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Devotions

Manger Madness – (Why Jesus Came)

Posted on December 7, 2015

Youth and Teen Christmas DevotionIt’s the Christmas season, and everywhere you look, people are gearing up for Christmas. Yesterday, I walked into a store and saw they had a countdown of days left until Christmas. Christmas is a fun time of the year, between the gift giving, gift getting, fun lights and decorations, you’d have to be a real Scrooge to not enjoy Christmas.

You’ve probably seen all the decorations and the nativity scenes, but have you ever wondered, ‘Why Did Jesus Come?’. Why did Jesus come to earth. He had it going up in heaven, He was God’s son, and it really doesn’t get much better than that.  Did He come to earth because He wanted to practice His walking on water skills? Or was heaven getting really dull? Why was it that Jesus needed to come to earth as a baby?

Jesus had a problem to fix.

Each of us had a problem. We were stuck in our sin. We were trapped and slaves to sin. There was no amount of good works that could make us right with God. Simply put, we needed a savior.

For we know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that sin’s dominion over the body may be abolished, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin – Romans 6:6 (HSCB)

Jesus did what we were unable to do by ourselves. We couldn’t make ourselves right with God. We were trapped, slaves to sin. Jesus paid the price that our sins deserved. He was a one time sacrifice, payment in full for our sins, shortcomings, mess-ups and failures.

Jesus gave us a new identity.

We used to be slaves to sin. Jesus changed that, and when He did, we were given a new identity. When we accept Jesus as our savior, we are considered right with God. We identify with Jesus now, not sin. We identify with victory, not defeat!

So now, it’s up to us to get our thinking lined up to what God’s word says about us. The Bible tells us that we’re a new creation.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! – 2 Cor 5:17 (NLT)

We’ve been identified with Christ, but it’s up to us now to change how we see ourselves. We often look at our shortcomings and failures. We focus on those things, rather than focusing on how Jesus sees us. He sees us a new people. He doesn’t see our sins and shortcomings, rather He looks at us and sees a new identity. And now it’s up to us to live out that new identity.

Don’t let this just be another Christmas.

Don’t get so used to the Christmas lights, manger scenes and Santas everywhere that you forget what it all is really about. Jesus came to earth as a baby in a manger. But He didn’t just do it for kicks or because He was bored. He had a mission. He was going to bring mankind back into relationship with His father.

That’s the good news of Christmas. That we can know God the father and we’ve been made new because of what Jesus did!

Youth Leaders

If you’re a youth leader, and this Christmas lesson resonated with you, we have a similar youth group lesson outline available in our resource center. Check it out, and all the other youth group lessons, games, and outlines we’ve made available. We hope it will bless you and your youth group this Christmas season!

How to Make Reading the Bible Less Overwhelming

Posted on November 30, 2015

Teen and Youth Devotion on Reading the BibleDo you ever feel confused when you read the Bible? You’re not alone. Reading the Bible can be confusing at times. Its a spiritual book and the truths contained in it take time to dig out.

The good news when it comes to reading the Bible is that you’re not doing it alone. The Bible says the Holy Spirit will give special help to you and will be your teacher. He will show you truths as you read the Bible.

A good thing you can do to help you is to start thanking God for the Holy Spirit and His help in your life. Begin to believe that He will be your teacher and show you things.

As you start doing this, it will help make reading the Bible less overwhelming and will help you to understand what you’re reading easier when you realize that you’re not doing it alone. You have a helper and a teacher to help you navigate through Bible reading.

He will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. – John 16:13

So as you read the Bible, remember that you’re not doing it alone. You’ve got the help of the Holy Spirit to help you understand and show you things.


Thrive Teen Devotional: Take a Turn for God in Just 5 Minutes a Day One great way to make reading the Bible less overwhelming is to use a devotional book. Here’s one that we like!

 

If you’re a youth leader and you’re looking for resources to share on reading the Bible, here’s a great one for you!

 

Why Should I Read The Bible?

