Daily Bible Verse & Devotion – James 1:5

Posted on August 24, 2017

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion on asking God for wisdom

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. – James 1:5 (NLT)

Today you might be faced with a decision that you just don’t feel you can make. You might be wondering if there is any way forward.

However, in the most difficult times, you can ask God for wisdom. Not only has God promised to give you wisdom when you ask, He said He will give it to you and not rebuke you for asking. God is good and wants to give you wisdom.

Reach out to God and ask Him for help in the decisions you have to make. Trust Him that He will give you the wisdom you need. Don’t worry about everything making sense, just go with what you feel He has told you to do.

3 Things Your Phone Teaches About the Power of Thoughts

Posted on August 21, 2017

Teen and Youth Devotion on The Power of Your Thoughts

If you’re like most teenagers, you love taking pictures with your iPod, camera, or phone. Each picture you take shows a piece of your life. And some of these are so great, you have to share them on social media or Snapchat so all your friends can see.

I want you to imagine that every thought you have in a day is like a picture stored on your phone. Some you look at and decide “that wasn’t too great- I look stupid” and hit delete.

Did you know that your thoughts are similar to photos? They contain an image. Some thoughts you should choose to keep and others you choose delete. Every day you can scroll through your thoughts and ask yourself “is this thought worth keeping?” So with that in mind, here’s some tips to help you develop good mental pictures:

1 – Bad Thoughts Can Be Deleted

If you have a thought that is a negative image, one that doesn’t make you smile, then delete it from your thinking.

Many times, we don’t take any time to think about what we think about. Getting into the habit of deleting bad thoughts is important because our self-image is based upon how we think about ourselves.

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. – Phil 4:8 (NLT)

The Bible talks about fixing your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure and admirable. If you’re continually thinking thoughts that aren’t good according to this verse’s standard, you should be deleting them. Don’t spend tons of time thinking about things that aren’t good. Instead delete those thoughts and replace them with good thoughts.

2 – Thoughts Can Be Shared.

Each time you take a picture on your phone you have the choice to share it or not. If you really like how you look, most likely, you’ll choose to share it on some social media platform. You want others to see what you’re up to and interact with what you shared.

As you know, everything you post on social media sites reflects you. It’s like a billboard that tells everybody what you are thinking and doing. So ask yourself, what image are you portraying? Are you posting your fears, your emotions, your hang-ups?

The things you post and speak reflect your thoughts. If you’re constantly speaking negative things and posting negative things, it’s a reflection what you’re thinking about. If you wonder how people see you, just check out what you’re sharing with others.

There’s nothing wrong with sharing your thoughts, but what you say and share often affects your attitude. If you’re always speaking and sharing negative things, often your attitude and outlook will follow. Your attitude is determined by what you think about. Spend time thinking good things and your outlook and attitude will follow.

There’s power in sharing positive things and avoiding spending too much time talking and sharing things that are negative.

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Tip #3 – Thoughts = Success

The images you look at daily determine your success online and in life. If you always look at the images where you don’t look good, you’ll begin to believe that you’re ugly or don’t measure up. What you look at on your phone matters.

In the same way, your thoughts are linked to what you look at and listen to. Take some time to examine what you’re letting your eyes and ears feast on. If you’re having a hard time keeping your thoughts positive, pay attention to what you’re looking at and listening to.

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If you want to propel your life forward, begin to examine what you’re thinking about. If you have a thought isn’t a good one don’t hesitate…delete it from your thinking. Thinking good thoughts will help you achieve success.

“We take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. ” – 2 Corinthians 10:5 (TEV)

Pray: Father, help me listen to my thoughts more and delete those that I don’t want developed in me. Help me not always say what I feel, but instead say what I want in my life and what will help other people. Help me to come to You with my hurts and feelings in prayer. Then what others hear from me will encourage them.

Read: Battlefield of the Mind for Teens: Winning the Battle in Your Mind by Joyce Meyer

If you’re leading a group for students, check out these discussion questions. They go along with this devotion and will help reinforce what this devotion is all about!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Romans 3:22

Posted on August 21, 2017

Each day we create a daily Bible verse with a devotion - Aug 19Today’s Daily Devotion and Bible Verse is Romans 3:22 (NIV)

This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile. Romans 3:22 (NIV)

Whether you’re a good religious person or a person that never has set foot in a church, you are hopeless and in need of a Savior. By placing your faith in Jesus Christ and believing in His death, burial and resurrection for sin, you are made right with God.

This is not the kind of righteousness that means you’re washed but could get dirty again if you sin. This is about being made completely righteous and new forever in your spirit! This is the amazing grace that sets people free to live for God.

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Now when you relate to those who do not know God, you don’t have to feel like you’re better than them or weird. The only difference between you and them is that you have already heard and received this forgiveness and power of being made right already. Without Jesus you would be in the same boat as them. They too can be apart of this great grace by hearing it and choosing to believe it just like you.

 

 

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Romans 8:35

Posted on August 17, 2017

Daily Bible Verse and Daily Devotion for Teens and Youth on The Love of God

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? – Romans 8:35

Today’s Bible verse shows us how much God loves us. We see that our right standing with God is solid because no person or situation can separate us from God’s love. We don’t have to worry about bad things that happen to us because we can be confident in God’s love for us.

Life can get crazy and in those times it can feel like God is far away. However, the truth is, God never leaves us alone. He loves us so much and is always wanting to help us out, if we will let Him.

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Today choose to focus on how much God loves you. Realize that like this verse says nothing can separate you from God’s love.

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – John 14:27

Posted on August 7, 2017

Daily Devotion and Daily Bible Verse on Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
 – John 14:27 (NIV)

So much of the time its easy to get upset at what is going on in the world. There’s destruction, wars, famine and tons of other things that try to steal our peace. If we always focus on what’s going wrong in the world, we can easily become upset. However this Bible verse tells us to respond differently.

This Bible verse tells us to not let our hearts be troubled and to not be afraid. Yes, there are crazy things happening in the world, and yes those things can seem scary and overwhelming at times, but our response as Christians shouldn’t be fear.

[Tweet “You can choose each day to live in peace and not be afraid! – @studentdevos”]

Jesus promised us peace instead in this verse. We can choose to live in God’s peace and not to be afraid. So if the news and what is going on in the world leaves you scared and feeling afraid, take comfort. You’ve got Jesus on your side and He’s got peace for you when you experience torment and fear!

3 Practical Ways to Deal With Stress

Posted on July 24, 2017

3 Practical Ways Youth Devotion Teen Devotion on Stress

Stress isn’t just something that adults deal with. As a teenager, you face lots of stressful situations every day. You might be stressed out because of something going on at school or home. Perhaps you’re in a stressful relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend. No matter what the source of your stress is, this devotion is focused on helping you overcome stress in healthy ways.

1 – Don’t Deal With Stress Alone

The best thing to do about stress is realize one simple truth: You weren’t built to deal with stress alone. You aren’t expected to deal with hard situations on your own. God wants to help you deal with the stressful situations that you face.

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. – Jer. 10:23

This scripture describes it so perfectly. We aren’t built to do things on our own and in our own strength. We need God’s help to live our day-to-day lives. We need to trust that God has our back in every situation and circumstance that we face. When we get stressed out, we should go to God and ask for his help. He’s just waiting for us to ask for His help.

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2 – Look for the Cause of Your Stress

Look for the cause of your stress. Stress can come for a lot of reasons. For example, maybe you’ve committed yourself to too many things. You can’t realistically do soccer, volleyball, cheer, choir, band, yearbook and lead youth group Bible study. If you’re stressed out because you’ve overcommitted, then look for ways to get out of an activity or two. Even though being involved in a lot of things is fun, if it’s causing you too much stress, it isn’t worth it.

Perhaps you’re stressed out because of a bad relationship. If so, pray for wisdom to know how to deal with the person or situation.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. – James 1:5 (NLT)

Do some searching to see if you can find out what is causing you to be stressed. Then determine if there’s a way to handle the situation differently to help you be less stressed.

3 – Ask Advice From Other People

If you’re really stressed out about a situation or another person, it can be helpful to ask advice from someone else. Find a person who you feel you can trust and ask them their thoughts about your situation.

Many times, a wise friend, youth pastor or mentor can help put your situation into perspective. People that have gone through similar stressful situations can help give you advice and the encouragement you need to make it through stressful situations.

A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others. – Proverbs 12:15 (TLB)

Remember that no matter what it is that is stressing you out, you can know that God wants to help you. It might be through the advice of a trusted friend, or through a God inspired idea. All you need to do is ask Him and he will be happy to help you out.

Pray: God, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I thank you that I don’t have to live my life in my own strength. I thank you that I can go to you when I get stressed out about things and you’re there to help me. I ask for your help today. Thanks. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you’re a youth leader and you liked this devotion about stress, feel free to download a PDF of discussion questions based on this devotion.

Two Often Overlooked Secrets to Success at School

Posted on July 10, 2017

Youth and Teen Devotion - Two Often Overlooked Secrets to Success at School

Have you ever envied those people at school that just always seem to get good grades? It’s easy to watch them and think about how unfair it is that they are always getting good grades. There are moments when you feel like no matter how hard you try, you can’t seem to do as well as they do. It can be easy to feel like their success is because they’re just naturally smart. And while it’s true that some people have a knack for book learning, there are ways to do better in school even if reading and writing isn’t your thing.

Let’s take a look at a couple of ways you can boost your grades and earn some brownie points with your teachers. The great thing about these is that they don’t require any extra IQ points at all!

  1. Show up.
    Yep, success at school is as simple as that. Show up to class. Everyday. Whether you feel like it or not.
    Simply showing up each day goes a long way towards success at school. And don’t only show up in person, but be there mentally as well. It’s easy to get sucked into passing notes around the classroom, or Snapchatting your friends, but if you want to do well in school you’ve got to pay attention. It’s amazing how many times a teacher will give you tips for a test that you miss if you’re not there or if you’re not paying attention. There’s power to just mentally participating in your class.
    Its amazing how much better you can do on tests, quizzes and assignments by simply mentally participating in class. It may be hard for you to focus on what makes up DNA or the quadratic equation. You might not find those topics that interesting, but force yourself to listen anyway. The more you listen and participate mentally, the better you’ll do in class. Its just that simple.
    Show up physically and show up mentally. If you’re there and focused you can guarantee you’ll start getting better grades!
  2. Communicate.
    This is huge. Communicate with your teachers. Let them know if you have a doctor’s appointment and will be missing class a few days ahead of time. Then get your missed classwork done quickly and turned in.
    It’s amazing how willing teachers will be to work with you, if you just communicate with them. Let them know if you’re not keeping up and ask them for tips, pointers and help. Ask if you can do extra work if you need to bring a grade up. Just keep the lines of communication open, and it can really help you out. When communicating, don’t wait until right before finals to get the help you need. Once you realize that you’re struggling, get the courage to go talk to your teacher. Ask them for any tips or help. Most teachers are eager to help you succeed.

Teen Mp3 download of success scriptures for teens

These two things will help you out a lot at school. If you show up to class each day and show your teachers that you’re trying your best they will be much more likely to help you out if you get behind or need extra help. If you haven’t been to class everyday or doing the work, you don’t really have much ground to stand on when asking your teacher for help. The best way to do well in school is to show up everyday and communicate!

Finally, don’t forget to ask for God’s help. He can give you wisdom if you need help in dealing with a difficult teacher or school situation. He’s got the answer for any situation you’re facing. Don’t be afraid to ask Him what you should do.

Related Youth Resources

Here’s a student resource that’s sure to knock your socks off! This mp3 is full of awesome scriptures to help you be a success at school. Get them into your heart and watch God help you become a success at school!

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Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Eph 3:17-19

Posted on June 25, 2017

Daily Bible Verse on Ephesians 3:17-19

This verse is a prayer that Paul had prayed for the Ephesians. He wanted them to begin to understand and to fully comprehend how much God loved them. He knew that if they could get a glimpse of His love that it would make a huge impact on the rest of their spiritual lives.

When you know the love of Christ, it changes everything. It changes how you view others and also how you view yourself. When you get an understanding of God’s love everything is different in your life!

You can pray this prayer over yourself today so that you too would begin to get a revelation of Jesus’ love for you. It’s one thing to know about God’s love and another thing to really know and experience it. That’s what this verse is referring to, a true knowing that you experience.

What Twinkies Teach Us About Faith

Posted on June 19, 2017

Youth Group Teen Devotion on FaithTwinkies are a fun treat. They taste good, they’re light and fluffy, and that have that delicious creamy vanilla frosting center. Simply put, Twinkies are amazing. Can you imagine your life before you had your first Twinkie? If you’re like most people, you wouldn’t want to imagine something like that. But think about your life before you knew all about the awesome frosting center and it’s sugary goodness?

If you didn’t know Twinkies existed, how would you have heard about Twinkies? Perhaps one day you were hanging out with a friend and they began to tell you about how good Twinkies were. They talked about the texture, the flavor, and of course the vanilla frosting. More than likely, after hearing your friend describe a Twinkie, you’d want to head to the nearest store and try one out for yourself.

How Does Our Faith Come?

The idea of your friend telling you about Twinkies is a little like how faith works. After hearing about how good Twinkies are from a friend, your desire to eat a Twinkie grows. That’s a lot like how our faith in God grows. As we begin to hear about God and His goodness, we want to know more about Him and our faith grows.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. – Romans 10:17 (NLT)

The more you hear about Twinkies, the more you want one. The same is true for our faith. The more time we spend in God’s word, talking about God’s word, and thinking about God’s word the more our faith grows.

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Faith Is Taking God at His Word

What would make you believe that Twinkies were good? It would have to be a matter of trust. You’d have to trust that your friend was telling you the truth about how good Twinkies are. You might rely on the fact that your friend tells the truth or that they have good taste, but it really comes down to believing what your friend said about Twinkies was true.

That’s a lot like how faith works. Faith is just taking God at His word. Its trusting what God says above everything else. Just like you would trust your friend’s word that a Twinkie was a great snack, you have faith by trusting that what God says is true. Hebrews says it like this:

“The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.” – Hebrews 11:1 (Message)

Faith takes God at His word. When the Bible says something, having faith is believing what the Bible says no matter what it might look like around you. So the next time you rip open a package of Twinkies, remember that they can teach you a lot about faith!

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If you’re a youth leader and you liked this devotion, feel free to download a PDF of discussion questions based on this devotion.

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What Driver’s ED Can Teach You About Giving

Posted on May 29, 2017

Teen Devotion Youth Devotion What Driver's Ed Can Teach You About Giving Teen Devotion

I remember the day in driver’s ed where we finally got to drive the student driver cars. This wasn’t another day of sitting and watching videos or doing handouts about the proper stopping distance behind a stop sign. No. This was for real. We were getting to drive. It was all I could do to stay in my seat in the school’s cafeteria until my name was called to go drive. I watch classmate after classmate get up and leave with their driver’s ed instructor. Finally, my name was called and I was so excited because I was finally getting to drive.

I opened the door of my driver’s ed car. I sat down and tried to remember all the things the books had said we were supposed to do before leaving in the car. I fastened my seat belt and reached for the keys to start the car. But before I did, my driver’s ed teacher stopped me. He reminded me, “Check your mirrors! You always want to do that before you pull out.” There it was, the thing I had forgotten, to check my mirrors.

Checking your mirrors before pulling out in a car can help illustrate a point that will help us when it comes to giving. Its important to always remember to check your mirrors and make any adjustments necessary so you can see while you’re driving. In the same way, its important that we check our motives when we give money to God.

So why do we give? For some it might be to get recognition – maybe they want to impress someone. Others may feel obligated to give.  There are lots of reasons why people give but it’s always good to take a look at what God says about giving in the Bible.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully – 2 Cor 9:7 (NLT)

This verse tells us several things about giving. It first tells us that we shouldn’t give reluctantly. You shouldn’t be giving but wish you weren’t doing it. You shouldn’t be giving because you feel pressured to do so. Those methods of giving don’t bless God.

God says in His word that He loves it when you give cheerfully. So next time you pull out your wallet or purse when its time to give, check your motives when you give. Just like you’d check the mirrors in your car before pulling out, check up on your motives. Decide to give because you love God and know that he wants the best for you.

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Choose today to start thinking about giving. Make giving a part of who you are, even as a student. Be saving money to give to your church or a missions project. Develop the habit of giving while you’re young, it will help you out in life.

Pray: God I thank you that I can give to you. I choose to have the right attitude when I give because you said in your word you love a cheerful giver. I thank you right now for the ability to give and choose to have the right motives when giving to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you’re a youth group leader feel free to download our discussion questions based on this lesson.

 

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