Devotions for Teenagers and Youth

Prayer Tip #2 – Don’t Pray Alone

Posted on August 14, 2013

Getting started praying can be tough at times. You might not feel like you know what to say to God or just feel a little silly praying in general. One way to make praying easier is to ask someone else to join your prayer time. The Bible gives us an example of this in Matthew.

When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. – Matthew 18:19 (Message)

This verse says God goes into action when we come together to pray. That’s exciting to think about, and shows us there is power when we come together to pray. The Bible shows us there is something special when people find a promise in the Bible and pray it out together.

When praying with someone, be careful to not pray alone with someone of the opposite sex. Prayer is a really cool thing, but praying alone with someone of the opposite sex can lead to some intense emotions and feelings. Rather than doing something you might later regret, avoid praying alone with the opposite sex.

Prayer is an awesome thing. So freshen up your prayer life by finding a good friend or mentor in your church or youth group that you can get together to pray with. The Bible says that God goes into action when we pray together.

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Why The Old Testament Is Cool

Posted on August 7, 2013

It can be easy to skip over reading the Old Testament. It has like a million books, plus it can’t be cool because its got the name old in it, right?

Well, the Old Testament does have some pretty awesome things to offer, so check out our list of reasons why the Old Testament is still cool in our book:

The Old Testament is what the New Testament is built on. – There are tons of quotes in the New Testament that link back to the Old. Plus, reading the Old Testament helps us understand what the New has to offer.
Jesus Liked It – If Jesus used it, we can use it too. The New Testament wasn’t written when Jesus was on earth, so He used the Old Testament. In my book, if its good enough for the son of God, its probably good enough for us too.
The Old Testament shows us Jesus and New Testament truths – The Old Testament shows us why we needed Jesus. It also shows us lots of great truths that help us understand the New Testament better.
The stories are pretty sweet – Some of the stories in the Old Testament are just plain sweet! David killing a giant, the walls of Jericho falling down, and lots more. These stories are incredible and show us how great our God really is.

There are tons of reasons why the Old Testament is still cool. We’ve just threw out a few that we liked. When reading the Bible, make sure you take some time to read the Old Testament too. It can be a huge help to your relationship with God.

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How to Have an Epic Summer

Posted on August 5, 2013

Summer break is in full swing for most students. With all that free time, it can be easy to get bored really fast. So, here’s some ways to to make your summer vacation epically awesome!

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Do something crazy – This doesn’t mean jumping off a bridge or risking your life. It means grab a few of your friends and do something out of the ordinary. Fill up a ton of water balloons with pudding and have a really sticky crazy water balloon fight. Or maybe create a scavenger hunt for your friends. Be creative and find something really fun and different you can do this summer with your friends.
Read a Book – This might seem totally lame, but you can use this summer to read some great books. Find a book on leadership or read to learn something new about God. There’s tons of books out there that can challenge you to learn and grow. Here’s a few we really like:
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Learn something new – Take your extra time this summer and invest in learning something new. YouTube how to play drums. Ask your grandma to teach you how to sew. Read a self-help book on how to create a website. Find something that you’ve always wanted to be able to do and learn how to do it this summer.
Get to know God better – Invest some time this summer into prayer and Bible study. Find a great private place where you can plug your headphones in and worship God to an awesome worship CD. Really invest into getting to know God. Time spent getting to know God is never wasted!
Overcome a Fear – What’s something you’re afraid of? Can you overcome it this summer? Can you force yourself to talk to someone you don’t know? Can you ride that roller coaster that you’ve been avoiding because it just looks too scary? Find a fear and decide to overcome it this summer.
Give Back – Don’t make this summer just about you. Find a way to give back. Offer to cut the grass for an older neighbor. Volunteer to help clean at your church. Go on a missions trip this summer. Find a need somewhere and meet it. Give back to those around you. Decide to help others this summer.

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These are just a few suggestions to making your summer one to remember. If you set your mind to it, you can kick the summer boredom blues and make your summer one that is truly epic!

Four Lessons I Learned as a Freshman

Posted on August 2, 2013

My freshman year of high school was a nerve racking experience for me. I was stressed out about going to a new school and made a few mistakes during my freshman year. This devotion for teens covers the lessons I learned from my freshman year.

1. Living to make others happy doesn’t work– If you think that you can make others happy, that’s a mistake. The happiness of others is not your responsibility. If you live your life trying to keep other people happy all you’ll end up with is a stomach ache. Living to make others happy just doesn’t work. Live for what you know is right and don’t worry about what people at school might think.

