Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

In an ever-changing world, we all want something to hold on to, don’t we? When we go through a big transition in our life, it always helps to cling to something that doesn’t change, though everything…

There’s a lot of pressure on teenagers to know what they want to do in life. I’m nearing the end of my junior year of high school, and college is often at the forefront of my mind. With so many decis…

How can I know if I have eternal life? If there’s one book that can best answer that question, it’s 1 John. This letter is one of five books in the New Testament written by the apostle John. He wrot…

Sacrifices. They appear all throughout the Bible, beginning with the animal killed to clothe the first humans after they fell into sin (Genesis 3:21): “Adam, my sheepskin is wearing thin. Soon, I’l…

I am weak, falling apart, but You are my deliverer. I am crushed, beaten, but You are the shelter from the storms. I am rebellious, disobedient, but You are the faithful and just God. I am fearful, p…

Have you ever played “Follow the Leader”? One person leads, then the rest follow, copying every move. But if a leader is someone in charge—someone we look to for directions—then what makes a good le…

The tale of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem is listed in all four of the gospels. In this account, Jesus rides a donkey’s colt into the city as people— His people—threw their cloaks to the grou…

The storm was getting more violent by the second. The little boat couldn’t handle it. It creaked and groaned. There was no way we could make it. We would sink and all of us would drown, for there was…

I love having a plan for anything. I love being prepared for whatever life might throw at me. But it seems the moment I have the perfect plan, things go downhill. Maybe you can relate: one minute, ev…

Lightning splits the sky, so I dash inside the nearest store, before I’m drenched. A woman polishes. “Welcome, Hayley. I’m Nancy,” she says, placing the duster to one side. “Come on in. Get shelter…

“Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded”—these are the words describing the fate of each of Henry VIII’s wives until July 1543 when Katherine Parr married King Henry of England as his sixth wif…

I keep it handy. A college notebook. From time to time, I open it to the back of my American History final. On this page, my favorite professor wrote: “It was a real joy to have had you as a student …

Once again, the Pharisees were out for Jesus’ blood. Eager to catch Jesus in a mistake, they tugged a woman before Him and announced their plans to stone her for her sin of adultery. The Pharisees ho…

We like control. We like comfort. We fear the things that threaten our personal security, and we do everything we can to eliminate them. But God never promised us an easy life. In fact, He tells us w…

I don’t know about you, but I love a good mystery. The allure of figuring out where that certain key item is hidden, the suspense of the unknown, the intrigue! And that’s the cool thing about the boo…

God created us in His image. He created us to trust in Him and not to worry about what the future might hold. At the dawn of creation, Adam and Eve didn’t spend their days stressing over the unknown.…

When you’ve shared your faith in Christ, has someone ever asked you, “But where in the Bible does it say that?” Or have you ever been asked why you believe the way you do? It can be scary if you do…

St. Patrick was a Scottish teenager when his village was attacked. The invaders threw him on a ship and took him to Ireland where he was sold as a slave to a farmer. Most of Patrick’s slavery was s…

Waking up on rocky ground amid the wreckage, I stared at the purple sky. My body ached. The last thing I remembered was a strange force pulling my pod ship toward a crater on this moon. But the twist…

Have you ever felt like God has abandoned you? Like no matter how much you pray and ask for His guidance, you never seem to get an answer? If you’ve experienced this, take comfort. As Christians, ev…