Daily Devotional

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. – 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT)

We all face temptation. The bad news about temptation is that it usually doesn’t happen when we’re ready for it. It usually happens in those moments when we’re tired, or sad or disappointed about something. And while we all face temptation, when we give into it, we often feel really bad. We wish we were better about fighting it or saying no to the things that tempt us.

Some of us deal with lying, stealing or cheating. Others deal with sexual sins like pornography, masturbation or lustful thoughts. Regardless of the way that you’re tempted there is good news when it comes to temptation.

[Tweet “God wants to show you a way out of the temptation you face – @studentdevos”]

The good news is that God says that he will show us a way out of temptation. God doesn’t just leave us without help, fighting alone. If we will be open to listen, God will show us the way we can stop temptation in it’s tracks.

He might show us to leave our phone in the kitchen if we’re tempted to look at porn online in our room. It may be a creative way to avoid stealing by shopping with others. Whatever temptation you face, there’s a way out. Just ask God to show you how you can fight it and know that He’s there with you every step of the way.

“Look among the nations, and see;
    wonder and be astounded.
For I am doing a work in your days
    that you would not believe if told. – Habakkuk 1:5 (ESV)

It’s no secret that things are crazy right now. People are concerned about COVID, others are upset about racial tensions in the U.S., still, others are trying to figure out what school will look like next year. With all the chaos, it’s easy to question and wonder where is God.

You can begin to see all the bad things happening in the world and wonder does God care? Where is God in the middle of all this?

Often when things get bad in our lives, we get our focus off of Jesus and onto ourselves. We forget to look at Jesus and realize that He loves us. Jesus has never left His children without help or hope. That means, He’s not about to start now.

So if things feel hopeless to you. If you wonder where God is, realize that perhaps you’ve taken your eyes off of Jesus. Perhaps you’ve allowed the circumstances around you to become more real to you than Jesus.

Today, take your focus off of the bad going on in the world and put it on Jesus. Focus on His love for you. Realize that He loves you and has a great plan for you.

Whenever I am anxious and worried, you comfort me and make me glad. – Psalm 94:19 (GNT)

Our world right now gives us lots of reasons to be anxious and worried. For you, there might be some anxiety over school starting. Perhaps you wonder how well you’ll do this year since last year online was really hard.

Maybe your school hasn’t decided what to do yet, or perhaps your parents have decided to homeschool you. All the unknown can lead you to feeling very anxious.

You might have lots of reasons to be anxious, however, God tells us that He’s here to comfort you and make you glad.

That means that even in the middle of a world that seems in chaos. Even when it feels like nothing is going right, you can be at peace. Why? Because you know Jesus.

He’s the one who will never leave your side. He’s always there ready to help, and He understands anxiety. So today go to Him. Talk to Him about your concerns and the things that trouble you. He’s ready and willing to help you in any way He can.

but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. – Luke 2:10 (NLT)

This week we’re going to talk a little about uncertainty. Right now, things feel uncertain. The future is unknown and scary. To top it off, you might not even know what school is going to look like for you this year. In times like these, when things are uncertain, it’s easy to become fearful.

If we aren’t careful fear will steal our joy in every area of our lives.

The truth is, God doesn’t want fear to steal joy from our lives. Today’s Bible verse shows us that God reassured Mary to not fear. Even though she got some news that caused her uncertainty, the angel told her not to be afraid.

You probably feel a little like Mary. Life this year probably isn’t going how you expected and you keep receiving news that feels bad. However, in the midst of all the uncertainty, we can walk free from fear and live in joy.

Today, choose to look to God. Realize that He loves you and will help you through every uncertain situation.

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge. – Psalm 62:8 (NIV)

Have you noticed how easy it is to make the Bible not a major part of your life? It’s so easy to get busy and not even realize that you haven’t made a place for God’s word in your life.

The Bible isn’t just another subject to be studied. It’s woven into our whole lives. Every minute, every hour, every day God’s word applies to our lives.

God is relevant to every aspect of our lives. When you’re making decisions, you can go to God’s word. When you don’t know what to do or where to turn, God’s word can be the anchor you need to survive the storm.

In every season of your life, God’s word is truth. God’s word will always be what you need and have the answers you need for life every day.

So don’t be afraid to get into God’s word. Get to know the God of the Bible and see how great it is getting into His word and get to know Him more.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

Right now, you probably are tired. Whether it’s from all the talk of COVID, future school plans, or just the stress from relationships, it’s easy to get weary.

Jesus, however, doesn’t want us living our lives stressed out. Instead, He wants us to find rest and relief from stress in Him.

Jesus promises that we can find rest in Him.

What has been causing you stress? Take those things to Jesus. Put the concern of it on Him. You don’t need to carry it. Instead, rest in Jesus. Let Jesus carry those things, and be your source for whatever you need.

Pray: Jesus, today I choose to look to you. I choose to let peace rule in my heart. I choose to practice rest. I won’t worry about the things going on around me, but rather put my hope and trust in you. In your name, Amen.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. – John 2:7 (NIV)

Jesus asks a bunch of guys working at a wedding to fill up some jars with water. Those workers probably thought Jesus was crazy. Here was this guy telling them to fill up jars with water when what they needed was more wine at the wedding.

Have you noticed that many times when God does something miraculous it feels really ordinary? These guys were filling jars with water. Water is so ordinary. Hauling water is hard work. Here they were being asked to do something that was hard and felt ordinary.

Often when God does something really big, it doesn’t feel big at the moment. It often feels ordinary. Maybe you’ve been believing God for more money and an opportunity to work a few extra hours at work turns up. It’s hard work and it feels ordinary, but it’s was the answer to your prayer. Maybe you were praying for a chance to help someone out and the lady across the street from you needs her house cleaned. It feels ordinary and like work, but it’s actually God wanting to use you.

So today, don’t get discouraged if it feels like the thing that God is asking you to do seems ordinary. It’s often in the ordinary things that we find out God did something miraculous.

[Tweet “God often uses things that feel ordinary to do something extraordinary – @studentdevos”]