Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens Keys for Kids Ministries

READ: JOHN 1:1-9; 8:12



Have you ever been outside during a cloudy night when you couldn’t see the moon or even the stars? The darkness can feel all-consuming. And trying to find your way through that darkness can lead to some serious scrapes and bruises!



Sometimes, going through life can feel the same way. The darkness of sin and brokenness feels all-consuming. It’s easy to get lost.



Thankfully, wherever we go, we always have light with us. The apostle John starts his Gospel by declaring that Jesus is “the true light that gives light to everyone” (John 1:9). Later in this book, John recounts how Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Apart from God, all people are lost in the darkness of sin, but Jesus gives His light to everyone who trusts in Him.



And we really do need light, even when we think we don’t. Just like trying to find our way home in a pitch-dark night, going through life without the light of Jesus will leave us lost and hurt. But Jesus saves us from the darkness of sin through His death and resurrection, and He leads us safely home. As John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” We can always rely on Him, even in the darkest nights. • A. W. Smith



• If we know Jesus, we know the Light of the World. Sometimes we don’t feel like we need Him, but making our way through life without Him is like walking in darkness. Jesus wants to light our way. To learn more about the good news of Jesus, check out our "Know Jesus" page.



• As Christians, we’re looking forward to the day Jesus will restore creation and rid the world of darkness forever. In the meantime, we know He is always with us. In what ways have you experienced the darkness of our broken world lately? What has left you feeling hurt and lost? Jesus knows all our pain and confusion, and He longs to comfort us in His love. Consider taking a moment to come to Him in prayer, telling Him about your hurts and receiving His compassion.



• When you feel overwhelmed by the darkness, who is a trusted Christian in your life who can help remind you of the reality of Jesus’s all-powerful light?



“I [Jesus] am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV) 

READ: ROMANS 5:8-11; 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-21; EPHESIANS 6:19-20



Would you like to be an ambassador to a foreign country and work in an embassy? You’d live in that foreign country and be able to speak for your country’s leader, because you would be their official representative.



Did you know that the land the embassies are on is actually considered a really small part of their home country? So, say, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico is actually a tiny piece of the United States of America, right smack dab in the middle of Mexico City.



Turns out that if you name Jesus as your King, then you actually are an ambassador for Christ! The church is kind of like an embassy, right here on earth. Christians are given this awesome opportunity to speak for God as we share our faith and His love with the world around us.



In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul is appealing with his whole heart to the lost ones in Corinth. He shares how the heart of his King, the God of the universe, longs for the world that has turned its back on Him to be reconciled to Him. Paul writes, “We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, ‘Be reconciled to God.’”



God’s embassy is still on earth, even when we turn our back to Him. His church, the ambassadors, are still here. God doesn’t want anyone to live outside of His territory. He wants the whole world to be reconciled, to come to Him, and to live as residents of His kingdom.



So He sends His ambassadors—you and me—to the people around us. We ambassadors for Christ can pray for our friends, share our stories, and explain God’s wonderful plan to those around us. • Kristen Merrill



• One day, Jesus will return to reign as King over all creation. He will renew the heavens and the earth, and He will resurrect His people from the dead to live with Him in His eternal kingdom. Until then, the church can offer a glimpse of that kingdom. What are some ways the church can point to Jesus as King? How can we show people what Jesus and His kingdom are like?



• It’s because God loves us and longs for us to be reconciled to Him that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. To learn more about how we can be reconciled to God through Jesus, and how to share this good news with others, check out our "Know Jesus" page.



Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20 (CSB)

READ: PROVERBS 12:15; 15:22; 19:20; 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-27



I like to do things on my own. I never enjoyed group projects in school because it seemed like I was the one to be the most focused or the one who cared the most about grades, so then I ended up putting pressure on myself to pick up the slack from everyone else. Plus, I know what it is that I want to do, and working in a group is difficult because people have lots of different opinions about what should be done or how it should be done.



