Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: ROMANS 3:19-28; 5:6-11

With pounding heart, Riley leapt off the platform for the umpteenth time. Dodging fireballs, she jumped from foothold to foothold, as heat rose from the lava below.

She was almost there! Ahead was that final jump—that final expanse of lava. She could see the cool, grassy paradise at the end of the course.

Her companion, Julius, watched her dart across the expanse, fielding each obstacle with precision. One jump, two hops, a dash…and then a final jump— the most perfect leap Julius had ever seen.

Oh, no! Julius watched as Riley reached out in vain toward the paradise, falling down into the pit of lava. She was still fifty yards short.

FLASH.

Julius and Riley returned to the start of the level. Riley’s eyes brimmed with tears of frustration and anger. “It’s no good, Julius! We can’t do it.”

“We have to—the Game Maker wouldn’t have made it impossible.

“Julius, you saw it. My last jump was perfect. And it wasn’t even close!”

With no other route through the fiery abyss, the pair decided to rest. They lay down, exhausted. As she fell asleep, Riley whispered a desperate prayer: “Game Maker, where are you? We can’t do this!”

When they awoke, a man stood on the platform. “I’ve come,” He said softly. “I’m the Game Maker you called last night.”

They stared. “How…?”

“I wrote myself into the game.” He smiled. “Come.”

He started across the course. Uncertain and confused, Riley and Julius followed.

He motioned them to the final jump. “You’ll make it,” he said. “Trust in me.”

Then, he grasped their hands, and before Riley and Julius could jump, they found themselves flying through the air, the abyss stretching out beneath them. The man’s grip on their hands never loosened, and, finally, they tumbled onto the soft grass of paradise! The pair was in shock.

“Here you are, friends,” the Game Maker said. “The land is yours.”

“That’s it?” Riley asked. “That’s the only way?”

The Game Maker smiled. “Indeed, friend. I am the only way.” • Christiana Albrecht

• Like in today’s allegorical story, sometimes it’s hard to believe that we can be saved without having to work for it—that’s why God gives us so many reminders throughout His Word (such as in Mark 10:15, Galatians 2:21, and Ephesians 2:8-9). Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you notice when you’re starting to believe that you have to earn God’s love and favor, and who can point you back to the true good news of Jesus? (If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.)

• According to Romans 3:23-26, it’s impossible for us to overcome the power of sin and death on our own. Why can we only be saved from sin and death through Jesus?

• For more about how Jesus saves us, see our "Know Jesus" page.

Jesus told him [Thomas], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NLT)

READ: MATTHEW 6:25-34; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-12; 1 PETER 5:7

Maybe you’re like me. If you grew up in church, it might be second nature to pray about everything. After all, you want to share whatever is going on in your life with your best friend Jesus. So you ask God to help you face the challenges at school. Will you be able to pass the algebra test? What about physics? English literature? You pray about your relationships. Why can’t adults remember what it was like to be a teen? Can the misunderstanding be healed between you and a former friend? Worry steps up with every question.

I have an exercise to help me deal with anxiety. I mentally place my worry in a box and tie the box with red ribbon. I give the package to God and experience a tranquil moment.

But sometimes, another question pops into my mind, and I grab back my worry. After more prayer, I place the situation in God’s hands to regain a sense of peace. But the cycle repeats. Again and again.

One night, the worry war went into overtime. My exercise wasn’t working. Exhausted, I finally said, “God, I can’t give you my worry. Just take it, please.” Then, the anxiety of that evening lifted, and I drifted off to peaceful sleep.

In the daily battle of worry, we can always turn to Jesus. His love for us is something we can rely on, no matter what. • Esther M. Bailey

• We all have times when we feel worried or anxious. Jesus knows how we feel because He experienced anxiety too, and He wants to help us (Mark 14:33-34; Hebrews 4:14-16). He loves us so much that He died and rose again to save us, and when He returns, He will put an end to everything that is worrisome. Until that day, He invites us to bring all our worries to Him and rest in His compassionate arms. Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about your worries.

• God wants to help us in lots of ways, not just through prayer and Scripture, but also through the care and expertise of other people. When you find yourself feeling worried or anxious, who is a trusted person you could talk to? If you need someone to talk to, you can request a free conversation with Focus on the Family’s Counseling Department by calling 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). Please be prepared to leave your contact information for a counselor to return a call to you as soon as possible. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6 (NIV)

READ: ROMANS 8:26-27, 31-34

Every time I called the dog’s name, my family laughed. Now that I’m older, I understand why.

I grew up near my uncle Andy, who had a dog named Shep. I adored Uncle Andy and liked his dog too. But—as a child—I couldn’t pronounce “Shep.” Try as I might, the dog’s name sounded like “Botch” every time I spoke it. I understood the name Shep; I just couldn’t get the word out when I pronounced it.

Have you ever tried to say what was on your mind, but you just couldn’t seem to verbalize it? Have you felt this way in your prayers—attempting to call out to God for what you or a loved one needed, but just unable to form the right words?

