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Unlocked: Daily Devotions for Teens

Keys for Kids Ministries

Unlocked is a daily teen devotional, centered on God’s Word. Each day’s devotion—whether fiction, poetry, or essay—asks the question: How does Jesus and what He did affect today’s topic? With daily devotions read by our hosts, Natalie and Dylan, and questions designed to encourage discussion and a deeper walk with Christ, Unlocked invites teens to both engage with the Bible and to write and submit their own devotional pieces.

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37 episodes
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Today · 4 min
Why Am I Angry?
READ: EPHESIANS 4:20-32 We deal with anger for a number of different reasons. We get angry at ourselves when we fail. We get angry when we see others being treated in an unjust way. We get angry when the people in our lives hurt us. The Bible doesn’t call the feeling of anger a sin, but it does say we shouldn’t sin because of our anger (Ephesians 4:26). It’s okay to feel angry at times. After all, God gets angry, and we’re made in His image (Genesis 1:26-27; Exodus 34:6; Psalm 30:5). It’s
Yesterday · 5 min
Worthwhile Work
READ: GENESIS 1:26–2:15; 3:17-19; EPHESIANS 2:10; 4:28 In a certain season of my life, I felt bored. I had mundane chores to perform each day. But simply being “busy” didn’t feel satisfying. I wanted something significant. I shared my longings with my mom; then she shared her idea. Over the years, our family had saved up multiple boxes of photographs from all kinds of events. Mama asked if I wanted to organize them and place them in photo albums. It seemed like a daunting task. It also see
Sunday · 4 min
Does Anyone Understand?
READ: PSALM 139 Have you ever wondered why your life has taken the twists and turns it has? Sometimes our circumstances and disappointments leave us feeling frustrated, and it can feel like the people around us don’t really get what we’re going through. Feeling misunderstood, lost, and alone are all terrible parts of living in a broken world—but, as Christians, we are not without hope! Even though we may feel isolated in our struggles, we have an incredibly caring God who knows every detai
Saturday · 4 min
Blessed?
READ: EPHESIANS 1:3-14 We see the word blessed thrown around on the internet and t-shirts, but what does it really mean to be blessed? By definition, bless is a verb. It’s an action someone takes to give something to someone else. I could just brag about my awesome family, my best friends, or my new shoes, but saying I’m “blessed” implies that someone, somehow, has given me these things. So what do I expect to be true if I’m “blessed” by God? He has all the power in the universe, and He
Friday · 4 min
Love Your Enemies?
READ: MATTHEW 5:43-48; LUKE 6:27-28; ROMANS 12:9-21 Ordinary students—like me—kept to themselves in order to avoid fists or knives. Paralyzed by fear, teachers ignored bullying because it was dangerous to interfere. Only blood and severe violence forced school administrators to act. Why was I singled out? I didn’t know. For some reason, the gang leader hated me, and her minions made my life miserable. At first, I ignored the elbow in the ribs in the hallway or a basketball slammed against
Thursday · 4 min
God's Guidance
READ: PSALM 32:8; PROVERBS 3:5-6; ISAIAH 30:21 Life is full of choices—big and small. Sometimes we feel confident about what to do, but other times we’re unsure which path to take. Thankfully, God invites us to trust Him for guidance. All throughout the Bible, we find His invitations. Let’s take a look at a few examples. Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us not to lean on our own understanding. Our perspective is limited, but God sees the bigger picture. When we submit our ways to Him, He promises to
Wednesday · 4 min
From Jonah to Jesus
READ: JONAH 1–4 When you think of the prophet Jonah, what comes to mind? Getting swallowed by a huge fish? Running from God? A certain movie with talking vegetables? What you might not know is how the story of Jonah points us toward the gospel. Although Jonah is known for his reluctance to preach to the people in Nineveh, his story still shows God’s mercy and foreshadows the Messiah—the promised rescuer who was to come. And we now know that Messiah is Jesus. First, both Jesus and Jonah sac
September 1 · 5 min
Anchored in the Storm
READ: MARK 4:35-41; PHILIPPIANS 4:4-13 Life can feel like a storm—friendships changing, family struggles, church drama, schoolwork piling up, or just general uncertainty about the future can all send us reeling. Anxiety often sneaks in when we don’t know what’s coming next. But Jesus offers us something the world can’t: peace that goes beyond understanding. In Philippians 4, Paul reminds us that we can bring our worries to God in prayer. When we do, we find His peace guards our hearts. And
August 31 · 4 min
Last Words
READ: JOHN 19 If you search “famous last words,” you’ll read the final thoughts of a variety of people throughout history— thoughts that range from sad to crass to funny to hopeful. Jesus has seven recorded statements from the cross, but His final statement summarizes His saving work: with His last breath, Jesus announces, “It is finished” (John 19:30). It’s a startling end to the life of the greatest person who ever trod the planet. And yet, on the surface, the three-word sentence seems r
August 30 · 4 min
Throw off the Chains of Guilt
