What a Rock Concert Can Teach You About Knowing God

Posted on July 3, 2013

Youth Devotion

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.

How to Be A Good Friend

Posted on June 20, 2013

Teen Devotion - How to Be A Good Friend

Being a good friend isn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes it takes hard work. However, being a good friend is something that with God’s help can be accomplished. Check out our tips on how to become a good friend.

Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family – Proverbs 18:24 (Message)

 

  • Be Friendly – If you want to have friends you must begin by being friendly.
    Proverbs 18:24 – A man that hath friends must show himself friendly (KJV)If you want to have good friends you’ve got to begin by being friendly. Focus on going out of your way to talk to others. By being friendly, and talking to others, you’ll find that you attract more friends.
  • Be There – If you have a friend that is going through a hard time, don’t bail on them. Stick around and just be there for them. Many times you might not know what to say or do, but you just being there will mean a lot to your friend.
  • Listen – A good friend listens to others. Do you spend all the time talking and dominating the conversation? If you do, perhaps take some time to spend listening to others. People will want to be around you more if you’re willing to listen to them.
  • Be Light –  One of the best ways you can be a good friend is by letting your life show others how good Jesus is. Let your friends know what a difference Jesus has made in your life. Don’t hide your relationship with God, but let that relationship shine though in all you do.

 

Being a good friend takes work, but it is worth it. When you develop good habits in your friendships, you’ll find that you become the type of person others want to be around. Become a good friend so that you can help lead others to know Christ.

Listen: We Can Change the World by Hawk Nelson

Distractions – The Missing Key

Posted on June 12, 2013

Devotion for Teens on Distractions

The “D” key on my keyboard recently fell off. Its such a small thing, but it really makes typing on my computer hard. Its amazing that it is just one small key out of 79 keys on my keyboard, and yes, I counted them ALL. You would think that one “D” key wouldn’t make a big difference. But it really does. It makes typing really hard. Its a little thing, but it makes a big difference.

It kind of reminds me of how many times, small things in our lives can become big distractions. A distraction could be something really simple like a game you love to play like Candy Crush or Cut the Rope. These are games are not bad in themselves, but if overused, they can become a distraction.

Another form of a distraction could be a crush. While its natural to like the opposite sex, its easy to let your crush become a distraction that keeps you from your friendship with God.

Distractions are usually small things that come in and have the power, just like my missing “D” key, to slow us down.

A distraction according to the free dictionary online is something that draws someone’s attention away from something.

Simply put, many times distractions are things that draw us away from our friendship with God. They’re usually not things that are in themselves bad, they’re things like a TV show, Twitter or hanging out with friends. But these things draw us away sometimes from our main goal in life, which should be a friendship with God.

So I want you to take a look at your life, and see if there is something that has been taking away from your realionship with God. It might be a crush, it could be video games, or a new TV show. No matter what it is, determine to not let it become a distraction. Choose to make your friendship with God your number one priority and not let any distractions slow you down.

Feeling Overwhelmed?

Posted on June 10, 2013

Devotion for Teens - Stress, Overwhelmed

As a teenager, your life is busy. You have many things that are begging for your attention. You’ve got things like a mountain of homework, your friends, family and job responsibility all asking for your time and attention.

As a doctor in a Washington Post article put it,

“Our teenagers are becoming more over-scheduled and over-stressed” – Anisha Abraham (Georgetown University Hospital) “

With so many responsibilites and things begging for your time, how should you decide your priorities and deal with all the stress that faces you daily?

Here’s a few things I found helpful when going through a stressful time in my life.

  1.  Make time for God – Always make sure that no matter how busy you are, that you’re allowing time in your life for God. Your time reading the Bible or listening to a good teaching mp3 is key to your success for the day. Its kind of like trying to drive a car without the tank full of gas. You can go for a bit on fumes, but you won’t go far if you don’t fill up with gas.  Making time for God will fill up your spiritual gas tank so to speak. It helps you have the peace and gives you a foundation to stand on when things get tough in your life.
  2. Learn to be ok with what you’re able to do – This isn’t an excuse to be lazy, but sometimes you have to learn to be okay with what you can do. You might not have the award winning science project and also be able to get first place in choir competition. That’s okay. Just do your best, but realize there are only 24 hours in a day and sometimes not everything will be perfect or get done exactly the way you would like it to be.
  3. Pick what’s important – There are so many things calling for your attention. You have friends that want you to hang out. You’ve got homework to do for school and you need to practice your instrument for band tryouts. With so many things calling for your time you’ll probably have to say no to something. You’ll have to decide what things are the most important and then you may have to say no to some things that aren’t as important. If you don’t learn to say no to some things, you’ll find out you’re really stressed in life.

Its important to remember that when things get busy and stressful in life you can always go to God and ask for his help. Many times He can show you a plan or a creative way to get the things done that you need to do so that you don’t have as much stress in your life.

