Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

Our world is full of turmoiltorn apart by wars, filled with pain and brokenness. And yet, despite all the chaos, we continue to rise. Abba’s Own, we call ourselves. No longer are we enslaved by the Dark Shadow. We are free. Before Abba called us as His own, our sins consumed us, our minds were leading us to death. Seeing our need, Abba sent His only Son to sacrifice Himself for us. Believing in Hi...

When I was about twelve years old, I started struggling with germaphobia. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a major perfectionist, and I stressed and worried about a lot of unnecessary things. Then I began to wash my hands so much that they were constantly cracked and bleeding. I worried about getting sick or something bad happening, and I tried to use my own power to keep those things from...

As I watch the snow fall outside my window, I notice all it is covering up. Just yesterday, my sister remarked that nothing really looked beautiful. The trees were gray and free of leaves. The little snow that was on the ground had already been trampled and made dirty. The world was in need of something new. Then comes the fresh snow. Crisp. Light. Perfect little puffs. It falls from the sky in cl...

Fear is one of the most discouraging forces against us. Fear can emotionally and spiritually make a person weak. Fear is a joy-stealer. It can hinder us from doing what God calls us to do. But remember, fear is temporary. Fear will pass. And when Jesus returns, fear will be gone for good. Until that day, when we are afraid, we can know that God is with us. He is bigger than our fears. The Lord wil...

Tuesday is my favorite day of the week because I get to sing with my friends in choir. I used to mentally divide my whole week into days that were Tuesday and days that weren’t. The non-Tuesdays only served to get me to Tuesday. I was on mental pause for 86 percent of my week because I was centered on the Tuesday ahead. While looking forward to something isn’t a sin, my fixation on Tuesdays caused...

Have you ever had a debate with someone who belonged to a different Christian denomination? Maybe it was about baptism, styles of worship, whether to attend church or not, and if so, whether it’s important to go on a certain day of the week. Or perhaps you have never socialized with people from a variety of churches. Some Christians can be hesitant to interact with brothers and sisters from differ...

What does it mean to live as a Christian in a non-Christian world? Many of the first Christians were asking this question, and God provided answers that still hold true for us today. For example, God inspired Paul to write a letter to the Christians in Corinth, and he addressed specific problems they were facing. These issues had to do with divisions, sexual immorality, lawsuits, quarrels, the Lor...

Marching up to the battle line Gleaming armor so sublime Ready to fight Satan’s evil Held in this dark His army, oh so stark God’s army was strong Heads held up in this throng Hearts brave and bold Our story unfolds Victory is ours The strong hearts empowered Chase away the evil No longer feeble Because we belong to the King Summer Joy Coleman Our battle is not against each other, and it’s not aga...

“State your name and business, the guard at the gate of the prison ordered. And be quick about it! Onesiphorus swallowed hard. My name is Onesiphorus, and I am seeking Paul of Tarsus. Can you tell me where he is? The soldier narrowed his eyes. Are you an accomplice of this Paul? He is our prisoner and a notorious enemy of Rome. Onesiphorus did not back down. He is my friend. I must find him! If yo...

The story of the Israelites’ journey through the desert to the land God promised them is striking in many ways. One of my favorite parts is in Numbers 9:17, Whenever the cloud lifted from over the sacred tent, the people of Israel would break camp and follow it. And wherever the cloud settled, the people of Israel would set up camp. By night, God would lead the Israelites in a pillar of fire, and...

The sun descends on the horizon, and the thought comes: “Did I do a good enough job today”? Almost every night, I would evaluate this question. I realize now that this was kind of like asking myself: “Do I deserve to sleep?” Most days, my answer was no. And I would feel defeated, exhausted, and sad. Disappointed in myself. Desperate to try harder tomorrow. But then one day, this little parable cau...

Torchlight flickered in the dark, casting shadows on faces, reflecting golden light off the waterbeautiful, and wrong. My mother’s body was laid in the funeral boat and covered with flowers. Someone said, It was her time to go. The comment stung me, just like all the other well-meaning condolences. Their voices still prattled on in my head. She lived a good life. She’ll be watching over us from ab...

