Browsing Tag

self esteem

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 John 3:1

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. – 1 John 3:1

Do you have days where you doubt your worth? Maybe you wonder why you are the way you are, or why you can’t say the right thing at the right time. Perhaps you don’t look the way you wished you did. All this self-doubt can start to weigh on you, and make you feel like you’re not important.

Today’s verse gives us a picture of our worth to God. In it, we see that God has adopted us into His family. Because of this. we now have value and purpose. That means superficial things, like how you look and what you do no longer matter. What matters is what God says about you. Your true value is based on what God thinks of you.

Today’s Truth: Your value is based on what God thinks of you

The good news is, God thinks you’re great. He loves you in a big way. He wants nothing more than to know you. God loves you with a greater love than you’ll ever know. So when you have days where you question your worth, take some time to think about how much you’re worth to God. He loved you enough to adopt you into His family. To Him, you’re priceless!

 

Your value is beased on what God thinks of you

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Ephesians 2:10

 

Teen Devotion and Bible

It’s so easy to feel like you don’t measure up to others. You can see the things other people are posting on social media and if you’re not careful, you can begin to think that your life isn’t that exciting, or doesn’t matter. The truth, however, is that you were created for an awesome purpose. Today’s Bible verse describes what God sees when He looks at you.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

God sees you as someone that is important. You are His handiwork, that means He cares about you and has an interest in you. He cares what you’re up to and He’s created you to do something good. The last part of today’s Bible verse shows us that God has prepared good things for you to do.

God has a unique plan for your life. He wants to use you to touch other people and to make a difference in your world. There are people around you that need to know about Jesus. God wants to use you to show them Jesus.

God has so much in store for you to do. So don’t give in to the lies that you’re not important, or you’re not as talented as someone else around you. Chose to believe what God says about you, and know that you’ve been created to do good things!

[Tweet “Choose to believe what God says about you. He’s created you to do good things! – @studentdevos”]

Today’s Truth About Identity: I Am Loved

Teen Devotion and Bible Verse - Identity Being Loved

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. – 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Have you ever had a friend that said they really loved you, but later found out they were talking about you behind your back? How many times have you experienced someone who said they loved you and then later let you down?

We often let those people who let us down cause us to doubt God’s love. We wonder could He really love us all the time, no matter what?

Those doubts often creep into our relationship with God making us feel we’re not worthy of God’s love. We often secretly wonder that His love for us might change if we don’t do the right things.

The truth is God shows us what real love looks like. He doesn’t love you based on your performance or stops loving you when someone better comes around. God’s love is always and forever.

Today’s Truth: I Am Loved

God loves you in a big way. He gave everything He had to know you and to talk to you. That is real love.

The truth is that people will let you down. They might say they love you and then do something that seems to contradict that. But God is not like that at all.

[Tweet “God loves everything about you and His love for you will never change – @studentdevos”]

God loves you. He loves everything about you, and His love for you will never change. So if you’ve struggled, feeling unworthy or unloved, focus on today’s truth. Regardless of how your friends or family has treated you, God loves you. The good news is that He will never stop loving you.

 

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – August 30

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse on Who You Are in Christ and Self-Worth

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. – Ephesians 1:4 (NLT)

This Bible verse clearly shows us how much God loves us. God didn’t just love us, but He chose us too. If you’ve ever been chosen last for a sports team or for a school project you know how good it feels when someone chooses you.

God didn’t just choose you because He felt bad for you. This verse says that He chose you before He made the world. That means He chose you first! He thinks you are important.

The other great thing about what this verse tells us is that we are without fault in His eyes. When God looks at us he doesn’t see our failures and faults, He sees us in Christ and Holy. So when you begin to feel down about yourself, remember that God chose you first and He sees you without fault.

