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devotion

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Ephesians 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: – Ephesians 1:3

Have you ever taken some time to think about the fact that you’re blessed? You are blessed by God in a major way. It doesn’t matter what you see, or what you feel, the Bible tells you that you’re blessed, so you need to begin to believe it and see yourself that way.

Whenever you start to feel like you don’t have enough, or that you just aren’t enough, remember that you’re blessed in a big way. So start to see yourself having enough money, time, energy or whatever you need to do what God has put on your heart to do. Remind yourself that you are blessed!

Today’s Truth: You have enough money, time, and energy to do what God has called you to do!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Hebrews 10:25

And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near – Hebrews 10:25 (NLT)

Today’s Bible verse gives us a challenge. It challenges us to not stop meeting together and going to church. In life, it can be really easy to want to just sleep in instead of going to church. Maybe you had to work late the night before, or are just wanting to enjoy your weekend. Perhaps your friends are doing something fun that you’d rather be doing than going to church. Whatever the case is, its easy to stop going to church. But this verse challenges us to not do that.

HEbrews 10 devotionGoing to church is a great way to keep yourself encouraged in your faith. You can hear preaching that will inspire and challenge you. You can meet and talk to other people who will encourage you in your walk with God.

[Tweet “God knows that when we meet together we get inspired and challenged to live lives for Him. – @studentdevos”]

God is challenging us in this Bible verse to not stop meeting together as believers. God knows that when we meet together we get inspired and challenged to live lives for Him. So don’t give in to the things that would pull you away from going to church. Decide to make meeting with other believers a priority in your life!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion- Proverbs 3:6

Teen Devotion on the FUture

“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” – Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)

If you’re honest, the future can often seem scary. How do you know what career to pursue after school? What college should you go to? All those questions can often feel overwhelming and you can feel overwhelmed with having to make all those decisions.

However, there is good news. God didn’t leave us without help when making big decisions. God tells us in this verse that if we seek Him and His will, that He will show us which path to take.

So instead of stressing about what the future will hold, spend some time seeking God. Put the video games or social media aside for a bit and get into the presence of God through worship and Bible reading. Go to God and get His peace and refreshing.

The more you do that, He will begin to show you what way is right for you. He will drop ideas and dreams of what your future will look like into your heart. God doesn’t want the future to scare or overwhelm you. He wants to walk with you to see good things come to pass in your life. Go to Him, spend time in His word and you’ll walk the future out together.


If you’d like some practical help with deciding your future and spending time with God, check out our resource, The Purpose Planner.

It’s a 10-day devotion that will help you spend time with God as well as provide you with some practical things to consider when making decisions about your future.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Isaiah 41:10

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse on Fear

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)

We all have stuff we’re afraid of. It might be the fear of speaking in front of others, the fear of heights, the fear of going to the dentist, or perhaps some other fear. Regardless of what type of fear it is, we all face situations in life when we’re afraid.

This Bible verse gives us some good news when it comes to fear. It tells us to not be afraid. We don’t have to be afraid because we have a hope that others don’t. We know that God will strengthen us and help us in each situation that we face.

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We have someone who knows the future and the past, who has unlimited wisdom and resources and who is saying that He will help us. When we realize the fact that God is on our side, that He’s ready to walk with us through any situation or circumstance that we might face, we can see why He tells us to not be afraid. God won’t let us down, so we have no reason to be afraid.

If you struggle in the area of fear, here’s another devotion to encourage you!

What Faith and Duct Tape Have in Common

Teen and Youth Devotion on Faith

**We’ve refreshed an old teen devotion with some great new images and discussion questions for your youth group or small group at the bottom of this devotion. We hope you enjoy the updates!

Duct tape is probably one of the most useful inventions. It serves a variety of purposes, from patching up a pair of ripped pants to keeping some boxes sealed. What makes duct tape even more fun are all the colors it comes in.  I was in a store the other day and I found Hello Kitty Duct Tape, cheetah print duct tape, neon colored duct tape, and of course the standard grey duct tape.  All this duct tape got me thinking, about faith and how duct tape and faith have a lot in common.

