Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 119:12-16; JOHN 20:31; 1 CORINTHIANS 2 It can be difficult to make time to read the Bible, and it can also be tough to understand some of the things the Bible has to say. But the good news is, God has not left us alone in studying His Word. Once we know Jesus, He provides us with the Holy Spirit to help deepen our understanding of the gospel as we dig into the Bible (John 14:26; 2 Timo...

READ: 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-17; HEBREWS 1:1-4; 4:14-16 Wouldn’t it be great to have God speak to you today as He did to Elijah in 1 Kings 19? Sometimes, when I have a particularly pressing concern, I just want God to speak audibly to me so I can know exactly what He wants me to do. A gigantic, neon sign—instead of earthquakes or fire—would suffice. Although God may not speak to me in the dramatic ways I...

READ: 1 KINGS 19:1-18 Fear gripped Elijah’s heart as he made his way toward the mouth of the cave. Forty days of traveling to the mountain of God. Forty days ago, he had prayed to God that he might die. Forty days ago, Elijah had fled to the wilderness because King Ahab and Queen Jezebel were hunting him down to end his life, just as they had done with the other prophets of God. Elijah was fleeing...

READ: NUMBERS 21:4-9; JOHN 3:13-18; ROMANS 3:25-28; EPHESIANS 2:4-8 On the surface, the Old Testament passage about the bronze snake might seem like an odd story. While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they complained about the lack of bread and meat. They complained A LOT. They were grumbling against the Lord instead of bringing their concerns to Him. And they were forgetting how He rescued...

READ: 2 SAMUEL 12:19-20; PSALMS 51:4; 142:1-5; HEBREWS 13:8 David’s identity changed a lot over his lifetime—from shepherd to outlaw to king. Through it all, we see his heart in the psalms he wrote. Even when he hid from King Saul in a cave, even when remorse overwhelmed him after murdering Uriah, even as he grieved the death of his son, he could focus his heart on worshiping God because of God’s...

READ: JOHN 8:12; EPHESIANS 2:12-13; COLOSSIANS 1:12-14 I was stuck in the darkness Didn’t know there was light Yet a flame in the darkness Was burning so bright But I was blind to the fire Couldn’t see the bright flames Till a voice from the fire Called out my name I didn’t want to believe it Or raise up false hope But the voice drew me closer And it gave me a home Now I live in the light In a bri...

READ: PSALM 73:23-26; 1 PETER 5:7 I struggle with anxiety every day. It’s not because I don’t know that God loves me and that He’ll take care of me—I do know this—but it’s simply something that I deal with. Maybe you struggle with anxiety too. There are some daily habits I’ve taken on that seem to help me live with a little more peace. These are not a cure, but they help me feel calmer and more ea...

READ: PSALM 139:1-12; MATTHEW 6:9-13; ROMANS 8:26-39 “What’s wrong with me?” I said to myself as unwelcome thoughts invaded my prayer time. Guilt consumed me. My desire to pray was spoiled by toxic thoughts. This was my special time with God, and I felt like I’d failed. “How can I call myself a Christian? I’ll have to quit praying.” Has this happened to you too? If so, you’re not alone. I discover...

READ: ACTS 2:41-47; 6:1-7; ROMANS 12:1-21; EPHESIANS 5:19 The lights flickered off, and a voice wavered over the intercom as rain began pelting the glass dome above my head. “The Atmospheric Observation Center has upgraded the oncoming macro to a category five. Please make your way to a designated safety location.” The Center always rated the storms that raged across the tundra against the likelih...

READ: JOHN 10:10-18, 27-28; 1 PETER 2:24-25 “The sheep are too close to the road!” I said to my husband. We were on our daily walk, which took us past a field where we frequently saw sheep grazing. But today, the green grass near the road enticed them into dangerous territory: the yard between the shepherd’s house and a busy road. We alerted the shepherd, and he confirmed the sheep were in an off-...

READ: PSALM 34:1-8 I wish I had known sooner that the more time I spend with God, the closer He actually feels. As an adult—and especially over the course of the past few years—I have felt closer to God than I ever did before. I feel Him here with me. I have conversations with Him all throughout my day. I know that He’s there, and I trust Him. I believe all this happened because I started spending...

READ: ROMANS 8:38-39; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:50-57; HEBREWS 2:14-15 What cause of death are you most afraid of? For me, it’s definitely getting eaten by a great white shark. (Yeah, and all those episodes of Shark Week have not helped me overcome my greatest fear!) We can think of all kinds of terrifying ways to die, but the truth is many people find death itself equally terrifying. This leads us to an i...

