Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

• Rest for Your Soul

  READ: PSALM 46:10; MATTHEW 11:28-29; PHILIPPIANS 4:6-7   Anxiety A tidal wave Pain showing through the cracks of my heart Can’t think, can’t breathe yet breathing too much Can’t speak, yet speaking incessantly Grasping for sanity, for peace, for air My heart pounding like a bass drum Can’t catch my breath, fix myself, calm these nerves Yet through the chaos, tears, torrential fear, He whispers: BE STILL Fear not, My beloved, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are Mine This moment will pass, A breath in light of eternity Though you can’t see, the end is coming I will calm your clenched fists, your clenched heart Cling to Me, and I will give your soul rest Rest • Amanda Rose   • We all feel anxious from time to time. Thankfully, Jesus knows how we feel because He experienced anxiety too, and He wants to help us (Hebrews 4:14-16). In fact, He loves us so much that He died and rose again to save us, and He promises that one day anxiety will be gone for good. Do you have any favorite Bible verses that help you when you feel anxious? • God wants to help us in lots of ways, not only through prayer and Scripture, but also through other people, such as friends, parents, pastors, and medical and mental health professionals. When you find yourself feeling anxious, who is a trusted adult 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) and ask to speak with the care associate. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1 (CSB) 

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• Learning to Trust God with My Life

  READ: PSALM 139; MATTHEW 28:20; COLOSSIANS 1:22-23 Every Christian has a different testimony, or story of how they came to put their trust in Jesus. For some people, it could be really dramatic. For others, it may be really simple. Yet God works in each and every person’s life. This is the personal story of how God worked in my life. My parents were missionaries in Japan, so I grew up learning about God both directly from them and by hearing them teach others. My mom is Japanese, and my dad is from America, so I don’t fit in well. In Japanese culture, no one tries to stand out. It’s very different from Western culture where being unique is celebrated. So, as a half-Japanese homeschooler Christian, I never fit in, except with other missionary kids or at church. In those places, everyone accepted me for who I was. They didn’t look at me weird when I didn’t act fully Japanese or fully American. These places gave me a picture of how Christ loves all of us. God created each of us differently. It’s comforting for me to know that He made me the way I am for a reason. But when I was growing up, I had many insecurities. I was always unsure of my place in the world, worried about how others saw me, and afraid of not having people who liked me. I felt that I had to be good enough at something for people to value me or see past my being different. I ended up measuring my worth in what I could achieve. But the amazing thing about the gospel is that we come to Jesus the way we are. I don’t have to feel like I’m perfect to have salvation. He is the one who will reconcile me to Himself and make me holy and perfect in His sight (Colossians 1:22). I didn’t realize how much I was holding on to the lie that I needed to be a certain way, or that I needed to fit in. Instead, I needed to surrender that to the Lord. I’m not the one in control, He is. I’ve since come to find a sense of security in my differences. And it’s because I’ve been on a journey with God. I’ve had my ups and downs for sure, but God has stayed by me even when I haven’t made Him the most important thing in my life. Know that even on your darkest days, Jesus is with you (Matthew 28:20). He is the person who makes you perfect in His sight. He has a plan for you, and He will be with you every step of the way. • Sophia Muhling • When have you struggled to fit in? How can it be helpful to remember how Jesus sees us? I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 (NIV) 

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• Hanging Out with Sinners (Part 2)

  READ: MATTHEW 9:9-13; LUKE 7:34-50; 1 PETER 3:15-16 Have you ever noticed how Jesus often spent time with people who were doing some pretty bad stuff? You may have wondered, “If that’s how Jesus acted, what should I do—especially if I’m supposed to avoid sin?” Sometimes Christians even ask, “Can I be friends with non-Christians?” The answer is, “Of course!” In fact, one of the ways people come to know Jesus is through friendship. God will help you show His love and truth to all your friends, whether they’re Christians or not. As you interact with your friends, remember these five things: 1. If you have a friend who isn’t a Christian, don’t expect them to act like one. But keep in mind, even as a Christian, you don’t always act like one either. We’re all sinners who need Jesus. 2. Don’t encourage friends to sin or participate with them in doing things that are wrong. 3. Learn what your friends believe so you can understand them better. 4. Talk to your friends about what Jesus has done in your life. Be honest about your own struggles and your ongoing need for Jesus. Be bold and kind! 5. If a friend shares a difficulty or hardship with you, show empathy and offer to pray with them. They may take you up on it; don’t force them though. Either way, pray for them on your own. Then, check back later to see how they’re doing and if there’s any other way you can help. And if they offer to help you with something you need, don’t be afraid to receive help too! Ultimately, our friendships with others always point back to the most important friendship of all: God’s friendship with us. We can invite all our friends into deeper and deeper relationship with God by showing them who He is. And we can be free to be ourselves, imperfect as we are, trusting that the Holy Spirit is at work in and through us. So, ask God who you can share Jesus’s amazing love with today. You can trust Him to guide you in what to say and do. Remember, because Jesus first loved us and invited us into friendship, we can show His love and friendship to others (1 John 4:19). • A. W. Smith • Can you think of a time someone was a good friend to you? What did they say or do? • As Christians, we don’t need to be afraid of being friends with non-Christians. But if you’re finding it difficult to follow Jesus because of your friendships, who are trusted Christian adults in your life who could help you navigate these relationships, such as a pastor, parent, or counselor? Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Jesus and his disciples. Matthew 9:10 (CSB) 

