Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALMS 34:18; 73:26; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-4 I was young when my grandmother passed away. I loved her, and she loved and cherished me. We had good times together. I valued being with her. She accepted me for who I really was. She cared for me. She was the best grandmother to me. When she passed, I was in deep sorrow. I was not prepared for her to go. She became ill, but I never thought it could...

Abraham is known for his obedience, faith, and trust in God. When God called Abraham (or Abram) to leave his homeland, he obeyed. It took a lot of trust for Abraham to leave his native land, not knowing where he was to go (Hebrews 11:8). He left his father’s house and relatives and went with his wife, Sarah (or Sarai), to Canaan. This was a point of strength in Abraham’s walk with God. However, in...

Sunshine and blue skies Fresh air and cool breezes Sparkling smiles and rosy cheeks Flowing hair and tight-knit curls Who would think of all of this? Green grass and blue lakes Snowflakes and hailstorms Human interaction and good talks Giggling babies and wild toddlers Who would think of all of this? Seashells and sandy beaches Raindrops and rainbows Soft fur beneath my hand Great big dogs and tin...

I try to make the right choices, but I know that I am messing up on a daily basis. Even though I call out to God over and over again and try to let Him guide me, I still make mistakes, and I still sin. No matter how hard we try, we just can’t be perfect. But the good news is, God doesn’t wait for us to be perfect to love us. He offers His grace in the midst of our mistakes. He is accepting even wh...

Sometimes, I read the Bible to study it, paying attention to who wrote each passage, who they were speaking to, what was going on historically and culturally, what the big ideas and themes are stuff like that. When I read the Bible during my quiet time, I often like to have my journal open in front of me so that I can write down verses that stick out to me. Then I can underline and circle words an...

There are times when someone in your life seems to need you in some way. Maybe someone new starts at your school and they are struggling in a class that you understand well. Maybe your sibling hurts their leg and struggles to get around with their crutches. Maybe you see a coworker going without anything to eat during their lunch break. When we see a need in someone else and we have the ability to...

Different things can happen that leave us in need of healing. Sometimes, we are injured physically, and we know we have a long journey ahead of us. Those times can be scary, and we might fear that our bodies will not heal as they are supposed to. There are also times when we are injured emotionally, when something happens in our lives that makes us feel hopeless or scared for the future. But there...

READ: PSALM 71:20; 2 CORINTHIANS 1:3-5; 12:5-10 When I was a kid, I thought I had just about everything figured out. God was good. Evil and suffering were a result of sin, not a result of God. But then I got older... In the middle of my teen years, I began to see the effects of sin a little closer to home. Suffering (and every emotion that came with it) was no longer an abstract idea about the wor...

I live long-distance from my best friend, and sometimes, it’s terrible. I miss her tons, and even though we video chat often, I usually go months without seeing her in person. The Bible stresses the importance of having a good Christian community, but what do you do when a part of that community is close in your heart, but not close on a map? Take a look at John 11. Jesus demonstrated love for His...

In the book of Acts, there is an account of Peter being rescued from prison by God. After an angel guided him out of the prison, Peter went to a house where fellow believers were praying for his release from an unjust stay in the Roman jail. This account also tells of a girl named Rhoda who answered the door when Peter knocked. The Bible does not tell us any more details about this girl. What was...

My favorite verse in the Bible is Isaiah 54:10. It assures me of God’s unfailing love for me that will never be shaken and of His covenant of peace that will not be removed. It shows me that God’s love for me is more certain and stable than the mountains and the hills. Even if these are shaken and removed, God’s covenant of peace is a sure one. In the book of Isaiah, Isaiah the prophet said God wo...

I like to give the things in my life names. I name my car, my plantsand I even brainstorm future pet names. Names can carry a lot of weight and significance, so what does it mean that God calls Himself “I AM”? In Exodus 3, God speaks to Moses through a burning bush thatmiraculously does not burn up. When Moses asks God what His name is, God replies, I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to th...

