Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Isaiah 41:10

Posted on April 18, 2024

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. – Isaiah 41:10

It’s hard to stay encouraged when it feels like nothing in your life is going right. Maybe you’ve been praying about something and you don’t feel you have the answer. Perhaps you’ve been doing the right thing and it feels like no one ever notices.

It’s hard in the tough situations to not get discouraged. One of the best ways to stay encouraged is to remind yourself of God’s goodness.

You might listen to a favorite song that reminds you of God’s goodness. You might spend a few minutes praying or being quiet and remembering the goodness of God. Whatever works for you, remember that God will never leave you or let you down. So even when things get really tough and you want to give up, know that you can make it. You’re not alone and God will be there to strengthen and help you.

Today’s Truth: Don’t be discouraged and don’t give up. God is there to help you!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 Peter 5:7

Posted on April 17, 2024

1Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

There are so many things going on in the world and on top of all those things, you have your own worries and concerns. You could be worried about what school to go to or what sport to go out for. Maybe you’re even worried about your upcoming History test. Worries and cares can easily burden you to the point where you don’t feel you can keep going on.

There’s one thing to do with cares and worries which is to throw them away from you. Throw them from you to God. When a fisherman casts a net or a fishing line, he forcefully throws it away and leaves it there. Visually that’s what we do with our cares. We throw them from us to God.

Let God catch your cares like you catch a ball. And God won’t throw them back to you and say “sorry, I don’t know what to do with it or sorry, I’m too busy to catch your care today.” Why? Because God is God. He can handle all your cares and everybody else’s too. Not only can He do it because He is God, but He wants to handle it for you because you’re His favorite kid and He’s your loving Daddy. So the next time you are tempted to worry and carry a care, stop and talk to your Father.

Pray: Father, because I believe you care- because this Scripture says You do. So instead of trying to hold onto this care, I give it to You. And I leave it with You to work it out. And I walk away from the care today. And whenever I think about it I picture You have my care and I don’t have it anymore. Thank you for working it out.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Philippians 4:6

Posted on April 16, 2024

Phil 4:6

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. – Phil 4:6

Do you ever struggle to pray? Maybe you feel really awkward talking out loud to God. Perhaps you try to pray, but just don’t know what to say. There can be lots of reasons why prayer might feel unnatural to you.

However, today’s Bible verse says that we are to pray about everything. We aren’t to worry, stress out or fear the things we face in life, we are to pray about them instead. If we’re to pray about everything, how do we make prayer seem easier?

One of the best ways to make prayer easier is to remember that when you pray, it’s just like you’re speaking to a friend. You can be real with God, talk to Him and tell Him how you feel about things going on around you. You can be honest and say I’m hurting or I need help. The great thing about God is that He wants to hear from you.

Today’s Truth: God wants to hear from you, so take some time today to spend in prayer.

Today, take some time out of your busy day and spend it in prayer. Let God know your fears, worries, and let Him speak to you. You’ll never regret spending time in prayer with God.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Hebrews 4:16

Posted on April 15, 2024

Hebrews 4:16

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” – Heb 4:16

I like the idea of coming boldly to God’s throne of grace. In my mind, I picture coming fearlessly. I do this because, in God’s eyes, I am complete and righteous in Him. So I can come to God without worry, without regret, and without feeling like I’m inadequate. I can now come to God fearlessly because of what Jesus did on the cross.

How great is it to know that we can come to God fearlessly? We don’t have to be held back by our sins, shortcomings, and failures. Rather, we can believe in what Jesus did and experience the help that God provides.

Today’s Truth: God is there and ready to help you out with anything you need.

The next time you’re feeling that you need help realize you can go to God. He’s there and ready to help you out with anything you need.  Take comfort in the fact that we’ve got grace to help us in our time of need!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 2 Timothy 1:9

Posted on April 12, 2024

God had a plan from the beginning of time to send Jesus for us. Check out today’s verse.

For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. – 2 Timothy 1:9 (NLT)

We didn’t deserve God’s love. Yet, He showed it to us in the greatest way possible, by sending His son Jesus to pay the price for our sin.

God planned this before the beginning of time because He loves us. He wants nothing more than a deep and fulfilling relationship with you. So even if you’re busy and life is a little crazy right now, realize that you are loved. God planned for a relationship with you. Don’t give up, give in or get discouraged. He has good things for you if you’ll trust Him and stay close to Him.

Easter Student Devos

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Acts 17:11

Posted on April 11, 2024

 

The people here were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, since they welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. – Acts 17:11 (HCSB)

It’s so easy to get distracted by all the things going on. Maybe it’s the sports team at your school, or binge-watching your favorite TV show. Most of the time, there are too many things going on and it keeps us from spending time with God.

