Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

Words and French Fries

READ: EPHESIANS 4:15-32; 5:15-20; 6:18-20 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=EPHESIANS%204%3A15-32%3B%205%3A15-20%3B%206%3A18-20&version=NIV] 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 gospel clearly. He adds things like kindness, gentleness, grace, and love—allowing us to build people up with our words, not tear them down. But our speech doesn’t just impact others, it also impacts us. If we spend a lot of time telling ourselves we are stupid, ugly, unloved, or failures, that negative self-talk can easily become part of our sense of identity. Having the ability to speak is special. In fact, language is one of the things that sets humans apart from the rest of creation. God calls us to keep a close watch over our mouths. But Jesus—fully God and fully human—is the only one who could do this perfectly. In His time of temptation, He quoted Scripture (Matthew 4:1-11). When He was mocked and beaten, He chose silence motivated by love (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 26:62-63; 27:14). And while dying on the cross, He spoke with grace and compassion as He asked God the Father to forgive the people who crucified Him (Luke 23:34). When Jesus died on that cross, and then rose from the grave, He not only saved us from sin—He redeemed human speech. Once we put our trust in Jesus, He begins transforming our words. We can speak the truth in love as we learn to season every word with the salt of His love and good news. And even when we mess up, we can rest in His forgiveness and start fresh. So let’s stop the trash talk and start saying something good! • Rebecca Morgan • How have you been speaking about your friends, your family, and yourself lately? How do you talk about the difficult people in your life? • In Luke 6:45, Jesus said, “The mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Consider taking a moment to talk to Jesus about what’s in your heart, asking Him to help you see others, and yourself, how He sees us— with truth and love. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. Colossians 4:6 (NIV)

Controlling My Thoughts

READ: COLOSSIANS 3:1-17 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=COLOSSIANS%203%3A1-17&version=NIV] 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 course, what his girlfriend said as well. But then Philippians 4:8 popped into my head: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” Now, I’ve read about celebrity drama before, and I probably will again. But I can admit that it doesn’t really make me feel good. It doesn’t benefit me in any way. It doesn’t even help me to know what’s actually going on. Each side claims they’re in the right, and I can’t really know who to believe. The sun is shining—that’s something good that I can focus on, rather than getting drawn into dramatic rumors about two hurting individuals. God is good and loving, and He is the one who has given me the sunshine and a safe, comfortable, and quiet place to write. I can focus on that. I can focus on praising Him. I can be attentive to the Holy Spirit and do the good things God is setting before me to do—things that will bless others, care for creation, and invite people to know and follow Jesus. I can focus my thoughts on God and all the good He has done and is doing, rather than getting pulled into a dark and sad story where I don’t really even know what’s truth and what’s fiction. What I think about and focus on matters. So, as Colossians 3:2 says, I can choose to set my mind on things above. • Emily Acker • As humans, we’re wired for connection with other people, and we’re drawn to stories. Sadly, sin twists these good desires toward things like gossip and drama, which are unhelpful at best, or harmful at worst. When do you notice your focus shifting to unhelpful or even harmful things? Consider taking some time to talk to Jesus about this—telling Him how you feel, confessing any sin, and resting in His sure forgiveness and compassion. He will help you refocus on Him every time. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

Unexpected Emotions

READ: PSALM 62:1-8; MARK 14:33-34; JOHN 11:32-44 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2062%3A1-8%3B%20MARK%2014%3A33-34%3B%20JOHN%2011%3A32-44&version=NIV] 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 real freedom is found in asking friends and family to come alongside us and listen to our struggles. This isn’t always easy. We might worry that the situation will seem small or stupid because we “shouldn’t be feeling like this and just need to get over it.” Or maybe we don’t want to “burden” anyone else with our overwhelming feelings. These worries can make us feel even more lonely—maybe even worthless. But let me encourage you in your struggle. Any emotion we have, whether someone says it’s “correct” or not, is real. Because—whether we’re misunderstanding a situation or the circumstances truly are that difficult—our emotions are telling us it’s time to take a step back and figure out what’s going on. Believe it or not, no matter what we’re going through, God understands. He created us with emotions because He has emotions. Yet He knows that, for humans, processing emotions can be messy because we live in a world that has been broken by sin. Thankfully, God doesn’t just understand us—He empathizes with us. How? Because Jesus came and lived among us, fully God and fully human, He experienced all our brokenness firsthand, and every emotion that comes with it, even the deep pain of the cross. He wants us to come to Him with every single emotion we have so we can experience His mercy, His care, and His help (Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 Peter 5:7). We find models of how to do this all throughout the book of Psalms. Many psalms were written by David—a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). David knew God loved him, so he repeatedly poured out his heart to God, no matter what he was feeling. When we have unexpected emotions, we can do the same. We can take deep breaths, call out to God and others, and remember we’re not alone. • Abigail Rose • What kinds of emotions have you been feeling lately? It could be this week, today, or right now. Consider taking some time to let out your emotions to God like David did in the psalms. • We all have times when our emotions feel overwhelming, and this is nothing to be embarrassed about. Who is a trusted Christian in your life you can be honest with about what you’re feeling? Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. Psalm 62:8 (NIV)

The Captive

READ: EXODUS 34:6; 2 KINGS 5:1-16; EZEKIEL 36:26; LUKE 6:27-36 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=EXODUS%2034%3A6%3B%202%20KINGS%205%3A1-16%3B%20EZEKIEL%2036%3A26%3B%20LUKE%206%3A27-36&version=NIV] 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 sweet smell smothered her into darkness. The next time her eyes opened, she screamed. She stared into cloud space. “Turn her away from the window,” a woman commanded. Rough hands pushed her onto her side, and she faced into a room where a woman stood. “I will untie you. But first, rules. You will obey. You will not leave my residence or visit other tower city levels. You are a rank zero servant. If you cooperate, you live. If you cause trouble…” She waved toward the enormous windows. “The sky scavengers may have you.” Aiyanna gulped. Elohim, protect me. Her days fell into a pattern of cleaning, washing, and repairing for the Mistress and her husband—a captain raider. Then one day, Mistress shrieked loud enough for citizens a tower city away to hear. Aiyanna found Mistress leaning over Captain. He raised one hand covered in green scales. “Two weeks,” Captain moaned. “Two weeks until I will be covered in scales, and you must expel me to dwell with the crawlers.” “No!” Mistress wailed. “Someone, help!” Aiyanna shrank back. The forest hut flashed across her mind, and she thought of the prophet—the one from whom she’d just begun to learn. Well, now Captain would know what it was like to be dragged from home. “Someone, help us!” Mistress wept. Aiyanna clutched her knowledge close. A new prison hardened around her heart—the last stronghold of her freedom—and she could feel herself beginning to sink into shadow. But then, another memory came to her, of the prophet telling an old story. He said when Elohim told us His name, He called Himself, “the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.” Elohim, she prayed, is your love truly for these people too? Aiyanna took a deep breath and stepped forward. “The prophet back home. He has a cure for the scales.” Mistress and Captain stared at her, disbelief in their eyes. And wonder. Aiyanna felt the threat of darkness flee from her heart. Because she belonged to Elohim, she would always be free. • Judith DeStefano • Today’s allegorical story is based on 2 Kings 5:1-16. Consider taking some time to read this passage, and let the gravity of the situation sink in. How difficult do you think it was for this girl to offer help to Namaan? Why do you think she did it? • When Jesus came and lived among us, He called us to love others, even our enemies. The truth is, apart from Jesus, we are all God’s enemies. And yet, God loved us so much that Jesus was willing to give up His life for us on the cross. Because Jesus died and rose again, our sins can be washed away and we can become God’s friends (Romans 5:6-11). Once we experience God’s love for ourselves, His love overflows from us to others through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; 1 John 4:19). Consider taking some time just to rest in Jesus’s love for you and thank Him for His sacrifice for you. • Is there someone in your life who feels like an enemy to you? God calls us to love and pray for our enemies, and He also helps us set up good boundaries (Luke 6:27-28). If someone has hurt you deeply, who is a trusted Christian adult who could help you discern how God might be calling you to love this person? [Jesus said,] “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.” Luke 6:35 (NIV)

Clothed as a Shepherd

READ: 1 SAMUEL 17:1-11, 32-51; EPHESIANS 2:1-10 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20SAMUEL%2017%3A1-11%2C%2032-51%3B%20EPHESIANS%202%3A1-10&version=NLT] 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 was likely a teenager at the time— wasn’t even a warrior yet! He was a shepherd. But David knew God was with the Israelites and would protect them from anyone who sought to harm them. King Saul clothed David in armor in preparation for the battle. But David wasn’t used to wearing armor, and he decided to go without it. He knew he didn’t need this protection because God was his greatest protection. He didn’t even take a sword—he took a shepherd’s weapons: a staff, a sling, and five stones. David went to battle as who he was. Not a warrior, but a shepherd. David faced the judgment of everyone on the battlefield when he went out with no armor. They probably considered him foolish. But David didn’t try to be or look like anyone other than who he was. Through God’s power, David defeated Goliath. God doesn’t ask us to be anything more than we are. He doesn’t expect us to be someone else; He loves us just the way we are. Even though we were all covered with the dirt and grime of sin, He valued us—so much so that Jesus died and rose again to save us from sin and death. God invites us to come to Jesus and be washed clean, and He gifts believers with His Holy Spirit so we can be in close relationship with Him. Now, we are free to follow Jesus with our God-given personalities, gifts, and abilities. Whenever God calls us to do something, He calls us to do it as ourselves—not as someone else—because He loves and values us just as we are. • Elizabeth Cooper • God doesn’t expect us to try to clean ourselves up or fix ourselves before we come to Him. How can knowing this give us greater confidence when we come to Him humbly in prayer? • God created you on purpose as a unique individual, and you have infinite worth as a child of God. As we yield to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, God transforms us more and more to reflect the character of Jesus, and He equips us to do the good work He calls us to do in each season of our lives. How have you seen God work through you just being yourself? [David said,] “And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!” 1 Samuel 17:47 (NLT)