Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Zechariah 4:7

“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” – Zechariah 4:7 (NIV)

Have you ever faced something that seemed impossible? Maybe you’re having difficulty understanding something at school. Perhaps you have a tough situation with a friend and it feels like there’s no way out. If you feel like you’re faced with impossibility, then this verse is to encourage you today.

The great thing about this verse is that it shows us that with the help of the Holy Spirit, the difficult things can become flat or easy. It said that before Zerubbabel the mountain will become level ground. The mountains in your life can become flat with the help of God.

So today be encouraged. The situation that you face is not too big. You don’t have to face it on your own. God is there with you, making it possible. The help you need is there if you’ll just go to God and ask. Ask Him for wisdom to know what to do. He wants to help you and is able to help you in each situation that you face.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Song of Solomon 2:15

Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom. – Song of Solomon 2:15 (NIV)

Have you ever read a Bible story and saw one of the characters mess up in a big way? It’s easy to read those stories and think, you’d be immune from their mistakes. You figure that if God spoke to you or if an angel appeared to you, you’d never make the mistakes they did. However, a lot of the time, the big mistakes and failures in character didn’t start big. They started as small decisions.

Maybe the Bible character started by just hanging around the wrong people. Perhaps they began by not being completely honest. Usually, big sin doesn’t start big. It starts as a small choice or a small compromise. Those small compromises over time lead to big failures in character.

The same is true in your life. You don’t get trapped into big sin by one crazy huge mess up. It’s the small things, the little foxes that ruin you. You might choose to watch some movies that are just a little provocative on Netflix. Then over time, that small compromise along with other compromises leads you to realize that you’re addicted to porn. Sin starts small. Begin to pay attention to the compromises you make each day. Are those decisions leading you toward the life and character that you want for your future? Determine today to be a person of character in the things you think, say and do.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – John 4:14

John 4:14 teen devotionBut those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.
– John 4:14 (NLT)

The Bible says that when you become a Christian, you are made into a new creature. On the inside, your spirit is made completely new. Now that you are made new in your spirit the Holy Spirit is able live and refresh you. This new relationship with God that takes place in your spirit is like a river. It’s always there and always flowing. Sometimes you might not feel it as much or at all but that doesn’t change the fact that He’s still there.

Today’s Truth: If you’re a Christian, your spirit is completely new and forgiven

At times when you do not feel the Holy Spirit in you, you can read your Bible, pray and sing. Praise and worship is a great way to get your focus on God and back on this river of life that is constantly flowing in your spirit. If you are a Christian, realize that in your spirit you are completely new and forgiven. Today you have a river of God flowing in you that is eternal. It is always there to refresh you and encourage you in your walk with God.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Joshua 9:14

The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. – Joshua 9:14 (NIV)

Life can get really busy. And there can be times when we simply forget to get God’s help on things. Maybe you didn’t even think to ask God about that weird question you had about science. But here’s the truth, God wants to help you in every area of your life.

He will help you understand science better, if you ask Him. He made the world, so it only makes sense to ask Him questions about how things work. He knows it better than your science teacher or science textbook. So don’t just go to God for spiritual questions, go to him for questions about the earth, planets and how they’re made too. There are so many benefits for asking for God’s advice.

In today’s verse, we see what happens when we forget to ask God about things. The nation of Israel didn’t ask God about a treaty. As a result, they made a treaty with the Gibeonites, which wasn’t a good thing. God wanted to deliver them, and instead because of deception on the part of the Gibeonites, the children of Israel made a treaty not to harm them.

Forgetting to include God in your life isn’t wise. God knows about all things, from who to make a deal with to how science works. So encourage yourself to ask Him. If you don’t understand of get something, ask. God wants to help and speak to you.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – James 1:4

But let patience have her perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. – James 1:4 (KJ 2000 Bible)

Have you noticed how many things in life take time? If you want to get your driver’s license, you’ve got to take driver’s ed classes, study, practice driving and take a test. There are steps to follow and a process for being able to drive legally.

The issue for most of us is that we don’t want to be patient in the process. We want the license but don’t want to put in the time, energy and patience to get the license. We just want that license now.

Today’s Bible verse talks about patience. The choices and attitudes we display while we are waiting show the character of our heart. Patience isn’t easy. It would be easier if the problems we had in your life would just go away and we were immediately successful. However, it’s often when we’re waiting that we have opportunities to develop godly character.

So today, if you’re not where you want to be, stay encouraged. Trust God and trust the process. Learn to be patient and content knowing that in this time of waiting, you’re building the character that will set you up for success later in life.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Joshua 8:1

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. – Joshua 8:1 (NIV)

I remember times when I wondered if serving God was worth it. I recall days when it seemed like all my friends wanted nothing to do with God, and I felt like no one really got me or understood my love for Jesus. Maybe you’ve felt like that too. Perhaps it feels like you’re all alone, and you wonder if anyone notices your stand for God.

