Browsing Tag

character

What a GoPro Can Teach Us About Trusting God

Posted on January 7, 2015

GoPro 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

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.

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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

What Your Phone Can Teach You About Words

Posted on October 13, 2014

I have a friend who uses a passcode to lock her phone. She does this because her younger sisters always try to use her phone without her permission. They want to play the games on her phone and think its so much fun to read her text messages. Many times in the process they’d mess something up on her phone. They’d delete a photo she liked or mess up her settings. As you can imagine, my friend got really tired of her sisters messing things up on her phone. She decided to set up a passcode on her phone. Now, her sisters can’t access her phone since they don’t know the code.

Setting a passcode on your phone is a lot like what we should do with the words that we speak everyday. The words we speak can make or break us in life. The words we speak steer our lives. If we speak positive words, our lives get steered in good directions. Negative words can steer us off course quickly. Words have a lot of power in our lives. We should be choosing to put a passcode on our mouths just like we would on our phone. We should choose to be careful to guard our mouths and the words we speak. Proverbs puts it this way:

People who are careful about what they say will save their lives, but those who speak without thinking will be destroyed. – Proverbs 13:3

So how good are you about guarding your mouth? When you get angry do let your mouth run wild? Do you say things you regret? Or maybe you don’t feel good about yourself, so you constantly put yourself or others down. Challenge yourself to begin setting a passcode over your mouth. Don’t just say whatever you feel in the moment, but really guard the words that come out of your mouth.

The tongue can speak words that bring life or death. Those who love to talk must be ready to accept what it brings. – Proverbs 18:21

Just like you wouldn’t let just anyone use your phone to send text messages or take pictures, you should guard your mouth too. A great way to start guarding your mouth is to spend more time in God’s word. Its what you get into your heart that will ultimately come out of your mouth. If you spend time getting God’s word into your heart, then God’s word will be what is coming out of your mouth.

… What people say with their mouths comes from what fills their hearts – Matthew 12:34

Choose to put a passcode over your mouth. Speak words of life that steer your life in a good direction!

Similar Teen Devotions

How To Handle Disappointment

Posted on September 15, 2014

Disappointment stinks! I remember a time when I was sure that I was going to get the present I wanted for my birthday. I had dropped like 80 million hints about what I wanted, the color, even the size. There was no doubt in my mind that I would get the present I was wanting for my birthday.

So when my birthday came around, I opened box after box, secretly hoping the box I was opening had the present that I had wanted. However, when I had opened all my presents, I was missing the gift that I had tried so hard to hint at. I was shocked, how could everyone have forgotten the thing that I had wanted most?

I was truly disappointed. Life sometimes brings us disappointment. It might be in the form of a forgotten birthday present, a relationship breaking up, or something at school not going your way. Disappointment happens to everyone, but how can you deal with disappointment in healthy ways?

Let’s take a look at 1 Samuel 30:6 for some ideas on what to do when disappointment hits.

All the men in the army were sad and angry because their sons and daughters were taken as prisoners. The men were talking about killing David with stones. This upset David very much, but he found strength in the Lord his God. – 1 Samuel 30:6

Don’t Take it out on others. The Guys in David’s army were mad because everyone they loved was taken prisoner. So what did they do? They took it out on David. They blamed David for the bad thing that happened and looked to take it out on him by killing him. This is a very unhealthy way to deal with discouragement and disappointment.
Taking it out on others is not a solution in the long run. If these guys would have taken it out on David they would have still not had their families back. So what would they have gained by taking it out on David? Not much. It would have been a temporary fix for a bigger problem which was not having their families. So in the face of disappointment, realize that taking it out on others is never a good solution.
Find strength in God. Even though David was upset too in this story, he did an amazing thing. He was able to stay encouraged and find his strength in God. Finding strength in God is an awesome thing to do in the face of disappointment. When you’re feeling sad, upset or disappointed, find strength in God. Focus on what His word says and encourage yourself in God.

Disappointment happens to everyone. However, you can make a decision how you respond to disappointment. You can choose to take it out on other people, or you can choose to take it to God. Taking your disappointment to God is a really great way to deal with it. God can help you through the situation and will be there for you each step of the way. Choose to love God and get His help in dealing with disappointment!

Similar Teen Devotions

Are You Stuff-y?

Posted on September 10, 2014

So much of the culture today is consumed with the pursuit of stuff. We think if we could just have a better car, we’d be happy. If we could just be dating that person of our dreams, then we’d be happy. Or if we could just get out of our parent’s house, we would then be happy.

A ton of our life is spent in the pursuit of ‘stuff’. We think that if we just get this one new thing we will be happy. But often when we get that thing, something is still lacking. We try and we try for more stuff, only to find that the ‘stuff’ doesn’t really make us happy.

