Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

One Step at a Time

READ: PSALMS 37:23; 119:105, 133; MATTHEW 28:16-20; ACTS 18:1-4 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALMS%2037%3A23%3B%20119%3A105%2C%20133%3B%20MATTHEW%2028%3A16-20%3B%20ACTS%2018%3A1-4&version=NIV] “What are you going to do when you grow up?” While this question can be fun to ask a small child, it becomes more stressful as you inch closer to graduation. Everyone seems to expect you to have an answer—as though there is only one “right answer.” Perhaps you find yourself exhausted with all the questions, feeling a mounting anxiety about “getting it right.” Perhaps you have thoughts, but you aren’t feeling “called” to a specific career. Maybe you’ve known since you were nine what you want to be. Maybe you have no idea or too many ideas! Take a breath. It’s okay. Sometimes, a career is just a job—funding and fueling the passions God will give you in your personal time. Always, it is a mission field, to reach people with the love of Jesus who may not know Him yet. But a career is not always static. You may start in one field or one position, and branch into one or more different areas as time goes on. Even Jesus wasn’t pigeonholed into one job. Fully God and fully human, He probably worked as a carpenter first; then as His public ministry began, He did the work of a teacher, healer, and exorcist, to name just a few of His roles. The apostle Paul was a teacher, a writer, and a tent maker! Personally, I worked as a criminologist and a social worker before becoming a stay-at-home parent and freelance creative. My path has not been what I expected, but it’s been filled with the presence and empowerment of God, growing and stretching me continuously. You don’t have to know what you’re going to do “for the rest of your life.” You’re free to focus on the next step. You can trust the Holy Spirit to direct you—to whisper behind you, “This way!” every time you’re faced with a crossroads—and to help you be open to change (Isaiah 30:21). Remember, Jesus will walk with you every step. • Abigail Aswegen • Consider taking some time this week to talk to a few trusted Christian adults about what they planned to do when they were your age. You can ask if their plans turned out the way they expected, and how they saw God show up in the midst of it. • If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, our most important identity is “beloved child of God.” Any jobs we do can never take that place. How does this identity free us to pursue whatever path God calls us to? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)

Friends with God

READ: EXODUS 33:11; JOHN 15:13-15 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=EXODUS%2033%3A11%3B%20JOHN%2015%3A13-15&version=WEB] Most of our friendships begin by meeting someone new and getting acquainted with that person. A stranger remains a stranger until we start to get to know them. This can happen through conversations, shared activities, or interacting in group settings. As we grow closer to someone, we may refer to them as an acquaintance and eventually a friend. As love and trust are developed, it becomes easier to rely on each other. Like how we need to acquaint ourselves with people to become friends, we must acquaint ourselves with God to feel close to Him. It’s easy to know a lot of things about God—such as His sovereignty, love, mercy, and grace—but just because we know a lot of things about Him doesn’t mean we know Him. We can possess a lot of information about the Lord without having much of a personal relationship with Him. So how do we get to know God? We can start with reading the Bible—the words He wrote for us. Another way is by prayer—either pouring out our hearts to Him or simply being still and silent in His presence. Jesus communicated intimately with His Father when He was on earth, often going away to pray alone. As God the Son, He and God the Father remained close even though they were not in heaven together. Jesus set the example of what a relationship with God should look like for us. And He made the way for that relationship to be possible! Before, sin separated us from God’s presence. Now, because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, we can have friendship with God. He draws near to us, and He longs for us to draw near to Him. What an amazing gift! • Morgan A. Mitchell • How is getting acquainted with God similar to getting acquainted with a person? How is it different? • Can you remember a time when you felt like you were really getting to know God? What was that like? • In what ways do you feel like you know God well? In what ways do you feel confused or distant? Consider taking some time to talk to Him about whatever comes to mind. • What questions do you have about getting to know God? Who could you talk to about this? “Acquaint yourself with him now, and be at peace. By it, good will come to you.” Job 22:21 (WEB)

God Our Protector

READ: DEUTERONOMY 31:6; PSALM 46:1; ISAIAH 41:10 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=DEUTERONOMY%2031%3A6%3B%20PSALM%2046%3A1%3B%20ISAIAH%2041%3A10&version=NIV] When I was little, I was terrified of dogs. Going to family or friends’ homes was always a nightmare when I knew they had a dog. However, one thing that comforted me was knowing that my parents or older siblings would be there with me. I wasn’t alone. I had experienced that if I went to them for protection, they would pick me up, away from the “danger,” or stand in front of me and shield me from my fear, or ask the owners to put the dog outside. No matter what, I was confident in their protection, and I knew they didn’t mind doing it! Their love and care always made being in those situations less stressful. I realize God is just like that. Just as my family was there for me when I was afraid, He is there for us in intimidating and uncertain situations. He lovingly waits for us to come and ask Him for help, and He loves when we have the confidence to trust Him to protect us. He doesn’t get tired of us or get annoyed when we keep coming to Him. He opens His loving arms and becomes our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble. • Ellie Stephens • Can you think of a time someone protected you—maybe when you were a little kid, or maybe more recently? What happened? • Can you think of a time you experienced God’s protection? What was that like? • God loves us so much that when we were helpless to save ourselves from sin and death, He rescued us through Jesus’s death and resurrection. Once we put our trust in Jesus, we can look forward to the day He will return and put an end to all the evil and brokenness in our world—then there will be nothing left to fear (Revelation 21:1-5). As we wait for that day, we can rest knowing that we are held safely in God’s arms (Romans 8:35-39). Whenever we’re afraid, God wants us to call to Him. It doesn’t even matter if the danger is real or perceived—He is always happy to reassure us of His love and care (Psalm 34:4). Does it feel like you can count on God’s protection? Why or why not? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about this. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 (NIV)

What Do You Worship?