Throughout the Bible, we read about God’s people crying out to Him in prayer. These believers showed a range of emotions as they talked with God about what they were going through and asked for answers to their problems. When we begin a relationship with God, He gives us that same privilege of prayer. We can enter a relationship with God by putting our trust in Jesus. He died and rose again to provide forgiveness for our sins and to adopt us as God’s beloved children. In this relationship, we can freely approach God’s throne through prayer (Hebrews 4:14-16).

But what happens when we don’t know what words to use as we speak to God? When we long to follow His call in Lamentations 2:19 to “pour out your heart like water in the presence of the Lord,” but we can’t find the vocabulary? There’s good news: God the Holy Spirit prays to God the Father on our behalf. The Spirit intercedes, asking the Father for what we need. And Jesus—God the Son—also talks to the Father for us.

In our prayers, we’re not on our own. We can rest in the knowledge that Jesus and the Holy Spirit both pray for us, and God knows our hearts better than we know ourselves. • Allison Wilson Lee

• What concerns or needs are weighing on your heart today? Do you feel like you can pray about them?

• How could it be comforting to remember that God knows all our thoughts and needs before we say a word? How could this free us to talk to God without pressure? (Psalm 139:4; Matthew 6:8)

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. Romans 8:26 (NIV)

READ: MATTHEW 18:21-22; EPHESIANS 4:32; COLOSSIANS 3:13

Dear Unforgiveness,

I nurtured you after someone hurt me. You grew in the soil of my misery, and I watered you each day with anger and frustration.

Like ice, you crept into my heart, teaching me to shut people out, afraid of future disappointments. You are a storm twisting within, causing confusion. Like fire, you flare up and draw pictures of those I have failed to forgive. The thoughts of them spiral inside me like a movie, re-enacting the scenes over and over again.

The problem is, you are wounding me. The rage that prowls inside and the sadness that creeps in—they warn me I cannot carry on like this.

But you are impossible to give up. I know the only way to conquer this is to open up my heart to God and allow Him to carry the burden of you, Unforgiveness, trusting Him to take care of all my hurts. I am praying to Jesus, asking Him to melt the bitterness and heal me—praying I will rest in the grace He’s given me and extend that grace to others.

Now, it is time to say goodbye to you. Unforgiveness, I am letting you go. In Christ, I’m finally breaking free. • Cindy Lee

• Forgiving someone who has hurt you is a challenging process, and it doesn’t always mean trusting the other person, especially in a dangerous situation. But if you know Jesus, forgiveness is possible because His Holy Spirit lives in you and will empower you day-by-day to forgive others as God has forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32). If you’re struggling with forgiveness, who is a trusted Christian—such as a parent, pastor, or counselor—you can talk with about it?

• What emotions has unforgiveness caused in your life? Consider taking some time to write them down and talk to Jesus about them. He cares about all your hurts, and He weeps over them. You can trust Him to heal you,and to fill you with His loveforall people.

• How could it be helpful to remember that we have all sinned, and God has promised to bring justice for every wrongdoing—whether at the cross or on the Judgment Day? (Luke 23:32-43; Romans 3:23-27; 5:8; 12:14-21; 2 Peter 3:9-13)

Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)

READ: MICAH 7:19; 1 JOHN 1:9–2:1

Do you still feel guilty about it? That thing you did. Maybe it happened yesterday, maybe it happened eight years ago. No matter what it was, you may be holding on to unnecessary guilt.

Guilt does have a purpose. It leads us to repentance and encourages us not to do evil again…but that purpose can be twisted by Satan.

God wants us to feel sorry for our sins so we can repent (or turn away) from them and rest in His forgiveness. But once these sins are forgiven, they’re gone. Poof! God has removed them from us. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we carry these old sins no more. The Bible even says that God separates us from our sins “as far…as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).

God doesn’t want His people to sit in their guilt and pore over sins already forgiven. Jesus took on our punishment for us. He died and was forsaken for our sins, taking on God’s wrath for us so that we don’t have to suffer the punishment our wrongdoing deserves.

Besides guilt, another problem Christians face is shame. Shame is similar to guilt, but instead of seeing wrong in your sins, you see wrong in yourself. Shame changes “I did something bad” into “I’m a bad person.”

As Christians, we were once defined by our sins. But if we’ve put our trust in Jesus, He has given us a new identity. We are now children of God, wrapped in Jesus’s righteousness and blameless in His eyes. God wants us to rejoice in Him, not feel shameful. As Psalm 34:5 says, “Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”

So whenever you feel guilt or shame, you can repent of any sins that come to mind—acknowledging them to God, turning away from them, and resting in His forgiveness. If you still feel guilt and shame after that, consider taking some time to thank Jesus for the grace and forgiveness He has already given you. You are no longer captive to the power of guilt and shame. You are held in the love of Jesus. • Naomi Zylstra

• If you’ve put your trust in Jesus, then all your sins have been paid for on the cross—past, present, and future. If you want to know more about this amazing forgiveness, see our "Know Jesus" page.

• Are there any sins you still feel guilty for? If you haven’t confessed them to God yet, consider doing that now. If you’re still feeling guilt or shame, who is a trusted Christian you could share openly with— someone who can pray with you and remind you of how God truly sees you?

He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 (NLT)