3 Reasons Why Your Relationship With God Matters

Posted on January 26, 2015

So life, its crazy sometimes. Its busy, its messy, its not always easy. As a teenager, there’s tons of things screaming for your attention. From your homework, to your friendships, to your job, its hard to keep it all straight and most importantly, its hard to find time for God. So with all the things that are screaming for your attention, why should you take some time out from those things to spend with God? Does it really matter that you spend time in the Bible or praying?

Here are three reasons you should cut through the busyness of life and get to know God.

  1. God went out of His way to know you.
    This is huge. God had no need to know you. Heaven is awesome and perfect. He didn’t need to know you, but He wanted to. He wanted to in such a bad way that He gave His son Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin, so we could know Him. If God gave all He had so He could know you, then we should put a priority on spending some time each week getting to know Him better.
    “Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life.” – John 3:16 (ERV)
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  2.  God wants you to have an awesome life.
    God didn’t want a relationship with you to stop your fun. Many people believe that if you live for God it means you can’t have fun. That you have to turn in all your fun if you really follow after God and live a boring, rule filled life. That is simply not the case. Living for God will bring a new level of awesome to your life.
    “A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good. ” – John 10:10 (ERV)
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  3. God is always ready for you.
    God is not like many people in your life. He is never to busy to hear from you. He doesn’t think your problems and challenges are too small for Him to take time for. God won’t put you off, or not accept you. God loves it when you come to Him. He wants to know you and for you to spend time getting to know Him.
    “The Father gives me my people. Every one of them will come to me. I will always accept them. ” – John 6:37
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We’re not denying that you’re busy as a teenager. You are. There is tons of pressure for you to do well at school, sports and you still take need to take time for your friends and family. However, its important in all the busyness that happens every week to carve out some time to focus on your relationship with God.

Your relationship with God is the most important relationship in your life. Without that relationship all other relationships are meaningless. Choose to put a priority on knowing God and making that relationship matter.

Get Started Knowing God

3 Ways Fear Will Stop Your Dreams

Posted on January 22, 2015

devotion for teens on fearWe all want to accomplish the dreams and the goals God has placed on our heart to do. However, there is one thing that will always stop dreams from coming to pass, fear. Fear will always stop you from doing what God has called you to do. Let’s take a look at three things fear does to our lives.

  1. Fear Paralyzes Dreams – If fear is left unchecked in your life, it will paralyze you and keep you from accomplishing the things that God has placed in your heart to do.
    God will always call you to do something bigger than what you can accomplish by yourself. Its easy to feel fear when thinking about what God has put in your heart to do. The main thing to remember is to not let that fear stop you from accomplishing what God has told you to do.
  2. Fear Brings Unhappiness – You will always be unhappy if you’re living your life afraid. You know deep down inside you that you’re not doing the things God has placed in your heart to do. You won’t feel happy until you remove fear from your life.
  3. Fear Limits Your Relationship With God – Your relationship with God will be challenged if you leave fear in tact in your life. The best thing you can do for your relationship with God is to kick fear out of your life. Take a stand and don’t let fear keep you from doing anything God has asked you to do.

Experiencing feelings of fear isn’t wrong. The Bible has stories of many people who were used of God who experienced feelings of fear when God called them. Those who were used by God had to decide to not let fear stop God’s call. Even though they had feelings of fear, they learned to trust God and to not let fear hold them back from accomplishing God’s plan for their lives. Decide today to not let fear keep you from doing what God has called you to do.

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? – Psalm 118:6

3 Resons To Keep Your Word

Posted on January 14, 2015

Devotion for Teens - Keeping Your Word

Don’t you hate it when people don’t keep their word? Maybe your mom said she’d take you for ice cream after school and forgot all about it. Perhaps you had a friend that borrowed money from you and said they’d pay you back the next day but never did. When people don’t keep their word, it can be really frustrating. Here are some good reasons to keep your word, even when it isn’t easy.

Keep your word even when it costs you” – Psalm 15:5 (Message)

  • Keeping your word pays off in the end. It probably doesn’t feel like it will pay off, but keeping your word will set you up for future success. It might feel like you’re not getting ahead when you do what you say, but if you keep your word, people begin to trust you. That trust will lead to you having more responsibility.
  • Keeping your word takes guts. It’s not easy to follow through with what you say. Sometimes, it means you end up having to do something you’d rather not do. Keeping your word isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes a person who is committed and is ready to do the right thing no matter how hard it might seem.
  • Keeping your word takes work. Its easier to not follow through and do the things you say you’ll do. It’s hard to keep your word. It also doesn’t happen right away. It’s a habit that you have to develop. Realize that learning to keep your word doesn’t happen overnight. Don’t become discouraged if you’re not perfect at it right away. Keep working on it, and you’ll get better the more you make it a priority in your life.

Keeping your word isn’t for the faint of heart. It takes guts and it takes work. However, keeping your word is something that will pay off in the end. You won’t have regrets or have to feel bad because you didn’t do something that you said you would do.

It’s better to stay silent than to commit to something that you know you can’t fulfill. Challenge yourself to begin becoming a person that keeps their word. It will really pay off in the end!

What a GoPro Can Teach Us About Trusting God

Posted on January 7, 2015

Go Pro DevotionGoPro cameras are an awesome invention. They let you capture the world around you in new ways. You can ski with them, surf with them, attach them to your dog, your head, or maybe even your little brother. There are tons of crazy things you can do with a GoPro camera.

One of the great feature the GoPro is it’s waterproof case. It can be submerged and still be okay. That’s a lot like us. Life can be really hard at times. You can have days where you feel like you’re getting battered, bruised and held under the water. It could be anything from friends not treating you right to doing the wrong set of math problems for your homework.

The good news is that no matter how hard life gets or how tough things might seem, you can put your trust in God. See God promises to never leave you.

“Be strong and be brave. Don’t be afraid of those people because the Lord your God is with you. He will not fail you or leave you.” – Deut 31:6

God will never leave us. He will never fail us. He’s like the GoPro’s waterproof case. As long as the GoPro camera is in the case, the GoPro is safe from the elements. Water can’t hurt it. Snow can’t hurt it. The camera is safe when its in the case.

That’s how we are when we put our trust in God. When we lean on Him, rely on Him and make Him our trust than no matter what is going on around us, we are safe.

“You can go to him for protection. He will cover you like a bird spreading its wings over its babies. You can trust him to surround and protect you like a shield.” – Psalm 91:4

God will always have your back if you put your faith and trust in Him. So challenge yourself to put your trust in God. Don’t live your life in fear and discouraged by what’s going on around you. Instead put your trust in God and see God come through for you.

6 Traits of Successful Teens

Posted on January 5, 2015

traits-of-successful-teens

Many teenagers define success in lots of different ways. Some would say success is having lots of friends. Others would say its making lots of money. Still others would say success is doing well in sports or at school. If we’re totally honest, lots of us don’t really know how to define true success. With everyone’s different definitions of success, its can be confusing to understand what success truly is.

Here are six traits that successful people all share.

  1. A successful person reads the Bible.
    “My son, don’t forget my teaching. Remember what I tell you to do. What I teach will give you a good, long life, and all will go well for you. ” – Proverbs 3:1-2 (ERV)
    A successful person does not forget God’s teaching, or what God has said in the Bible. To be a success in life, you need to pay attention to the things God says in His word. If God tells you something in His word, then you should apply it to your life and live it out. Being a success is all about letting God’s word have a voice in your life. Don’t tune God’s word out, but rather make God’s word something that you don’t forget.
  2. A successful person trusts God.
    “Trust the Lord completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge” – Proverbs 3:5 (ERV)
    A successful person trusts God even when it goes against what’s popular. Trusting God sometimes goes against what seems to make sense at the moment. Trusting God sometimes can be really scary. However, trusting God always pays off. Successful people know that putting their trust in God is the way to really win in life.
  3. A successful person is humble.
    “Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the Lord and stay away from evil.” – Proverbs 3:7 (ERV)
    The successful person knows that they aren’t always right. They also know that its better to not just make decisions based on their own knowledge but to get others involved. Humbling yourself to ask for help is an important trait of a successful person.
  4. A successful person gives.
    “Honor the Lord with your wealth and the first part of your harvest.” – Proverbs 3:9 (ERV)
    The successful person makes giving a part of who they are. This person knows that God rewards those who give. Giving is a trademark of success.
  5. A successful person accepts correction.
    “My son, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be angry when he corrects you.” – Proverbs 3:11 (ERV)
    A successful person can accept correction. Even though its not easy to be told when they’re wrong, the successful person knows that correction is important to growing as a person. Without correction, people can’t grow and learn. The successful person accepts correction even when its hard.
  6. A successful person learns.
    “Those who find wisdom are fortunate; they will be blessed when they gain understanding.” – Proverbs 3:13 (ERV)
    Learning is important. People who become learners are always growing and getting better. Learning isn’t easy, but its important. So decide to find time to learn. A successful person look for ways to learn from others and gain wisdom.

Being a successful person isn’t about the friends you have, the clothes you wear, or how much money you make. Its more about who you are. Its about developing character in yourself and getting to know God in a deeper way.

Similar Teen Devotions

Discipleship Track 1 – You Didn’t Measure Up

Posted on January 3, 2015

Discipleship Track 1 (Lesson #2) – You Didn’t Measure Up

These growth tools are powerful. They provide scriptures and great resources so that you can cement the truths of the Word of God into your heart and grow!

Growth Points

  • No amount of good deeds will help you get into heaven.
  • You needed a savior, Jesus to pay the price for your sins.
  • “Everyone has sinned and is far away from God’s saving presence.” – Romans 3:23 (TEV)

discipleship-youth-track-pdf

Growth Questions

Growth Questions are designed for you to get the word of God down inside your heart. If you download the PDF and answer the questions, it will help you meditate on what God has done for you!
Download Your Growth Questions : Lesson # 2 – You Didn’t Measure Up

 

 

Growth Scriptures

Growth Scriptures are designed to kick-start your relationship with God by getting the Word of God into your heart. The Word of God planted in your heart will help you grow up spiritually. Read and think about these scriptures and begin growing in your walk with God.

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Track 1 – Is Good Enough?

Posted on January 2, 2015

Discipleship Track 1 (Lesson #3) – Is Good Enough?

Knowing that we have been made clean from sin is a powerful truth. These growth tools will help you establish exactly how God sees you, clean from sin!

Growth Points

  • If you say you haven’t messed up or sinned, you’re fooling yourself.
  • If you ask God’s forgiveness, you’re free from sin’s power.
  • “If we say we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and refusing to accept the truth.” – 1 John 1:8 (NLT)

discipleship-youth-track-pdf

Growth Questions

Download this great PDF that will help challenge you in your walk with God.
Download Your Growth Questions : Lesson # 3 – Is Good Enough?

Growth Scriptures

Take these scriptures and spend time to get them into your heart. These scriptures will help encourage you and help you understand what God did for you.

Track 1 – The Exchange

Posted on January 1, 2015

Track 1 (Lesson #4) – The Exchange

Knowing that Jesus exchanged all He was for all you are is a powerful truth. When you know that truth it will change the way you see yourself and others too!

Main Points

  • Jesus exchanged all He is for all you are!
  • You’ve got a new nature in Christ
  • “Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! ” – Romans 5:18 (Message)

discipleship-youth-track-pdf

Growth Questions

These questions will help reinforce the truths in this lesson.
Download Your Growth Questions : Lesson # 4 – The Great Exchange

Growth Scriptures

Reading these scriptures will help you get excited about what Jesus did for you in the great exchange!

6 Things To Add To Your New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on December 29, 2014

Its almost a new year! Time has really flown by. Since this is the time of year that everyone seems to think about starting over, or setting goals, let’s look at a few really great goals you can add to your list of New Years Resolutions.

  1. Know God.  This year, challenge yourself to make knowing God a priority. Really put some effort into knowing God. The best way to get to know God is by reading the Bible. Don’t make excuses like the Bible is outdated, boring or hard to read. There are tons of versions of the Bible that can make reading it easier. You can listen to several versions of the Bible online at bible.com. You can also find a great podcast or check out some of our devotions on reading the Bible. Don’t make excuses, spend time in the Bible by finding a way to read it that works for you.
    “All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. ” – Phil 3:10 a (ERV)
  2. Open up. Life is really busy. It can be easy to get caught up in your group of friends and what is going on in their lives that you forget to pay attention to those around you. Your school’s hallways are filled with people that need Christ. All around you, there are tons of opportunities to love others. All you have to do is be open to being used by God. Ask God to show you people around you that are hungry for God. Invite them into your life. Hear what they have to say, and see how God would have you minister to their needs. Its not hard, here’s a devo with some encouragement on how much God wants to use you.
  3. Invite someone to church or youth group. One of the easiest ways to lead someone to Christ is to ask them to church or youth group. You might feel a little silly doing it, but challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and ask someone in your life to church with you. Believe God that their heart will be touched, and that they will come to know Christ as a result.
    You never know what your invitation might mean to the person. A teenager I know asked one of her friends to a youth group event. Her friend came and asked Jesus into her heart that night. What this teenager didn’t know was that her friend had planned to commit suicide that night. That teen’s simple invitation to church literally saved her friend’s life. You don’t know what something as simple as asking someone to church might do for someone else. You might be the only chance your friends have of hearing the gospel. Find more devotions on sharing your faith.
  4. Read. With all the history books you have to read for school, the idea of more reading can seem really lame. No matter how lame it sounds, challenge yourself to read some personal growth books this year. You could pick up a book on leadership, or how to make lasting friendships. It doesn’t really matter what the topic is about. Simply find a self-help topic that interests you and challenge yourself to grow as a person in the next year.
  5. Grow. Its easy to get lazy in life. Most likely, you’ve gotten comfortable in your routine, in your friends and with your classes. When things are going good, its pretty easy to slip into lazy mode. However, challenge yourself to not just stay where you’re at right now. Challenge yourself to grow in the next year. Step out of your comfort zone and do something that you wouldn’t normally do.
    You might decide to sign up for a missions trip to Brazil with your youth group. Maybe you decide to help clear out your neighbor’s garage. Or perhaps its talking to that guy at lunch that always sits by himself at the back table. Whatever it is, challenge yourself to grow this year. Don’t let the year slip away without doing something extraordinary.
  6. Give. Don’t let this year be a year that you forget to give. Push past selfishness and give more this year. Choose to hold off buying that video game, and give a little extra to your friend’s missions trip.
    Decide that on Sunday nights instead of hanging out with your friends to go visit your grandma who can’t get out and about anymore. Whatever makes sense to you, whether is giving time, money, or something else, choose to give more this year. No matter how much or how little you have, you can always find room to give something to someone else this year.
    “Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you.” – Luke 6:38 (ERV)

These are just a few suggestions on things to add to your new years goals. What are some other goals that you’ve set for yourself in the upcoming year?

Merry Christmas From Student Devos!

Posted on December 25, 2014

We wanted to wish you a very merry Christmas! We’re so thankful for all that Jesus has done for us and for the life we can live in Him. Here’s a couple of scriptures that we’re loving this Christmas season.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. – Isaiah 9:6 (NLT)

“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. – John 3:16 (Message)

We trust that your Christmas will be filled with joy knowing all that Jesus has done for us! God Bless and have an awesome Christmas!