Faith Holds Our Lives Together

One day I was working on a farm and a nail ripped a hole in the seam of my pants. Since there weren’t any sewing supplies nearby, I quickly found a roll of duct tape and easily fixed my pants. Thanks to duct tape, my pants were held together.

In the same way, faith holds our lives together. Faith is the basis of our relationship with God. It is believing what the Bible says no matter what it looks like around you.  Faith keeps you together when you feel you’re falling apart. Our faith keeps us going and assures us we will make it regardless of what is going on around us.

And without faith living within us it would be impossible to please God. For we come to God in faith knowing that he is real and that he rewards the faith of those who passionately seek him. – Hebrews 11:6 (TPT)


Faith Is Used In Lots of Situations

Faith, like duct tape, can be used in a variety of situations. You might be facing a problem.  You can whip out your roll of faith and patch together that bad situation with what the Bible says. Faith can be used at any time and in any situation.  Faith in God is always the answer to whatever situation you’re facing.

“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.” – Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)

Lastly, faith is like duct tape because you can rely on it. You know that when you need a patch or to hold something together you can trust the duct tape to do its job. Well, that’s pretty much what faith is.  It’s trusting that God is going to go to bat for you.  He’s going to provide for you no matter what you’re facing.

Faith is just choosing to believe what God says in spite of what you see or feel around you. Faith is trusting in and relying on God in every situation that comes to you. I encourage you to begin placing your trust in God and become a mighty young person of faith.

Similar Youth Devotions

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 2 Cor 5:16

Daily Bible Verse - Daily Devotion

From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.
 – 2 Cor 5:16 (HSCB)

Have you ever wanted to get to know a celebrity? Maybe you wish that you could be friends with them or get to hang out with them. But since you don’t really know them, you know them from a far. You know about them from what you read about them online or what you see in a magazine. But in reality, you don’t really know them.

That’s a lot like how your relationship with Jesus was before you became a Christian. You knew who He was, maybe even that He was a good person, but you didn’t really know Him.

Once you accept Jesus into your heart, you now get to know Him in a new way. You don’t know Him in a human way, but you get to know Him in a closer, deeper way. Start the new year off being grateful that you get to know God in a deep way! Make getting to know God one of your new year’s resolutions this year.

3 Practical Ways to Deal With Stress

3 Practical Ways Youth Devotion Teen Devotion on Stress

Stress isn’t just something that adults deal with. As a teenager, you face lots of stressful situations every day. You might be stressed out because of something going on at school or home. Perhaps you’re in a stressful relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend. No matter what the source of your stress is, this devotion is focused on helping you overcome stress in healthy ways.

1 – Don’t Deal With Stress Alone

The best thing to do about stress is realize one simple truth: You weren’t built to deal with stress alone. You aren’t expected to deal with hard situations on your own. God wants to help you deal with the stressful situations that you face.

O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. – Jer. 10:23

This scripture describes it so perfectly. We aren’t built to do things on our own and in our own strength. We need God’s help to live our day-to-day lives. We need to trust that God has our back in every situation and circumstance that we face. When we get stressed out, we should go to God and ask for his help. He’s just waiting for us to ask for His help.

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2 – Look for the Cause of Your Stress

Look for the cause of your stress. Stress can come for a lot of reasons. For example, maybe you’ve committed yourself to too many things. You can’t realistically do soccer, volleyball, cheer, choir, band, yearbook and lead youth group Bible study. If you’re stressed out because you’ve overcommitted, then look for ways to get out of an activity or two. Even though being involved in a lot of things is fun, if it’s causing you too much stress, it isn’t worth it.

