Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

What shakes you? Peers? Pandemics? Politics? Perhaps your family has moved. Maybe you’ve lost someone close to you. Your school situation may have changed. When the world around us shakes, how does J…

When I travel away from home, I often still attend church by visiting a church near my destination. It’s always been a good experience of getting a different perspective, but there was one time when …

Do you ever feel like you don’t have the words to say in prayer? Have you ever been overjoyed and just want to sing the Lord’s praises? If you’re looking for something to help you express your emotio…

“God, why can’t you hear my prayers?” I shout, storming into nowhere. “Why did Mom have to leave us?” Clenching my fists, I start to run. The brilliant sun dazzles me, except it isn’t the sun but a…

For as long as I could remember, I wanted to be a police officer. During my senior year, I was accepted into one of the best law enforcement programs in the country, but I was experiencing something …

Have you ever felt like you didn’t have any friends? I moved about two years ago, and I still have a hard time making new friends. I sometimes have dreams of meeting the perfect friend who loves the …

The Bible is really repetitive. I don’t mean that it’s boring—far from it! But throughout the Old Testament, God sends people called prophets to speak to the Israelites on His behalf. And, while they…

When I am oppressed Pushed down When I can’t lift my own head When I am controlled Held back When I can’t go my own way When my enemies are winning With cheers When I can’t celebrate When I am destr…

I felt ugly when I was young. I did not see any beauty in me. I had low self-esteem. I was not confident. And I did not think I was special. I did not feel smart or intelligent. I felt shy and vulner…

Going out to look for one sheep when there are a number of others in need of care seems a little crazy. What if something happened to the other sheep while the shepherd was off looking for the one th…

One of my all-time favorite group games is capture the flag. The goal, obviously, is to capture the other team’s flag. But, if you get tagged in the other team’s territory, you are captured. You must…

Anytime there’s a meteor shower, comet, or planet sighting, I’ll walk down to the lake across the road at night and check it out. The last time I walked to the lake, a couple family members joined me…

Just like when He led the Israelites of old, God is also leading us to a promised land. When Jesus was on earth, He made a promise to all those who would believe in Him, saying, “I am going to prepar…

In the Old Testament, God promised to give His people a land to call home. He made a covenant (a promise) with Abram, promising him that he would have so many descendants that they would become a gre…

Kindness. How many times have you heard that word? Growing up, I heard it all the time: “Be kind to people.” But what exactly is kindness? One of the best biblical examples I can think of involves D…

One night, Jesus did something unexpected. When it was time to eat the traditional Jewish Passover meal, Jesus took off His outer clothing, wrapped a towel around His waist, then filled a pan with wa…

When I pray out loud with friends, some of them begin by saying, “Hi God.” At first, this struck me as odd and maybe even disrespectful. After all, God is the Creator and Supreme Ruler of everything…

Some of my Christian friends like to start praying by calling God “Father,” and they aren’t the first! When Jesus’ disciples asked Him how to pray, He taught them a prayer that many Christians have …

One of my friends was walking through a difficult time. While I was reading in Ezekiel 22, a phrase from verse 30 tugged at my heart: God said, “I looked for someone among them who would stand before…