Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

READ: PSALM 139:1-4, 23-24; JEREMIAH 23:23-24; 31:3; HEBREWS 4:12-13

As she related her story, my eyes widened. Our friends laughed. And she congratulated herself. This girl, who I’ll call Kelly, had just told us about a trip to the mall. It sounded like she was describing an adventure as she explained how she tried on a swimsuit in the dressing room of a store. Only Kelly didn’t change back into her own clothes and then pay for it. She kept the swimsuit on, put her clothes over it, and walked out of the store—and the mall—wearing a stolen swimsuit.

Our friends admired Kelly for getting away with something. But although she hadn’t been caught shoplifting, she’d still committed a crime. And she’d still sinned.

Kelly and I attended the same church and youth group. We’d known each other as followers of Jesus, having placed our trust in Christ to pay the penalty and take on the punishment for our own sin.

But we all still struggle with sin. Even as new creations in Christ, we still live in a broken world and face temptation. And sometimes we even try to hide our sins, foolishly assuming that not getting caught means we’ve gotten away with something. But these things are still sins, and our loving Heavenly Father notices them all. And even when we manage to avoid some earthly consequences, our choices to sin—whether we’re stealing, lusting, envying, hating, or something else—hinder our walk with Jesus. Thankfully, God loves us with an everlasting love, and He longs to restore us and draw us close to Himself. Jesus died and rose again to make the way for us to be welcomed into God’s family. So, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, nothing—not even our own sin—can shake our position as His children

When sin gets in the way of us experiencing the closeness we have with God, He isn’t waiting to pounce on us for messing up. Instead, God desires for us to draw near to Him and agree with Him about the sin He already sees. As we bring our sin into the light and acknowledge it, according to 1 John 1:9, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” • Allison Wilson Lee

• God cares about us enough to take notice of everything we do. He doesn’t want us to hurt ourselves, others, or our fellowship with Him. How can this truth affect the way we view God?

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)

READ: PSALMS 92:1-2; 150:1-6; EPHESIANS 5:18-20; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:11

It’s easy to be thankful when we really like the gift. Maybe someone gave you just what you wanted, or maybe school is amazing this year—your friends are awesome, classes are great, and learning has been coming easily. In those times, it feels natural to be thankful. But when life hands us hardships, trials, and even suffering, thanking God might be the last thing we feel like doing.

“It is good,” says Psalm 92, to give thanks to the Lord. Our loving Father invites us to spend time thanking Him because He knows there is power in praise. It resets our perspective, something we all need, especially in the middle of hardship. This is part of His plan for His people. It’s one of His gifts to us.

But, because we live in a world broken by sin, gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Thankfully, God doesn’t expect us to do it alone. He has called us to encourage one another. His plan includes you and me, speaking life and truth into each other’s waiting ears.

Near the end of Paul’s letter to the church in Ephesus, he tells the believers to speak the language of praise to one another! God knows we need reminders of His love and care, so He instructs us to do it together. It’s a privilege to remind each other of the good news of Jesus—that He died and rose again to save us, that He promises to make all things new, and that He is with us always, working on our behalf.

As we grow in our relationship with Jesus, we come to realize that we need our brothers and sisters to come alongside us, and we want to be there for them too. We can do this often, even daily! We can read Scripture aloud to each other, sing songs of praise together, share verses that have been coming alive to us, tell each other stories of how we’ve seen God working in our lives, and more. There are countless ways we can encourage each other to lift our gaze to Jesus, the one who is always loving us, always showing kindness to us, always walking with us. We can be thankful, together. • Kristen Merrill

• Can you think of a time you felt encouraged to worship, perhaps through others’ contagious joy as they expressed thankfulness to God? What was that like?

• As Christians, what are some ways we can encourage each other to turn our hearts to Jesus in thankfulness? Consider taking a moment to ask Jesus to help you notice opportunities to invite others into gratitude and praise this week.

Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-20 (NIV)

READ: 2 THESSALONIANS 1:1-3, 11-12

Do you share your friends with God? You’re probably wondering what that means. You might even think it’s a typo and should read, “Do you share God with your friends?”

While it is important to share Jesus with our friends by telling them about Him, it’s just as important to share our friends with Jesus by praying for them. When they come to us with problems we can’t fix—like parents divorcing, major illnesses, or the death of a loved one—we can feel helpless. But we are not without help: if we know Jesus, we can share our friends with the all-powerful God of the universe, bringing their concerns to Him in prayer.