Perhaps you’re stressed out because of a bad relationship. If so, pray for wisdom to know how to deal with the person or situation.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. – James 1:5 (NLT)

Do some searching to see if you can find out what is causing you to be stressed. Then determine if there’s a way to handle the situation differently to help you be less stressed.

3 – Ask Advice From Other People

If you’re really stressed out about a situation or another person, it can be helpful to ask advice from someone else. Find a person who you feel you can trust and ask them their thoughts about your situation.

Many times, a wise friend, youth pastor or mentor can help put your situation into perspective. People that have gone through similar stressful situations can help give you advice and the encouragement you need to make it through stressful situations.

A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others. – Proverbs 12:15 (TLB)

Remember that no matter what it is that is stressing you out, you can know that God wants to help you. It might be through the advice of a trusted friend, or through a God inspired idea. All you need to do is ask Him and he will be happy to help you out.

Pray: God, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I thank you that I don’t have to live my life in my own strength. I thank you that I can go to you when I get stressed out about things and you’re there to help me. I ask for your help today. Thanks. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you’re a youth leader and you liked this devotion about stress, feel free to download a PDF of discussion questions based on this devotion.

What Driver’s ED Can Teach You About Giving

Teen Devotion Youth Devotion What Driver's Ed Can Teach You About Giving Teen Devotion

I remember the day in driver’s ed where we finally got to drive the student driver cars. This wasn’t another day of sitting and watching videos or doing handouts about the proper stopping distance behind a stop sign. No. This was for real. We were getting to drive. It was all I could do to stay in my seat in the school’s cafeteria until my name was called to go drive. I watch classmate after classmate get up and leave with their driver’s ed instructor. Finally, my name was called and I was so excited because I was finally getting to drive.

I opened the door of my driver’s ed car. I sat down and tried to remember all the things the books had said we were supposed to do before leaving in the car. I fastened my seat belt and reached for the keys to start the car. But before I did, my driver’s ed teacher stopped me. He reminded me, “Check your mirrors! You always want to do that before you pull out.” There it was, the thing I had forgotten, to check my mirrors.

Checking your mirrors before pulling out in a car can help illustrate a point that will help us when it comes to giving. Its important to always remember to check your mirrors and make any adjustments necessary so you can see while you’re driving. In the same way, its important that we check our motives when we give money to God.

So why do we give? For some it might be to get recognition – maybe they want to impress someone. Others may feel obligated to give.  There are lots of reasons why people give but it’s always good to take a look at what God says about giving in the Bible.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully – 2 Cor 9:7 (NLT)

This verse tells us several things about giving. It first tells us that we shouldn’t give reluctantly. You shouldn’t be giving but wish you weren’t doing it. You shouldn’t be giving because you feel pressured to do so. Those methods of giving don’t bless God.

God says in His word that He loves it when you give cheerfully. So next time you pull out your wallet or purse when its time to give, check your motives when you give. Just like you’d check the mirrors in your car before pulling out, check up on your motives. Decide to give because you love God and know that he wants the best for you.

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Choose today to start thinking about giving. Make giving a part of who you are, even as a student. Be saving money to give to your church or a missions project. Develop the habit of giving while you’re young, it will help you out in life.

Pray: God I thank you that I can give to you. I choose to have the right attitude when I give because you said in your word you love a cheerful giver. I thank you right now for the ability to give and choose to have the right motives when giving to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you’re a youth group leader feel free to download our discussion questions based on this lesson.

 

Similar Youth Devotions:

Why Should I Give Money to My Church?

 

Teen Devotion and Youth Lesson - why should I give moneyYou might be thinking, who cares if I give? The Bible talks about giving, but I’ll do that when I get older and have more money. I mean, what difference does my few dollars in the offering at church really make? In reality, your giving is a big thing. We’re going to show you a few reasons why.

