Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

Do you ever wrestle over what God’s will is for your life? When I graduated high school, I was quite anxious about choosing the right path. I grappled with decisions about college, wrote lists of pros and cons, prayed and sought God in tears. Since then, I’ve had other large decisions where I responded similarly. Lately, I’ve felt like God has been prompting my heart to dig into what His will is f...

Have you ever had a heavy heartfelt the physical effects of your sadness weighing you down? You are not alone. I have felt this way too. Worries, painful experiences, anxiety, grief, or guilt can burden you. It feels as if your emotional state is sinking physically into your body. Craving solitude, I dragged myself on long walks. Alone time in the fresh air helped, and during these strolls, or at...

In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable where a father has two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance, even though his father is still alive. The father does not scold his son but willingly and freely gives him the inheritance, although it was not the usual thing to doand the way the son treated his father was very rejecting. The son soon goes to another country where he spends everything on wil...

One morning, while out for a nature walk, I observed a group of tiny sparrows mobbing a large hawk perched in a tree. Why did they do that, when the hawk was so much bigger than them? Well, while the hawk looked harmless perched in a tree doing nothing, the sparrows knew it was a threat to their safety, their young, and other animals. The sparrows didn’t want a dangerous predator looming over them...

Who is my enemy? I feel like anyone who hurts me in some way is an enemy in that moment. I know I get hurt a lot, so I get lots of opportunities to pray for my enemies! How can I do this? Asking God for wisdom in how to pray is step number one. Each of my enemies has a different personality and different needs. Even when I don’t know what they need, I can ask God to bless them anyway (Romans 8:26-...

“No one cares what happens to me, you mumble, wrinkling up the paper you’d been writing on. What’s the point of even trying? We’ve all had times when it felt like it was us against the world. We had a problem we needed to tackle, and we didn’t feel any support from anyone as we tried to take it on. We’ve all had times when we’ve felt alone and like no one really understands what we’re going throug...

The night had been long. Simon felt bone-weary as he cleaned his fishing nets. There on the shore, surrounded by a large crowd, was Jesus. This man had already healed many. He taught with such authority; He had even driven out a demon who called Him the Holy One of God. Simon was wondering what Jesus would do next, when Jesus stepped into Simon’s boat and looked at him in a way that made Simon fee...

We were all lined up for the egg toss contEsther Jack threw our team’s egg, and SPLAT! The raw egg hit my new pink blouse and broke. As it slid down the front, it left a long trail. Jack laughed so hard, his body spiraled down to the ground like water draining out of a sink. He didn’t seem to mind that the “splat” meant we had lost the egg toss contEsther Jack and I were part of the same church yo...

There was a golden engraving on the massive wooden door in front of me: House of Wisdom it read. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door. Inside, my eyes were greeted by a plush entryway, red velvet under my feet, and glistening ruby walls. A curved, golden staircase stretched up farther than I could see. Come higher, a soft whisper beckoned. The rubies sparkled on the walls, pulling at me. P...

The rich scent of trees and earth fill the deep woods. Waves of alternating warm and cool breezes wash over your skin as you step from the shadows to the sunlight and back again. Bright eyes of a cherished friend sharing a story. Wide smiles and wrinkled hands of the ones who have been there for years. Holding on to these moments that slip by far too quickly. Rushing out the door, heart squeezing....

Have you ever been content, then out of nowhere a problem or difficult situation replayed itself in your mind? You are not alone. One day, during some solitary time with God, a troubling memory flashed inside. It clouded my mind, and heaviness rested in my heart as I relived a particular trial I’d had. The remembrance of praying, blindly moving forward in trust, and the sheer slog of persevering r...

One of the biggest issues I struggled with in middle school was the overwhelming pressure to find an identity. Most of my friends had their thingshobbies, talents, or interests that seemed to define them as a person. I had a few interests and practiced several activities, but I thought that because I hadn’t locked into one skill and perfected it, I was missing out. As it turned out, I had been con...

There are times when it feels like God isn’t paying attention to the things that are going on here on earth. The author of Psalm 74 felt this way too and begged God to reach down and help those who were being mistreated and oppressed. When we feel like the world is in chaos and God isn’t seeing things, we can be honest with Him and tell Him our frustrations. As we come to Him, He assures us that H...