Snowflakes falling, Christmas coming Born in a manger No longer strangers To God our Father Who sent His Son To live among us And rescue us from danger Our sinful, flawed, and helpless selves The weight of shame and crushing doubts Fled like the shepherds ran that night To the baby wrapped in LIGHT Gift of love for you and me Born to die upon a tree To bear the burden of our sin So that we could b...

Once, I visited someone with a seven-year-old daughter. Her father would play with her every evening after work and then ask her what gift she wanted him to bring the following day. The little girl would excitedly mention a number of things she wanted. However, day after day, the father would not bring anything home for her. When I was visiting, the father played with his daughter as usual and the...

Being cared for is one of our deepest needs as humans, and caring for others is a noble thing to do. The reason we care for others is because God cares for us. All throughout the Bible, we see examples of God caring for His people. When Jesus came to earth, He further revealed God’s caring nature. One example of this is how Jesus cared for His disciples. After He sent them out in pairs to the surr...

It was the end of my freshman year in college when I got a glimpse of what it looks like to give thanks to God in all circumstances and to be content with His gifts. I’d been feeling sorry for myself because all my friends were off on spring break. Even my family was on vacation in Florida, but I had final exams coming up and had to stay in town to study. I decided to study on the patio in the sun...

When I lived in Peru for a few months, some days I felt like I didn’t belong. I was a tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, one-armed American. I stuck out among my Peruvian neighbors. No matter how many people welcomed me into their homes and their city, I knew I was different. This experience has given me new empathy as I consider my own neighbors. We don’t all look the same. We don’t all speak the sa...

Job 19:25-27 is my favorite passage in the Bible because it assures me of seeing my Blessed Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ, when He resurrects His people from the dead. This fills me with joyful hope and great expectation. I have something amazing to look forward to! The book of Job starts by recording heavenly debates between God and Satan. God is pleased with Job’s integrity, but Satan argues t...

Night falls, and in the quiet, the thoughts come: “What did I do today that matters? Could I have done something differently in that situation? If this was my last day on earth, would I be happy with the way I spent it?” But how do we know if what we did matters? As children of God, what we really need to know is what matters to Him. In John 15, Jesus has just comforted His disciples and promised...

There was a time when there was no rain in Israel for three years. God did this because King Ahab and Israel had acted wickedly. So God sent the prophet Elijah to say there would be no rain or even dew for a long time. Because of the drought, food was scarce. Life was hard. But God had a plan to heal the land, and He guided Elijah in what to do. Elijah prayed for rain to come. God listened, and He...

Some Bible stories are easy for me to relate to. When Simon Peter and his friends go fishing for a long period of time and catch nothing, I feel their pain. They most likely expected to catch a lot of fish but came up completely empty. Keep in mind these are professional fishermen who stayed out all night. They are tired, dirty, and probably grumpy from throwing and retrieving empty nets all night...

Matthew 27 describes one of the most heart-wrenching episodes ever recorded. After hours of physical beating, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, is now on trial before Pilate. He is there because Judas, one of His disciples, has betrayed Him. The other disciples, some of whom declared their allegiance to Him only hours before, have scattered. Now Jesus stands alone before Pilate, the Roman gove...

Maybe you’ve heard that, in Philippians 4:13, the Bible teaches that you can do anything you want if you believe hard enough. So, if you want to be an engineer, but you hate math, this verse could teach that, with enough faith and prayer, you will become an engineer. But is that really what this verse means? Unfortunately, many people use God’s Word in the wrong way and claim teachings that are no...

One of my favorite Bible stories is when Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus. After the Lord raised her brother, Lazarus, from the dead, she took an expensive flask of perfume, worth nearly a year’s wages. It was likely the most expensive thing she owned, and she used it to anoint Jesus’s feet, gently wiping His feet with her hair. Mary may have been scared to do what she did. Her actions were not typic...

Is God calling you to be a missionary? Our pastor asked the question while he introduced the visiting missionaries from Sierra Leone. I sat in the hard pew and watched the couple walk on stage to share what God was doing in their mission work. I tuned out and blankly watched the slideshow of places and people that meant nothing to me. I was pretty sure God was not calling me to be a missionary or...