Daily Devotional

Have you ever felt, deep down, that you were created to be a part of something greater—a purpose bigger than a lifetime summarized by daily life routines?

That is because you absolutely were! Before God created you, Psalm 139 says He fashioned your purpose for you, every day of your life, captured in a book of who you were to become. He planned your calling in advance, uniquely for you (Ephesians 2:10). And this deeper sense of purpose, the call to something greater, represents God’s voice tugging at your heart to step into this beautiful plan designed by His hand for your life.

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)

We also know that His purposes for you are good; Jeremiah 29:11 says His plans are “for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” And He has written this purpose and His Word for your life on your heart, so that you might walk in it (Hebrews 10:16). Whatever you feel He has called you to do, seek Him today to bring clarity, direction, and wisdom in fulfilling this call on your life. He has greater things for you than you can imagine!

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. – 1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

Have you ever gotten a birthday gift that came with instructions? Let’s say you got a box of Lego. Those Lego could be used for all kinds of things. You could throw them at your little sister or used as decorations for your room. However, when Lego was created, it was intended for a specific purpose. And that’s why instructions came with the box you got for your birthday.

In the same way, God has given you instructions for your giftings. He asks us to use them to serve others. You can serve by complimenting a friend or helping someone in need. That’s just one way of many that you can use what you’re naturally gifted in to help someone else.

So today, ask God for help. Ask Him to show you creative ways you can use your giftings. You could be surprised at the things He shows you. Don’t be afraid to walk out what He tells you. Choose to use your gifts to serve others and see what God does through you!

God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do. – Ephesians 2:10

It’s so easy to go from feeling really good about yourself, to not. For me, it usually happens when I say or do something really embarrassing. Then I spend hours beating myself up for not saying the right thing. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably experienced something similar, where you said or did something embarrassing. If we’re not careful, situations like these can really cause us to doubt or call, purpose and even our value.

When you feel bad about yourself, remember this. God made you. He made everything about you and made you the way you are. The good news is that He likes you, just as you are. You don’t have to change anything about you because God thinks you’re great!

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Don’t let situations or other people make you feel bad about yourself. To God, you have purpose and value. God has good things planned for your life, so don’t let circumstances or situations dictate your worth. Instead, choose to believe what God says about you. He says you have value. If you’ll look to Him, you’ll find your true worth.

Read More: 3 Practical Steps to Accomplishing Your Dreams

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. – 1 John 5:14 (NIV)

Have you ever met anyone that had a lot of confidence? Maybe they just weren’t afraid to do anything. Or perhaps you saw them say things to others that you just wished you had the boldness to do. Some people just seem to have natural confidence built into their personality. Regardless of whether you’re naturally confident or not, you can have confidence when it comes to talking to God.

You don’t have to be afraid of God. He is love and He wants only good things for you. That’s good news. So when you go to God to ask for something or even to pray, you don’t have to be afraid. You can talk to Him confidently.

The other great thing is that if we ask things according to God’s will or according to the Bible, He hears us. So when we pray and talk to God, we can be confident. We can know that God is wanting to hear from us and that He hears what we ask.

So today, spend some time praying. Be confident in your prayers, knowing that if they are lined up with God’s will that He hears you and wants good things for your life!

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day. – Genesis 1:31 (NLT)

It’s easy to look at the world around us, with all the hate, suffering, disease, and bloodshed, and think, what in the world is going on? It can be really upsetting if you let yourself dwell on all the bad things going on in the world.

However, God tells us in Genesis that He created the world and it was very good. So does that mean that God thinks the hate, disease and all the bad things going on right now in the world are good?

No. After God created the world, Adam sinned. With His sin came a curse on our world. So the bad things we see in the world around us are not God’s best. They’re a result of sin.

The world we see today is not the world as God had created it, perfect and very good. It is a world that has been cursed by sin. The good news is that God promises one day that He will give us a new heaven and a new earth. (2 Peter 3:13)

So when you see hate, disease, and bad things going on in the world don’t let them get you discouraged or cause you to doubt God. Rather realize they’re part of the curse, and know that we have hope in Jesus.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. – Ephesians 1:3 (NIV)

If you’re a Christian, you’re blessed. Everything that Jesus did when He died on the cross belongs to you. You’re not waiting to get blessed one day, you’re blessed right now. So what does that mean for you as a teenager?

It means that if you’re struggling with your faith, God promises to give you wisdom and understanding. When you’re stuck wondering what the future holds, God promises to show you your future and things to come. If you feel like you don’t have any friends, God promises to be a friend to you and will help you find your true worth.

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Whatever you’re facing, Jesus has the answer to it. And you can walk in that answer right now. You don’t have to wait until you get to heaven, it’s yours now. So in every situation you face, know that God has your answer. He wants to help lead you and guide you into good things. Be encouraged, God’s ready to help you and bless you.

How much would you like to be famous? Would you like to be a great YouTuber and have millions of followers and views? Many times we really think we’d desire fame and money and followers.

The truth is, however, any fame without God’s help is empty.

You could be the richest most famous person in the world, and without God, you’d feel like the riches weren’t enough to satisfy you deep down.

Abraham got fame and riches a different way. Instead of seeking followers and money, he sought God. From his relationship with God, God promised to make him famous.

I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. – Genesis 12:2 (NLT)

When we seek fame, we get disappointed. When we seek God, we find fulfillment.

So today, choose to seek God. Find fulfillment in your relationship with Him, not from riches and the likes of others.

Have you felt like you were the only one of your friends that was standing up for God? I remember a time when I thought there was not another person I knew that loved God and was following after Him with all my heart.

I was the only person in my youth group that read my Bible. I also was the only person I knew at school that really loved God wholeheartedly. When my friends went out partying, I stayed home. And it was really hard sometimes.

That’s why I love today’s Bible verse because it seems like Noah would have probably felt a lot like I did.

This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. – Genesis 6:9 (NLT)

Walking in a close relationship with God is rewarding. Knowing Him and fellowshipping with Him is so great. However, when you say no to the things of the world, it can feel lonely.

Today’s Truth: Fellowship with God is worth the Sacrifice

The thing to remember is that in reality, you’re not alone. Unlike Noah, there are other teenagers out there that love God as you do. And while you might not see them all the time at your youth group, they exist. So don’t be discouraged. You’re not the only one. You might be the only one at your school or in your group of friends, but all over the world, there are teenagers who love God and who are walking in close fellowship with Him.

Don’t give up. Don’t compromise. Walking in fellowship with God is rewarding and worth it.

“So commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these words of mine. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. – Deuteronomy 11:18 (NLT)

You’d probably look pretty silly wearing Bible verses tied to your head and hands. So maybe don’t do that. However, today’s verse is really good in the sense that it shows us that we should put a high priority on God’s word.

So whether it’s sticking a Bible verse on your mirror as you get ready each morning, or setting the background of your phone to an encouraging scripture, make sure that you put God’s word in front of you often.

As you spend time getting God’s word in your heart, then when you’re facing a bad situation, you’ll have the encouragement from the Bible you need to get through it because you already spent time getting to know God’s word.

Choose to put God’s word in front of you each day and see how powerful and helpful it is in your life!