In this quick read 4-day devotional, designed specially for teens, you’ll encounter bold leaders from the New Testament who faced fear with faith and chose to follow Jesus no matter the cost. Discover how their stories can inspire you to live fearless, faithful, and free in a world that often pushes against your beliefs.
ABS Armed Services Ministry
Day 1
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 16:13, Deuteronomy 31:6, Psalms 37:23-24, Mark 13:13, Ephesians 6:10
Brave for Today
Keep alert. Be firm in your faith. Stay brave and strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13 (CEV)
Does it ever seem like the Bible and Christians are out of touch? Do you feel like the “rules” are too harsh or don’t make sense in today’s world, and you’re the only one trying to follow them?
Well, imagine a city with only a few Christians in it. Everyone else worshipped gods that required them to make crazy sacrifices, and everyone was making up their own rules. That was the city of Corinth. A man named Paul lived there, teaching people about Jesus.
When Paul left, he wrote a letter back to the Christians in Corinth. He told them to be sexually pure, to not be arrogant, to not worship idols. He told them to be brave and strong in their faith. He knew this meant standing on their own against the sinful culture—strong, brave, and firm, like a Soldier.
Paul could say these things because he practiced them. When he wrote this letter, he had been teaching about Jesus for decades. It was a dangerous choice. Because of it, he had been beaten, jailed, left for dead. Still, he believed bringing people to Jesus was worth it.
You, too, may run into hard things when you stand for Jesus. You might have to be firm alone, go against your culture, even be cancelled out by others. But like Paul and the Corinthian Christians, you will find Jesus is worth it. So be brave in his power!
SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING
Break it down. What do each of these phrases from the verse mean to you for your life? Ask the Lord what he wants you to do about each one. Ask him to help you be brave as you encounter difficult situations in your life.
- Keep alert.
- Be firm in your faith.
- Stay brave and strong.
INSPIRATION
“Something is wrong when our lives make sense to unbelievers.”
–Francis Chan, American author and speaker
Day 2
Scriptures: Acts 3:12, Isaiah 53:5, Psalms 147:3, Acts 3:6-7, 1 Corinthians 1:27
The Real Test
Peter saw that a crowd had gathered, and he said: Friends, why are you surprised at what has happened? Why are you staring at us? Do you think we have some power of our own? Do you think we were able to make this man walk because we are so religious?
Acts 3:12 (CEV)
When you are in school, it seems like everything revolves around grades. When you get good grades, you get to be in sports and activities, you’re on a path towards college and great things, and teachers and parents celebrate you. When you get bad grades, everybody gets on your case. Can you do anything significant if you aren’t excelling in school?
A similar question was in people’s minds in this story from Acts. Peter and John were talking to a man who couldn’t walk since birth. The crowd knew him as a beggar at the temple. The next thing they see, he’s walking and holding on to Peter and John! The crowd was astonished. They saw nothing flashy about Peter and John. They weren’t educated or wealthy. Yet suddenly they had the power to heal. The only thing the people could pinpoint was that they said they knew Jesus. Being his followers enabled these guys to heal people.
So back to you: While you should aim to do well in school, that grade doesn’t define you. Your test scores will not hold you back from what God has planned. And a quiz certainly doesn’t measure your worth. None of it determines what kind of an impact your life will have. But Jesus does. Being a Christ-follower can make you a life-changer for others. When you allow the Lord to work through you, he can use you for great things. The question now is: will you let him?
SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING
Many Christians have amazing stories about how they suddenly had the courage to speak or the wisdom they needed for a situation or the power to do something God told them to do. Ask some Christians around you if they have had any such experiences. Write about them and use them to remind and encourage yourself that God can use you, too.
INSPIRATION
“All throughout Scripture we see that God is about doing improbable things for improbable people, so his purposes are achieved, and he gets the glory.”
—Chip Ingram, American pastor and author in Ohio
Day 3
Scriptures: Acts 10:36, Deuteronomy 10:17, Job 34:19, John 3:16, Acts 10:34-35
Breaking Church Walls
This is the same message that God gave to the people of Israel, when he sent Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, to offer peace to them.
Acts 10:36 (CEV)
Are you at peace with God? Or do you feel like you are on the outside looking in, never quite sure if you can be accepted?
After Jesus’s lifetime, a man named Cornelius wanted peace with God. He prayed the best he could and gave to the poor, but he couldn’t worship God in a Jewish synagogue because he was a Roman. At that time, Romans were living in Israel. Even worse, Cornelius was a centurion—a soldier sent to enforce Roman rule If ever there was someone on the outside looking in, it was him.
When Cornelius couldn’t figure out how to get closer to God, God made a way to him. God sent Peter, one of Jesus’s followers, to tell Cornelius about Jesus dying and rising from death to forgive sins so we can all have peace with God. As Cornelius and his household believed Jesus is God’s Son, God forgave their sins and gave them the Holy Spirit.
Peter, the messenger, had been hesitant to associate with Cornelius, but when he believed, Peter finally began to understand that this was God’s plan for the whole world to gain access to peace—to a relationship—with God. Anyone who has faith in Jesus will have their sins forgiven.
Where are you? Are you looking for God, or are you a reluctant messenger? Let God work through you to break down walls.
SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING
Think about it: if you attend a church, who can you invite to join you? If you do not attend a church right now, is there one nearby you can visit? Create an action plan and ask the Lord to lead you to how you should do it. Talk to your parents about it, too!
INSPIRATION
“The church is the one institution that exists for those outside it.”
—William Tyndall, English pastor in the 1500s who translated the Bible into English and was martyred for his faith
Day 4
Scriptures: Luke 1:48, Psalms 138:6, Proverbs 3:34, Matthew 5:5, 1 Peter 5:6
God Uses the Humble
God cares for me, his humble servant. From now on, all people will say God has blessed me.
Luke 1:48 (CEV)
Humble. Sometimes it means poor; sometimes it means “not proud.” When we hear that someone “rose above their humble beginnings,” it means they started their life out very poor or low and have grown to do great things. That can be very inspiring!
But it can be overwhelming, too. When you are told you can go anywhere, do anything, be great, and succeed financially, it can paralyze you. How are you supposed to do something big? What should you choose to do with your life? And who believes you really can?
The Gospel of Luke introduces Mary, who was humble in both ways. She had nothing to offer God, except herself. She was a young, female Jew in a time when those classifications limited her opportunities. She came from a humble place, but she was also full of humility.
God believed in her. And Mary believed God. When the angel brought the message that she would carry God’s Son into the world, she replied, “May it be so.” To say yes to God put her in danger, as unwed mothers in her culture could be killed. But because of her faith in God’s ability, Mary gave birth to God’s only son and raised him. God used her in an incredible way!
As you consider the next step in your life—work, Military, college—avoid the pitfall of thinking you’re too insignificant to do anything special. Stay faithful and have humility. God will lead your steps. The Lord sees the humble and uses the humble for great things!
SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING
Have you given your hopes and dreams to God? Place them in his hands, trust him with them, and he will direct your steps to what is truly best. What is something that you want to give to God today? Pray this week that your trust in him will grow.
INSPIRATION
“God’s medal-of-honor winners are made in secret because their most courageous acts occur—away from the hurricane of public opinion—up in the attic, hidden from public knowledge.”
—Charles Swindoll, American pastor and author in Texas