Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: JOHN 17:13-19; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:18; 2 PETER 3:9 I waited for my turn at the campground shower stall with my coin ready. After dropping the coin in the slot, I turned on the hot water and began rushing through my morning shower. As a missionary in New Zealand, I joined a group of students and ministry staff on what we called “Beach Project.” In a resort town over a holiday week, we interacted...

READ: GALATIANS 3:26–4:7 She chose the name Sojourner Truth because she believed God had called her to speak the truth to others—especially about slavery. But she was born in New York as a slave named Isabella Bomfree in 1797, and she and her five children were legally owned by others. In 1827, she took her infant daughter and left, finding shelter with an abolitionist family, the Van Wegenens. Th...

READ: JOHN 1:12; 16:25-33; ROMANS 8:14-17; 1 JOHN 3:1 It seemed like a good idea at the time: jumping from the chair in our pre-school Sunday school class. But I changed my mind in mid-air, reaching my arm toward the floor to break the fall. I did break the fall; I also broke my little three-year-old arm in the process. Just as the pain rocketed through my body and I began wailing, my teacher, Mis...

READ: GENESIS 1:26-27; PSALM 139:13-17; ZEPHANIAH 3:17; EPHESIANS 2:4-10 I shouldn’t have even brought this into the fitting room, Makenna thought. Dresses like these don’t look good on girls like me. But her friends hadn’t understood her hesitation. They were trying on prom dresses and thought she should do the same. Tears stung in Makenna’s eyes as she took a glance in the mirror. She hated her...

READ: HEBREWS 12:1-13 Ask any athlete at any level, and he or she can discuss the value of home field advantage. Cheering, screaming, clapping, frenzied fans make a difference to athletes. Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field, or Buffalo’s Highmark Stadium—these are tough places for visiting teams to play. But they’re amazing venues for the home team, elevating t...

READ: EXODUS 34:29-35; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:7-18 When you know someone well, you generally know how they’ll act. Your dog will bark at anyone who walks by, your teacher will stand in front of the class to teach, etc. But what if your teacher started doing handstands in class, or your dog started meowing? That might be a little strange. In Exodus 34, there was something strange about Moses. His face lit...

READ: ISAIAH 53; JOHN 20:24-28; REVELATION 21:1-5 Jayden stood outside the Renewal Center, staring at the glowing sign. A fresh start. No more pain. No more grief. Everyone said it was the best decision he’d ever make. Just one session, and all the hurt would be gone. His fingers tightened around the cross pendant at his neck. Could he really let it all go? He closed his eyes. His dad’s steady voi...

READ: JOHN 3:15-18; ROMANS 3:21-30; 10:9-13 Last year, I went to traffic court after being cited for an illegal left turn. When the judge asked for my plea, I said, “Guilty with circumstances.” I told him the sign prohibiting the left turn was obscured by tree limbs: “Your honor, I never saw the sign.” Despite my articulate defense, he dropped the gavel, found me guilty, and fined me $120, a hefty...

READ: DEUTERONOMY 31:6; ROMANS 8:28-39; COLOSSIANS 3:12-16 When I was thirteen, my parents divorced. My dad remarried and moved out of state. My mom had to work two jobs to provide for us, so our time together was special, but limited. Eventually, we had to move so Mom could find a better job. Whenever I tried to give my opinions about moving, she cast them aside. And, over the years, we kept movi...

READ: EZEKIEL 47:1-12; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-17 Anew thing is coming with the rising of the sun, Old things have passed away; a new story has begun. For death has been buried, wherever the life water flows; In the dry, sandy soil of the desert, the flower now grows. Animals and fowl have returned, filling the land with life; Fawns frolic, wild goats play, and the eagle takes to flight. The stream tee...

READ: ISAIAH 12:2; MATTHEW 6:25-34; MARK 13:26-37 Do you have, in your area of the world, a tradition where people gather every year in a certain city and pull a type of rodent out of his home in order to predict the weather? Yes, it does sound funny! And if you live in the USA, you might recognize this day as Groundhog Day. Grown men in fancy suits gather around “Punxsutawney Phil” every February...

READ: JOHN 6:4-13 Once I belonged to a church that held services at a school cafeteria. For youth group on Wednesday nights, we met at a daycare that had closed for the evening. The daycare managers didn’t charge any fees to hold our youth group events there. To express gratitude, our church leadership organized an appreciation lunch for the daycare staff. The pastor asked volunteers to provide fo...

READ: EPHESIANS 4:15-32; 5:15-20; 6:18-20 There’s something wonderful about French fries. But have you ever had disappointing French fries? I have. They had no salt—the worst thing that can happen to a perfectly good batch of fries! Salt makes things taste good. But do you know what else salt is good for? Our words. If we know Jesus, the Holy Spirit seasons our words so we can communicate the gosp...