Posted on November 23, 2015

Teen Devotion why should I read the Bible

Have you ever needed to take some medicine for when you were sick? Maybe you had a nasty cold and you ran to the doctor to get a prescription for some medicine to help you get better faster. Let’s say you went to the pharmacy, got the medicine and brought it home. You set the medicine on your counter and left it there. A few days later, you ended up calling the doctor. You couldn’t understand why you weren’t getting any better. Your doctor would probably ask you if you were taking your medicine as often or as much as he/she had prescribed. Since the medicine is still sitting on the countertop, you’d have to say ‘no’ that you weren’t taking it like the doctor had prescribed.

The only way for medicine to work for you is to get it in you. If it just sits on your counter all week, its not doing you any good. Its when its in you that its real power goes into effect.

The same is true when it comes to reading the Bible. The Bible does no good in your life unless you get it into you. You’ve got to spend time reading it, thinking about it and doing what it says for it to have power and make change in your life.

[Tweet “When you get the Bible into your heart, it has the power to change your life. – @studentdevos”]

Here’s a few things to think about:

  • You should spend enough time reading, thinking about and doing the Bible until it becomes a part of who you are.
  • The goal of reading the Bible is to grow. You shouldn’t be in the same place you were a year ago.
  • God can be more real to you now than He was last year.
  • To really get the most out of reading the Bible, it may take tuning some other distractions out of your life.

The Bible is more than just an ordinary book. It has the power to change you. As you read it, it will become more alive to you and you’ll want to know God more. Choose to make the Bible important in your everyday life.

Student Devos Recommends This Book

Living By The Book by Howard and William Hendricks.
This book has some awesome suggestions on ways to make reading the Bible more fun. It also makes reading the Bible seem way less overwhelming!

 

If you’re a youth leader and want a youth group lesson on reading your Bible, check out the resource below. It comes with all you need to have a great youth group night!

Amazon Reviews – What They Teach Us About Thankfulness

Posted on November 16, 2015

Teen Devotion Youth Lesson on ThankfulnessHave you ever spent time reading some of the reviews on Amazon? They can be really helpful when you’re trying to make a decision on which product to buy. You can take your time and read the experiences of others, which helps you make an informed decisions when buying products.

Leaving reviews on Amazon can teach us some things about thankfulness.

Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. – 1 Chronicles 16:8

Give thanks

The first part of this verse talks about giving thanks to the Lord. But what does giving thanks to God really look like?

Giving thanks is something that requires expression. If you don’t express your thanks in some way, the person you’re thanking will never know that you’re thankful. So, if you’re thankful to God, you’ve got to express it. You could journal your thankfulness, you could write a song, or even just express those thoughts in prayer. It doesn’t matter how your thankfulness is expressed, just that you do let God know that you’re thankful for all He has done in your life.

Benefits of thankfulness

Being thankful has some benefits. The first one is that thankfulness helps others. If we look at the example of Amazon reviews, when you leave a review, it helps others. It helps people know if they want to buy the product, or if the product is good. When you express your thankfulness for a product or for something that God has done, it helps others.

Being thankful also helps you. Whether you know it or not, being thankful is good for you. If you’re upset or feeling depressed, one of the best ways to help yourself out is to be thankful. You can start thanking God for all the good things in your life. As you do, you suddenly realize that you’re not as sad or upset anymore. Being thankful helps you!

Let others know what God has done

If you were to find a great deal at a new store, or listen to a great new song, you’d tell people about it. When you experience something good, you tell others about it. If you bought a great product online, you’d give it 5 stars, or write a great review. We are wired to share good news with others.

[Tweet “Don’t forget to share what God has done for you! – @studentdevos”]

The problem is, many times we forget to share the good things God is doing in our lives with others. We know that God is good and has done great things in our lives, but often, we don’t share Him with others. We don’t take the time to tell people how God has changed our lives.

Challenge yourself to not become unthankful. Decide to express your thanks to God and to others this week. Choose to give thanks and see how great it is!