As I grew into adulthood, that dislike for working on group projects continued in the form of just generally wanting to do my own thing. Sometimes, it’s hard for me to listen to the advice of others because I know what it is I want to accomplish, and I know how I want to accomplish it.



But the times I have sought advice and truly listened to what others had to say about different circumstances I was facing, I was able to make a better decision about how to move forward. When God saves us, He places us in community for a reason. He says, “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). We’re often tempted to think that we don’t need other people, that life would be simpler if we just did things ourselves, but we are meant to lean on one another. We are not meant to do this life alone. There is so much freedom and confidence that comes from turning to other people and truly listening to what they have to say. • Tynea Lewis



• Do you like group projects? Why or why not? Can you think of a time when having multiple people’s perspectives and abilities resulted in a better outcome than one person could have produced on their own?



• What is one area of your life that you could benefit from listening to the advice of others?



• Who is a trusted person in your life who could provide wise and godly counsel when you are facing difficult situations or decisions—someone who embodies the wisdom described in James 3:12-18? If no one comes to mind, you can ask God to help you identify someone in the future.



Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life. Proverbs 19:20 (NLT)  

READ: ROMANS 8; 1 PETER 2:9-10



My hands shook with my effort not to take The List out of my pocket. You can’t control me, I whispered through gritted teeth. I just wanted to walk into this building full of, I imagined, lovely people and be okay. Two steps from the door, my fingers curled around The List. I tried to squeeze my eyes shut as I felt myself unfold the paper. There, scrawled across the top was the word condemned. I jammed the paper into my pocket, turned around, and walked away.



The following day, I was looking forward to the moment that could change the trajectory of my future. I had prepared myself and worked hard. I sat in a chair, waiting for them to call my name. Instead, I felt the call of The List. I gripped the seat tight, willing myself not to listen. Once again, I opened it to see the next word penned below the first: rejected. I made my way down the hall, away from possibility, not even turning back when I heard them call my name.



Looking in the mirror that night, I thought I glimpsed a spark of new. Was it in my eyes? Could I be the person I wanted to be? Did the corners of my mouth turn up slightly more than usual? I felt a strange twitch on my lips, a desire to smile. But the desire fled when I watched my hand draw out The List once more. I don’t know why I had this compulsion to read it when I already knew by heart what I would see: stagnant.



I sank to the floor, overcome by defeat and sorrow. The List lay beside me, mocking—wait! The words that I had read so many times were crossed out with bold, red slashes. I gripped The List and felt my heart leap as I read new words written over the old. Instead of condemned I read approved, in place of rejected was chosen, over stagnant was alive.



Finally, I understood. The List would no longer control me with its lies. I could live in the freedom of who I was always meant to be, and no one could take it away. • Savannah Coleman



• Like The List in today’s allegorical story, we all have voices in our heads, but what God says about us should trump anything our minds or other people say. When you become a follower of Christ, you are given a new identity. He takes all the sin and shame. By the blood of Jesus shed for you, you are no longer condemned, but forgiven (Romans 8:1; 1 John 2:12). You are no longer rejected, but a chosen, fully loved child of God (Romans 8:15; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 3:1). What are some practical ways you could spend time listening to what God says about you this week? Remember, we hear God’s voice through His Word, His people, and His Spirit. (If you’ve never put your trust in Jesus and want to know more, see our "Know Jesus" page.)



• Satan likes to try to remind us of who we were before we met Jesus. He accuses and causes worries, fears, and anxiety to fill our minds. And even if Satan is not directly responsible for the voices in our heads, he is a primary source of them. The other source is the law, or God’s commands, which God gave us to show us our need for Jesus. Yet, Satan uses the law to accuse us. The law’s accusatory nature should lead us to Christ, but it often becomes the means by which we are continually enslaved by fear and anxiety. But the truth is this: in Christ, we are new creations—everything that was old has been transformed (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21). Although we will still struggle with sin and negative thoughts, we now have the power of God to choose righteousness and take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:

READ: 2 TIMOTHY 3:14-17; HEBREWS 4:12



When you do the same thing over and over again, it’s easy to get tired of it. This can even be true of reading the Bible. If you’ve ever had your Bible reading routine feel like something you’re just trying to get through and you’ve longed for it to be something more—longed to learn more and get more out of it—you can find a way to make things different. You can try new things so that your Bible reading routine helps you feel more connected to God and helps you grow in your faith.



