Too tired to say…   Perhaps at times you’re weary, And your strength is near its end. Remember then that He is there, Your closest companion, most loving friend.   He’s there to give you all you need And lovingly touch your heart with strength. To smooth the rough edges of your thoughts And make...

READ: LUKE 12:22-31; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-13 Anxiety seeped into my brain. What would happen? Would my dad be okay? My dad had been suffering from mysterious symptoms for the past year. Doctors told him it was anxiety, but he didn’t believe it. I was scared. If something ever happens to my dad…I need him. I pulled out my Bible. My eyes skimmed the pages for something—anything— encouraging. I flipped th...

READ: PSALM 139; JOHN 3:16-18; 10:10; COLOSSIANS 2:6-7 Isabel, at age eleven, is an amazing dancer. She has already performed with a major ballet company in several productions. Elijah, age thirteen, just graduated college. CJ and LJ, at age twelve, were considered some of the best BMX racers in Texas. Do you know someone like that? Someone gifted in academics, sports, acting—you name it. That was...

READ: PROVERBS 29:25; ISAIAH 48:17; MATTHEW 16:21-28 Have you ever done something because you were afraid that if you didn’t, someone would be angry or dislike you? I have, more than I want to admit. People’s opinions can have a strong hold on us. Whether it’s our friends, teachers, family members, acquaintances, or fellow church members, we may find ourselves considering what they’ll think before...

READ: 1 TIMOTHY 4:6-10; 1 PETER 3:8-18 Have you ever faced a situation like this? One time, a man from church came over for dinner, and for the duration of supper and dessert, he talked about crazy conspiracies, wild rumors, and out-there theories supposedly based on the Bible. Whether this man turns out to be right or wrong about the conspiracy theories he shared, sometimes we as Christians miss...

READ: LUKE 23:32-43; ROMANS 10:9-10; 1 CORINTHIANS 1:10-17 The first time I met Freddy, we were locked in a small concrete room with no windows, no chairs, and sticky floors. He started plainly telling me about the first of two men he had killed in his lifetime. He was only twelve when it happened. He had saved his mother’s life. Growing up without a father had had a profound effect on the man bef...

READ: PSALM 103:2-5, ROMANS 8:14-17, EPHESIANS 2:19 In the murky pre-dawn light, Linota led her dappled mare along the ocean’s shore. Her cloak was torn, and her bare feet blistered. A golden crown lay on her tangled hair. White foam curled around her ankles as she waded into the water. Hands shaking, she lifted the crown from her head and flung it into the ocean. Her heart felt like ice as she wa...

READ: GENESIS 18:10-14; JEREMIAH 32:26-27, 36-41; LUKE 1:26-38 Sometimes, I need to hear things more than once before it “clicks.” Whether it’s a process at work or the day’s schedule or a recipe that I just keep forgetting (how long does it need to bake in the oven again?). I just need it explained one more time, because it didn’t sink in the first time. Because I still don’t get it. Thankfully,...

READ: GENESIS 1:11-31; 2:15-22; ROMANS 8:18-30; REVELATION 21:1-7 We often think that God made animals for us. It’s true, right? Because Adam named them, and God says that we have dominion over them? A problem with this way of thinking is that it can be used to justify the misuse of God’s creation. But actually, God created everything out of the overflow of His love. And when He created humans, He...

READ: PSALMS 32; 51; ISAIAH 1:16-18; 1 PETER 2:23-25 I don’t know about you, but I love wearing freshly washed clothes. Especially when it’s cold outside and the clothes are still warm right after they come out of the dryer! Having clean clothes just makes me feel more comfortable and confident. But imagine this: you wear your favorite shirt to a restaurant, and then you accidentally spill a bit o...

READ: PSALMS 9:9-10; 27:8-14; MATTHEW 11:28-30; JOHN 10:10   Come to me. Come out of darkness. Don’t look at the shifting shadows. Don’t listen to the slithering snake. Look at the dawn, light breaking through. There is hope and joy. How I delight in you! You beat yourself all black and blue— it grieves My heart. Let Me lead and I will heal. I will show You things that will bring life. I am gentle...

READ: PHILIPPIANS 3:17; TITUS 2:1-8; HEBREWS 10:24-25 I’m so thankful for the people God has placed in my life. He has this incredible way of working everything out to give us just what we need. He knows when I need support from someone. He knows when I can’t do it on my own. He knows exactly who to put in my path and when to bring them into my life. There have been many times on my journey when G...

READ: JOB 19:5-27; 38:1-15; LUKE 13:34; ROMANS 8:18-29, 38-39 Wow, I am so small. The thought was involuntary. And irrefutable. It wasn’t good or bad. It was just true. I was walking through a tropical conservatory, and it was like being transported to another world. Shielded from the elements by the glass panes of a giant greenhouse, the trees in this mini-rainforest towered above me. Leaves two...

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 13:3-7; 1 JOHN 4:16 Maybe you’re like me, and you’ve found yourself struggling with same-sex attraction. Or maybe you haven’t personally experienced this, but some of your friends have come out as LGBTQ+. You may wrestle with knowing how to respond. Should you still be friends with them? How much do you agree with your friends, and how much don’t you? What does “love” mean in t...

READ: ROMANS 7:18–8:2; EPHESIANS 3:14-21 My eyes snapped awake, and I searched inside of myself: Do I still feel the attraction? One second of introspection revealed the dreaded answer: Yes. I’m still attracted to her. I felt like this shouldn’t be. I was a pastor’s daughter. I led worship and small groups at my church. I loved Jesus as much as I knew how, and here I was: a Jesus-loving-and-fearin...

READ: LUKE 22:54-62; JOHN 21:15-25; ROMANS 3:23-24 Will I go to hell for how I am? This question invaded my mind on too many occasions for me to count, especially after observing other people’s Christian walks. Usually, they appeared to be extremely holy people who had their righteous lives intact. Nothing fazed them, they committed no wrongdoings—at least, not in public—and they referred to their...

READ: JOHN 10:1-30 Every time I get a voicemail from my mom, I smile. I’ve heard her voice almost every day of my life. So if I know anyone’s voice, it’s hers. What always makes me smile is the fact that she still feels the need to tell me that it’s her leaving the voicemail. It’s not just my mom’s voice that I hear and instantly know. I have some close friends and family members I talk with all t...

READ: ISAIAH 53:1-5; MATTHEW 2:13-18; JOHN 13:2-5 Son of Man You chose to get Your hands dirty, to get knee deep in human suffering. To cry with us and bear our pain. You refused to turn away when we shouted with angry voices. Clashing swords while You were being born. You chose humility, while we searched for mighty kings. You ripped apart the fabric of our reality when You decided to come and li...

READ: 2 CHRONICLES 34; 1 TIMOTHY 4:1 Six teenagers recently decided to run for governor of Kansas. With no age limit on gubernatorial candidates in that state, these teens debated and did interviews. They had opinions about abortion, health insurance, and education. But they weren’t the first young people involved in government leadership. In 2 Chronicles 34, eight-year-old Josiah was crowned king...

READ: ISAIAH 30:20-21; 61:1-3; ROMANS 8:18, 38-39 Throughout my life, God has been faithful to provide me with wonderful women to disciple me in my walk with Christ. One of these women was Kathryn, a wife and mom in her thirties who championed the communications ministry at my home church. Kathryn was a spiritual firecracker. She shared the hope of the gospel wherever she went, prayed fervently fo...