Empower your teens to stay positive and live a fulfilling life with this weekly devotional!
In today's high-pressure, fast-paced world, it's not easy being a teenager. They are faced with difficult situations every day. They need the strength and encouragement to pass up those temporarily enticing and exciting things to work toward God's destiny in their life. God does have a plan for your teen's life. He has a plan for them to prosper, to give them hope and a bright future.
The "Highly Productive Teens With MAD Devotional Skills" for Teens was designed to encourage and inspire teens to discover, desire, and implement God's divine plan for their life. Each week, teens are guided toward a closer walk with their Savior through a year of carefully selected scripture passages and relevant applications that are trustworthy, practical, and action-oriented.
With the Highly Productive Teens Devotional Series, teens will: ·
Develop a closer, more personal relationship with Jesus
Be encouraged through tough times and seek directions
Learn how to surrender regardless of one's circumstances
Become more comfortable with prayer
Understand the power of prayers
How to trust God when life gets shaky
How to find God in time of pain
Are you ready to inspire your teen to develop the habit of reflecting upon the Word of God, conversing with Jesus, and recognizing the relevancy of scripture in everyday life?
In today's high-pressure, fast-paced world, it's not easy being a teenager. They are faced with difficult situations every day. They need the strength and encouragement to pass up those temporarily enticing and exciting things to work toward God's destiny in their life. God does have a plan for your teen's life. He has a plan for them to prosper, to give them hope and a bright future.
Seek direction, not perfection
Bible Text: I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. Psalm 32:8 NIV
Body: Now that you are a teenager, I am sure you are starting to realize that decision-making is not as easy as it used to be. You are beginning to see that it is sometimes risky. But when it comes to following the right path for your life, you must understand that God is not seeking perfection. Instead, he invites you to take his direction, not demanding perfection. But we want certainty about the decisions we make. We want to remove all risks of possibly making a mistake, so we seek direction from God. We look for a sign, confirmation, or a sense of peace to combat our uncertainty. We need to learn to let God direct our path. How do you follow God's direction? – By following His word, God will lead you. God is not asking you to come to Him as a perfect being. He already knows that perfection is a weight none of us can carry, and it can lead to fear. God has a plan for our life, and as we follow that plan, we will see along the way how God orchestrated our path in ways we would have never expected. But God doesn't want you and me to live in fear. Hence, the invitation to walk with Him with the promise that we will find direction in His word.
1. Can you reflect on any experience where you trusted God to direct you, and he did?
2. Are you ready to let go of your perfections and embrace God's directions? What do Jeremiah 33:3 and Proverbs 16:9 say?
3. How can God help you in making better decisions?
4. Do you believe that there is a point where you will be perfect in decision-making?
Prayer: Dear Lord, I thank you for removing the responsibility of perfection from my shoulder. I pray that you continue to direct and lead me in every aspect of my life. Give me clear guidance in my life, Lord. As I submit myself to you, I know that you will direct my path, and I can have confidence that your direction is always the best way to go. Hear my prayer, Father. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Oh, the horror, Can God forgive me?
Bible Text: For by one sacrifice, he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:14 NIV
Body: We can't quantify how much freedom comes from knowing that Jesus has died for all our sins. Jesus has paid with his life. And just in case we stumble after we have accepted Christ, He has made provision for our forgiveness because we are in the process of being made perfect. How amazing is that? So, regardless of the horror, God will forgive you. When you sin as a Christian, Jesus always asks God for forgiveness on your behalf. That is why we call him the greatest friend. And there is nothing God will not do if we ask in prayer. Jesus meets us in our times of greatest need and gives us the strength and courage to move forward, no matter the situation. Do you know that even though God will forgive you for any sin you might commit, you need to acknowledge your sins and ask for forgiveness? But above all, even though God will erase any horror you can ever commit, His greatest desire is to make you immune to sin. Because sin will bring the fear of defeat into your life, it will frustrate your Christian growth.
Questions for reflection:
1. Do you believe that God will forgive any sin?
2. Why do you think God will forgive any sin?
3. Above God's willingness to forgive any sin, what is His greatest desire for His children?
4. So, how consciously will you make efforts not to sin?
Prayer: God, I thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus that guarantees the forgiveness of all my sins, and I pray that you will pour out more grace in my life to live beyond sin. Help me overcome temptation and avoid sin. Let me not indulge in any activity that will dishonor your Name. Please help me to trust you with my decisions and my future. Let me lean on you and not rely on my own imperfect understanding. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen