Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 33:6-15; HEBREWS 13:8 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=PSALM%2033%3A6-15%3B%20HEBREWS%2013%3A8&version=NIV]   Rain was in the forecast again today, But there’s none falling, only clouds. The weather never seems to be What we’re expecting, what is said to be coming.   She told me that we’d get together, Then she canceled at the last minute. Plans never seem to work out How I’m expecting, how I think they will.   I saved my money, ready for this, But the price is too high now. The cost doesn’t ever stay the same, It’s not what I’m expecting, it’s too much for me.   You are there and I wait for You to change, I wait for You to fail me, to disappear. You never change, not even a bit, You are constant, the one I can trust. • Emily Acker   • Sometimes it can feel like everything around us is constantly changing. What are some changes you’ve been faced with lately, whether in the world or in your own life? How do you feel about them? • How does it make you feel to know that God is always the same? It’s okay if you don’t feel instantly happy or peaceful. God invites us to be totally honest with Him. When others disappoint you or things aren’t as you thought they’d be, it’s hard. But God is always at your side, always offering support and hope. After all, Jesus died and rose again to save us. He promises to return one day and restore all the brokenness sin has caused in and around us. Until then, He is always with us. When we look to the cross, we can know that His love never changes. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 (NIV)

READ: JAMES 5:13-20; 1 JOHN 5:13-15 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JAMES%205%3A13-20%3B%201%20JOHN%205%3A13-15&version=NLT] As a freshman student attending college in the hub of Nashville, Tennessee, I took it upon myself to explore the best coffee stops in the area. One afternoon I happened to visit a small, rustic coffee shop run by a local church. Upon entering, the first thing that caught my attention was a large bulletin board that stretched along one side of the seating area. The bold letters on the sign above it read Prayer Wall. After ordering, I paused to read through the dozens of prayers people had posted. Prayers for healed relationships, for addictions, for healing, for children, for love, for peace. My heart hurt to feel the emotion behind the words of those expressing so much vulnerability, pain, hope, and fear…I whispered a silent prayer over every card I read, knowing there are many more brothers and sisters in Christ who have done the same. This mere ten-minute experience nearly brought me to tears. Oh so beautiful is this reminder of the power and influence of prayer! How amazing is it to have the ability to intercede directly on behalf of others? To be united with so many in the knowledge and faith that God hears every single word, every thought, every desire of our hearts! Each request penned in faith speaks to the knowledge of the Christian that these prayers are not in vain. The Father is present, and He listens, and He loves. He cares so much about us and the things we go through that Jesus came to live among us, to make the Father known to us, and ultimately to die for us on the cross and rise from the grave so that we could be in relationship with God. Brothers and sisters, this is the God we serve! A God of unchanging love and unmatched power. My own prayer, as I left the coffee shop that day and as I go forward today, is that we as the church never forget what a powerful and life-changing gift that is. • Eliana Canfield • Have you ever experienced God answering a prayer? What happened? • The Bible is full of stories of God answering prayers in amazing ways; there is no shortage of wonders that God has done to answer the prayers of His children, for He delights in us. If you want to explore a few of these stories, read Exodus 33:12-23; 1 Samuel 1:1-20; Acts 12:1-19. • In addition to stories of God answering prayer in amazing ways, in the book of Psalms we hear from people who feel like God is far-off and doesn’t hear them or care about them (Psalms 13, 22, 44, 77, 88, and others). Why do you think the Bible includes prayers like these? So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

READ: MARK 10:13-16 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=MARK%2010%3A13-16&version=NIV] Even though I would be one among a crowd of thousands, I was completely confident I could meet the President of the United States of America. As a child, I joined one of my classes in visiting a political rally. We drove a couple of hours to hear the current president speak as he campaigned for a second term. On the way to be dropped off for the field trip, I announced to my mom that I’d brought a special journal in which I planned to ask the president to sign his autograph. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity! Of course, I didn’t get his autograph. I didn’t get within 100 yards of the president. Our student group stood with scores of other attendees, prevented from reaching the president not only by the mass of people but by barricades and security guards too. I had high hopes of meeting the president, although I suspect the adults around me knew I’d never return home with that desired autograph. Yet, I wonder if that’s the kind of childlike faith Jesus wanted for His followers when He told them to “receive the kingdom of God like a little child” (Mark 10:15). Receiving His Kingdom requires faith in Jesus as our Savior—as the one who lived a perfect life, died in our place, and then rose again. It requires trusting in a big God who promises to purify us from our sins, give us life as new creations, and provide the way for us to have a relationship with Him. Trusting our lives to Jesus gives us a new identity, a new autograph of our own: children of God. Little children dare to hope in extraordinary ways, believing almost anything is possible. Like little children, we can dare to hope and believe that God will fulfill all of His promises. Because in Jesus, our greatest hopes—and our greatest needs—are fulfilled. • Allison Wilson Lee • When we put our trust in Jesus, we are turning to Him to receive forgiveness and follow Him, instead of going our own, independent ways (you can find more about this on our "Know Jesus [https://unlocked.org/knowjesus/]" page). What do you think it means to “receive the kingdom of God like a little child”? • What holds you back from deeper hope in Jesus—such as doubts, fears, or past disappointments? God wants to help us grow in our faith, and He invites us to be totally honest with Him about how we struggle to trust Him and to ask for His help (Mark 9:24). Consider taking some time to talk to Him now. “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15 (NIV)