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10 ESV)

2. Stay involved at school– Its easy to when life gets stressful to want to pull back. However, dropping out of sports and other activities can be a mistake. Sometimes the diversion from schoolwork can really help with your grades. Also, getting involved gives you the chance to meet new friends and learn new things. Put your hand to something at school and you’ll be a lot more satisfied and happy.

Let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. (Ephesians 4:28 NKJV)

3.Be Friendly – To have friends you must be friendly. It can feel safer and easier to talk to only those people that you know and feel comfortable around. Challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and talk to others. You might find that God will use you to minister to or encourage someone else.

A man who has friends must himself be friendly. (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV)

4. God will always have your back. Always remember that no matter how stressful school is or how stressful other relationships are that Jesus understands where you’re coming from. He went through the same things you did while on earth and he can be a friend when you need one. He’ll always be there to listen and help you through tough situations.

But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24 NKJV)

I believe the lessons I learned as a freshman will help you and encourage you as you head back to school. Being at school comes with lots of challenges but if you keep God in the loop he’ll help you with everything that you’re facing.

Lessons on Growth from Stinky Shoes

Posted on July 26, 2013

There’s not many things that smell worse than stinky shoes. I’m sure you’ve come across a pair that has that odor with the extra kick. Maybe its your brother’s basketball shoes. You know the ones that make you gag a little when you pick them up?

It seems like shoes can get stinky pretty easily. Its just the nature of them. You put them on, run around in them for a few days, and they start to accumulate that funky stinky feet odor. But many times, because you wear the shoes all the time, you don’t notice the odor. Its easy to become accustomed to the foot odor and not realize…your feet stink.

You know that’s a lot like personal growth. Its easy to become so accustomed to your daily activities, routines and things that we can forget to grow personally. Unless we try to do something beyond what we’ve already mastered, we won’t grow.

That principle can apply to lots of areas in our lives. If we don’t push ourselves to grow, we can easily become stinky and not realize it. The Bible says it like this:

All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize- 1 Cor 9:25 (NLT)

To win, you’ve got to be disciplined in training. You’ve got to push yourself beyond where you’re comfortable in natural things and in spiritual things. So decide today that you’re not going to become stinky like your shoes sometimes get. Decide to keep pushing yourself forward in your relationship with God and in your habits and routines. The secret to your failure or your success is found in your daily routines.

Turning Up The Volume – Why Character Counts

Posted on July 24, 2013

Character is like the volume knob on a guitar amp. A guitar amp comes with tons of other knobs, dials and decals that are much flashier, making the volume knob easy to overlook. However, when you turn that volume knob up on an amp, you can really tell. It makes a big difference!
That’s exactly what character is like. It can seem like a small thing, but when its turned up in your life it can make a huge difference.

I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No SLOPPY living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself” – 1 Corinthians 9:26-27 (MSG)

Here is a list of a few things that character is:

Character takes training – Character isn’t something that just happens. It is something that takes work to develop.
The best way to develop character is to start with small things. Any easy way to start is by getting up the first time your alarm rings in the morning or by helping out around the house when asked and not complaining.
Character takes time – Turning up the character in your life will take time. Many people aren’t interested in doing things if they can’t see results immediately.
Don’t become discouraged if it takes time for you to become good at being a person of character.
Character finishes well – Very few people finish well. Many people get discouraged and give up, many times right before they cross the finish line.
A person of character sticks with a decision and finishes well.

No matter where the character dial is in your life, you can turn it up. You can train and become a person of greater character. Examine your life and find an area where you can turn up the volume in character. Then decide to stick with it no matter how long it takes, and finish well!

Upgrading Your Time With God

Posted on July 20, 2013

Have you ever had to upgrade an operating system or app on your iPod or maybe your phone? When you are asked to upgrade, its usually because there have been changes made to the phone or iPod to make it better. Often new features have been added or a bug has been fixed on the app. Upgrading your phone or iPod is an important thing to do to make it work better and for you to enjoy it more.

Just like its important to upgrade your phone or iPod, its important to upgrade your time spent hanging out with God. As a teenager, its easy sometimes to not know where to begin when spending time reading your Bible or praying. Or maybe you already spend time with God, but you’d just like to upgrade what you’re already doing. This devotion for teens has you covered.

Here are our tips for upgrading your quiet time with God.

