Browsing Tag

decisions

Letting God Have A Say

Posted on December 6, 2013

Its really easy sometimes to get wrapped up in all the things going on around us. With all the things in our life screaming for our time and attention, its pretty easy to leave God out of our lives. Most of the time, we don’t intend on leaving God out, it just happens with all we have going on. We simply forget to include God in our decision making.

When making decisions, its easy to go for it without God’s help, and then wonder why sometimes things don’t turn out as good as we’d expected. The leaders of Israel did the same thing in the book of Joshua. They had people from a nation close to them trick them into making a treaty with them. The people from the nation that was close to them lied, and told the leaders of Israel that they were from a long way away. The leaders of Israel believed their lie, and without asking God for His help or advice, they made a treaty with the people that were their enemies.

The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn’t ask God about it. – Joshua 9:14 (Message)

Its easy to rely on what seems right, like the people of Israel did in Joshua. They looked at the evidence presented to them and took it at face value without letting God have a say. However, you can avoid bad decisions and much heartache by simply letting God have a say in your life. Let Him influence your decisions. As you do, you’ll find that you’ll make better decisions and live life with fewer regrets.

Tips to Make Setting Goals Easy

Posted on November 15, 2013

Do you shudder at the thought of having to make goals? You might understand that goal setting is important, but how should you get started? Here are a few tips to make setting goals easy.

Pick Some Simple Goals – Part of the fun of setting goals is watching them come to pass in your life. One great way to get excited about setting goals is to set a few easy to accomplish goals. With a few wins under your belt, you’ll start getting pumped and want to set more goals.
Setting some simple goals might be something very basic like going a whole week without forgetting to read your Bible. Or challenge yourself to learn that new piece of music for the band this weekend.
Pick something simple, that you know that you can do, and challenge yourself to try getting it done. You’ll find it’s lots of fun when you do.
Reward Yourself – Goal setting is more fun when you give yourself rewards along the way. For example, if you have set a goal for saving money, give yourself a small reward when you reach the goal. It could be something simple like letting yourself download that song you really wanted off of iTunes. Whatever it is, giving yourself a reward helps motivate you to reach your goals.
Ask God’s Help in Goal Setting – Setting big life goals can be a bit scary. It’s difficult to know where to start or what your goals should be. Decide to get God involved in your goal setting. He can help you know which goals are important and what not to focus on. With God’s help, you’ll be able to set goals that are on track with His plan for your life.

These are just a few suggestions to help make goal setting easier. Goal setting can seem like a lot of work, but it is worth it in the end. Setting goals helps you to achieve more and will help you reach your dreams. In all goal setting though, be sure to ask for God’s help. Its important to get God involved in goal setting. God wants to see you accomplish big things with His help!

Listen: That’s How You Change The World by Newsboys

Similar Devotions for Teens

Three Truths on Giving

Posted on September 27, 2013

The principle of giving is something that works. I’ve seen many people get blessed when they plugged into the principles of giving that are found in the word of God. Beginning to give as a teenager can set into motion great blessings that will set you up to be blessed throughout your lifetime.

Your giving isn’t limited to money – if you don’t have any money to give, you don’t need to feel bad. There are other ways you can begin to get in the habit of giving. One major thing you can do is to give time. More than likely your youth group or church could use you to volunteer. Ask a youth leader or someone at your church for ways you can help out.
“But Peter said, “I don’t have any money for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!” ” – Acts 3:6 (NLT)
Regardless of whether you have money or not, you have something you can give to the people around you. It may be as simple as giving a smile or listening to a friend that is down, but you like Peter have something to give.
Giving should be a goal today – Make it a goal to begin the habit of giving to others today. Don’t wait until someday when you have lots of money, begin now using what you have. Giving to others brings big rewards.
“If you are really eager to give, it isn’t important how much you are able to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you don’t have.” – 2 Cor 8:12 – (NLT)
If you wait to give until you think you “have enough” you’ll never begin to give. Start today by giving what you have, and you’ll set up great habits for the future.
Giving will bring you great rewards – Giving will bring great rewards into your life. When you get in the habit of giving, you’ll find that you’re continually getting more and more blessed.
“If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and running over. Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will be used to measure what is given back to you.” – Luke 6:38 (NLT)
Giving will bring blessings into your life that you never imagined. When God encourages us to give, he isn’t asking us to take things from us, instead he is trying to get more to us.

So whether you have lots of money, or very little money, giving is something that you can start to do today. When you put the principles of giving into motion, you can set yourself up for bigger blessings in the future.

Check out the song Live Like That by Sidewalk Prophets to encourage yourself today.

Lessons From Mario Kart (Importance of Small Decisions)

Posted on September 20, 2013

If you’re like most teenagers, you probably love playing video games. Maybe you’re a huge Halo fan, or perhaps you love Call of Duty. Whatever your game of choice is, there are things that you can learn about leadership from video games.