First, you can start by asking God for direction. Spend time with Him in prayer, asking what He wants your Bible reading routine to look like right now. Ask Him where He wants you to be reading. Ask Him how He wants you to be studying. Ask Him to remind you of how He is with you as you read. Remember, the time you spend reading the Bible can be something you do together with Him, deeply in-tuned to Him. As you pray, you may not get any specific answers about where and how to do your reading, and that’s okay—the point is to spend intentional time seeking God as you read His Word. He may be guiding you in ways you don’t even realize yet.



If you’ve been studying your Bible alone, you could find someone to read it with you—maybe a friend, mentor, church member, or small group. You might even see if a sibling is interested in sitting down with you each day and letting you read to them. Then, discuss what you’re reading with the person or people you choose to study with.



If you’ve never tried journaling about what you’re reading in the Bible before, why not get out a paper and pen and give it a try? Write about what you’re learning, what questions you have, connections to your life, prayers, and whatever else God lays on your heart.



The Bible is worth studying because it’s God’s Word—and it tells us the truth about Jesus’s death and resurrection. It reveals His great love for us. So, if you feel that something in your Bible routine is lacking, ask God to help you find a way to change things up. • Emily Acker



• Have you tried out any Bible-reading routines? What did you like or dislike about them?



• Which of the suggestions above are you curious about? Do any other ideas come to mind?



• God delights in helping us find ways to spend time with Him and grow in our relationship with Him. How could you set aside time this week to be in His Word?



But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 (NLT) 

READ: PSALM 13:1-6



How long, God? Why is it taking forever for things to get better? Why can’t my life turn around and be all that I hoped for? Why do you feel so far from me? How long, God, is it going to feel like this? How long can I survive like this?



You may have had thoughts like these at times, and they are similar to the thoughts of David when he wrote Psalm 13. In this psalm, David asks God if He will forget him forever. That’s the way he’s feeling as he writes—forgotten and abandoned. He is sorrowful and wrestling with difficult thoughts.



That might be just the way you feel sometimes. You might feel alone. You might worry about a hundred things at once. Your life might feel messy, and you might feel like God is far from you. But the truth is, God is so very near. He loves us so much that Jesus died and rose again to make the way for us to be with Him always. Once we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we can know that, even in our worst moments, Jesus is right there with us. He weeps with us and offers hope, comfort, and strength. And one day, He will make all wrongs right. When we rest in these truths, it can help us remember that God is trustworthy. He loves us, and He never leaves us.



That’s what David does in Psalm 13. In the end, he remembers that God has been good to him. He might have felt abandoned for a time, but he knows that God is always good. David even says that he will sing praise to the Lord.



When we struggle, we can cry out and ask God how long we’re going to feel that way. We can tell Him how abandoned and forgotten we feel. We can process all our messy feelings with Him. As we do this, the Holy Spirit helps us remember how good God is and rest in the truth that He is with us. He has always loved us, and always will. • Bethany Acker



• When we read lament psalms like Psalm 13, it can be tempting to skip right down to the “good part” in verses 5-6. We might want to skip over our feelings of hurt, sorrow, and frustration. But that’s not what God wants for us. He is not afraid of our feelings. Instead of skipping these uncomfortable emotions, He invites us to process them with Him, even if that means telling Him how angry we are at Him. Are there any uncomfortable feelings you need to process with God right now? He invites us to come to Him in prayer and be honest with Him so He can bring healing to our hearts.



But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5 (NIV)