Just do it. Some times when you read the Bible, it will feel like God is really speaking to you and you’ll have goosebumps and get really excited. Other times your time with God will feel dull and you’d rather be talking to others on Facebook. The key here is not to worry about whether your quiet time with God feels inspired or not. What’s important is that you make a habit out of getting to know God and talking to Him. Just set aside some time each day to spend with God. As you make it a habit, you’ll find that you really get more out of your quiet times.
Read books other than the Bible. Sometimes picking up a book about Jesus or a Bible topic that interests you is a great way to upgrade your quiet time. There are lots of devotional books out there that are written for teenagers. Find one that looks interesting to you and start reading. You can learn a lot about God and upgrade your quiet time by reading a book geared to teens.
Use a commentary. The word commentary might sound like a foreign word to you, but finding a good commentary will help you upgrade your devotion time with God. Commentaries will help you understand the verses you’re reading in the Bible better and help you see things you might have missed. There are several apps for your phone or iPod that come with commentaries, or you can try to find one online.

These are just a few tips to help you as a teen upgrade your time with God. Spending time with God is one of the best things you can do. Start today making your time with God a priority in your life and you’ll come to know God in a fresh and new way!

How to Deal With Mean People – Part 2

Posted on July 11, 2013

God tells us in Matthew 5:44 – “Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (NLT)

Loving people that are mean or don’t treat you the way you think you should be treated can be really hard at times.

We learned in the last devotion that we can love others because God put the love to do it with in our hearts. But what does loving a mean person look like in everyday life?

Be kind – this means that no matter how cruel someone is you respond back to them with kind words and actions. You don’t try to get revenge or get even.
Put yourself in the other person’s shoes – it’s easy to get mad and get hurt when you feel like you’ve been treated unfairly. However, try putting yourself in that person’s shoes. If you had been through the things that they had been through you might act the same way they did.
Realize that you hurt people too. Have you ever said something mean and later regretted it? Or maybe you weren’t even trying to be mean but what you said came across in the wrong way. How would you want to be treated in those situations? You’d probably want understanding and forgiveness so extend that to others.

Loving mean people can be a real challenge. It can be hard to do the right thing. Just remember that loving mean people is something you can grow in and develop more. Don’t feel bad if you’re not perfect at it.

Also, realize that God is there to give you ideas and help on how to love mean people. Keep him in the loop and you’ll find that God has your back when it comes to dealing with mean people.

Seven Rules For Daily Living

Posted on July 5, 2013

A few months ago I came across an old notebook that was my great grandfather’s. He had taken the time to cut out articles, thoughts, and quotations that he liked. It was really great to see his heart toward God and understand more about his relationship with God.

In flipping through the worn and yellowed pages, I found a cut out article pasted into a page that really spoke to me. It says it was adapted by Douglas Parsons in the summer of 1940.

Here is the article, I believe you’ll be inspired by it!

I must let nothing take me away from my times with The Lord
I must keep from making any plans of my own, but must be instant in my response to “the still small voice”
I must in nowise, justify myself before men for those things which The Lord leads me to do – but I must make it my aim by confession, to keep myself justified in His presence
I must ask The Lord continually to fashion the fruits of the spirit in me.
I must not let a day slip by without interceding for others
I must get to know my Father, and The Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit better
I must do all things(even the smallest) by faith

I believe this list will bless and challenge you to get to know God even more.

What a Rock Concert Can Teach You About Knowing God

Posted on July 3, 2013

Think for a minute about the best concert you’ve been to. You’re cheering like a wild person because you’re so excited to finally see your favorite band. The band walks out on stage and the crowd goes nuts. There is screaming, jumping, and all kinds clapping as they begin to play their first song.

Then imagine that you’re with your friend at the concert, and your friend is trying to talk to you. You can see her lips moving, but as hard as you try you can’t hear what she’s saying. There is so much noise around you in the crowd.

This must be a lot like how Jesus must feel sometimes trying to talk to us. We’re so busy. We’ve always got a phone, iPod, or video game in our hands. We’re on constantly on social media. We make videos on TikTok, share photos on Instagram. We’re so busy and there’s so much noise in our lives that a lot of the time we make it hard to hear Jesus’s voice.

Paul said it like this in Philippians 3:8 (NLT) Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.

Paul put a lot of importance on knowing Christ. He called everything else garbage.

Knowing Christ should be the thing that we want to hear the most. So, take a look at your life. Is your relationship with Jesus is like that rock concert, too noisy to hear Him speak to you? If it is, make it a point to remove some of the distractions in your life. Make time with Jesus the main thing in your life. Take time out of your day to spend getting to know Him.

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