Browsing Tag

faith

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Hebrews 11:1

Posted on December 2, 2019

When I was 12 years old, I took my first mission trip with my church. My youth group was going overseas to do some assemblies at schools to tell children about Jesus. Honestly, I was terrified. I felt a stirring in my heart that God was calling me to go, but I was scared.

I didn’t have the money to go and I knew my parents didn’t have any extra money to help me go either. If I was going, I had to do all my fundraising myself. Raising that much money felt pretty intimidating.

Even though I was afraid, I signed up for the trip. Then, I began raising money. God helped me each step of the way and I was able to raise all the funds I needed to go on the trip.

Isn’t it interesting, how God will often call us to do things that are so much bigger than we can accomplish by ourselves?

[Tweet “God will often call us to do things that are bigger than what we can accomplish on our own – @studentdevos”]

That’s where faith comes in. When we face something that is bigger than we can handle or do on our own, it takes faith to believe that God is going to come through for us. God often will often stir us to do something much bigger than what we can do on our own.

Today’s Truth: Faith feels frightening.

But in those moments where we are not enough, faith is what will carry us on.

Now faith brings our hopes into reality and becomes the foundation needed to acquire the things we long for. It is all the evidence required to prove what is still unseen. – Hebrews 11:1 (TPT)

When God calls you to do something, it will usually be bigger than just what you can do by yourself. God wants to provide and help you do the things He has called you to do, but it takes faith to believe that. Will you have great faith and do what God is calling you to do?

Today’s Challenge: God is looking for people who will say yes in faith!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Mark 9:23

Posted on August 22, 2019

“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” – Mark 9:23

In this verse, Jesus is talking to a dad who is needing a miracle for his son. The dad was struggling with doubt and unbelief concerning whether Jesus could heal his son. Jesus responded to his doubt by saying that anything is possible if a person believes.

What a great statement! Jesus told this man in this verse that anything is possible if we’ll just believe. Jesus did the hard part. He provided the miracle, all the dad had to do was believe Jesus.

Today’s Truth: All things are possible if we will believe Jesus!

The same is true for you. You may need a miracle in your life. You might need something that seems impossible. This verse tells us that we just need to believe. Jesus provided the answer to all of our impossibilities, it’s just up to us to believe that it is true. When we do, we find that all things are possible if we believe Jesus.

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – Hebrews 11:1

Posted on August 20, 2019

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. – Hebrews 11:1

Faith can sometimes seem like a confusing subject. You can wonder what is faith? Or maybe how do I know if I have faith? This Bible verse helps sort out some of the confusion by defining what faith is.

According to this verse, faith is the evidence of things not seen. Simply put, faith is a lot like your TV. Many times, TV shows will tell you about other countries that are far away from where you live, places that you have never been to and have not seen for yourself. You simply have to believe or have faith that the places your TV shows you exist. You’ve haven’t seen them, yet you believe they exist based on what you see on TV.

That’s exactly what this Bible verse is showing us. There are promises in the Bible that we can’t always see with our physical eyes. Even though we can’t see them, we have to choose to believe that those promises are true. It’s just like how we have to believe the places we see on TV are real.

Faith isn’t complicated, it is just believing the things you read in the Bible are true.

What Faith and Duct Tape Have in Common

Posted on May 15, 2019

**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.

Youth Group Discussion Questions – What Faith and Duct Tape Have In Common
$1.00 Add to cart

Similar Youth Devotions

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 Peter 1:21

Posted on March 15, 2019

Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. – 1 Peter 1:21

Where do you put your trust? Is it in getting a good job after you finish school and making a lot of money? Is it by dating a really important person? Is it getting a basketball scholarship to a good college? Where do you put your trust? What are you looking for when you search for success?

Today’s Bible verse talks about having your faith and hope in God. God raised Jesus from the dead and glorified him, so is it really that crazy for us to put our hope and faith in God? Sometimes, when it comes down to it, it can be hard to put your hope and faith in something that you can’t see.

Read: What Canoes Teach Us About Hope

It can be easier to trust in money, or a relationship because they are things you can see. However, real faith is just believing God and taking Him at His word. So challenge yourself today to not trust in things that you can’t see, but to put your trust in God. God is the one who won’t let you down and who won’t fail you. Challenge yourself to trust Him today!

Today’s Bible Verse – Mark 9:23

Posted on August 23, 2018

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. – Mark 9:23 (KJV)

It can be really easy when you’re facing a difficult situation to want to give up. You might think that its impossible, or that there is no hope. However, Jesus said if we can believe that all things are possible.

What this means for us is this, if we find a promise in the Word of God about the situation we’re facing, we can stand on that promise and believe it. When we do this, we find that all things are possible for us. Most of us are wired to be impossibility thinkers. We always think that things are impossible. However, we need to train our thinking to line up with God’s word. When we get our thinking in line with God’s word we find that all things are possible for us.

