Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

• Power and Pain

  READ: 2 CORINTHIANS 1:1-5; 6:3-10; 10:3-5 "God won’t give you more than you can handle,” many well-meaning people have said. However, when you’re going through that dark night of the soul—such as the death of a loved one, an unexpected diagnosis, or other deep pain—this saying does not ring true. Why does God allow these hard things we don’t, and may never, understand? Is He even still good? Whenever I read the words of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 6, I feel comforted. He endured so many hard things for the sake of Christ, including beatings, prison time, and hunger. Instead of making light of his trials, Paul acknowledged them for what they were: painful! But what gave Paul the endurance and the ability to stand up under his troubles? The answer is in verse 7: “the power of God.” He relied on God to give him strength. As children of God, we belong to Jesus. Paul says we have His power to demolish strongholds. We have the Holy Spirit’s help to take our every thought captive and make them obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Even though Satan would like to keep us in our place of pain, sorrow, and discouragement, he doesn’t have the final word—because Jesus Christ has defeated sin and death through His own death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-26; 1 Peter 2:22-25). Perhaps you feel like Paul felt many times, beaten and broken. Be encouraged, for you are not alone. If you know Jesus, He has given you His power and He is with you! • Savannah Coleman • You or someone you love may be in a place of deep pain and sorrow right now. We live in a broken, sin-filled world, and God never promised an easy life, but He did promise that He will be with us always (Matthew 28:20). How could it be comforting to know that Jesus, the God of the universe who went to the cross for you, will never leave or abandon you? (Deuteronomy 31:8) • Do you ever feel like God doesn’t want to hear about your troubles and your pain? God loves you and wants you to share the good, the bad, and the ugly—your joys, and even your cries of anger (1 Peter 5:7). What are some things weighing on you that you’d like to share with God? • The Bible never says, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.” The closest verse we have is 1 Corinthians 10:13, which is about God providing a way to withstand every temptation. When we hear sayings that don’t ring true, how can we examine the Bible for ourselves? By the word of truth, by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left. 2 Corinthians 6:7 (CSB) 

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• Amazing Grace: John Newton

  READ: ROMANS 5:1-11; EPHESIANS 2:1-10; TITUS 2:11-14 God’s ability to rescue and transform is incredible. “I once was lost, but now am found,” wrote John Newton in his famous hymn “Amazing Grace,” and these striking words weren’t simply for dramatic effect. Newton had experienced God’s grace—His undeserved kindness— firsthand, and his story is a beautiful example of God’s power. Newton was born in England in 1725. His mother was a Christian, but after her death, he spent much time at sea with his father and abandoned his mother’s godly teachings. Eventually, he joined the crew of a slave ship, where he embraced a rough lifestyle. However, God was still pursuing Newton. One day, a storm arose at sea, and Newton was terrified. Realizing he was a sinner unworthy of help, he nevertheless cried to God for mercy, and he was spared. That very day, he turned back to God. That wasn’t the end of God’s grace in Newton’s life, though. When he was twenty-nine, illness forced him back to land, where he sought God earnestly and threw himself into ministry. He was soon ordained as a minister and then started writing hymns. Later, he felt called to pastor a church in London, and many people came to hear him preach about the grace that had saved him. As he grew spiritually, he also repented of his part in the British slave trade and began to oppose it passionately. All his life, Newton remained awed by God’s love and kindness toward him— that God would not only rescue a poor sinner, but would continue working in and through him to reach many people. Newton’s story shows that because of Jesus’s death and resurrection, no one is too far gone. God can save and change anyone. Like Newton, we are all sinners unworthy of rescue. And God offers us the same amazing grace that transformed John Newton’s life. • Faith Lewis • History is full of stories of sinners who God saved, just like John Newton, just like us. Jesus lived, died, and rose again to make the way for anyone to come to Him. No one is beyond His reach. And salvation is only the beginning of God’s grace—after we place our trust in Jesus, He continues to transform and work through us for the rest of our lives. We still struggle with sin, but when we rely on God’s grace instead of our own efforts, He can do great things in and through us. How have you seen God’s grace at work in your life? What about the lives of others? For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Romans 3:23-24 (NIV) 

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• God's Word and Our Anxiety

  READ: PSALM 119:10-16, 50-52, 103 I used to have crippling anxiety during violin recitals because I put too much pressure on myself to nail every note in front of an audience. No matter how well I knew the music, my fingers, arms, and legs would shake uncontrollably. Instead of playing the beautiful flowing melody I spent months learning and rehearsing, my performance would be choppy and somewhat screechy. It would crush me every time. But I finally learned how to tackle this anxiety—I would memorize my music. Through the process of memorizing, I would know the music so well that I wouldn’t need to think about it while playing on stage. I could simply close my eyes and let my violin sing. I could even pray while playing! And I stopped feeling so anxious at recitals. Violin recitals aren’t the only things that have made me anxious. Tests at school, trying out for sports teams, and having hard conversations with friends—just to name a few—have made me anxious. But, like I’ve learned that memorizing music calmed my anxiety during recitals, I learned that memorizing God’s Word calms my anxiety throughout everyday life. In Psalm 119, David says, “I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (verse 15-16). Memorizing God’s Word helps us focus on Jesus and what He has done for us, especially in times when we feel anxious and our minds easily stray from the truth. Memorizing my violin music helped my mind and body calm down because I didn’t have to overthink what I was doing—the music was engraved in my mind and heart. God’s Word is like that too. When we carve His Word on our hearts, we often find that anxiety-inducing situations are not as overwhelming. Though we’ll all have times when we experience anxiety in our bodies and minds—that is, until the day Jesus returns—we don’t have to go through it alone. Jesus is with us, and He helps us relax as we join in the music of His truth. • Rachel Wierenga • We all feel anxious from time to time, but God has so much compassion on us, and He wants to help us through His Word, His Spirit, and His people. Do you have any favorite Bible verses that help you when you feel anxious? Consider choosing one to memorize this week. • Who is a trusted Christian in your life you can talk openly with when you feel anxious? If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:15-16 (NIV) 