READ: EXODUS 20:1-6; 32:1-8; PSALMS 86:12; 135:5-7, 15-18 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=EXODUS%2020%3A1-6%3B%2032%3A1-8%3B%20PSALMS%2086%3A12%3B%20135%3A5-7%2C%2015-18&version=NLT] Over and over again in the Bible, God condemns the worship of idols. The Israelites, God’s chosen people, struggled with idolatry. Even though they repeatedly witnessed God’s power and saw Him work mightily on their behalf, they still turned to human-made images and worshiped them. They turned to statues and other false gods for protection, provision, or sometimes just a little extra “insurance” while they pretended to fully trust in God. It can sometimes seem silly to us as we read through the Bible. How could they put their trust in an object that has nothing to offer them? No personal relationship. No power. Nothing. The truth is, God created us for worship. We have a yearning, a hunger, a deep desire within us to worship. And if we don’t give our full worship to Him, we will find ourselves worshiping something else. The idols we bow down to are the things we cling to or value more than Jesus. They can set up shop in our hearts and distract us from our need for Him and the life He gives us (John 10:10-11). While we might think bowing before a golden calf or a wood-carved statue seems silly, what might the Israelites say about how much time and affection we give our phones? Or the time and energy we spend trying to attain popularity, a prominent position on the team, or a starring role in the play? While it’s not necessarily bad to spend time playing sports or rehearsing lines, the problem occurs when we give something our total devotion and turn to it first for our worth and comfort—when we put our identity in anything other than our relationship with Jesus. Thankfully, we can ask God to show us the idols of our hearts. Where is our attention and affection going? What is the central reason behind the decisions we make? Who or what do we turn to when life feels uncertain or hard? Remember, Jesus delights in us, and He wants us to experience the freedom of finding our identity in Him. He is worthy of all our worship. • Cara Campbell • God extends forgiveness and help to us every time we stray into idolatry. Consider taking a moment to ask Him to reveal any idols in your life that you’re turning to instead of Him. What kind of trust are you putting in that idol? What are you hoping it will do for you? • God loves us more than any idol ever could. How does Jesus provide all the things we think our idols will give us? Why is He the only one worthy of our total trust and devotion? • Who are trusted Christians in your life you can be honest with about the idols you struggle with? With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God. Psalm 86:12 (NLT)

When, Lord, When?

READ: HABAKKUK 1:1-11; 2:3, 14; 3:11-19; REVELATION 21:1-5 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=HABAKKUK%201%3A1-11%3B%202%3A3%2C%2014%3B%203%3A11-19%3B%20REVELATION%2021%3A1-5&version=CSB] Ever heard of Habakkuk? This book of the Bible isn’t preached on or discussed very often, which is a shame because it’s a fantastic gem in Scripture. Like the other eleven minor prophet books, Habakkuk provides a snapshot of Israel’s history, one that reveals not only God’s plan but also relates to us today. The prophet Habakkuk prays a prayer I think many of us have uttered at some point: “How long, LORD, must I call for help?” (Habakkuk 1:2). Simple. Direct. Clear. Lord, we’re in trouble here. When are You going to step in and help us? God answers, but not how Habakkuk wanted. God raises up the Chaldean army, the ultimate fighting machine, to invade Judah and imprison the Israelites living there. Huh? How is that an answer to Habakkuk’s prayer? He wanted an end to the pain, and yet it looked like God was going to make the situation worse. Enslavement by the mighty Chaldeans seemed the unlikeliest solution of all. What Habakkuk didn’t know was that the Chaldeans were merely an object in God’s plan to save His people. Fast forward 600 years. Israel is awaiting a Messiah, one who would deliver them from their suffering. At that time, it was no longer the Chaldeans who oppressed them but the Romans. So the Israelites wanted a mighty warrior, the ultimate fighting machine who would propel them to victory. Instead, they received Jesus, a wandering rabbi and His ragtag group of followers. Their hopes ended at Calvary, where Jesus hung on a cross and died. What they didn’t know is that the only means of deliverance—which is what they had been waiting for—was the Messiah’s death, not His army. Jesus’s work on the cross and His resurrection from the dead give us hope now and forever. He was and is our answer to the question, “How long?” • Mike Hurley • Have you had a situation that made you ask, “How long?” God invites us to be totally honest with Him about how badly suffering hurts us and what we want Him to do about it. He sees, and He cares—so much so that Jesus came to conquer sin and death to save us. So now, we can look forward to the day Jesus will return. Then there will be no more sin or suffering or death (Revelation 21:1-5). In the meantime, we can rest knowing that He loves us and promises to be with us, strengthening us even in hard times. How does knowing Jesus give us hope in suffering? How long, LORD, must I call for help and you do not listen or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? Habakkuk 1:2 (CSB)