READ: ESTHER 4:1-17; 1 CORINTHIANS 15:57 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ESTHER%204%3A1-17%3B%201%20CORINTHIANS%2015%3A57&version=NLT] In the book of Esther, a young Jewish orphan named Esther is living in captivity in Persia, being raised by her older cousin, Mordecai. Esther is most likely a teenager when she becomes the wife of a powerful Persian king. She keeps her true identity a secret until Mordecai learns of a horrible plot to destroy the Jewish people: a high-ranking official named Haman has convinced the king to order that all Jews be killed on a set day. So Mordecai asks Esther to intervene by revealing that she is a Jew and begging the king to spare their people. Eventually Esther agrees to help, and because of Esther’s courage, the king stops the genocide plot and gives the Jewish people throughout Persia license to defend themselves and defeat their enemies. This victory is still celebrated by Jewish people each year at the holiday called Purim. In the book of Esther, we see how God saves His people. Mordecai implies that God is at work in making Esther queen, and he is confident the Jewish people will be saved even if Esther remains silent. Then Esther asks her people to fast before she goes to the king. But no one in the entire book mentions God by name. Jesus says clearly, “the Scriptures point to me” (John 5:39). So how can a book that doesn’t even mention God point forward to Christ? Let’s take a closer look. Haman, the enemy of God’s people, casts lots to choose a day to destroy them and pays money into the royal treasury to fund his evil plot (Esther 3:7-11). Similarly, Judas is paid thirty silver coins to turn Jesus over to His enemies, and soldiers cast lots to take Jesus’s garments (Matthew 26:14-15; 27:35). Both Mordecai and Jesus are sentenced to unfair deaths that are excruciating and public—Mordecai to be impaled on a pole, and Jesus to be crucified (Esther 5:14). But Mordecai is spared while his enemy, Haman, is killed in his place, and then Mordecai is exalted to a high position in the royal court and given a crown (Esther 8:15). Because of Esther’s and Mordecai’s acts of bravery and honesty, their people are safe. Jesus, however, is not spared. He goes to the cross, but when He dies, He defeats our enemies: sin, death, and the devil. Then, raised to life, Jesus is exalted and seated at the right hand of God, the ultimate King (Romans 8:34). Because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, everyone who trusts in Jesus is spared from destruction and welcomed into His victory. And that gives us a reason to celebrate every day. • Amber Vanderhoof • What questions do you have about the book of Esther? Who are trusted Christians you can ask? “Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” Esther 4:14 (NLT)

READ: ROMANS 8:16-17, 28-39; EPHESIANS 2:1-10; 1 PETER 5:8-11 [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ROMANS%208%3A16-17%2C%2028-39%3B%20EPHESIANS%202%3A1-10%3B%201%20PETER%205%3A8-11&version=NIV] I can’t do this. I’m worthless. I’m a failure. I’ll never be enough. Sometimes our minds can be our own worst enemy, telling us things that we know deep down aren’t true, yet we can’t help but believe them anyway. We may know the truth of what God says about us in our hearts, but the whispers keep coming back, drawing us in and tearing us apart. How can we stop believing the lies when it seems like they’re all we hear? It’s simple really. To combat the lies that fill our minds every day, we can focus on God’s truth. Throughout our lives, we all struggle with self-esteem or self-doubt, so it’s important that we continually remind ourselves of who our Father says we are. Because, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we have a new identity. Through His death and resurrection, we are redeemed. All our sins have been forgiven, and we have been given a new life. This is the truth about you: You are loved. You don’t have to be perfect; you’re already enough through Jesus. You are chosen. You are courageous; you don’t have to live in fear. You are uniquely made, created with a purpose. You are a child of God, and you are never alone.* To help you remember what God says about you as you face the never-ending barrage of lies throughout your life, consider taking a piece of paper and writing down who God says you are. Maybe you need to remember some of what I’ve already mentioned in the list above. Or maybe the reminders you need are different, ones that I haven’t even touched on. I suggest reading through Ephesians to begin learning the truth about your identity in Christ. Take your time and write down whatever you personally need to remember. Then tape that paper up somewhere you’ll see it every day. Read it aloud. Ponder it. And remember. Remind yourself daily of God’s truth, and the lying whispers will start to fade. • Rebekah Scott • What are some lies the enemy often whispers in your mind? Can you think of any truths from God’s Word that counter those lies? • Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you find Bible verses and passages that reveal how God sees you and remind you of who you truly are? *Psalm 139:1-16; Romans 8:16-17, 28-39; Ephesians 2:1-10; 2 Timothy 1:7; Hebrews 13:5 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NIV)