Devotions for Teenagers and Youth

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion- November 8

Posted on November 8, 2019

“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” – Romans 3:22 (NLT)

The fact that we have been made right with God is such great news. Regardless of who we are, or what we had done, we needed a savior, Jesus Christ.

When we place our trust in Jesus as our savior the Bible tells us that we are made right with God. That means that despite what we’ve done or who we are, we are in right standing with God. This place of right standing with God comes by simply placing your trust in Jesus as savior. You simply need to believe that what Jesus dying on the cross was the payment for your sin. By accepting what Jesus did, you become right with God.

[Tweet It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done. When you put your faith in Jesus you’re made right with God – @studentdevos”]

Knowing that you’ve been made right with God can greatly change your outlook on life. It’s easy to focus on what’s going wrong in your life or how the current circumstances you’re facing are making things difficult. The truth is that when we focus on how we’ve been made right with God it helps us change our outlook. We know that no matter what we’re going through right now, we can get through it because we’ve been made right with God.

So today remember, it doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what you do. When you put your faith in Jesus you’re made right with God!

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Ephesians 2:10

Posted on November 7, 2019

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”]

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Luke 12:7

Posted on November 6, 2019

And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. – Luke 12:7

Have you ever looked in the mirror and wished that there was something different about yourself? Maybe you wish you had a different hair color. It’s easy to nitpick everything that is wrong about yourself until you don’t like who you are at all.

And it’s true. You’re not perfect. No one is.

But even in the midst of your imperfection, God loves you. He wants the best for you. He knows you so well that He even knows how many hairs are on your head.

Today’s Challenge: Be Happy to Be You

So even though there are things that aren’t perfect about yourself, you can choose to be happy to be you. God sees your potential in Him. He sees the plans He has for you, and He’s excited about who you are and what He’s called you to do.

God created you for a purpose. He loves you, and there is nothing wrong with who you are. So today, choose to be happy to be you.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Colossians 3:2

Posted on October 31, 2019

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:2 (NIV)

What do you spend the majority of your time thinking about? Is it how you can get ahead? Is it making the basketball team? What holds the majority of your focus?

There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make the basketball team. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with wanting to do well in life. However, when those types of things become all we’re consumed with, we need to refocus our thoughts.

God hasn’t called us to simply do well at basketball. Instead, He has called us to help others. We are to be loving others, doing things to help people and point them to Him.

Today’s Challenge: Be Eternally Focused

Often our lives get so busy, we forget that we are called to be pointing others to Jesus.

So take a moment today and examine your life. Have you allowed your focus to shift off of Jesus and onto success or things? If so, choose today to focus your thoughts and energy on Jesus. Live your life in a way that brings glory to Him.

[Tweet “Choose to live your life in a way that brings glory to God – @studentdevos”]

Today, look for ways to help others. Choose to do things that point people to Jesus. Do things that make the world a better place because you were there. The more you do that, the happier you’ll be!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – John 8:31

Posted on October 30, 2019

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. – John 8:31 (NLT)

Jesus talks in the Bible about being His disciple. What does that mean? Today’s verse helps us understand a bit of what Jesus meant when he said to be a disciple.

In the verse, we see that to be a true disciple we are to be faithful to Jesus’ teachings. So what are His teachings? The answer to that is they are found in the Bible.

The Bible shows us what it means to be a disciple.

Today’s Challenge: Be a Disciple

When we talk about following the teachings in the Bible you might feel like you’re ready to just give up on the idea of discipleship. The Bible is a big book. And the idea of following what it says can feel pretty overwhelming.

However, Jesus isn’t asking us to do something that is too hard to do. We start following Jesus one step at a time. So today, take out your Bible or go online and read one verse. One verse, that’s it. Pretty easy, right?

Then take a few minutes and think about what that verse says. Get quiet and listen. See if God is speaking anything to your heart. If the verse tells you to do something that you’re not doing, then do it.