If you’re a youth leader and you’re looking for resources to share with your youth group, check out our lesson outline and powerpoint available for free based on this devotion!

 

3 Interesting Facts About Fear

Posted on November 4, 2015

Teen and Youth Devotion on Fear

Halloween was just a few days ago and the season always gets me thinking about fear. Honestly, it’s hard not to think about fear when you’re constantly surrounded by so many scary images everywhere you look. If you turn on the TV many of the channels have some sort of scary movie on. If you walk into a store goblins and witches decorate the displays. It seems like everywhere you go this time of the year, you’re surrounded by scary images. All these things got me thinking about what fear is and what it does in our lives. So here are three facts about fear.

No one is immune to fear.

There are lots of subjects that don’t always apply to everyone. Not everyone deals with suicidal thoughts. Not everyone deals with self-esteem problems. However, each of us deal with fear in our lives. We might be afraid of different things, but we all have fear. Some of us are afraid to speak in front of others. Other people fear death, flying, sleeping, or tons of other things. No matter the type of fear we have, the thing is we all have in common is that we deal with fear.

Fear Slows Us Down

Fear stops us in our tracks. If you’re afraid to fly, it stops you from getting on an airplane. Your fear of flying stops you from enjoying getting to somewhere quickly. It doesn’t matter what fear you face, fear stops you from living your life to it’s fullest.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

This verse describes what fear does in our lives. It kills and destroys. It also shows us that fear is not something that God designed. God doesn’t want you to no longer enjoy living your life. God wants you to enjoy live and live it to the fullest!

Love takes away fear

When you really get to know God’s love for you, it removes fear from your life. When you see how much God cares about you and wants to take care of you, you begin to realize that you have nothing to fear.

There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. – 1 John 4:18 (Message)

When you begin to get an understanding of God’s love for you, you realize you have no reason to fear. If you struggle with fear in your life, then spend some time reading your Bible. Begin to focus on God’s love for you, and you’ll realize that you have nothing to fear. God has taken care of everything you need.

[Tweet “If you could even begin to comprehend how God feels about you, it would change everything! – @studentdevos”]

If fear is something that you really struggle with, take some time to get open and honest before God. Realize that you can go to Him with your fears. Also, spend time reading your Bible. The more of God’s word you get into your heart, the more you realize there is nothing for you to fear. God has provided everything you need!

If you’re a youth leader and you liked this lesson, you can download a lesson outline and discussion questions to share with your youth group. 

 

What to Do When Life Doesn’t Turn Out Like You Planned

Posted on October 5, 2015

Teen devotion on how to Handle Life's DisappointmentsIt happens at some point in all of our lives. Something unexpected happens. It’s nothing you planned on. Things are no longer the same, and what once felt solid is no more. Life has thrown us a curve ball. It might be the divorce of our parents. It could be something at school. Whatever it is, sometimes its hard to know what to do.

So what do you do when life throws you something unexpected? What do you do when it feels like your family is falling a part around you? Where do you turn when it feels like there is nothing left for you to do? Here’s a few things I learned when going through a really hard time in life a few years ago.

1. Don’t let your relationship with God fall between the cracks. It can be really easy to want to let this happen. You might not understand why this is happening to you. It can be easy in times like these to let go of your relationship with God. You might want to blame God, or just not feel close to him in though times. The thing to remember is that God is not the source of the bad things that happen to you. Don’t let a rough time in life steal your relationship with God.
Your relationship with God is what will get you through the tough times. It can be your foundation when it feels like the world is falling apart around you. Choose to stay close to God and rely on Him in tough times.

2. Don’t Take It Out On Others. It can be easy when you feel upset to want to take it out on other people. Maybe you are hurt and angry and want to yell at everyone who talks to you. However, taking it out on other people is never the answer. You will ultimately drive people who love you and care about you away if you begin to take it out on them. These people can be your support when times are tough.