But here’s the truth. Your stand for God does matter. In the case of the children of Israel, it made a huge difference. When they obeyed God, God helped them do what they couldn’t do on their own. He helped them defeat Ai.

And in your life it’s no different. God wants to help you do what you can’t do in your own strength. Trusting God and standing up for Him makes a huge difference. Whether you can see it or not. God wants to go to bat for you to help you with whatever it is that you can’t do on your own.

So today, put your trust in God. Know that He loves you and wants to help you do the things you can’t do in your own strength and ability.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – John 14:27

Have you ever had a really bad day? Maybe you said something really dumb in front of your crush. Or perhaps you forgot your part for your group presentation at school and feel like you let your class down.

We all do dumb things sometimes. And in the middle of the dumb things we do, it’s easy to let ourselves get upset, troubled and afraid.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – John 14:27 (NIV)

Today’s verse gives us some insight into how God wants us to view trouble. In the middle of trouble and difficulty, Jesus said He would leave us peace. That means that no matter how crazy what you’re going through may seem, we can do it walking in God’s peace.

Even in those times when it seems like nothing in the world is right, we can still walk in peace. We can be confident that God is good. Because we have that knowledge, we know that regardless of circumstances and situations, we can walk in God’s peace.

Today, if you’ve allowed your heart to become troubled and afraid, determine to put an end to it. Decide that from today on, you’re going to walk in the peace of God. Choose peace, even when it’s hard. After all, Jesus came to bring peace to your life!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Hebrews 6:12

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. – Hebrews 6:12

A lot of the time we focus on the importance of faith and forget how much patience plays a role in obtaining the promises of God. We need faith because that’s what calls the promises of God into being. However, patience is what will keep you going when you haven’t seen the promise yet.

The importance of patience is often overlooked. Patience is what kept Sarah going after she had a promise from God that said she would be a mother. And then year after year, she hadn’t conceived a child. Sarah had to be patient until she received the promise God gave her.

God has given us all promises. And yet we often want to give up on the promises of God when trials come. We think it would be easier to give up than to endure. However, you only learn from the trials you endure. Patience is what keeps us going in the middle, between the promise of God and seeing that promise come to pass in our lives.

So today, remember to practice patience. It isn’t easy waiting on the promises God gave you, but remember that God is faithful. If He’s given you a promise He will bring it to pass in your life. You’ve got to just be patient until you see the promise come to pass in your life.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. – Romans 12:12 (NIV)

Have you noticed that people don’t change as quickly as you’d like? Maybe your parents are far from God and they’ve seen great fruit in your life from knowing God, but yet they haven’t made a decision for Him yet. Maybe you have a brother who keeps saying he’s going to change his bad habits but it seems like he never does. How do you stay patient with people who don’t change and do the things you want them to do?

It’s difficult loving people who don’t make good choices. Sometimes you just want to yell at them to stop, give them the silent treatment or do something drastic to get them to want to change. The reality is, getting other people to change is almost impossible. So how do you keep a good attitude when others are driving you nuts?

Read: Three Steps to Love Difficult People

One way is by choosing daily to walk in patience toward them. You may not ever get the person to change, but you can choose to change your attitude toward that person. You can choose to be patient when they mess up, when they don’t treat you right, and when they don’t make the choices you’d like them to. Even if they’ve broken promise after promise to you, you’re ultimately in charge of your attitudes. You get to choose if you let them make you bitter. You choose if they cause you to lose your peace. And you get to choose if you stay patient toward them.

So today, if you’ve got a difficult person in your life, don’t give up. Choose to be patient to them. Even when they’re doing those things that make you mad, remember that God loves them. You may never be able to get them to change, but you can choose to have a good attitude in the process. Choose to practice patience and peace today.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Proverbs 3:7

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the LORD and turn away from evil. – Proverbs 3:7

One of the biggest things we struggle with within our culture is the need for God. It can be easy to think, why do I need to pray and seek God’s direction? I can just google it. It’s easy with so many answers right at our fingertips to avoid seeking God’s advice and do things at our own discretion.

It can be easy to fall into the trap of being independent of God. Because we have so many answers and options readily available, we begin to not seek Him as much.

However, despite all the technology and all the answers we can find, we need to realize that we always need God. We need His help in every situation that we face. We need His guidance for our day to day life.

So choose today to get God involved in your life. Choose to get Him involved in your decisions, no matter how small. You’ll never be disappointed when you get God involved in what you’re doing.