Patti M. Hummel - 365 Daily Devotions by Teen Girls for Teen Girls

Teen to Teen, Digital Edition

Based on Print Edition

Copyright 2013 by B&H Publishing Group

All Rights Reserved.

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-8165-3

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 242.63

Subject Heading: GIRLS \ TEENAGERS \ DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE

All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

Introduction

As a teen girl do you find yourself attacked intensively by the onslaught of Hollywoods idea of what you should be and what you should be doing with your life? Do you need help to combat what the world is trying to sell you? Are you finding that the struggle between opposing forces (biblical truth and Satans fun message) is difficult for you to endure? Do you find that you are clueless about how to ward off the enemy and how to bring glory to God in your life?

From the pages of Teen-to-Teen: 365 Daily Devotions by Teen Girls for Teen Girls you will meet girls from many different places in the world who are much like you, experiencing similar pressures and going through similar circumstance. This book provides a glimpse into their lives as they are now able to praise God for His guidance, Grace, and His help in their time of need. You will find between the covers:

Understanding who you are in Christ

Recognizing your need to make room in your life for God and your family

Nuggets of wisdom that will help you in your daily walk as a Christian teen

Precious cordials from God the Father to you, His daughters

Messages of hope

Encouragement for your future

Help in overcoming the attacks Satan throws at teens

B&H Publishing Group is making this powerhouse book available as a ministry tool to build up and bless teen girls the world over. Teen-to-Teen: 365 Daily Devotions by Teen Girls for Teen Girls will cause its readers to want to turn to God and His Word for what they need to be mighty women of God in their homes, with their families, in their communities, in their churches, and in every aspect of ministry God calls them to.

Teen-to-Teen: 365 Daily Devotions by Teen Girls for Teen Girls should be on the reading list of every teenage girl. This is a gift to Christian families, to the church, and to a world that has for too long discounted Gods depth of wisdom and inner beauty that His young daughters possess. It is my prayer that each teen girl who reads this book will be, as 2 Corinthians 2:15 explains, For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

Dr. Fred Luter, Jr. President, The Southern Baptist Convention

Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, Senior Pastor

Husband, father to a son, and to one of Gods precious daughters

Forging on with Hope

Be strong and courageous; dont be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the L ord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

In the drought and the sickness,

Theres a piece of hope in my heart.

This hope gives me strength to push through

The pain and suffering.

This hope is peaceful, this hope loves.

This hope is the Lord God Almighty.

It is God who gives me strength and passion

To strive ahead, and have hope,

And to trust in the Lord,

For I know that He will be by my side.

We sometimes feel that we are alone and that we have no one to turn to. God is our comforter at all times, even if no one here on earth is willing to help. Whether you are going through the loss of family or family troubles, God is right by your side, giving you strength. God will always bring us through the pain, we just have to put our faith and trust in Him. Speaking from personal experience, God has put pain in my life for a reason. Those times of trouble taught me to rely on God more, and to trust that His plan for my life was greater than my own. By trusting God, I was able to see the good aspects of my suffering. God gave me strength; He gives it to us all.

Layne Coleman: 14, Little Rock, AR

The Church at Rock Creek and Little Rock Christian Academy, Little Rock, AR

Jesus Never Changes!

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Hebrews 13:8

When I was nine, my sixteen-year-old cousin died in a car accident. Three years later, my papa died from lung cancer. Two years later, a lady very dear to me, my adopted grandma, passed away from a heart attack. The summer after ninth grade, my granddaddy got very sick and died, and five months after that my granny died from an aneurism. During those times of loss my faith was tested. I questioned God: Why, why me, why now, and why do I have to lose so many people that I love? I wondered if God really loved me all the time. The losses I was going through didnt seem like something you would allow to happen to someone you love. I wondered if God really knew what He was doing at that time, because life felt like a big mess. But then I would open Gods Word. I read verses that told me He would never leave me or forsake me. I read that He knows the plans He has for me. I saw a verse that says the Lord is near to the brokenhearted, one that assured me all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord, and another that says Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. These verses reminded me of the character of God. He is the same God yesterday, when the world seemed right; today, when youre going through the toughest trial yet; and forever. Forever, He is love. Forever, He is good. Forever, He is for you and for me. During the hard times in my life I learned to not base what I thought about God on my feelings, but on the truth of His Word. I had to cling to the truth that He is exactly who He says He is, no matter what, always and forever!

McKenzie Sutton: 17, Waverly Hall, GA

Cornerstone Baptist Church, Ellerslie, GA; Homeschooled

A Greater Vision

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:67

If someone offered to buy you a $50,000 Mercedes Benz in one year, or to get you a brand new bicycle right now, which would you choose? Obviously, youd wait. Yet many times, we do the exact opposite. Instead of waiting patiently and allowing God to work things out for our good, our impatience gets the best of us, and we cant wait. Esau couldnt wait, so he traded his birthright to his twin brother, Jacob, for a bowl of lentil soup. He traded his whole inheritance to feed his craving of the moment. Did you know that the familiar lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob should have read Abraham, Isaac, and Esau? It should have been Esaus name in the place where Jacobs name is, but Esau was greedy and had tunnel vision. He could only see what felt good right then, instead of looking at the cost for the long run. We can look at the story and wonder why he would trade something so valuable for something so momentary, but we do the same thing. We sell out and settle for a lesser version of a greater vision. So, whats your bowl of soup? Are you thinking of settling on a relationship, your reputation, your popularity, or the trust of your parents? Whatever that is, dont let your appetite control you like Esaus did. The devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Jesus offers us short-term pain, with long-term pleasure. I dont know about you, but there is no way that I am going to trade the best God has planned for my life for a bowl of lentil soup!