And we don’t even have to wait for hard times to share our friends with God: we can pray for them “at all times” (Ephesians 6:18). And when we’re not sure what to pray, there are lots of prayers in the Bible we can use as a starting point. For example, today’s Scripture passage is Paul’s prayer for his friends in Thessalonica. He thanked God for them and prayed for their growth in Christ. In the same way, we can bring our friends and all their needs before Jesus, our Savior and Friend, who always loves us and always wants to help us. • Melissa Yeagle

• According to Hebrews 4:14-16, why can we talk to God about anything and everything?

• What are some of the problems your friends are facing right now? Consider taking a moment to tell Jesus about what’s going on and what you want Him to do about it. Remember, He cares about your friends even more than you do, and He knows just how to help.

• What are some problems you’re facing right now? Who are trusted Christian friends in your life you can ask to pray for you? (If you’re having a hard time thinking of anyone, remember that friends don’t necessarily have to be the same age as you.)

• If you want to dig deeper, read 2 Corinthians 1:8-11; Ephesians 3:14-21; 6:18; 1 Timothy 2:1-7.

So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 (NLT)

READ: HEBREWS 11:1–12:3

You can’t catch your breath. You feel weak, and you just want to lie down and give up. If life is a race, you’re in last place and the finish line is miles away. Should you even try to keep going?

Many people who’ve gone before have felt the same way, and yet somehow they’ve persevered—not just waiting for time to pass, but moving forward, even when the specific outcome was unknown. Noah spent years building the ark before the waters began to rise. Abraham left his home when he didn’t know where he was going. Moses led the Israelites around the desert for forty years and didn’t even get to go into the Promised Land. Rahab hid the Israelite spies and then kept their whereabouts a secret from her own city, not knowing when they would return. These people weren’t perfect. They messed up, but they also stuck with it.

What was their secret? Faith in the God who keeps His promises. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab, and others knew there was more to their stories than what they could see in front of them.

In the same way, God calls us to be faithful in difficult circumstances even when we don’t know exactly how things will work out. But He doesn’t just tell us to persevere—and then leave us to run the race by ourselves. He promises to be with us in it. Hebrews 12:1-2 encourages us to “run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Jesus, the one who calls us, is faithful (1 Thessalonians 5:24). He has run the race, finished it, and promised to always be with us. He covers us with His grace, knowing we aren’t perfect, and gives us the strength to keep going until the day He comes again. • Mary Rozendal

• Can you think of a time when situations in your life made you feel overwhelmed, and you just wanted to give up? Were there any ways you noticed Jesus providing strength in that time?

• Jesus calls us to keep running, knowing that the finish line is eternal life with Him in restored creation! Remember, this race is not a sprint but a marathon. To run with endurance, we have to rest, take breaks, and sometimes reevaluate the things we’re doing. Who are trusted Christians in your life who can help you discern how you can run well in your own unique situations?

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. There is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me, but to all those who have loved his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (CSB)

READ: MARK 1:29-39; LUKE 5:1-16

I grabbed a yellow blanket and stormed out into the breezy summer day. I was nine years old and fed up. Fed up with our big family, our small house, and all the frustration with my little brother, who I’ll call Bradley. I’d decided right then to run away from home. The blanket was just an afterthought. As I stomped down the steps, Bradley caught up to me.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“I’m running away!” I shouted.

“Wait for me! I’ll come with you!”

He turned back to the house (to grab his own blanket, maybe) before I could tell him I wanted to run away from him, not with him. Just then I heard Mama yell, “Lunch time!” I sighed, turning back to the house. Today was not the day to run away.

In time, I learned more about myself: I get recharged by alone time. Then I’m energized to interact with others. Instead of running away from home that morning Bradley bugged me, I just needed some time by myself.

Jesus never ran away from people the way I attempted at age nine. But He did recognize the need to withdraw from the crowds alone so He could be refreshed in prayer and fellowship with the Father. Christ’s ministry required much from Him, and He understood the importance of stepping away from the busyness for focused moments of intimacy with His Father.

Once we begin a relationship with God by trusting in the work of Christ—dying for our forgiveness and then arising to give us new life—we can enjoy fellowship with the Father too. Our lives may demand much from us, and many of these commitments may even be good. But God calls us to remember that the most important thing is to enjoy our close connection with Him. Besides, we can only love others well when we are receiving God’s abundant love for us—and then letting that love overflow to others (John 15:5; 1 John 4:19). We—like Jesus—must set aside time to receive God’s renewal by spending personal time with Him. • Allison Wilson Lee

• As humans, we all need time alone. Even more, we need time alone with God in His Word. Thankfully, once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, God is always with us. So we can turn our attention to His presence any time. When you think about spending time with God, how does that feel? Intimidating, confusing, burdensome? Consider taking a moment to honestly tell God about how you feel and ask Him to give you a glimpse of how good time alone with Him can be.

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. Luke 6:12 (NIV)