Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 73:1-15; HEBREWS 4:14-16 Usually when I hear adults pray publicly, they sound very wise. They thank God and ask for blessings, but they never complain or disagree with God. But that’s not how people pray in the Bible. Just read the book of Psalms. They tell God what’s really on their hearts. Sometimes it’s how much they love and worship God, but other times it’s how scared or sad they...

READ: 1 SAMUEL 16:1-13; PSALM 139:14; ISAIAH 60:1 Every single day we are bombarded with social media posts, pictures, and videos of friends, actors, models, singers, and superstars. And seeing these images can lead to thoughts of not being enough. We see so many people every day, and often the first thing we do is compare ourselves to them. And that is so sad. Because of this constant comparison,...

READ: MATTHEW 4:16; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:5; 1 PETER 2:9 Darkness. That’s all I can see. There used to be so many dazzling lights—my friends, my family. They’re all gone now. I’ll probably never see them again. My own light is dimming. The Shadow keeps reaching closer and closer. I gave up fighting him long ago. The Shadow could overtake me anytime, but I think he enjoys watching my fear slowly turn t...

READ: PSALM 139:23-24; 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-17; HEBREWS 4:12-16 Do you know why dentists take x-rays of our teeth? Even though dentists and dental hygienists look for cavities while they clean people’s teeth, some small cavities can’t be seen with just the human eye. So, by using an x-ray, dentists can find cavities before they’re visible on the surface. Then they can fill those small cavities to make s...

READ: EPHESIANS 4:20-32; 6:10-18; 1 PETER 5:6-10 What would you say is the most dangerous animal in the world? Sharks, lions, snakes? If we look at the number of humans killed each year by these predators, we find that sharks kill about a dozen humans per year, lions kill more than 100, and snakes kill over 100,000. But the deadliest animal by far is the mosquito. Unlike many dangerous animals, th...

READ: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:4-9; 1 PETER 2:1-5 What do we need to do to become more spiritually mature? Be really self-sufficient? Come up with all the right answers to life’s questions? In 1 Peter 2:2, we are told to “like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” This metaphor really caught my attention, and the more I thought about it, the more sense...

READ: PSALM 18:1-19; EPHESIANS 5:8-20   I find myself surrounded by The lies that tangle through my mind. It started with just one falsehood of the enemy, One measure of deceit I did not quell with truth. Too long I did not let the light break through, And now I fear I will be stranded in This web of darkness entrapping me.   In desperation I call to heaven, A plea for rescue from my oppressors; I...

READ: 1 KINGS 19:1-18; HEBREWS 12:1-3; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:54-58 A failure. That’s how Elijah saw himself as he fled for his life into the wilderness. He’d had such high hopes going into the dramatic showdown with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Surely Yahweh’s clear victory would lead to a lasting national revival! But the death threats Elijah received from Jezebel following Mount Carmel shatt...

READ: PSALM 25:4-9; ROMANS 8:31-39 You don’t have to do a lot of research to discover there’s an expert for pretty much everything. And these experts offer all kinds of advice, ranging from health and beauty tips to education and relationship advice to life goals and more. Sometimes this abundance of information causes overload, whether it’s in the form of articles, interviews, videos, books, or p...

READ: MATTHEW 27:27–28:10; 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26 Turiel glanced solemnly around the cemetery, noticing their planet’s tri-colored flag waving over many of the graves. He’d only lived on this planet for a few months, but he would recognize that flag anywhere. “Sunan, why do only some of the graves have flags flying beside them?” Turiel asked. He pointed to a section of the cemetery. “All those ove...

READ: MATTHEW 12:36; ROMANS 14:10-14; COLOSSIANS 1:21-23 In the State of Michigan’s law, there is something called an FOIA request. FOIA stands for Freedom of Information Act and is pronounced “foy-ahh.” People submit an FOIA request to government entities for public records. These request forms can be submitted for many things—documents, videos, emails, letters, etc. If the recipient has those re...

READ: PSALM 119:105; PROVERBS 7:1-3; ROMANS 12:2; COLOSSIANS 3:14-17 If you have a locker, is it easier to look up the locker combination every time, or to memorize the combination? You could just keep the locker combo saved on your phone or written on a piece of paper, but then you’d have to search for it every time you needed to open your locker. And if you ever lost the combo, then you’d really...

READ: GENESIS 24:1-28, 58-59; JAMES 1:5-8 In Genesis 24, we find a beautiful story of God leading and guiding a man who is called Abraham’s “servant, the elder of his household who managed all he owned” (verse 2). This servant, who is kind of like Abraham’s steward, is sent back to Abraham’s land to find a wife for Abraham’s son, Isaac. The servant arrives in the land and stops to rest at a well w...

READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; LUKE 22:39-54; 1 PETER 5:6-7 I worry. I get stressed out. I spend hours or even days in dread. And then I regret it. I remember one year, I was at a fireworks show and there was a nagging worry on my mind. Instead of being able to fully enjoy the beauty of the fireworks and the fun going on around me, I was stuck in my head with the worry. Things ended up turning out alright...

READ: ROMANS 8:18-39; HEBREWS 13:1-21 There is pouring rain outside my window as I type. November in Michigan—you never know what weather you’ll get. On November 1st, I was bundled in winter gear, trudging through the woods in around eight inches of snow. The trees were heavy with sparkling beauty. November 6th, I was walking the shores of Lake Michigan, picking up seashells as the sun warmed my b...

READ: MATTHEW 5:43-47; LUKE 6:27-36; ROMANS 5:6-11; 12:14-21 It’s no secret that people can be grumpy, rude, and downright mean. Every day there’s that family member who’s being noisy, that driver who cut you off in the parking lot, that person in your life who always has something negative to say, or all of the above. Bottom line: there’s always going to be somebody who makes it seem impossible t...

READ: MATTHEW 23; ROMANS 12:1-2; JAMES 1:19-27 Every few weeks (or months—ahem), I have the disturbing realization that I haven’t cleaned inside the sink. I’m not talking about the basin where you wash your hands, I’m talking about under the surface. Have you ever pulled out the sink plug and looked inside? Unless the people in your home are way better at cleaning unseen areas than I am, it’s boun...

READ: ISAIAH 62:5; 65:17; REVELATION 19:6-9; 21:1-5   Come, let’s run, laugh in God’s sun, ride on the wind, let the joy begin!   Come, let’s bring a praise offering, a new melody, join the harmony!   Come, let’s play, in unending day, the night has gone, we dance in the dawn!   Come, let’s dance, it’s a royal romance, the feast has begun, for the bride has come!   Sing, sing! Sing a new song! Hig...

READ: PSALM 103:8-12; EPHESIANS 1:4-5; 2:1-10; 1 JOHN 1:9 Picture this: You and a friend are standing side by side. You each have an easel in front of you, and you’re working carefully on your own paintings. Then you take a step back, proudly declaring, “I think this is the best painting I’ve done yet.” Your friend admires your work, motioning with their brush to one of their favorite spots. But t...

READ: ISAIAH 1:15-18; 57:15-21; EPHESIANS 2:1-13; 5:25-27 Some people have called the book of Isaiah the Gospel of the Old Testament. At first glance though, you might wonder why. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John start off the New Testament by recounting Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection on earth. But Isaiah starts out with a vision God gave him that points out the sins of the Isra...

READ: ROMANS 6:1-4, 12-14, 20-23; 7:15-25 Nova Anadosha, Warrior of Light, drew her sword and held it ready as the enemy assassin approached. The wide hood of a jet-black cloak concealed the assassin’s face, but Nova could hear a malicious grin in the words spoken to her. “Come on,” the raspy voice said. “Give up. Give in. You know you want to.” Nova responded with her own grin and gripped her swo...

READ: GENESIS 32:1-12; 1 SAMUEL 30:1-6; HEBREWS 4:14-16 When you are afraid or in distress, where do you go? What do you do? Genesis 32 tells the story of Jacob preparing to see his brother Esau. These twins had a bad past—Jacob cheated Esau and then ran away. Years later, when Jacob heard Esau was on his way to meet him with four hundred men, the passage tells us Jacob was “in great fear and dist...

READ: EXODUS 20:1-20; ISAIAH 53:5-12; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21 Are you ever confused or discouraged when you read the Old Testament and see the Ten Commandments or all the long lists of laws God gave His people? It seems impossible to follow every single one of those rules. And as humans in a fallen world, it is. God did not give the Israelites all these commandments because He thought they would follow...

READ: GALATIANS 6:8-10 I spend a lot of time at home, and sometimes that makes me feel like I’m not touching as many lives as I should. But as I thought about it more, I realized there are lots of things I do while I am at home to look out for others and be there for my fellow believers. Like me, you might feel like you’re not doing enough, but there are small things you can do in your everyday li...

READ: 1 PETER 2:9-12   Blessed That is what I am today Each day of my life Thanks to You   Thankful You take care of me today Each day of my life My journey is with You   Happy To never be alone Each day of my life Your gentle hand leads   Humbled You call me Your child Each day of my life You love me as Your own • Bethany Acker   • Which of the stanzas in today’s poem sticks out to you the most t...