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• Friends of God (Part 1)

  READ: JOHN 15:9-17; ROMANS 5:6-11; 1 JOHN 4:11 Relationships of any kind—with family or friends—are important to God. From the beginning, God made us to live in community. Shortly after He created Adam, the first human, God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him” (Genesis 2:18). So God made Eve, Adam’s wife and the first human friend in history. Besides Adam and Eve, there are lots of friendships in the Bible. David and Jonathan, King Saul’s son, were best friends and took care of each other when they faced tough times (1 Samuel 18:1-4; 20:1-42). Ruth and her mother-in-law, Naomi, were very loyal to each other, even when they both lost their husbands and faced poverty (Ruth 1–4). Jesus had friends too—He had twelve followers called disciples who were especially close to Him. Jesus even called Judas “friend” when this disciple came to betray Him (Matthew 26:50). The next day, when Jesus hung on the cross, Luke 23:49 says, “Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.” Jesus was willing to go to the cross and die that terrible death—for us. He knew that we all would betray Him through our sin, but He still wants to be friends with us. And the amazing thing is, if you know Jesus, God is friends with you (John 15:15; James 2:23). That’s because Jesus is God the Son, and the Father sent Him to make the way for you to be close to Him. By dying on the cross and rising from the grave, Jesus took the penalty for your sins (John 14:6). If you know Jesus, not only are you God’s friend, but you also have a whole family of friends—other Christians! All those who trust in Jesus are adopted by God and are brothers and sisters in Christ. They make up God’s family. Throughout the Bible, God encourages His people to love and care for one another as He loves and cares for us, and to tell others how they can become friends of God too. Because, ultimately, friendship with God is what we were created for. And once we’ve experienced His friendship, there’s nothing better! • A. W. Smith • What does it mean for God to be friends with you? (You can find out more on our "Know Jesus" page.) • Can you think of any ways you’ve seen Christians around you act as a family of friends? What does it look like to act like a brother or sister toward our fellow friends of God? So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. Romans 5:11 (NLT) 

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• An Interview with Peter

  READ: LUKE 22:52-62; JOHN 21:15-19 The man sitting across the table from me makes me uneasy. His failures bear resemblance to mine. Yet, even with his failures, he has been with Jesus. Jesus loved this man. I eye him suspiciously, wondering if he’s lying about knowing Jesus and being chosen by Him. “How can I know you’re telling the truth?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. I feel my face flush but continue speaking anyway: “Why would Jesus want you after the way you failed and betrayed Him?” I wince at my judgmental tone, but Peter smiles, neither surprised nor put off by my blunt questions. “I don’t know,” he says, “Jesus certainly shouldn’t have chosen me.” I’m struck by the calmness with which this man states that God shouldn’t have chosen him. Where is Peter’s confidence in his abilities? Where is his refutation of my claim that Jesus shouldn’t have chosen him? “I know Jesus didn’t choose me because of who I am,” Peter continues, “He chose me because of who He is, despite my failures.” This man must be crazy. No one, especially the God of the universe, would choose someone who failed them, right? I look around, eager for an excuse to leave this conversation. But as he continues talking, I become wrapped up in Peter’s words as he recounts his time with Jesus and speaks of His great mercy. “He called me by name,” Peter tells me with tears in his eyes. “He called me by name and just asked me if I loved Him. I said I did love Him, and, in the midst of my failures, He chose me.” My skepticism falters. Though it seems crazy, I can’t help but believe it might be true. I can’t keep my lips from pulling upward into a smile that mirrors Peter’s. I thank him for his time and leave. Could it be true? I wonder. Could I be chosen to follow Jesus? I begin to pray, “I love You, Jesus. I want to follow You.” • Julia Frontz • Today’s fictional story is how one author imagines what it would be like to interview Peter (also known as Simon or Cephas), one of Jesus’s twelve disciples. If you want to dig deeper, you can read more about Peter’s failures and Jesus’s responses in Matthew 14:22-33; 16:21-23; 26:31-35; Luke 22:49-51, 54-62; John 18:10-11; 21:1-25; Galatians 2:11-21. • Does God value us because of anything we do or don’t do? Is anyone more or less worthy of God’s love than anyone else? (Hint: read Romans 3:23-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5) • Ephesians 1:4-5 says, “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” What might it look like for you to live in light of this reality—that God has chosen you because He loves you and wants to be with you? You can find out more about what it means to know Jesus on our "Know Jesus" page. [Jesus said,] “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” John 15:16 (NIV)

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