I like how today’s Bible verse describes these people. They welcomed the message with eagerness and examined the scriptures. How long has it been since you’ve been eager to read your Bible? When was the last time you examined the scriptures and really let God speak into your life?

If you’re honest, maybe it has been a while. If so, don’t be upset about it. Instead, use it as a motivator to keep your relationship with God fresh. Determine to say no to the things that are keeping you from spending time with God. Ask Him to show you how you can move things around in your life to make more time for reading the Bible.

Maybe you can get up 10 minutes earlier each day. Perhaps you need to say no to going out with friends one night so that you can spend a little more time in the word. Whatever it is, choose to make time with God a priority in your life. Get excited about God’s word and make it a part of your life!

Teen Devotion

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Eph 2:10

Posted on April 10, 2024

You are God's Masterpiece

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)

Have you ever thought about the fact that you’ve never actually seen yourself? Yes, you’ve seen yourself in a mirror but that was just a reflection. You have to look in the mirror and believe that what you see is the truth. If your hair is in place in the mirror then you have to trust that. In the same way, God has a different image of you than you can see on the outside. His image of you is made up of all the qualities that Jesus exchanged with you when you surrendered your life for His.

The Bible calls this transformation becoming a new creation. This verse in Ephesians describes that transformation. God calls us new in Christ and tells us that He’s planned good things for us.

Today’s Truth: God has good things planned for you.

So regardless of what you’re going through, regardless of who’s put you down, and who’s told you that you’re not qualified, God sees you differently. He sees you through the mirror of Jesus and when He looks at you, He sees greatness.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Luke 6:40

Posted on April 9, 2024

The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. – Luke 6:40 (NIV)

I remember I had a friend who always said a certain word. And after hanging around her all the time, I began saying that word. I sounded like the person I spent time with.

That’s a lot like what today’s Bible verse is talking about. It’s saying that the people you choose to spend time with are the people that you’re going to be like. Whether that’s your teachers, your friends, the TV shows you watch, or something else, the influences that you spend the majority of your time with are going to shape what you become.

As you go to school each day, your teachers and textbooks are shaping your thinking. The friends you surround yourself influence you too. So are those influences good ones? Are they ones that are making you more like Christ? If they are, then that’s great. But if not, spend some time thinking about whether you need to make an adjustment.

Realize that who you spend time with matters. Choose to spend time getting closer to God each day. As you spend time in the Bible and prayer, you’ll become more like Jesus, who is the best teacher!

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Hebrews 12:23

Posted on April 8, 2024

To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect – Hebrews 12:23 (KJV)

You are made up of 3 parts; your body, your soul (mind & emotions) and your spirit. The spirit part of you is the part that gets saved. It’s the part that completely becomes brand new when you get born again.

In this Bible verse, it actually says that your spirit is now perfect. This is not because you live holy enough or are perfect in your actions. It means that Jesus’ spirit and your spirit are now one and your spirit is now made perfect.

It’s mind-boggling think that you can be perfect. However, this is not talking about your body or your soul (mind & emotions). These parts of you are not born again. It’s your spirit that is. All of what the New Testament promises about salvation refers to what happened to your spirit when you were born again.

Knowing that your spirit has been made perfect, gives you boldness and confidence to approach God and to reach out and help others. It’s hard to step out in faith when you think you’re not saved or have been made perfect with God.

Today be bold in loving God and others knowing that the part of you that was born again; your spirit has been made perfect through the blood of Jesus.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Proverbs 12:24

Posted on April 4, 2024

Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave. – Proverbs 12:24

I remember a time in history class when I got a bad grade. For me, bad grades were really rare, so I was very upset by it. I stayed after class and asked my teacher why I had received such a bad grade on my history project. She told me that she expected more from me, she knew this project wasn’t my best work and so she had given me a lower grade.

When I had been making this project, I had watched other students in my class. They weren’t putting much effort into their projects, which made me think, if they’re being lazy, maybe I should be lazy too. I didn’t give my teacher my best work, and my grade suffered because of it.

I learned the hard way that laziness doesn’t pay off. If you want to get good grades at school you’ve got to put in some extra work and effort. So if you want to be successful and a leader, you’ve got to work hard. You’ve got to put in a little extra effort to get better results in your life.

Today’s Truth: To become successful, you’ve got to work hard.

So today, if you’ve become lazy at school or in some other area, choose to make some adjustments. Choose to put in a little extra effort and work just a little bit harder. Simple things like showing up a few minutes early or doing an extra homework problem each night make a big difference. To become successful, you’ve got to work hard.