Browsing Tag

identity

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Ephesians 1:5

Posted on March 25, 2022

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. – Ephesians 1:5 (NLT)

Have you ever been guilty of leaving a school project unfinished until the last possible moment? And then you’re in a panicked frenzy trying to finish up the night before? Maybe you even had to stay up all night to finish. I’ve had my share of last minute projects.

The great thing about God is that He didn’t wait last minute to bring us into His family. He wasn’t panicked and He didn’t have to stay up all night working on it. He had it planned for us in advance and it wasn’t something like a school project that He hated doing or dreaded. He wanted to do it and it gave Him pleasure.

Today’s Truth: You aren’t a mistake. God planned ahead and made a way for you to know Him.

If nothing else, this fact can really make us feel important. God wanted us and thought we were important enough to put a plan together to bring us into His family. He wanted to have a friendship and a relationship with you. When you get ahold of this truth, it can set you free. If you realize that God wanted you. He wanted a family with you. You aren’t an accident or a mistake. God planned ahead and made a way for you to know Him.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – John 8:35

Posted on March 11, 2020

Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. – John 8:35-36

I remember a time when I was attending youth group and we were writing on a dry erase board. One teen wrote on the board accidentally with a permanent marker. At the time we didn’t realize it, so a few weeks later when we tried to use the board again, we couldn’t. The marker had dried and the teen’s writing was on the board permanently.

As much as we tried scrubbing with soap and water, we couldn’t get rid of the teen’s writing on the board. That reminds me of today’s Bible verse. When we accept Jesus into our heart, we become sons and daughters of God.

[Tweet “In God’s family we find our identity, place and purpose – @studentdevos”]

We have a place in God’s family. We belong to God’s family forever. It’s in that family we find our identity, our place, and our purpose. So today if you struggle with feeling like you don’t belong, realize that you do. You’re a member of God’s family and you do belong. You’re who God says you are!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Colossians 2:10

Posted on October 2, 2019

and God has made you complete in Christ. Christ is in charge of every ruler and authority. – Colossians 2:10 (GW)

Do you have those moments where you wish that you were in a relationship? Or perhaps you feel like because you don’t have as much money as someone or aren’t popular that there’s something wrong with you.

It’s easy to feel like you need something or someone to make you feel complete.

Today’s Truth: I Am Complete

God’s truth is that you are complete in Jesus. You might not feel like you’ve got it all together, but feelings aren’t the truth. God’s word is the truth.

When God says that you’re complete, He means it. It’s up to you to believe it. So today, if you struggle with feelings that tell you that you’re not enough, don’t give into them. Realize that feelings aren’t the truth.

[Tweet “In Jesus, you’re made complete! – @studentdevos”]

Choose to replace those thoughts and feelings that you’re not enough or that you’re not complete with truths from God’s word. In Jesus, you’ve been made complete!

Today’s Truth About Identity: I Am Loved

Posted on September 30, 2019

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. – 1 John 4:10 (NLT)

Have you ever had a friend that said they really loved you, but later found out they were talking about you behind your back? How many times have you experienced someone who said they loved you and then later let you down?

We often let those people who let us down cause us to doubt God’s love. We wonder could He really love us all the time, no matter what?

Those doubts often creep into our relationship with God making us feel we’re not worthy of God’s love. We often secretly wonder that His love for us might change if we don’t do the right things.

The truth is God shows us what real love looks like. He doesn’t love you based on your performance or stops loving you when someone better comes around. God’s love is always and forever.

Today’s Truth: I Am Loved

God loves you in a big way. He gave everything He had to know you and to talk to you. That is real love.

The truth is that people will let you down. They might say they love you and then do something that seems to contradict that. But God is not like that at all.

[Tweet “God loves everything about you and His love for you will never change – @studentdevos”]

God loves you. He loves everything about you, and His love for you will never change. So if you’ve struggled, feeling unworthy or unloved, focus on today’s truth. Regardless of how your friends or family has treated you, God loves you. The good news is that He will never stop loving you.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Galatians 2:20

Posted on September 16, 2019

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

Have you ever struggled, wondering what you should do after you finish school for your career? Perhaps you’ve thought about the idea of college, but wonder if that’s really the next step you should take.

Making decisions about your future can seem really scary sometimes. Often it’s easy to give in to fear and be afraid to make a choice at all because you think it might be the wrong one.

To make decisions about college and your career path easier, think about this truth: Your career is not your identity.

Often, we see adults introduce themselves by their name and what they do for a living. “I’m Brayden, and I’m a doctor.” We hear adults talk like this so much, that often, we begin to think that our career is our identity.

Your identity is not tied to your career. And it’s ok to not know yet what career or schooling path you want to take after high school.

Instead, choose to let your identity be found in Jesus. Don’t give in to the thoughts that because you don’t know what to do yet, you’re not ok. Instead, choose to focus on Jesus. Let Him be where you find your identity.

Take time to get to know Jesus and let Him reveal to you what path to take for your life. At the right time, you’ll know the next step to take.

Want help discovering your God-given purpose? If so check out the Purpose Planner and follow along with this week’s devotions!

Other Devotions About Purpose

Day 1 – Your Identity Isn’t Your Purpose.
Making decisions about your future can seem really scary sometimes. Make them easier by realizing that your purpose is not your identity. Your identity can only be found in Jesus.
Day 2 – Finding Purpose Takes Patience
God leads us and tells us that our steps are ordered by Him. He doesn’t tell us that He will reveal to us the whole journey.
Day 3 – Finding Purpose Takes Faith
The key is on the journey to discovering your purpose is to not lose faith. It takes faith to follow God’s plan and His leading.
Day 4 – Purpose Requires Action
You can daydream amazing things. You can get excited about things that you’d like the future to hold for you. In fact, you can even pray about God’s plan for your life, but if you don’t take action on those things, you won’t end up doing anything for God.
Day 5 – God’s Purpose For You Is Good
God wants good things for you. He has good things in store for your future

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 Corinthians 6:17

Posted on September 6, 2019

But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. – 1 Cor 6:17 (NIV)

Imagine for a moment that someone stole your library card. That person is checking out books in your name and racking up some huge library fines. What would you do?

If you’re like most people, you’d tell someone. You’d let the Library know, get a new card, and try to track down the person who was stealing from you.

None of us like being stolen from. But often, in our lives we let the devil steal from us. He tries to get us to question our identity. Often, we allow him to lie to us and tell us we’re not worthy, that we don’t have what it takes, or that we’re unloveable.

The truth is, if we let them, those lies will keep us from doing what God wants for our lives.

Today’s Challenge: Practice Identity

Today’s Bible verse tells you that you have an identity in Christ. Your worth and value come when you identify yourself in Christ.

You might look in the mirror and see all the imperfections and the ways you might not measure up. However, that’s not what God sees when He looks at you. He sees someone valuable. He sees someone worth dying for.

So today, practice identifying yourself with Jesus. Choose to see who you are through Jesus, not what you are on your own. As you do, you can begin to stop believing the lies the devil tries to tell you. You begin to see that you’re worth it and your life matters.

Read the Other Challenges

Day 1 – Challenge: Practice Quiet
Day 2 – Challenge: Practice Generosity
Day 3 – Challenge: Practice Community
Day 4 – Challenge: Practice Thankfulness
Day 5 – Challenge: Practice Identity

If you’d like a PDF copy of this 5-day challenge as well as some bonus content for further study, feel free to download Every Teenager’s Guide to Growing in God.