The city of Atlantis was real. My forehead pressed against the thick glass window of the submarine, and I could only gape as the shining city came into view. The best we could have hoped to find was the crumbled ruins of a once great city, now resting at the bottom of the ocean. We never could have anticipated this. The city was fully intact, safely enclosed inside a clear dome that protected the...

I grew up studying in a religious school. My parents were respected in our small town. They were kind, generous, and accommodating. I looked up to them, and I loved helping the needy. However, I did something terrible when I was a teenager. I ended up bullying a poor classmate of mine. She was silent as a lamb. She did not retaliate. I did not see her angry. I was not aware that I was already bull...

I’m twenty-eight years old, and one thing I wish I would have known about God as a teenager is that He made me unique and special. I was born three months premature, and I had a stroke at birth. I’ve struggled to gain weight ever since. Kids would be mean to me and call me anorexic because of how skinny I was. (Anorexia is a very serious eating disorder that should never be joked about.) I would t...

“Am I fake?” Has this thought ever crossed your mind? You are not alone. When someone decides to become a Christian, they might be surprised to discover they still struggle with sin. Even if they are working hard to follow Jesus and reshape their life choices and patterns, mess-ups inevitably happen. Trials come. The old you may be tempted to join in with thoughts and actions that don’t honor God....

Imagine you wake up one morning and begin to get ready for the day. When you look at yourself in the mirror, you are horrified by what you see: you have a massive case of bedhead, eye crust is piled up in your eyelids, last night’s dinner is stuck between your teeth, and you look like you haven’t showered in days. Would you shrug it off and start your day without cleaning up first? No way! When we...

Do you yearn to break free from the chains of your past? Are you weary of running Or wearing a mask? Pain, guilt, shame, and despair Ugly, heavyit’s too much to bear Hope shines through the dark When all else seems lost He took all our sin When He bore the cross No longer slaves, no need to fear His burden is light; God’s presence is near Will you receive the freedom He gives? Grace is for all; he...

We have all experienced the pain of betrayal, unkind words spoken, and possibly even more serious hurts inflicted by someone against us. What is the natural response when people wrong us? Retaliation is often our first instinct. But is that the loving, Christian response? When someone wrongs us, God calls us not to do them harm in return. Instead, we are to do them good. Now, that sounds hard. Wha...

I recently had an experience that still makes me smile each time I think about it. I was carrying my five-month-old nephew while his two-year-old brother was running around in the house. We made a game of the younger one chasing the older one, and soon both boys were shrieking with laughter. It made me so happy to see the two interact and enjoy one another while they were still so young. When I go...

When you mess up or wander away from God, you might feel like that’s it. You might think, “The things I’ve done are too much. God couldn’t forgive me.” But that is not true. The amazing thing about God’s grace is that it’s not too late for you. There is still hope for you even after you mess up. God knows none of us is perfect. Ever since the first humans went their own way against God, we all sin...

Your friends don’t always understand what has you upset. You are unique, and when it comes to things that hurt you and your feelings about what is going on in the world, not everyone will be affected the same way you are. When you feel misunderstood, know that God sees you. Your family might get uncomfortable when you cry. They might try to stop you or tell you that things really aren’t as bad as...

While hiking on a trail in the Smoky Mountains, my husband and I needed to make a decision. The sign had said the trail was only a few milesbut it didn’t say we were headed uphill through rough terrain. Hot and weary, we considered going back, but once we realized how far we had already come, we rallied and kept hiking to the trail’s end. The book of Hebrews was written to weary people who were en...

“Go in peace, the worship leader said at the end of my first chapel service at my Christian university. I had never heard the phrase before, but after hearing it at every following chapel, I learned that some churches close every service with the words go in peace. It was amusing at first to anticipate this catchphrase, but then I realized just how powerful those words are. It made me wonder, what...

We tend to feel confident when the people in our lives respect us and celebrate our accomplishments. We feel good when we do big things. But when we are struggling and no one seems to notice us, we might start to question our value. As humans, we want to impress others and to be accepted by them. It’s hard when we feel like no one sees us. In those times, it’s important to remember that God sees u...