So what do we do? If the pursuit of stuff won’t make us happy, than what should we be going after?

The story of God appearing to Solomon shows us something in about what we should go after. Solomon had God appear to him and God asked him what he wanted. Solomon could have asked God for anything. He could have asked God for money, fame, or the girl of his dreams. Instead Solomon asks God for something really unexpected. He asks God for wisdom.

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]That night God came to Solomon and said, “Ask me for whatever you want me to give you.” – 2 Chronicles 1:7 [/quote]

This is really interesting to me. Solomon could have asked God for all kinds of stuff here. However, Solomon must have known that the pursuit of stuff wouldn’t make him happy and fulfilled. He must have known that by seeking after stuff, he would wind up wanting more and more stuff. He could never get enough stuff to really make him happy. So Solomon asks God for wisdom and for help.

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]Now give me wisdom and knowledge so that I can lead these people in the right way. No one could rule this great nation without your help.” – 2 Chronicles 1:10[/quote]

Solomon realizes that there is something more important than stuff. Solomon also realized that he needed God’s help to live his life and to make wise decisions. What Solomon asked for really impressed God. God liked what Solomon asked for so much that God made him wealthy and gave him lots of stuff.

So the lesson we can learn from Solomon is this: there is something better than the pursuit of stuff. Getting God’s wisdom on how to live our lives is way better than any stuff. Making God number one in your life will bring satisfaction that stuff never will.

Choose to make God number one in your life. Choose to not go after stuff, but go after God and after His wisdom. When you do, you’ll find you’re happier and more fulfilled.

Taking Responsibility For Your Actions

Posted on September 3, 2014

Have you ever placed the blame on someone else for something that you did? I remember one time I really wanted to do that. I was trying to make my cousins laugh, so I began writing curse words on the side of my grandparent’s camper. I did this after my cousins had encouraged me to do it. I gave into peer pressure and wrote all kinds of bad words on the side of the camper in the dust. To my utter horror, one of my cousins told my grandma what I had done.

Needless to say, I was pretty mad for getting caught. I couldn’t believe my cousins had encouraged me to write bad words on the camper, and then they turned around and told my grandma on me. I was the one who got in trouble when they were the ones encouraging me to do it. I wanted more than anything to blame them for my actions. I wanted to tell my grandma that my cousins were the ones that encouraged me to write the curse words on the camper in the first place.

It didn’t matter though to my grandma. I was the one who wrote on the camper, so I was the one that got in trouble. I learned a valuable lesson that day. I was responsible for my actions. Sure, someone might have encouraged me to do the bad thing, but in the end, I was the one who did it. So the mess I had gotten myself into was my own fault.

One of the hardest things to do in life is to take responsibility for your actions. Its so much easier to blame someone else or your circumstances for where you’re at in life. However, its when you begin to take responsibility for your actions that you begin to really become a person of character.

In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

So I encourage you to take responsibility for your actions. Its not always fun, but it will help you grow into a person of character. In the end, you’re the person resposible for where you are in life and your relationship with God. You have to choose. Its a bit like the verse below.

But maybe you don’t want to serve theLord. You must choose for yourselves today. Today you must decide who you will serve. “- Joshua 24:15 a

When its all said and done, its really up to you to choose your actions. Its up to you whether you serve God or not. Its up to you how far you go in life. So choose to make wise decisions and run after God. In the end, you’ll grow and become a person of character.

Similar Devotions For Teens

4 Reasons Discipline Is Okay

Posted on August 27, 2014

You probably cringe at the word discipline. You might think of that time you got in trouble for stealing your brother’s allowance and were grounded for a month. Most likely, you don’t think about discipline in a positive light. Discipline is usually never easy and most of the time hurts your flesh. But discipline can be good too. Here’s a few reasons why.

Discipline helps you grow – As much as it stinks to be disciplined by a parent, authority figure, or someone else, it can also help you grow. Being disciplined points out areas in your life that you might be weak in or in need of some tweaking. Though discipline hurts, in the end, you come out learning and growing!
Discipline makes you stronger. – Discipline seems to always hurt a bit when you’re in the middle of it, but if you keep a good attitude and your heart right, you find out that you’re able to come out on the other side stronger and better for it.
Discipline keeps you humble. – Discipline has a way of keeping you humble. There is nothing like being corrected to really keep you from getting a big head or thinking too much of yourself. Discipline keeps you humble.
Discipline helps you learn. – Most of the lessons in character I remember from growing up came from being disciplined. There is something about being corrected and disciplined that makes you remember your mistake. If you choose to not get upset but to learn from being disciplined, you’ll find that you’re able to grow into a person that has more character.

Discipline is a good thing, even though it hurts sometimes. It helps you grow and learn. So no matter where discipline comes from (parents, teachers, etc) remember that God has placed those people in your life to help you grow stronger and learn from your mistakes.