Following after Jesus doesn’t have to be hard. It’s done one verse at a time. Read one verse and do it. Then read the next verse and do it. Before long, you’ll realize that you are starting to look more and more like Jesus. Being a disciple isn’t hard. It’s just reading something in the Bible and then putting what you read into practice in your life.

Today’s Challenge – Be Generous

Posted on October 29, 2019

The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor. – Proverbs 22:9 (NLT)

When I was in college, God really began to deal with me about generosity. I had an apartment, a decent job, and was going to school. I began looking for ways to be generous to others.

I’d go out to a restaurant and decide to buy a friend’s food. I’d be in class and hear about someone who had a need and decided to hand them some money to help with their bills.

It was amazing how freeing it felt to be generous.

Today’s Challenge: Be Generous

God wants us to be generous to others. He does this because he knows what generosity does to our hearts. It’s hard to be depressed when you’re always looking for ways to bless others around you. When you begin to take your eyes off yourself and look for needs around you, it brings you happiness in ways you can’t imagine.

God challenges us to be generous because not only does it help others, it helps us too.

God doesn’t want us to live our whole lives completely focused on ourselves. Instead, he wants us to begin to look for ways to bless others. Maybe you don’t have a ton of money, but what could you do?

Could you give some time to someone who needs help? Perhaps you could write a card to a friend that is having a bad day or do something small like buying a friend a bottle of water. Ask God to begin to show you ways you can be generous.

As you practice generosity, you’ll be surprised how much joy you experience. So today, begin to take your eyes off yourself and look for ways to help others!

If you liked today’s devotion, challenge your faith by downloading Every Teenager’s Guide to Growing In God. It will help you grow closer to God by helping you develop Godly habits in your life.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Psalm 136:1

Posted on October 28, 2019

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. – Psalm 136:1 (NLT)

Have you ever been scrolling on your phone, looking at all the images of other people? And then as you see how great the lives of other people appear to be, you begin really feeling sorry for yourself.

You begin to see that don’t have as good of clothes as she does. Maybe you realize that you don’t have a cute of a girlfriend as he does. And you see all the ways your life doesn’t measure up to the lives of others.

One of the hardest things to do in life is to be thankful. It’s difficult to practice thankfulness when you are bombarded with ads constantly reminding us of all the things you don’t have. If you’re not careful, you can begin to let unhappiness take root in your heart because you’re so focused on what you don’t have.

Today’s Challenge: Be Thankful

One of the best ways to combat unhappiness is to be thankful. When you’re being thankful, it’s not that you’re denying that there are things you don’t have. Rather, it’s choosing to focus on the things you do have.

[Tweet “Thankfulness isn’t denying the bad, rather it’s choosing to focus on the good – @studentdevos”]

It doesn’t matter how hard your life is right now, there is something you can find to thank God for. It might be something as simple as thanking God that you woke up today. Or that the sun is shining. But each day, there is something you can find to thank God for.

God is good.

God is good, He loves you and wants to be your source through everything you face. So today, challenge yourself to be thankful. Realize that simply knowing Jesus is a reason to give thanks. Yes, we face challenges in life, yes there are times when it feels like everything and everyone is against us. But if we choose to focus on thankfulness, it helps us.

So today, if you’ve become unhappy, determine to change your focus. Instead of always thinking about the things you don’t have, practice thankfulness for the things you do have. There is always something you can thank God for!

Fear Goes When You Know…

Posted on October 25, 2019

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. – Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

Do you deal with fear? Maybe there’s a situation at school that seems scary. Perhaps something at home makes you feel uneasy and you’re not really sure what to do about it.

The truth is we all deal with fear. However, we don’t have to let fear rule our lives.

Fear Goes When You Know…

One of the best ways to defeat fear is knowledge. When you read verses like today’s Bible verse, you begin to see how much God loves you and wants to walk with you through the difficult seasons of life.