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“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” -Hebrews 4:16  (NKJV)

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Always be sure that in times of stress you don’t let your friendship with God slip. Its easy to leave God out when you get busy and feel the stress of everyday life. Your relationship with God is key to getting through stressful situations, so decide to not put it to the side.

Pray: God I come to you in the name of Jesus and I thank you for your help that is always there for me. You said that I could come to you to get grace and mercy in my time of need. I ask for your grace, I ask for your help now in my time of need and I believe that you are giving me the wisdom and strength I need to live today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Listen: I’m Good by Trip Lee

 

3 Reasons Not To Go To Church

Posted on June 4, 2013

Why does everyone make a big deal about going to church? Whether you go to church or not doesn’t really matter does it? Plus, there’s lots of great preachers on TV and online, so you can learn about God that way, right?

Here’s three reasons why you shouldn’t go to church.

  1. You’re okay living an average life for God – God built the church to challenge you to grow. Going to church puts you in contact with people who can point out weak spots in your life. They will mentor you and challenge you to grow. If you want to live an average boring life without being challenged to grow church isn’t for you.
  2. You don’t like giving back to others – Church gives you a great opportunity to give to others. Whether you give money or your time, church is built to give you opportunities to give back to others. If you’re not into giving back, church is not for you.
  3. You don’t like meeting new friends – Church gives you lots of opportunities to meet new people. You can find some awesome friends and build lasting relationships. Plus church usually offers fun hang out times which you can’t get anywhere else. If you don’t really like meeting new people church is probably not for you.

Going to church is actually very important to you growing spiritually. Church brings you into contact with people that can help challenge you, encourage you, and hold you accountable. Church is also a place where you can learn more about God and His word. Plus, the Bible talks about us getting together to worship God in this verse in Hebrews 10:25 – “not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on” (Message)

It might be easier to stay home or to not get involved in church, but church is really important. If you want to have a thriving relationship with God and meet some great like-minded friends along the way, church is for you!

 

How To Be a Nerd (Success at School)

Posted on May 29, 2013

Teenage Bullying Devotional
You might really be questioning our sanity here at Student Devos by this post. How to be a nerd? Why would you want to be a nerd in the first place? Nerds are not cool, unless you’re talking about the candy. Then by all means be a nerd.

Being a nerd might not be your goal in life, but we do have some tips that might help you out with your school work. It probably wont make you a hardcore nerd, but at least it might help you out a little with your school work and grades.

Teen Mp3 download of success scriptures for teens

Here’s our top 3 tips to nerdy bliss:

#1 – Show up. Yep. Not exactly groundbreaking there, but simply showing up for class every day will help improve your grades. Not only showing up physically(body in the seat) but show up mentally(mind there, listening to the teacher). Showing up every day is the #1 thing that will set you apart from others. No matter how boring the teacher might be or how much you’d rather talk to friends, showing up and paying attention in class makes a huge difference in your grades.

#2 – Do what’s asked. How many times have you watched someone do the wrong worksheet or the wrong problems on the assignment? It’s important to pay attention to the requirements given by your teacher. If you do what they ask, you are guaranteed to get better grades.

#3 – No slacking/excuses. If you didn’t do the homework, don’t make excuses about why it isn’t done. Just take responsibility. Own up to your actions and be proactive. If you know that for some reason you’re not going to get an assignment done, talk to your teacher. Find out if you can make up for it, or have an extension. If you’re really trying, your teacher will usually be glad to work with you.

These are our tips on how to be a nerd. Hopefully, you’ll be able to put some to use and get your nerd on!

Related Youth Resources

What Text Messages Can Teach Us About Creation

Posted on May 27, 2013

Most of us would agree that the story of creation is a pretty neat one. But what does that story have to do with our everyday lives? Its neat that God created man, trees, animals and tons of great stuff for us to enjoy. But how does that impact our daily lives?

Here’s a few reasons why the creation story has power in your day to day life:

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  • It shows us that we are created as a reflection of God. (Gen 1:26-27) – God created us with a special plan in mind. We have a spirit and can fellowship with God. Its kind of like we’ve got God’s phone number and can send him a text whenever we want. We’re able to be in constant contact and talk to Him all the time. We’re able to get His ideas and thoughts as we live out our lives each day.
  • We see that we choose our own fate –  God didn’t create a bunch of clones or robots. He created us to be able to choose to talk to Him. Its like we have God’s number and are able to send Him a text any time we want to hear what He is saying to us. Its just up to us to choose to take advantage of having his number. You can either talk to Him and make His words important in your life or not. Its up to you. You choose to follow God, just like Adam chose.
  • Adam messed up, but God had a plan. – Even though Adam messed up in the garden by not choosing to obey God, God had a plan. He was getting ready to send His son Jesus into the world. God’s plan for getting mankind out of the mess we were in runs throughout the Bible. God has a plan for us to give us a way to be able to talk to Him.