Let us know your thoughts: What comes to your mind when you think about discipline?

[divider]
[space height=”20″]

[message_box title=”Student Devos Recommends:” color=”green”]

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens This is an awesome book with great suggestions on how to develop good habits. The habits you develop can make or break you!

[/message_box]
[divider]
[space height=”20″]

Similar Devotions for Teens

3 Ways to Motivate Others

Posted on July 30, 2014

One important part of being a leader is learning how to motivate others. But, being able to motivate others doesn’t just happen automatically. Rather, its something that you can learn to do and grow in. Motivation isn’t manipulation or forcing others to do something you want them to do. Motivation wins people over and influences them for an advantage that is beneficial to both you and them. That’s why motivation is way better than manipulation. When people are manipulated, they end up feeling upset and used. When you learn to motivate someone, they’re much more likely to be happy about what they’re doing. Here are three ways to help boost your motivation skills.

Earn their trust. In order to motivate someone, you’ve got to earn their trust. You’ve got to be open and transparent with them. You can’t be someone who isn’t a person of their word or who isn’t trustworthy if you want to be a good motivator.
Be a person of your word. If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Don’t just make random statements, but choose to always
Believe in yourself. People like to follow someone who believes in themselves. You don’t have to have all the answers, but a little confidence goes a long way in motivating others.

The last thing to do when growing to be a better motivator is to ask God for His wisdom and help. He can lead you and direct you when it seems that no one else can. His wisdom is way better than what any leadership book or seminar can teach. Following after God and tapping into His help when leading others will take you far!

Who are you copying?

Posted on April 23, 2014

Most actors who play the part of a real life person will study to get into character of the person they are playing. For example a professional actor who would represent Abraham Lincoln would study his life by reading books to get all the facts of his life. Then they might read his writings to get an idea of how he thought. In other words, they study the person to understand them to the point that they almost become like him in order to “act the part” .

[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]Hebrews 6:12 states “That ye be not slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”[/quote]

This word “ followers” indicates acting or copying someone. Like the good actor who studies and tries to mimic the person he is depicting, we are told to do that too. Who are we to mimic or copy?

The Bible says those who spiritually are our leaders. Those who have faith and character and have stood up morally in hard times. Jesus certainly is that leader to want to replicate. Your pastor or a leader at your church might be such a person.

Study them and listen to what they say. Study what they do in difficult situations. The more you study good examples of godly people, you will begin to talk like them and act like them. In fact, we are told to do that! Study how they treat their other people. Study what they do under pressure. You can learn to follow or replicate them.

If you follow many celebrities of today, you will see they are in trouble with the law and their relationships don’t often last. These are not the people you want to follow because you don’t want the failure they have experienced in your life.

True heroes may not be on television- they may be in your church or in your own home.

Prayer: Father, show me the people around me that have your promises and blessings operating in their lives. Help me to learn from them and study their actions so I can learn to copy their success. Help me to manage my money correctly. Open my eyes to the people you have placed in my life like my pastors and parents so I can learn from them.

Similar Youth Devotions

Help! I Messed Up Big

Posted on January 29, 2014

I remember one time I messed up in a big way. My goal in life was to have everyone laugh and think I was funny. So to be funny, I decided to write a note to a guy in the class who got teased a lot. I wrote him a note, and called him some pretty funny names. I wasn’t really trying to hurt his feelings, I just wanted my friends to think I was funny.

The teacher found the note being passed around the class. She also figured out that I wrote the note. It was then I started to feel bad, and realized that my actions had really hurt someone else.

I’m sure you’ve probably made a mistake where you’ve really hurt someone else. How do you handle things after you’ve hurt someone? How do you make things right?

Ask Forgiveness – This is really hard to do. It takes a lot of courage to tell someone what you did was wrong and ask them to forgive you. However, if you do, it will make you feel better, and start the healing process between you and the person affected by your mistake.
“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” – Eph 4:32 (NLT)
Make Things Right – In some situations, someone’s property might have gotten damaged or hurt by your actions. For example, if you got mad at your brother, and threw his XBOX game across the room and it broke, you would need to buy him a new game. If someone’s property was damaged or destroyed by your actions, its your responsibility to make it right. The Bible talks about restoring property in Leviticus 24:18.
“Anyone who kills another person’s animal must pay for it in full—a live animal for the animal that was killed.” – Lev 24:18 (NLT)
Give it time – Sometimes, it takes time for a relationship to heal. It might take you some time before your relationship is back to normal between you and the person you hurt. Don’t get discouraged if it takes awhile.

When you mess up, it can be really hard on both you and the person that was hurt by your actions. But remember, don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes and sometimes others are hurt in the process. Choose to turn your mistake into an opportunity to learn and grow.

Similar Devotions For Teens

Older Posts

Newer Posts