Though I’m not a huge gamer, I do love playing a little Mario Kart. The one thing I noticed when I play Mario Kart is the importance of making good small decisions. For example, I tend to make really big turns when I’m driving. For example, I might be driving and notice that I’m starting to head to the left on the road. So I make this major correction in hopes of getting back to the middle of the road. Usually this does no good. I end up driving off a cliff or into a lake or something that results in me losing bunches of time. I always make way to big of corrections and end up losing the game. I’ve come to realize that I need to make small corrections to win at Mario Kart.

The same is true in life. Its making the small decisions/corrections in life that will steer the course of your life and cause you to not get off course.

I read a great story in the book Success for Teens by Jeff Olson. Jeff’s daughter was asking him some advice about how to do well in college and how to stand out. Jeff answered:

“Simply show up at your classes every day, and do the things your professors tell you to do, you’re going to beat 50% of people by just doing that.

Its such simple advice, but so true. Just showing up everyday will make you a success at college. Its the small decisions you make everyday that will be the difference between success and failure in life.

Some good small decisions to develop everyday:

Spending time with God
Getting up when your alarm clock rings(this is huge)
Being places on time
Keeping your word
Sharing your faith with others

Just like in Mario Kart, the small decisions are the ones that will keep you on course for your life. Being a leader begins with the small decisions you choose to make everyday. I encourage you to choose to make good small decisions which will make a huge impact on your life.

How To Be a Nerd (Success at School)

Posted on May 29, 2013

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.

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

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Tips For Guys – Winning the Fight Against Lust

Posted on March 18, 2013

This is a devotion geared toward the sexual issues guys face daily. Every day guys are bombarded with images of females online, in magazines, and on TV. They are then faced with a decision of how they will respond to these images.

The first thing guys should know is that it’s ok to have a desire for sex. This just proves that you’re a typical male. God made you with a desire for sex. That’s normal. You shouldn’t feel bad for having those desires. It’s what you do with those desires that makes the difference. These desires if not handled in positive ways can lead to hurt for yourself and others later in life.

Without setting healthy boundaries for yourself sexually, you can get into destructive habits that are hard to break. So, decide today to make smart decisions in this area. Sexual temptation in this area can be strong. However, there are several proven tips that can help you in this area.

Stay Busy – One of the best ways to fight this battle is to keep yourself busy. Get involved in extracurricular activities at school. Go out for soccer, or get involved in the drama club. Volunteer at a local food bank. Do something that gets you out of the house and involved with others. Staying busy helps you flee temptation in this area.
Bounce Your Eyes – This tactic is taken straight from a book I’d highly recommend called: Every Young Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn. He says the best way to win this battle is to make a decision to guard your eyes against looking at a women with lust. Even though you are surrounded each day with sexual images, you’re able to win the battle by guarding what you watch. A proven way to decrease your sexual desires is by decreasing what images you allow yourself to see. When your eyes see something sexually, it gives your sexual desires fuel. So, when you starve this area by bouncing your eyes, it makes this temptation much easier to tackle.
You’ll always have sexual temptation – This isn’t always encouraging news, but as long as you’re breathing you’re going to face sexual temptation. However, God designed marriage as a healthy outlet for these desires. Yet, for most of you, this may be years away. Even if it is going to be a while before you get married, you should put into place good habits now. Even after you get married and are able to have sex without guilt, you will still face temptation in these areas. That is why it is important to put into practice good habits now.

Practicing these tactics will help you win in the battle against lust. It can be a challenge sometimes to stay pure in these areas. However, it is always worth it in the end. When you learn to train yourself with good habits now, when you get married, you won’t carry any regret or hurt into your relationship. It’s tough sometimes, but it’s a battle worth fighting!

Success for teens – Lesson #4 (Small Steps)

Posted on March 7, 2013

Assignment

What do you think about the concept of taking small steps everyday to reach your goals and dreams?
Can you think of a time when you’ve gotten discouraged in the midst of going after a dream?
What was something you liked from the video?

If you’d liked this lesson, you can listen to this chapter of the book, Success for Teens online.

Worship: Check out the song Activate by Stellar Kart

Sucess for Teens – Lesson #6 (Habits)

Posted on March 3, 2013

Youth Assignment

What was something you learned from the video lesson?
What was a suggestion from the video you can apply to your life?
What is one habit that you have that helps you grow?

If you liked this lesson, you can listen to more information about habits online from the Success Foundation.

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!

Similar Teen Devotions

knowing vs doing

Posted on November 15, 2012

As a teenager I wanted to be liked so bad. I would do or say anything for a laugh. I remember one time I was trying to impress my cousin. We were camping with our grandparents and I got the great idea to write swear words in the dust on the side of the camper. I got a laugh out of my cousin and later I got into a heap of trouble from my grandma.

I knew when I wrote on the side of the camper that what I was doing was wrong, but I did it anyway. Why? Because there is a difference between knowing and doing. I knew the right thing to do. I knew it was wrong, but I chose to do it anyway.

I believe each day we are faced with decisions. We have to choose each day if we are going to make decisions to live for god or to not live for God. We know the right things to do. We can know that we are to love God and serve him, but until we do something about what we know it will not do us any good. There is a huge difference between knowing and doing.

I encourage you to not only know the principles in the word of God but to do them. This will release the power of God in your life!

“If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God , then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God .” (Joshua 24:15 MSG)

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