READ: ISAIAH 58:10; MATTHEW 25:31-40; 1 JOHN 4:19 In college, I worked part-time in a children’s ministry program. My tasks ranged from organizing outreach events to teaching elementary schoolers about Jesus. Though some moments were more glamorous than others (ahem, cleaning acrylic paint off a child’s sneakers), everything felt important. This was what serving God feels like. Or so I thought. Af...

READ: HEBREWS 4:14-16; JAMES 1:1-8, 16-25; 3:13-18 Where do you turn when you need advice? On our phones, we carry around more information in our pockets than most people throughout history have ever had access to. But here’s the thing: our lives aren’t filled with identical, cookie-cutter problems. No quick video can fix our every relationship issue. And even if we use search engines or AI to gat...

READ: PHILIPPIANS 4:11-13 “What’s next?” It’s the ever-present question. It comes up every time you change schools, pick classes, or consider options for what to do after high school. When I’m asked this question, I sometimes think it means I’m not good enough. Have you ever had similar thoughts? I haven’t “arrived” at where they think I should be. I don’t know “what’s next”! I was enjoying high s...

READ: PSALM 78:1-4; JOHN 1:1-14 Have you ever read a book or watched a movie and been completely blown away? A story with characters who face the same struggles as you, a hero you can cheer for, and a rescue story that grips you from start to finish? Sometimes we find it hard to see the Bible the way we see any other story. We lose sight of the fact that it has all the elements of the stories we l...

READ: PSALM 139; LUKE 12:6-7; ROMANS 5:6-11 Recently, a friend told me I walk really loudly. My other friends heartily agreed: they could always tell when it was me walking because my steps were so loud. To be honest, I was caught off guard and a little embarrassed. I’d gone twenty-two years of my life without knowing about my noisy walk. Even though I thought I knew myself well, here was a fact I...

READ: LUKE 5:2-11; EPHESIANS 1:1-23; 3:14-21; 2 PETER 1:3 Once again, I was enjoying one of the several state parks near me. I had been coming here for the past ten years, and I always stopped at the front because the channel was so beautiful, the beach was gorgeous, people were paddle boarding on the lake…what more could you want? I didn’t realize until today, when I took the road deeper in, that...

READ: PSALMS 34:17-32; 91:1-16; MATTHEW 14:25-31 The zipline course extended across seven platforms high above the jungle of Mexico. Halfway between the fourth and fifth platforms, I slid to a halt. I looked down at the ground seventy feet below. I looked up to see that one of my two clips was broken. I dangled there until a worker on the platform clipped his harness to the wire, hung upside down,...

READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; 1 PETER 5:7 What will you do after you graduate? If Destiny heard those words one more time… She rubbed her forehead with tired fingertips. As the computer loaded yet another search for college options, Destiny groaned. If only she knew which way to choose. “Dessi!” The back door slammed, and a set of pigtails peeked around the corner. “What do you want, Laila?” Destiny said...

READ: NUMBERS 33:1-10; PSALM 139:1-12; HEBREWS 13:5 I have to admit, when I’m reading certain parts of the Bible, I sometimes hurry through what I’m reading without really paying attention. The book of Numbers is one of those books that I just try to get through when I’m completing a Bible reading plan. Last night, though, as I was reading a chapter from Numbers, I found myself slowing down. In Nu...

READ: JOHN 15:13-15; ROMANS 8:28-39; HEBREWS 2:11 A true friend will be by your side through anything, good or bad. They won’t abandon you or just tell you what to do and then leave. They’ll be with you no matter what. Jesus is our truest friend. He promises, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus will never leave us in the dust. He loves us so mu...

READ: PROVERBS 3:5-6; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-8; 1 PETER 5:7 Can you remember a time when you had to wait for news that really mattered? Like when the results could mean you made the cut for the team. Or that you got into your favorite college. Or they could mean another surgery. Or cancer. How do you find peace in the waiting? That’s hard for just about everybody! You often hear people say, while awaitin...

READ: DEUTERONOMY 4:9; PSALM 78:1-16 I was in middle school when I first took an interest in the Civil War, particularly the role that my third great grandfather, Michael Sallander, played in it. He was only a teen and a recent immigrant when war broke out, yet he still enlisted in his home state of Wisconsin, lying about his age to do so. All four of his brothers enlisted as well. One died—the yo...

READ: GENESIS 11:1-9; ACTS 2 Diversity in language is an important part of God’s creation! In fact, language is one of the many ways God shows how creative He is—and how He is redeeming all that He has made. The creation of different languages happened at Babel. The people were guilty of being prideful and wanting to make a lasting name for themselves because of their own work. Their sin was deser...