3. Learn from it. As much as life’s tough times stink, you can use tough times to learn. You may be able to help out someone in the future who is going through what you are facing. You can be an encouragement to others who are going through tough times by learning from those tough times.
Tough times also show you a lot about yourself. You may find that you don’t have the character you thought you did because you came unglued in a tough time. You may learn that you have some areas in your life that you need to work on. Tough times are a good indicator of character.
4. Look up. When life doesn’t go the way you wanted, know that you can look up. Jesus is your answer to life’s problems. He understands what you’re going through completely. He can be your anchor in the midst of life’s storms.

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. – Hebrews 4:15 (NLT)

When life doesn’t go the way you wanted it to, its never easy. The good thing to remember is that you’re not alone. You’ve got Jesus on your side. Don’t forget to lean on him in tough times and in good times!

Running on Empty – Learning to Lean on God’s Help

Posted on September 14, 2015

Running on empty teen devotion on stressHave you ever ran out of gas when driving? You were driving down the road just fine, and then all of the sudden, your car doesn’t want to go anymore. It sputters, slows down, and finally rolls to a stop. You realize, you’re not going any farther. You’ve run out of gas.

Its easy in life to feel like you’re out of gas. There are so many things asking for our attention. We have jobs, church, school, homework, maybe even babysitting your little brother and at times it just seems overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like you can’t go on. Its sort of like you just ran out of gas in life.

The Bible speaks to this in Matthew 11:28-30 in the Message Translation:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus said that when we’re tired, worn out that we can come to Him. We can learn to not take the stresses, cares, and worries of life on us, but rather learn to lean on Jesus. He’s the one that can show us ways to de-stress our lives. Lots of times all we need is a little God perspective on the situation.

So when you’re stressed out and feeling like you’re running on empty, remember you’re not alone. You’ve got Jesus ready to help you out all you have to do is ask Him for it.

[Tweet “When you’re stressed out, remember to lean on Jesus. He’s got a way to help you out. – @studentdevos”]

Pray: Jesus, I thank you that you’re here to help me in every stressful situation that I face. I choose to look to you for help when I’m running on empty. I believe that you’re showing me the steps to take or changes I may need to make to de-stress my life. I ask for your help with all I’m facing this week, and know that with your help I can make it. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

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What Math Homework Can Teach You About Leadership

Posted on September 7, 2015

Math Leadership Teen and Youth DevotionFor me, math homework has always been a drag. If I could put off doing it, I would. There is not much that is less fun than doing math homework. However, math homework can teach us some great stuff about leadership.

1. Math homework stinks. It’s hard work and to do well in math, you’ve got to study hard. That’s a lot like how leadership is. Leadership requires you to study to be a good leader. Good leadership skills don’t develop overnight. It takes study and hard work to become a good leader.

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” -John F. Kennedy

2. Math formulas can help you out. Whether you use the quadratic equation or cosine you can use the predefined formulas to reach the answer you need. In the same way, there are tons of leadership experts who can help provide you with proven formulas for success. Ask around or do a google search there’s lots of answers to your leadership questions.

3. Just get started. If you don’t start on your homework, you will never finish. The same is true with growing in your leadership skills. You need to get started somewhere. It might be asking your youth group leader to plug you into a leadership position at youth group, or you could look for opportunities to lead at school. Whatever the case, just start stepping out and begin to lead. You’ll get better and feel more comfortable as you step out and lead more and more.

Finally, don’t let yourself hold back because you think you’re too young or that you don’t know enough to lead.

“Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but be an example for the believers in your speech, your conduct, your love, faith, and purity.” – (1 Timothy 4:12 GNT)

Now is the perfect time to start leading. Begin learning about leadership and then don’t be afraid to step out and see your leadership skills grow!


PowerPak Collection Series: Leading at School: Leading at School Kick your leadership skills into high gear with this awesome book on leadership!

 

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Help! My Friend is doing bad stuff.

Posted on August 31, 2015

Teen Devotion Youth Devotion

Have you ever had a friend that began making choices you didn’t like? Maybe they started using alcohol or drugs. Perhaps they got into porn or started becoming sexually active. It can be really hard to know what to do when someone you care about starts to make choices that you can see are wrong.