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The creation story has more to show us that what we see on the surface. Its easy to just see the stuff being created and not realize there is a story and plan behind it. Knowing that plan will help us live lives that take advantage of what God intended, friendship with Him. Its also good to remember that talking to God is just as easy as sending a text to a friend. We can communicate directly to God because we were made in the image of God. Just like you can send a friend a text message, at any time you can talk to God at anytime. Its awesome to know that God wants to talk to us!

 

What Makes Christianity Awkward?

Posted on May 17, 2013

devotion-for-teens-christianity-differentThere are lots of different religions in our world today. I’ve seen estimates there are around 20 major religions and many other minor religions in the world. With all those religions out there, what makes Christianity awkward or different from all the rest?

The answer is simple. Many of the religions in our world are seeking to DO the right things. They believe if they DO enough good things and right things they will gain heaven, enlightenment, or some other sort of reward.

Christianity is different. Its awkward. Its not like the other religions because its not about DOING.

Christianity takes DOING and turns it on its head. Instead of having to DO the right things to gain heaven or a reward, Christianity focuses on what has already been DONE. In true Christianity, you can’t DO anything to earn heaven. True Christianity says its all about what has been DONE. Its simply accepting Jesus and believing that His death on the cross was enough to pay for all your sins. It switches from DOING something to earn a reward to what Jesus has DONE.

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Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. – Ephesians 2:9 (NLT)

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Christianity is awkward because its different. Unlike many of the other religions there is nothing you can DO to make yourself right with God. Its all about accepting what has been DONE. That’s hard to do. Its easier to feel like you should DO something to make yourself right with God. The truth is, its all about believing what God says over what you feel. That takes courage, and it can feel awkward at times.

Christianity is different because it is about what God DID. When we DO things its not to receive heaven or a reward, its in response to what God has already DONE. That’s what makes Christianity great!

Pray: God, I thank you that being a Christian isn’t about doing the right things, but its just simply believing and receiving what you’ve done by sending your son Jesus. I choose to live each day doing good things, not because I’m earning salvation, but because of what you’ve already done for me.

 

How to Deal With Suicidal Thoughts

Posted on May 13, 2013

Devotion for Teens - Suicide

I remember many times as a teenager feeling worthless. I struggled with an extremely low self-esteem. I felt that no one really cared if I existed and I thought about taking my life at times.

I’m going to share with you a few things that I did to help me overcome thoughts of suicide.

  1. I read the book, You Are God’s Best! by T.L. Osborn. I read this book over and over and over again. I had to feed myself with thoughts that I was important and that I mattered to God.
  2. Everyday will be a battle. Everyday I was bombarded with thoughts that I didn’t matter, that I was ugly, gross and unimportant. I had to learn to not be so hard on myself and just accept who I was. It took me some time to develop a healthy picture of myself, so don’t get discouraged if it takes you a while.
  3. Don’t fight alone! I tried to fight this battle alone. I did eventually overcome, but I think I would have had quicker results if I would have asked others for help. I could have had accountability and support when I was going through such a hard time.
  4. Stay busy – Keep yourself busy. Get involved at your church. Ask if you can help out by cleaning or making copies. Help your neighbor lady plant her garden. Volunteer at the local food pantry. Do something to keep yourself busy. The more you stay isolated and alone, the more you will have to battle negative thoughts.
  5. Ask God’s help – You aren’t built to do things in your own ability and strength. Rely on God. Ask Him for help, strength and wisdom to get through your day.

I want to encourage you that if you do struggle with thoughts of suicide, to take the scary step and ask for help. Talk to a teacher at school or a pastor at your church. They have resources that will help you fight this battle.

Finally, suicide is not a good solution to your problems. God has a special plan and purpose for your life. He’s got a unique plan for your life that only you can accomplish. When you think that your life doesn’t matter…that is a lie. It does. It matters to God and it matters to others even if it doesn’t feel like it at times.

Get yourself into God’s word and get yourself some help from a trusted adult and you’ll be on your way to overcoming the battle of suicidal thoughts!

Listen: Gold by Britt Nicole

Followable – Becoming a Person Others Want to Follow

Posted on May 11, 2013

Devotion For Teens on Leadership
Are you a person that others want to follow? That can be a pretty sobering question to ask yourself. Its an important question to take note of. Are you a person that is followable?

Here’s a few things that you can do to become more followable.

  1. Care For Others – Jesus is such a great example of this. Everywhere He went, He healed the sick, cast out demons and took care of those around Him. He even fed the crowds that followed Him. Jesus is a great example of caring for others. If you want to be followable, caring for those around you should be one of your top priorities.
  2. Lead By Example  – What you say is important, but it is what you do that really matters. What are you actions saying? Do you say one thing and do another? Part of being followable is being a person who’s actions match what they say.
  3. Check Your Attitude – Your attitude is key. Learning to have a good attitude will propel you toward success. Make sure in everything you do, you’re keeping a good attitude. A good attitude will help you become a person others want to follow.

Developing habits that cause you to be followable take time. However, if you invest in growing your leadership skills, you can become a person that others will want to follow.