Knowing this helps you defeat fear because you realize that you’re not doing it alone. Yes, there are times when it feels overwhelming. Yes, there are scary situations that are very real. But you’re not alone in those. You’ve got a God who loves you, who’s for you and who will help you with what you need each step of the way.

So today, take a breath. Realize that God is there and He’s not going to let you fail. You are a winner in Him. You will get through what you’re going through. And with God’s help, you can go through it with confidence, free from fear because you know God won’t let you down!

Here’s a recap video of all the lessons on fear this week!

Day 1 – Fear Feels Big
Have you noticed that fear always feels bigger than what you think you can handle? In this powerful devotion, you’ll learn that even though fear feels big, you’re not facing it alone. See how God can team up with you to defeat fear in your life!

Day 2 – Fear Speaks Loud
When you’re facing fear, it speaks so loud. It’s hard to see anything else or imagine ever being free from the fears that hold you back. Learn in this devotion how to drown out fear and see God move on your behalf.

Day 3 – Fear Stops At The Word

When God speaks, it has to come to pass. That means the things that God has promised you will happen! This devotion shows you how to stop fear with the Word of God!

Day 4 – Faith Holds You Steady In Fear

Fear will try to rock your world if you let it. Choose instead to cling to faith to combat fear. Learn how faith can be the anchor to hold you steady when fear tries to capsize your life!

If you’d like more devotions to stir your heart and challenge you to walk free from fear, check out last week’s devotions on fear.

Want to Stay Steady In The Midst of Fear?

Posted on October 24, 2019

The two of them made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh. – 1 Samuel 23:18 (NIV)

When things got fearful in David’s life, he was able to remain steady. Why? It was his faith in God. David was able to remain at Horesh because he knew what God had said, held onto that, and it enabled him to remain steady when things got scary.

Faith is what will hold you steady when things get scary in your life. You might fear tests at school. Perhaps your parents are splitting up and the idea of that scares you more than you’d like to admit.

Scary situations hit us all at different points in our lives. However, it’s how we deal with these situations that show our character. Who do you become when fear hits?

Faith Holds You Steady In The Midst of Fear

When fear hits, faith is the thing that will hold you steady. Your faith and trust in God, in His goodness and His faithfulness to bring you out, is what will keep you going.

So even if you’re in the midst of something that seems so big and so scary, know this. God is with you. He is for you. He will never leave you. You can hold on to your faith that God will bring you out.

Today don’t give in to fear. Don’t let fear bully you. Instead, choose to put your faith in God. Let your faith be what holds you steady even if things seem really scary.

Here’s a recap of this week’s lessons on fear

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 Samuel 23:17

Posted on October 23, 2019

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” – 1 Samuel 23:17

David is still in this crazy situation where the king wants him dead. Fear is coming at him from all sides and David is struggling with what to do.

In the middle of his struggle, his good friend Jonathan encourages him. Jonathan reminds him of what God had said about David’s life. God has promised David that he would be the next king. So even if things look bad at the moment, the truth remains that David is going to be the next king.

Now it was up to David to believe that truth and begin to use that to combat his fear.

Fear stops at the Word

The truth is that when God speaks, it has to come to pass. God had told David he would be king. That means that David had to live. What God speaks has to happen.

The same is true in your life. God has given each of us words from Him. We have promises in the Bible or things that He has spoken to our hearts. Those words have to come true because God can’t lie.

That means that your fear has to stop at God’s word. It doesn’t matter what it looks like or what you see. Fear stops when you begin to believe what God says. God speaks the truth. So if He said it, it has to happen.

[Tweet “Fear stops at God’s Word – @studentdevos”]

Your fear has to stop at God’s word. So find promises in the Bible that speak to your fear. Speak God’s word to combat fear and see God come through in your life!

If you’re a youth group leader looking for resources to share with your youth group this fall, check out our lesson on fear. It’s yours totally FREE in our youth leader resource center.

Here’s a recap of this week’s devotions on fear

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