Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

The Bible commands us to be grateful. But why is that? Can God command us to feel a certain way? Well, at the end of the day, gratitude really isn’t a feeling. It’s an action. It’s glorifying Jesus …

When you think of the prophet Jonah, what comes to mind? Getting swallowed by a huge fish? Running from God? A certain movie with talking vegetables? What you might not know is how the story of Jonah…

Have you ever experienced a sudden life change? Finding out your parents are divorcing, a move to a new place, or the loss of a loved one can bring chaos to your mind. A loss or a sudden life change…

I had no idea I was nearsighted until I failed my vision screening test in the sixth grade. Once I got my first pair of glasses, I was blown away by what the world really looked like. Trees that had …

Sometimes it’s hard to leave home where everything is familiar and safe. God called Hudson Taylor to do just thatleading him to show God’s heart to dwell among His people and to save them from sin, e…

I put away the oars, the dock looming out of the mist. The coordinates they had given me were spot-on. The island city was real after all. Two tall statues, of a man and a woman grasping hands, fram…

God is sovereign. The word sovereign simply means that He is the Supreme Ruler, the One who has ultimate power. God has the final say in everything! Wow! I never liked that idea! That is, until I le…

Are you praying desperately for loved ones and wondering if they’ll ever come to know Jesus? You are not alone. This is the battle that St. Monica had all the way back in the fourth century AD. Moni…

St. Augustine was a famous theologian born in AD 354 in present-day Algeria. He wrote on big ideas in Christianity, such as the importance of the church and salvation by grace. He also devoted time t…

When you find an area in your life that needs change, do you seek to try harder and do betterbut find it just gets worse? As Christians, this is often how we look at the gospel. How have we taken som…

Have you ever questioned whether being a Christian was worth the effort? Have you ever looked at people who don’t know God and thought, “Their lives are so easy, but my life is boring and hard”? Some…

Kellen crossed his arms and shook his head as smoke engulfed his one-man transport. He turned away and stepped off the tracks that connected the two largest cities in the world. The railway cut thro…

If she did not act, they would all perish. Esther’s heart pounded in her chest, the whisper of her silk dress taunting her with its queenly beauty as she paced the palace halls, every step bringing h…

Do you have a theme song? Do you ever wake up with a song in your head? Do you memorize song after song? Psalms, which is actually a book of songs, is the longest book in the Bible. But, even though…

The devil likes to make us think we are worthlessthat God can’t use us in His kingdom. He makes us think regular people like us don’t have anything to contribute to the church, the body of Christ. T…

The time: World War II. The place: a printing shop in a village in the Netherlands. Several men, including my grandfather, were busy working for the resistance, printing pamphlets against Hitler and …

A heart wrapped up in worry, A fearful mind wondering, “What next? Why? When?” Pressure, exams, relationships, Friendshere, then gone, Anxieties tattooing a lasting impression. Hold on. In the u…

You didn’t make the team. That singing part you were trying out for? The girl who always gets the main part got it again. No one invited you to that party. Your parents are disappointed with your gra…

Has prayer ever been confusing or boring to you? Prayer is how we talk with God, and, in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can talk with God about anythingbecause we are resting on the …

How many times have you misread a text or an email? Now, let’s flip it: how many times have you had a message misinterpreted? Maybe you took your friend’s sarcasm literally, orin a hurry to get the m…