READ: COLOSSIANS 3:1-17 It’s a beautiful, sunny morning as I write this. I’m sitting in a comfortable and quiet space. When I was getting settled here at my computer though, I was drawn toward a news article that I saw about a sports player I’ve followed and some relationship drama he has going on. I considered opening one of the articles and reading about what he said was happening—and then, of c...

READ: PSALM 62:1-8; MARK 14:33-34; JOHN 11:32-44 Have you ever been in a really emotional place—one where you’ve never been before? I have. Those situations are hard to navigate. They can be overwhelming, lonely, and sometimes scary. When complex feelings come our way, it can be easy to believe the lie that we need to isolate ourselves until we “fix” the problem or “get over” our feelings. But rea...

READ: EXODUS 34:6; 2 KINGS 5:1-16; EZEKIEL 36:26; LUKE 6:27-36 Aiyanna huddled behind a barrel as the raiders galloped into town. They were looking for slaves to take back to their tower cities. She had to get out of town—to the forest hut, the home of the prophet of Elohim. Hands grabbed her from behind, and the world turned upside down as she was slung over a raider’s shoulder. Immediately, a sw...

READ: 1 SAMUEL 17:1-11, 32-51; EPHESIANS 2:1-10 Can you think of a time you tried to be someone you’re not? Maybe you were trying to act more talented than you really are, or you tried imitating someone you admire. Maybe you did it to impress your friends, or even to impress God. In 1 Samuel 17, David fought Goliath, a nine-foot-tall Philistine champion who terrified the Israelites. And David—who...

READ: PSALM 119:105; ROMANS 3:20-24; 2 TIMOTHY 3:16-17; HEBREWS 4:12 You’ve probably heard it in youth group or Sunday School: “It’s very important to have daily devotions.” But for many of us, we just can’t seem to make it happen. We have to do homework and study at night. We don’t have time in the morning before school. Sports practice, youth group, robotics club, orchestra concerts, volunteerin...

READ: JOSHUA 1:9; JOHN 3:16; PHILIPPIANS 4:6 Have you ever been through a hard season in your life? I most certainly have. But just because we go through rough patches doesn’t mean we’re alone or that nobody loves us. God is with us every second of the day. He is there in our struggles and in our pain. God never leaves your side no matter how hard life gets. When I was 14 years old, I went through...

READ: JOHN 4:1-14; 7:37-39; ACTS 1:8; ROMANS 8:11 As long as we’re breathing, our bodies need a constant input of water; we must remember to drink, or we’ll perish. When Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman drawing water from a well, He said, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in t...

READ: LUKE 15:1-3, 11-31 Abidan stretched, looking toward the sun. It was setting, so he left the field and approached the house. He stopped, listening. That sounds like a party, he thought, waving over Baanah the servant. “What’s going on tonight?” Abidan asked. “Your brother has returned!” Baanah said, “your father has served the feasting calf to celebrate!” “Jabin’s back?” Abidan’s tone was ang...

READ: GENESIS 1:26-27; ROMANS 8:28-29; 2 CORINTHIANS 3:17–4:6 Have you ever heard someone talk about how people are “made in the image of God?” What does that mean? Essentially, it means we are God’s representatives here on earth and He created us with some of the same qualities He has: creativity, love, intelligence, a sense of justice, wisdom, kindness, and mercy—just to name a few. Whenever peo...

READ: PSALM 145:14-19; HEBREWS 4:14-16 Today’s poem is written in the style of a rap. I’m here every night; too tired to fight. Just trying to make it, not fake it. It’s hard…to be a PK, knowing you want me to say, “It’s okay. I still believe.” Though in my heart I still grieve. But I see a world that’s gone bad. And it started when Dad Headed out of the door, said he wanted no more. Preacher dad...

READ: ROMANS 8:31-39; 2 CORINTHIANS 12:9; 1 PETER 4:12-13 Have you ever heard of The Pilgrim’s Progress? This book, written in the late 1600s by a pastor named John Bunyan, is the most famous Christian allegory still in print. For centuries, it has encouraged believers to continue following Christ…despite the difficulties. At one point in the book, the main character, a man named Christian, is sho...

READ: AMOS 5:24; MICAH 6:8; LUKE 18:7-8; REVELATION 21:4 A girl stands in front of a judge and jury, retelling her traumatic assault, and her assaulter walks free at the end of the trial. A family breaks into tears after learning there was not enough evidence to convict their son’s murderer. You tell your teacher you’re being bullied, and they say they can’t do anything unless they see it. Our wor...