With those thoughts in mind, we’ve gotten a list together of some suggestions to help you when your friend starts doing bad stuff.

  1. Speak into their life – If you have the ability to talk to this friend, do it. See if you can find out why they are making these choices. Don’t yell at them or give them a hard time because of what they’re doing, but be there to listen. Believe that when you talk to them, God will show you something to say that will encourage them to make the right choices. Finally, be careful when you talk to them to not come across as mean or seem like you know it all. Be genuinely interested in what they’re going through and believe that God will use you to encourage them and remind them of the truth.
  2. Pray for them – This can be such a hard thing to do. Many times you want to see instant results. You want your friend to stop what they’re doing and start living right. However, sometimes the best thing you can do for a friend is to pray for them. A great place to start is to pray the prayer that Paul prayed in
    Ephesians 1:17-18 (Message) – “Ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory – to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do…”
    Pray that they will be able to see clearly what they are doing and the plan God has for their life.
  3. Always love them – Sometimes when friends make bad choices they don’t act very kindly to you. They might lash out at you or stop hanging out with you. It doesn’t matter how badly they treat you, you should love them.
    1 Cor 13:7 – “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance” NLT
    Never give up on friends when they’re making bad choices, instead choose to love them and be there for them no matter how they treat you.

Dealing with a friend who is making bad choices is hard. But with God’s help, you can be a support and help for your friends that are in need. You can love them, pray for them, and even talk to them to encourage them. Regardless if you see results or not, Its important that you choose to love your friend no matter how they treat you in return.

Pray: God, I come to you in the name of Jesus and I pray for my friend. I ask you to open the eyes of their hearts that they might see who you are and how much you love them more clearly. I ask you to help me with wisdom so I know what I should do in this situation and how to help my friend. I believe that you are showing me the right thing to do right now in the name of Jesus, Amen.

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Why Should I Give Money to My Church?

Posted on August 24, 2015

 

Teen Devotion and Youth Lesson - why should I give moneyYou might be thinking, who cares if I give? The Bible talks about giving, but I’ll do that when I get older and have more money. I mean, what difference does my few dollars in the offering at church really make? In reality, your giving is a big thing. We’re going to show you a few reasons why.

  1. Your gift means something to Jesus. There is a story in Luke about a widow in the temple that demonstrates that giving means something to Jesus.
    “Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two pennies. “I assure you,” he said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.”  – Luke 22:2-3 (NLT)
    Jesus noticed the widow in the temple when she gave. It made an impact on Jesus, and he made a big enough deal about it that it was recorded in the Bible. This lets you know that Jesus takes notice when you give with the right heart, no matter how much the amount.
  2. Giving helps you. Yes, you read that right. By giving, you’re setting yourself up to be blessed in the future. The Bible talks about giving a lot. One verse that proves this is in Luke 6:38  – “Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you. “(TEV)
    Giving will set you up to be blessed by God in the future. God wants to see you blessed and giving is one way to plant seeds for blessing in your future.
  3. Never feel your gift is too small. Its easy to start believing that what you have is too small to give. However, if you wait to give until you think you have enough money, you’ll NEVER become a giver. You will never feel like you have ENOUGH money, so start with with what you have now. As you continue to give, you’ll find that you can bump up your giving. The important thing is to start now and make giving a habit in your life.

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give” – Sir Winston Churchill

God wants to see you blessed financially. He loves it when your needs are met and you have money left over to be able to help others. Begin to expect God’s blessing on your money. Start to believe for more than enough money so that you are be able to give to others.

Pray: God I thank you that you want me to have more than enough money. I’m deciding to put you first in my finances. I know that as I give, you will pour blessings back into my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Every Teenager’s Little Black Book on Cash (Little Black Books) This book is simply awesome. Its got easy to read information about cash, giving and all kinds of money related topics. Its a quick read and packed full of solid Bible truths about cash!

 

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