[Tweet “When our thoughts line up with God’s word, all things are possible – @studentdevos”]

No matter what situation you’re facing, it can turn around. It’s up to you to train your thinking in line with God’s word. When you do this and believe all things are possible for you!

Daily Devotion and Bible Verse – August 10

Posted on August 10, 2018

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. – John 1:12 (NLT)

In many countries, citizens of that country have rights. In America if you’re arrested you’re read your rights. You’re told you have the right to remain silent and the right to an attorney among other things. These rights mean that as a citizen of the country you’re entitled to certain things.

This Bible verse tells us that if we believe Jesus and accept Him we have the right to be children of God. That is a great right. Its awesome to know that we can be called God’s children. We don’t have to know God from a far. We can know Him personally because we are His children.

[Tweet “We don’t have to know God from a far. We can know Him personally because we are His children. – @studentdevos”]

All we have to do to receive that right is to believe in Jesus and accept Him as our Lord. This verse really shows us how easy it is to become a child of God.

So as you go through today, take some time to be thankful that you have the right to be God’s child. It is great to know that we’ve been given that awesome right!

What Twinkies Teach Us About Faith

Posted on June 19, 2017

Twinkies are a fun treat. They taste good, they’re light and fluffy, and that have that delicious creamy vanilla frosting center. Simply put, Twinkies are amazing. Can you imagine your life before you had your first Twinkie? If you’re like most people, you wouldn’t want to imagine something like that. But think about your life before you knew all about the awesome frosting center and it’s sugary goodness?

If you didn’t know Twinkies existed, how would you have heard about Twinkies? Perhaps one day you were hanging out with a friend and they began to tell you about how good Twinkies were. They talked about the texture, the flavor, and of course the vanilla frosting. More than likely, after hearing your friend describe a Twinkie, you’d want to head to the nearest store and try one out for yourself.

How Does Our Faith Come?

The idea of your friend telling you about Twinkies is a little like how faith works. After hearing about how good Twinkies are from a friend, your desire to eat a Twinkie grows. That’s a lot like how our faith in God grows. As we begin to hear about God and His goodness, we want to know more about Him and our faith grows.

So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. – Romans 10:17 (NLT)

The more you hear about Twinkies, the more you want one. The same is true for our faith. The more time we spend in God’s word, talking about God’s word, and thinking about God’s word the more our faith grows.

[Tweet “The more time we spending thinking about God’s word, our faith grows – @studentdevos”]

Faith Is Taking God at His Word

What would make you believe that Twinkies were good? It would have to be a matter of trust. You’d have to trust that your friend was telling you the truth about how good Twinkies are. You might rely on the fact that your friend tells the truth or that they have good taste, but it really comes down to believing what your friend said about Twinkies was true.

That’s a lot like how faith works. Faith is just taking God at His word. Its trusting what God says above everything else. Just like you would trust your friend’s word that a Twinkie was a great snack, you have faith by trusting that what God says is true. Hebrews says it like this:

“The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.” – Hebrews 11:1 (Message)

Faith takes God at His word. When the Bible says something, having faith is believing what the Bible says no matter what it might look like around you. So the next time you rip open a package of Twinkies, remember that they can teach you a lot about faith!

[Tweet “Faith is trusting what God says above everything else – @studentdevos”]

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

Youth Group Discussion Questions – What Twinkies Teach About Faith
$2.00 Add to cart

Similar Devotions For Teens

Why Should I Give Money to My Church?

Posted on August 24, 2015

You 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.

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.
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.
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

Are You Hungry For God?

Posted on August 19, 2015

Have you ever been so hungry that your stomach was growling uncontrollably? I know I have. In fact, one day during U.S. History, my stomach was growling so loud that it disrupted class. My stomach was so loud that the teacher had to bring me food just so the class could focus on the lesson that day.

I’m sure you’ve had situations where you’ve been hungry. What did you do when you were hungry? Did you just sit around hoping to get food? Or did your hunger cause you to act?

In most cases, hunger produces action. For example, if you’re hungry, you’ll go find yourself a snack, or ask someone for food. Hunger produces action. In the same way, we should be hungry for the things of God. As Christians, we shouldn’t be satisfied with just going to church, just living our lives, but not allowing the power of God to change us. We should be so hungry for God that it causes us to act. Our hunger for God should empower us to go out and change our world.

[Tweet “As Christians we should be allowing the power of God to change us. – @studentdevos”]

So my question is…are you hungry? Are you desiring the things of God? Are you wanting more than just average Christianity? Or are you caught up in your own life, your own problems and concerns?

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled – Matthew 5:6

Don’t let your Christianity be ordinary. Decide today to start getting hungry for the things of God. As you get more excited about God you’ll change your world!

Older Posts

Newer Posts