READ: PSALM 103:8-12; MICAH 7:18-19; ROMANS 8:1-4 When I was a freshman in high school, I messed up. I lied and misused my parents’ trust—and I got caught. The broken relationship with my parents (as well as losing my privileges) hurt, and I beat myself up about it for a long time. I had sleepless nights and bouts of sobbing because I couldn’t believe how stupid I’d been and how bad I was. I couldn’t forgive myself. Even though Jesus had forgiven my guilt, I still felt so guilty. It was a con
August 29 · 4 min
I Judged Them—Then I Remembered Me
READ: 1 SAMUEL 16:1-13; MATTHEW 7:1-5; COLOSSIANS 3:12 I was recently talking with my son about a person I didn’t know very well, so my son pulled up the person’s Instagram. I instantly had a thought I’m not proud of. Their clothes were a little messy. They looked a little wild and like they didn’t care. I was looking at their hair color and their family, and I’m not proud of some of my thoughts. Then it hit me—I was judging a version of myself. As a teen, I didn’t come from the best home.
August 28 · 3 min
There You Stood
READ: PSALMS 23:1-6; 119:103-105 Looking back I see the good Every move There You stood Lessons learned Step by step Every day In Your love, I’m kept As I move Through life’s highs and lows You are there Tell me where to go I trust in You To lead me on You’ll do it well Until the very end • Bethany Acker • As you look back on your life, can you see any ways God has taken care of you? Consider taking a moment to thank Him for these glimpses of His goodness. • Reflecting on God’s faithfulness to u
August 27 · 4 min
Burned
READ: JUDGES 17:1-6; PROVERBS 3:5-6; ISAIAH 5:13-21; 2 CORINTHIANS 7:5-13 Growing up in the country, I spent lots of time running around barefoot. So when we needed to rush one day to get to a soccer game for my family member, Eli, I jumped barefoot into our minivan. Once we arrived at the park where Eli played, I followed my family across several fields carrying my sandals. The lush grass of the fields, damp from morning dew, felt soothing on my feet. At first. Then I noticed a tingling s
August 26 · 4 min
Not Living for Ourselves Alone
READ: ROMANS 14; 1 CORINTHIANS 8:9-13; 13:4-7; GALATIANS 5:13 We live in a world that often says, “Do whatever makes you happy.” But in Romans 14:21, Paul says something else. He’s writing to Christians in Rome who were arguing about food, drink, and other personal choices. Some felt free to eat anything; others believed certain foods were wrong. Instead of saying, “Do what you want,” Paul instructs the believers to think about how their choices affect the people around them. If what we’re
August 25 · 6 min
Dead No Longer
READ: EPHESIANS 2:1-10; 3:19 Around me the scuff of thousands of feet scrapes over asphalt. A mob of the dead overtaking another city. Our leader is our hunger. Our need to make everything we encounter just like us. In my path is a dandelion that had been growing through a crack in the concrete. It lies flat and trampled by the hundreds who walk ahead of me. The flower is squished, the color is faded, and the whole thing is covered in dust. It’s as good as dead. I step on it and twist my f
August 24 · 4 min
A Song in Your Heart
READ: 1 CHRONICLES 16:31-33; PSALM 59:16; ISAIAH 49:13 Today may be a day you woke up and looked out at the world around you and wanted no more of it. Life could feel crushing, unfair, as though it’s falling apart. You may think you’re completely alone. But take heart, you’re not alone. People may have failed you, or they may not know how to give you what you need, but God has given you a song. He has given all of His creation a song of hope, even the trees, the hills, and the mountains. I
August 23 · 4 min
What Is Communion?
READ: EXODUS 12:17; 1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26; REVELATION 19:6-9 Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist) is deeply meaningful for Christians. This simple act of eating bread and drinking wine or juice reminds us of how God loves us so much that He has worked over and over again to bring us to Himself. And in Communion, we anticipate how that work will ultimately be fulfilled when Jesus returns. Communion points us back to Passover (Exodus 12). During the first Passover thou
August 22 · 4 min
Pure Milk
READ: PSALM 119:97-104; JOHN 1:1-5; 20:31; 1 PETER 2:2-3 I love milk. A tall, cold glass of milk when I’m thirsty…a bowl of cereal…ice cream, cheese, yogurt. I’m in love with all of it. So I thought I understood 1 Peter 2:2: “Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation.” I wanted to love God’s Word as much as I love milk. But recently I had a baby, and I realized I didn’t understand anything about loving milk. This girl longs
August 21 · 3 min
Hamster Wheel Grind
READ: MATTHEW 6:9-13; 28:19-20; ROMANS 12:2; 1 JOHN 2:17 Rat race. Hamster wheel. Grind. Eat, sleep, work, Repeat. This is on my mind. Lost in the mundane. Stuck in the chaos. A purpose will I find? Empty. Hollow. In frustration, I sigh. Your light. Your leading. Into the daily, it shines. Your will, Your way, My life, forever entwined. It’s easy to get caught up in the relentlessness of the grind. In everyday life, all the stress and minutia can make us lose sight of a more eternal purpose. “So
August 20 · 4 min
Following the One Who Heals
READ: JOHN 5:1-11; ACTS 5:29 “Stop. You can’t do that.” “Don’t do that, you’re embarrassing yourself.” “Come on, it’ll be fine.” We’ve all heard messages like these at some point. The people around us often have an idea of how they think we should be living. So who should we listen to? In John 5, Jesus takes the time to heal a man who was unable to walk. After giving the man the ability to get up, Jesus tells him to take his mat and go. The man stands up with his mat but is immediately

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