I love when God speaks to me in new ways. Have you ever been reading a passage of Scripture that you’ve read a number of times before, but something new stands out to you, and you feel like you’re reading it for the first time? That happened to me today. Sometimes I start to skim through passages when I think I already know what they offer. Yes, yes, I say. I know what’s about to happen, and I kno...

The builder surveyed the land eagerly. His arms were strong for the task, his mind sharp. Every builder knew a strong foundation was the most crucial element, and this house was no exception. Jars of cement mixtures labeled in colorful script glinted in the morning sunlight, begging to be chosen. The builder gripped a jar with calloused fingers: Family, he read. After a moment’s pause, he opened t...

READ: PSALM 34:4-18 “It’s over!” The shocking words crush you. “I’m breaking up with you.” Your emotions are in turmoil. What can you do? First of all, don’t bottle up the suffering, as this is damaging in the long term. Instead, acknowledge your pain. Take time to adjust. People tend to respond to breakups in a few different ways: Sadness: The end of a relationship can feel like a bereavement. Wh...

Joseph is only seventeen when his story beginsand he is having serious problems! Joseph is the youngest of eleven brothers and his father’s favorite. Even before their father has a colorful coat made just for Joseph, his brothers clearly hate him. Maybe the way Joseph talks about his special dreams is simply the last straw. One day Joseph’s brothers spot him in the distance, coming to check on the...

READ: PSALM 51; 2 CORINTHIANS 7:8-13 Guilt is hard. Sometimes, Satan will try to convince us that we are guilty of something terrible when we really aren’t. This “bad guilt” tells us the lie that we are irredeemable, unlovable people. We can become discouraged and paralyzed, unable to do anything good. But in these times, we can come to Jesus, give our struggle over to Him in prayer, and rest know...

There will always be people who bring you down, and you can choose one of two responses: revenge or love. Some people say hate your enemies, but Jesus calls us to love and pray for our enemieslike He did. When Jesus was submitting Himself to die on the cross, there were people mocking Him, beating Him, and spitting on Him. How did Jesus handle this? He said, Father, forgive them, for they do not k...

Fleeing from my mind, My fractured soul How far I run I do not know. Attacking my heart, Emotions, burning Branding me within, Fear inside churning. Alone, I shout out, LORD, HELP ME, Falling down, I pray, Jesus, please save me, Silence until My tears tumbling down, Barriers crumble within, Peace is found. Fragmented soul You, Jesus, restore. Sadness turns into joy, Healing me once more. Cindy Lee...

Their opinion meant the world to me. Their acceptance was what I craved. Their attention was what I longed for. I was an outsider with the popular girls. They laughed at me, not with me. They talked about me, not to me. Their rejection was the framework I built my self-worth on. I was nothing to them, so I thought I must be nothing at all. I based my value on others’ opinions and not on God’s. God...

I pulled the borrowed blue coat tighter around me and followed our guide. I hadn’t expected the weather in Iceland to feel so cold in May. After graduating from college, I’d ministered for a year in Romania and then returned to my hometown. When my younger brother completed his own degree, we went on a backpacking adventure around Iceland. First, we spent a few days near the capitol then traveled...

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the devil started by challenging Jesus’s deity: If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread (Matthew 4:3). Because Jesus is God, He could have turned the stones into bread. (And because Jesus is human, He was very hungry after not eating for forty days.) But Jesus didn’t need to prove that He is the Son of God. He simply answered...

Before I entered middle school, I felt confident I’d join the school band. And I did, playing a trumpet that had belonged to my uncle. Performing with the county-wide honor band was a special memory from that year. By the next fall, our band welcomed a new director, and he envisioned expanding the brass section of our band. Specifically, he sought to add some new French horn players. I’d known oth...

I started following Jesus at age thirteen, and I constantly got comments such as, I can’t believe you’re so young yet have a strong faith! And yes, those comments are lovely, but they secretly struck my nerves. They made me feel belittled. The way people said my faith inspired them was in a tone that suggested my faith shouldn’t be this important to me yet. Even though this probably isn’t what tho...