What A Google Home Teaches About Who We Are In Christ

My grandpa got a Google Home for his birthday. When he opened it, he had no idea what it was or what it can do. My cousins, aunts, and uncles immediately sprung into action and got it hooked up and ready to use. Then we all took turns showing my grandpa how to say, “hey Google…” and ask questions or give it a command. Now my grandpa loves it. In fact, if you go over to his house, he’ll entertain you by getting you to ask his Google Home questions. We visited him a few weeks ago, and he told us at supper to think of a really hard question. When we were done eating, he had us ask Google Home our questions.

Once my grandpa understood his gift, he could begin enjoying it and sharing it with others. In the same way, when we begin to see who we are in Christ, we can begin truly enjoying our life and living life to the fullest and begin sharing the love of Christ with others.

[Tweet “When we see who we are in Christ, we can truly enjoy life – @studentdevos”]

 


In Christ – You Can Do It

Teen Devotion - Who You Are in Christ - Phil 4:13

I have the strength to face all conditions by the power that Christ gives me. – Phil 4:13 (Good News)

Life can be tough. Disappointment can be real. But in the midst of all the difficulty that life can bring, knowing that you can do all things through Christ makes all the difference. If you put your faith and trust in Jesus, you can know that through Christ you can make it.

It’s encouraging to know that you’re not stuck out there in life all by yourself. You’ve got a God who has been through it already and is ready to walk with you through whatever difficulty you face. Knowing that in Christ you can do it makes a huge difference in life. It will keep you going when things get tough.

[Tweet “Knowing that in Christ you can do it keeps you going when things get tough – @studentdevos”]

 


In Christ – You Matter

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

When God thinks about you, he sees a masterpiece. The great thing about a masterpiece is that it’s one of a kind. There is no other work like it and it’s very special to the person who created it. In the same way, to God, you matter. Your life is important and you’ve been created to do something special for God.

It’s easy to begin to compare yourself to what you see online. You can see what your friends are doing, how they look, what they wear and what they do and feel like you don’t measure up. However, the true measure of worth is what God says about you. When you begin to see yourself the way Jesus sees you, you realize that you matter. You’ve been uniquely designed and your life is important.

[Tweet “When you begin to see yourself the way Jesus sees you, you realize you matter – @studentdevos”]

 


In Christ – You Find Purpose

For in him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring. – Acts 17:28 (NLT)

It’s easy as a teenager to feel like you don’t have any idea of your purpose. You might not have yet discovered what you want to do for a career. You might not even quite know what it is that you’re really good at doing.  Don’t get discouraged. It’s by spending time with Jesus that you find your purpose.

It’s in Jesus that we live. It’s in Jesus we discover what we’re good at doing and what God has created us to do. Find your purpose by getting close to Jesus. Let Him show you what it is that He wants you to do and let following Him be your sense of purpose.

 


In Christ – You Belong

In Christ Devotion For Youth And Teens

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. – Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

God adopted you into His family. That means that you belong. Once you accept Jesus you have a family and a sense of belonging. So regardless of your home life, regardless of whether you fit in with friends at school, in Christ, you belong.

Don’t give into the lie of the enemy that says you don’t belong anywhere or that no one cares. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The truth in Jesus is that you belong. It made God happy to bring you into His family and He wants nothing more than a relationship with you. When those feelings or thoughts come that tell you that you don’t belong, choose to believe what God says instead. Choose to believe that in Christ, you belong.


What I Learned From A Google Home

I realized by watching my grandpa that a Google Home is really great, but we’ve got to spend some time learning how to use it. My grandpa didn’t automatically know how to use his Google Home. He had to spend some time learning about it to use it and get it working.

The same is true for us when it comes to our identity in Christ. We’ve got to spend time in the Bible learning about who God says we are in Jesus. We’ve got to let that identity become more real to us than what we see online or what others say about us. When we put in the effort to see ourselves how God sees us, it will change everything.

You Can Download Discussion Questions to use with this devotion.

 

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Ephesians 2:10

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion for Teens - Self Esteem

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. – Ephesians 2:10

Have you ever posted a photo on Instagram? One of the things I really like about posting on Instagram are the filters. I like how a boring photo can look really amazing when a filter is added.