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• The Valley of Silence

  READ: PSALMS 32:1-11; 139:7-10; JEREMIAH 17:7-8 Sometimes, when God seems silent, it’s easier to ask, “Where is God?” than to consider what the silence really means. There are so many stories in the Bible of God working through people in major ways. Moses led thousands out of slavery, Joseph saved entire nations from starvation, not to mention Jesus—God in human flesh—made the way to save the world from sin and death. What we often ignore are the stories before the story. God took Moses to the wilderness of Midian before sending him before Pharaoh. Joseph was taken to the figurative wilderness of slavery before becoming a great leader in Egypt and saving the lives of countless people during a famine. Jesus fasted in the wilderness for forty days before starting His ministry, which would culminate in His death on the cross and victorious resurrection. Often, God takes people through a wilderness before working in their lives. The key word here is through. He doesn’t just take people to the wilderness and leave them there. No, the wilderness is a training ground. And training grounds are meant for us to pass through, not to stay in. In His faithful timing, God will lead us not just to the wilderness, but through it. Wildernesses can feel like valleys of isolation and silence. But remember that even in the valley, the Holy Spirit is growing our roots into Jesus Christ. So, if God seems silent, draw in close to Him. Closeness with God requires dropping our walls and getting silent sometimes. It’s often in the silence that we hear God’s truth and experience His love in new and profound ways. As we hear truth, we are trained in truth. And it’s only after we’ve been trained that we can confidently go out from the valley—and onto the battlefield. Psalm 32:7 says God surrounds us with “shouts of deliverance.” So, embrace the valley for the training ground it is, then go out with the confidence that comes from resting in Jesus’s love—God’s shouts of deliverance leading the way! • Sarah Rexford • Can you think of a time God used a valley in your life to deepen your relationship with Him and teach you new things about the good news of Jesus? What happened? • Has God seemed silent to you lately? Consider taking a moment to talk to Him about this. • If you want to dig deeper, read Genesis 37; 50; Exodus 2–3; Romans 5:1-5; 8:31-39; 2 Corinthians 10:1-5; Ephesians 6:10-20; Colossians 2:6-7; 1 Timothy 1:12-19. He led his people in the wilderness. His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:16 (CSB) 

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• Know Him

  READ: EPHESIANS 1:17-19; 2 PETER 3:18; 1 JOHN 5:20 In fifth grade, I wrote a report on Eleanor Roosevelt. For weeks I studied her, read many resources about her, and wrote down all kinds of information and facts about her. I even had to dress up like her to make my presentation to the class. By the end of all that research, I felt like I knew just about everything about her. But even with all of my fact-gathering, I didn’t really know Eleanor Roosevelt at all. I knew about her, but I didn’t know her personally. I didn’t know her voice, the way she smiled, what made her laugh, her character, or any of the things you know about someone when you have a close relationship with them. The same is true for our relationship with Jesus. We can participate in Bible studies, Christian camps, youth group, Sunday school, and a multitude of other good things. But unless we are seeking to know Jesus better through them, it’s all just head knowledge. We can know all sorts of facts about Jesus without really knowing Him at all. Jesus wants more for us than just head knowledge. He desires a deep, personal relationship with us. That’s why He was willing to die on the cross— because He loves us and wants to be with us forever. When we put our trust in Jesus, we enter a relationship with God, and His Holy Spirit comes to live in us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, our relationship with God becomes more and more central to our everyday lives. Jesus invites us to spend time reading His Word—and asking Him what He wants to say to us through it. He invites us to talk with Him throughout the day. To ask Him for guidance, for help in difficult situations, and for strength on hard days. To bring our worries to Him. To bring our joys to Him. And He invites us to rest in His deep, unconditional love for us. • Cara Campbell • If you want to know more about entering a relationship with God through Jesus, see our "Know Jesus" page. • Even after we’ve put our trust in Jesus by believing in His death and resurrection, sometimes we can fall into pursuing head knowledge about God while forgetting that we have a relationship with the God we’re learning about. We might also be hesitant or even resistant to interact with Him, and this happens throughout our lives for a variety of reasons. How would you describe your relationship with God lately? What do you want your relationship with Him to be like? [Jesus said,] “I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me.” John 10:14 (NLT) 

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