I hate to even write the words. But, as you already know, it’s coming to the end of summer. You’re probably gearing up and getting ready for the new school year to start.

With the start of the new school year, it can often bring some mixed feelings. You might feel some excitement, to get back to the routine of schoolwork, studying, and seeing friends. But it can also bring with it feelings of dread.

Schoolwork might seem overwhelming for you if you’re not the best student academically. You might wonder if you’ll get along with new teachers. Possibly, you could dread dealing with a bully every day.

All these feelings can build up and make you really dread the upcoming year. Here’s some truth to encourage you.

So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” – Deut 31:6 (NLT)

God’s word is truth. And God tells us that He will personally go ahead of us. Have you ever thought about that? Each day, He’s going ahead of you, in the halls of your school, making a way for you.

When the bully at school says things that are horrible, know that God hasn’t abandoned you. He’s right there with you, as you go through the difficult stuff.

So choose to not dread the upcoming year. Instead, know that God is going before you, He hasn’t left you alone and He’s making a way for you!

Today’s Truth: You’re Going Back to School With God’s Help Each Day

Need a little extra encouragement from God’s word this year as you get ready to go back to school? If so, check out “Every Teenagers Guide to Going Back to School” it’s a great devotion resource packed with tips from God’s word to help you start your year off right!

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, – Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

Do you have a job? Or parents that make you do chores? Perhaps you know that soon you’ll be heading back to school, and you know that you’ll have assignments and work to do there.

Regardless of the type of work, as Christians, God is calling us to work for Him, not for others. That means our attitude should be good. What would your attitude look like, if you did your work as if Jesus was looking over your shoulder? Would it be better than it is, or the same?

Sometimes, it’s good to be reminded that in the things we do, we’re not just working for ourselves, but we’re also working for the Lord. So when your mom asks you to fold some laundry or help with dishes, remember that you’re not just doing the work for her. You’re doing it for the Lord.

So keep your heart right, your attitude good, and know that as you have a good attitude, others are watching and noticing. It might even open up a conversation with someone where you could point them to Jesus as a result of your obedience to God and good attitude.

Today’s Truth: You’re Working for the Lord

Do you have those days when everything your mom and brother do simply drive you crazy? Maybe as hard as you try, your family continually irritates you. As a result, you’re constantly in a bad mood.

Do everything without complaining and arguing, – Philippians 2:14 (NLT)

Today’s Bible verse is a challenge for those days when everyone is making us mad. It’s for those days when everything your mom asks you to do feels like too much. And especially for those times when you just want to be left alone.

Yes, we have days when we just are struggling, but even on those bad days, it’s up to us to try to practice self-control when dealing with others. You can push yourself to have a good attitude even if the people who live at your house make you mad. There are times when even when you want to complain about a chore or argue with your brother that you can say no.

And while that isn’t always easy, it’s what we’re challenged to do. So today, determine to try to set aside arguing and complaining. Decide that you’ll drop the small things and try to have a good attitude as you go through life today.

Today’s Truth: Have a good attitude today.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. – Romans 15:13 (NLT)

Trusting God can be really hard. Especially when things are not going the way you’d like them to be. Maybe you wanted to go on vacation this summer and you found out you couldn’t go. Perhaps your friend let you down and you don’t know where to turn or who to trust.

Life isn’t easy. However, in the midst of what we’re going through we can still have hope. Even in difficult circumstances, we can believe God for joy and peace.

When we put our trust in God, we can go through the toughest of situations with joy, knowing that we will come out on the other side. So today, take comfort knowing that God is good and that you can make it. Regardless of the difficulty, you can go through it with joy and peace with God on your side.

Today’s Truth: Hope is Never Lost With God on Your Side

Being happy can be a challenge some days, can’t it? You have days when your friends aren’t nice. Then there are days when you hate how you look or just feel plain gross, and sometimes it’s really hard to be happy.

The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing. – Proverbs 10:28 (NLT)

Today’s Bible verse is a good reminder to us that the hopes of the godly result in happiness. If we’re Christians and have accepted Jesus into our hearts, then we are godly. So this verse applies to us. We can expect to have happy results.

Not because our lives or perfect, or that we don’t have bad days or trials. Rather, we can be happy because our hope is in Jesus. We don’t base our happiness on our circumstances or on what’s going on around us. Instead, we can be happy and content because we have a hope that isn’t temporary. Our hope is eternal.

We can have lasting happiness because our hope is in Jesus!

Today’s Truth: Lasting Happiness Comes From Hope in Jesus.

Have you noticed how easy it is to lose your joy? It can be over the smallest things too. Like when your friends forget to invite you to go along with them somewhere. Or maybe it’s just that your mom keeps giving you chores to do, and you want more than anything to just relax and enjoy the rest of your summer.

In the midst of all these types of things, keeping your joy can seem really hard. That’s where today’s verse comes in.

In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. – Psalm 33:21 (NLT)

See even if our external circumstances aren’t always going the way we want, and things don’t always seem to be going the way we’d plan, we can go ahead and put our trust in God. God knows us, loves us, and is always looking out for us. Regardless of external circumstances, joy can be found when we place our trust in God and His love for us.

Today’s Truth: We can find joy when we place our trust in God.