In life, we can look at ourselves and see our shortcomings. We can feel like we have little value or not who we are. However, God just like Instagram has filters. He sees us through the filter of Jesus.

He doesn’t see our sin, our failure or shortcomings. Rather He looks at us and sees a masterpiece. He sees that we are new in Christ Jesus and sees the good things that He has planned for us.

[Tweet “When God sees us He sees the good things He has planned for us @studentdevos”]

So instead of focusing on your failures and shortcomings, choose to see yourself like God sees you. When he sees you, He sees someone that is a masterpiece.

Three Steps To Love Difficult People

Teen Devotion - 3 Steps to Love Difficult PeopleHow many times do you struggle to love someone who is difficult to you? I remember I used to ride the bus to school and one girl always seemed to go out of her way to be mean to others. No matter what I did or said, she always seemed to have it out for me. From calling me mean names to making comments about my clothing she was one of meanest people I had ever met.

Loving someone like this girl can be really difficult. People who are unkind are hard to love. So how do we do it? How do we handle all the difficult people and difficult personalities?

Step One – Realize Their Value to God

Regardless of how that person treats you, they have value to God. They were created for a purpose, and even if they’re far from God, God loves them and wants to have a relationship with them.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous–how well I know it. – Psalm 139:14 (NLT)

God loves difficult people. He might not approve their actions but He loves them and wants a relationship with them. When you realize that they’re important to God it helps you be able to love them better.

Step Two – Realize Your Value To God

Just like the difficult person has value to God, you have value to him too. Never let another person and how they treat you determine your value. If you place your worth in how others treat you or what they think of you, you’ll always come up short.

Your value should be firmly planted in what God says about you. Just because someone isn’t kind to you doesn’t mean that you’re not important. You have value to God and His opinion is the one that counts.

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! – Psalm 139:17

God is thinking about you. That shows your value to God. You’re important to Him. He loves you and knows you and wants the best for you. Choose to believe the value God places on your life.

[Tweet “You’re important to God. He knows you and wants the best for you – @studentdevos”]

Step Three – Choose to Love

Regardless of how the mean person is treating you, you can choose to love them. They might not be right in how they treat you, but you can choose to love them. Ask God to show you ways to get along with them better. And choose to treat them with respect even when they aren’t doing the right thing to you.

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. – John 13:35

Choose to love others. Show the world the love of Jesus by loving others. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be best friends with people who are mean, but you don’t have to return their meanness with meanness. You can love them, pray for them, and do good to them.

If you’re a youth leader, here are some discussion questions you can use with your youth group.

 

 

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – October 16

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion on Psam 149:9 for youth students and teens

For the LORD delights in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. – Psalm 149:4

Have you ever taken a moment to think about the fact that God delights in you? He doesn’t just put up with you to be nice. He really delights in you. He loves you. He wants nothing more than to have a relationship with you.

[Tweet “God delights in you, loves you, and wants to have a relationship with you! – @studentdevos”]

God created us to be in relationship with Him. He created us to spend time getting to know Him and to worship Him. God loves us so much that He went out of His way to bring us back to Him through what Jesus did.

This should change how you live your life. The realization that God created you and delights in you should make you happy. You should no longer look down on yourself or feel like you don’t measure up to other people’s standards. Rather, you should see yourself how God sees you. You are important and have worth because God delights in you.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Psalm 139:14

Daily Bible Verse on Self Esteem

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it.” – Psalm 139:14 (NLT)

Most of my teenage years were spent feeling bad about myself. I struggled with a low self-esteem. I battled depression and wanting to harm myself. This verse was the catalyst to overcoming my low self esteem.

One of the best things you can do when you battle a low self-esteem is to spend sometime thinking about how God sees you. When you begin to see your value to God, it will change the way you view yourself. It will take you from depressed to happy, from hating yourself to seeing your true value.