  1. Your gift means something to Jesus. There is a story in Luke about a widow in the temple that demonstrates that giving means something to Jesus.
    Then a poor widow came by and dropped in two pennies. “I assure you,” he said, “this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.”  – Luke 22:2-3 (NLT)
    Jesus noticed the widow in the temple when she gave. It made an impact on Jesus, and he made a big enough deal about it that it was recorded in the Bible. This lets you know that Jesus takes notice when you give with the right heart, no matter how much the amount.
  2. Giving helps you. Yes, you read that right. By giving, you’re setting yourself up to be blessed in the future. The Bible talks about giving a lot. One verse that proves this is in Luke 6:38  – “Give to others, and God will give to you. Indeed, you will receive a full measure, a generous helping, poured into your hands—all that you can hold. The measure you use for others is the one that God will use for you. “(TEV)
    Giving will set you up to be blessed by God in the future. God wants to see you blessed and giving is one way to plant seeds for blessing in your future.
  3. Never feel your gift is too small. Its easy to start believing that what you have is too small to give. However, if you wait to give until you think you have enough money, you’ll NEVER become a giver. You will never feel like you have ENOUGH money, so start with with what you have now. As you continue to give, you’ll find that you can bump up your giving. The important thing is to start now and make giving a habit in your life.

“We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give” – Sir Winston Churchill

God wants to see you blessed financially. He loves it when your needs are met and you have money left over to be able to help others. Begin to expect God’s blessing on your money. Start to believe for more than enough money so that you are be able to give to others.

Pray: God I thank you that you want me to have more than enough money. I’m deciding to put you first in my finances. I know that as I give, you will pour blessings back into my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Every Teenager’s Little Black Book on Cash (Little Black Books) This book is simply awesome. Its got easy to read information about cash, giving and all kinds of money related topics. Its a quick read and packed full of solid Bible truths about cash!

 

Similar Teen Devotions

3 Things True Love Is

3 Things True Love Is Teen Devotion Youth Lesson on True Love Dating Sex
We live in a world that gives us all kinds of messages about what true love is.  The TV shows, movies and books we read all portray love in so many different ways. Sometimes with all the different portrayals of love, its hard to really determine what true love is. So the help clear it up, we’re going to talk about three things true love is.

  1. True love looks out for the best interests of the other person – This means thinking about what is best for the other person. Many times, dating relationships are centered around selfish motives. For example, someone might date the starting quarterback in high school because it helps their popularity, or it makes them look good.  This isn’t true love because true love looks out for what is best for the other person. True love puts its own best interests on the back shelf and is looking out for the needs and interests of the other person.

    “Love cares more for others than for self.” – 1 Cor 13:4 (Message)

  2. True love is based on friendship NOT the physical – a relationship based on the physical stuff won’t last. Any relationship should focus on getting to know the other person long before the physical comes into play. That’s why God asks us to wait to have sex before marriage. Its one of the best ways to make sure your relationship will last, because it is based on something deeper than just the physical. Physical attraction isn’t a good judge of love. Attraction can fade, but a relationship built on a solid foundation of friendship will be much more likely to succeed.
  3. True love has its foundation in Jesus – The most important thing in a relationship is the other person’s feelings toward Jesus. If the person you’re dating doesn’t love Jesus like you do, run away from the relationship. It is never a good decision to become involved with someone that doesn’t love God like you do.  This will set you up for lots of heartache in the future.

    “Don’t become partners with those who reject God. How can you make a partnership out of right and wrong? That’s not partnership; that’s war. Is light best friends with dark?” – 2 Cor 6:14 (Message)

The Bible gives us the best picture of what true love is. If you want to really understand what true love is, you will find it by reading your Bible. A good place to start is by reading 1 Corinthians 13, which talks a lot about what love looks like.

Pray: God I thank you for setting up a picture of what true love is in your word. I purpose in my heart to always put you first in my life. Help me be an example of true love to others and to let your love shine through me. Amen.

Recommended Reading:

 

Check out Sex Has a Price Tag: Discussions About Sexuality, Spirituality and Self Respect This is an engaging read with lots of real life examples and fun stats!

 

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