Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

She was meowing somewhere in the house. I kept calling her name, “Belle, where are you?” I heard a weak answering meow. I went upstairs trying to follow the sound. I checked under the beds and in th…

When I was asked to give a devotional message to a group of high school students, I started my presentation by reading from the Bible about light and darkness. Then, I held up a large, empty cardboar…

Lord, I’m so tired. I spend my day moving between grief and anger and apathy and frustration and fear, and I just end up exhausted. I want to scream and cry and sleep and hide from the world, all at …

When I was a teen, I wish I would’ve learned God doesn’t look down on me because of my anxiety. At that time, I didn’t even realize I was fighting anxiety. I just knew I was fighting fear—and feeling…

Welcome to the newly established eternal kingdom of Yahweh, Almighty God and Creator of Heaven and Earth. He has restored His creation and made all things well. Today, He commands the immediate remov…

If you have ever been to a school graduation ceremony, you likely sat through at least one speech. Most graduation speeches have two components. The first reflects back on shared years at the school:…

Surrounded by friends, family members, and acquaintances, you plaster a smile on your face to cover up the sadness. A conversation is going on, but you’re not listening. You begin to wonder who you r…

Don’t be afraid,” I tell myself. “Don’t have those irrational fears.” Don’t be scared of bugs, heights, crowds; eliminate those phobias. When I was feeling happy, hopeful, surrounded by friends, …

I’m fifty-four years old, and one thing I wish I’d known about God when I was a teenager is that He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. As a teen, I attempted over and over again to do what God said in…

One of my favorite Bible verses is Romans 8:38-39 because it says we are inseparable from the love of God. That’s a powerful statement. Few things in this shattered, divided world are inseparable. Fr…

Caymen opened his sack and rummaged through the contents. “I have everything I need.” He breathed deep of the green pasture where he’d spent the night. The melodious water of the creek beckoned agai…

Many of us are familiar with Jesus’ Great Commission to His disciples in Matthew 28:19-20, telling us to go and make disciples of all nations. I love these Bible verses, and so does the church as a w…

Your friends are the loveliest people you know: kindhearted, considerate, and nonjudgmental and they’re atheists. So, what happens when you’re the only Christian in your circle of friends? There are …

Have you ever walked in your sleep? I have. My one and only time sleepwalking was at summer camp when my camp counselor led my cabin on a hike and overnight campout. My cabinmates and I hiked uphill …

We often think of the Old Testament as dull and dry. Some parts are filled with stories that are familiar to some of us, like Noah’s ark. But the rest of the Old Testament eh, not so much. A lot of u…

Coming from Egypt, my family found it tough to live in Canada. We weren’t used to the weather, the system, the people, anything! We didn’t have much money, and my parents were trying to find jobs. Li…

I know that God hears me every time I pray, but does He answer me in the way I want or expect? Not always, but I know He hears me just the same. I am comforted when I remember God knows what’s best …

Have you heard the story of the bleeding woman? It’s moving, powerful—full of courage, faith, and compassion. This important moment is recorded in three of the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. …

You thought someone was going to be part of your life forever, and then suddenly they’re just gone. They left you. They moved on. Now, you’re left wondering about others in your life and trying to fi…

Have you ever thought you were communicating one thing, but the way you acted actually communicated another thing? The Corinthians found themselves in a similar problem because of the way they practi…