My life radically changed when I began to see myself the way God saw me. Once I believed that God loved me and wanted the best for me, I was able to begin to love myself. Be encouraged today, you can overcome low self-esteem by spending time reading the Bible. When you begin to believe God’s great love for you, it can turn your life around.

[Tweet “When begin to see your value to God, it will change how you view yourself. – @studentdevos”]

If you’d like to read more about how to improve your self-esteem, here are a few more devotions on this topic.

3 Things Your Phone Teaches About the Power of Thoughts

Teen and Youth Devotion on The Power of Your Thoughts

If you’re like most teenagers, you love taking pictures with your iPod, camera, or phone. Each picture you take shows a piece of your life. And some of these are so great, you have to share them on social media or Snapchat so all your friends can see.

I want you to imagine that every thought you have in a day is like a picture stored on your phone. Some you look at and decide “that wasn’t too great- I look stupid” and hit delete.

Did you know that your thoughts are similar to photos? They contain an image. Some thoughts you should choose to keep and others you choose delete. Every day you can scroll through your thoughts and ask yourself “is this thought worth keeping?” So with that in mind, here’s some tips to help you develop good mental pictures:

1 – Bad Thoughts Can Be Deleted

If you have a thought that is a negative image, one that doesn’t make you smile, then delete it from your thinking.

Many times, we don’t take any time to think about what we think about. Getting into the habit of deleting bad thoughts is important because our self-image is based upon how we think about ourselves.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. – Phil 4:8 (NLT)

The Bible talks about fixing your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure and admirable. If you’re continually thinking thoughts that aren’t good according to this verse’s standard, you should be deleting them. Don’t spend tons of time thinking about things that aren’t good. Instead delete those thoughts and replace them with good thoughts.

2 – Thoughts Can Be Shared.

Each time you take a picture on your phone you have the choice to share it or not. If you really like how you look, most likely, you’ll choose to share it on some social media platform. You want others to see what you’re up to and interact with what you shared.

As you know, everything you post on social media sites reflects you. It’s like a billboard that tells everybody what you are thinking and doing. So ask yourself, what image are you portraying? Are you posting your fears, your emotions, your hang-ups?

The things you post and speak reflect your thoughts. If you’re constantly speaking negative things and posting negative things, it’s a reflection what you’re thinking about. If you wonder how people see you, just check out what you’re sharing with others.

There’s nothing wrong with sharing your thoughts, but what you say and share often affects your attitude. If you’re always speaking and sharing negative things, often your attitude and outlook will follow. Your attitude is determined by what you think about. Spend time thinking good things and your outlook and attitude will follow.

There’s power in sharing positive things and avoiding spending too much time talking and sharing things that are negative.

[Tweet “Spend time thinking good things and your outlook and attitude will follow – @studentdevos”]

Tip #3 – Thoughts = Success

The images you look at daily determine your success online and in life. If you always look at the images where you don’t look good, you’ll begin to believe that you’re ugly or don’t measure up. What you look at on your phone matters.

In the same way, your thoughts are linked to what you look at and listen to. Take some time to examine what you’re letting your eyes and ears feast on. If you’re having a hard time keeping your thoughts positive, pay attention to what you’re looking at and listening to.

[Tweet “Thinking good thoughts will propel you toward success – @studentdevos”]

If you want to propel your life forward, begin to examine what you’re thinking about. If you have a thought isn’t a good one don’t hesitate…delete it from your thinking. Thinking good thoughts will help you achieve success.

“We take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. ” – 2 Corinthians 10:5 (TEV)

Pray: Father, help me listen to my thoughts more and delete those that I don’t want developed in me. Help me not always say what I feel, but instead say what I want in my life and what will help other people. Help me to come to You with my hurts and feelings in prayer. Then what others hear from me will encourage them.

Read: Battlefield of the Mind for Teens: Winning the Battle in Your Mind by Joyce Meyer

If you’re leading a group for students, check out these discussion questions. They go along with this devotion and will help reinforce what this devotion is all about!