The Devotional Survival Guide for Teen Guys by Paul Kent
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Welcome to the Dangerous Adventure of Christian Living
There’s a reason guys climb mountains, explore jungles, and traverse deserts—they crave adventure. By their very nature, these activities hold more danger than sitting in a classroom or scrolling the internet at home. Serious adventurers prepare for the perils that arise in the great outdoors by studying survival guides, books explaining how certain tactics and truths can get them out of potentially deadly situations. A good survival guide can literally save your life.
Guess what? Your Christian life is a dangerous adventure. God has incredible opportunities for you as you climb the mountains, explore the jungles, and traverse the deserts of this human experience. But there are pitfalls that threaten to stall your progress and leave you injured along the way. That’s why we created The Devotional Survival Guide for Teen Guys: 5 - Minute Tactics and Truths from God’s Word .
As with any survival guide, this book explains tools and techniques for dealing with the dangers you’ll face. The 180 entries that follow cover overarching topics including the following:
• Awareness: recognizing the dangers around you
• Equipment: tools you’ll want to have at hand
• Weapons: methods for fighting off enemies
• Sustenance: the nourishment required to stay strong
• Navigation: how to find and maintain the right path
• First Aid: what to do when you’re wounded
The Bible-based wisdom of this book will help you survive—and thrive—in the exciting but sometimes frightening teen years. God has a great adventure awaiting you. Move forward in confidence with The Devotional Survival Guide for Teen Guys .
Equipment
The Ultimate Survival Guide
Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
2 Peter 1:2–4 niv
Survival guides come in all shapes and sizes. Some are intended for use in the field, covering specific issues like purifying water or starting a fire. They’re sometimes small enough to fit in your wallet. Others are big, thick books covering every imaginable crisis you could face. These are for studying at home before you step into a dangerous place.
The Devotional Survival Guide for Teen Guys is an example of the former. The Bible represents the latter. Everything in this little book is drawn from that big book called God’s Word. What you read here is intended to clarify and explain what you’ll read in scripture—because it is the ultimate survival guide for life on this earth.
Let’s see what tactics and truths we can learn together.
Lord God, please guide me deep into Your Word. I want to be ready for anything life throws at me.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
2 P eter 1:1–11
Awareness BOLO
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8 niv
Heading out into the wild? BOLO (be on the lookout) for danger.
Nature is beautiful and fascinating, but it’s also filled with poisonous plants, fall risks, and aggressive animals with sharp teeth and claws. Any guy leaving behind the safe and easy comforts of home is wise to “be alert and of sober mind.”
That’s equally true in the spiritual realm, where you have an enemy who is actively stalking you. Satan is like a lion who can’t wait to sink his claws—and teeth—into your spirit.
The devil can’t ever snatch a true Christian from Jesus’ hands (John 10:28–29). But if you’re careless in your Christian walk, Satan can certainly embarrass and sideline you, even use your failures to keep others from God.
That’s why God, through the apostle Peter, warns you to BOLO. If you let Him, the Lord will sharpen your senses to the dangers, and provide the wisdom and will to avoid them. Why not pray right now:
Heavenly Father, I don’t want to be taken by Satan’s surprise. Please alert me to his presence and tricks, and give me the strength to stay true to You.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
1 P eter 5:1–11
Equipment
Be Sure to Pack Your Courage
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the L ord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 niv
Every challenge of life requires a certain amount of courage. Dealing with a grizzly bear in the wild takes a lot. But even less dramatic events, like asking a girl for a date or applying for a job, demand courage too. Without it—the ability to move forward when the outcome is in doubt—you won’t accomplish anything of value.
Good news: Courage is something that can be developed, a muscle to be exercised. Whether God gave you a naturally bold personality or not, He will always be with you—a huge courage boost in itself.
When Joshua took over leadership of Israel from Moses, God’s first orders didn’t relate to the nation; they were for Joshua himself: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Joshua could obey these commands because of what God said next: “For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
God provides the equipment we need to accomplish the tasks He gives us. To succeed in the journey of life, be sure to pack your courage and use it every chance you get.
Heavenly Father, please develop the same courage in me that You did in Joshua.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
J oshua 1:1–9
Awareness Have a Plan
“I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
Jeremiah 29:11 msg
Every endeavor goes better with a plan. Without a clear idea of what you’ll be doing, a long hike or a wilderness camping excursion will quickly fall apart. And, of course, it’s important to plan ahead for trouble—hence the availability and popularity of survival guides.
But no matter how careful your planning, things can still go wrong. Human knowledge is limited and nature is beyond our control. Who could ever anticipate a bear attack or lightning strike?
Well, God can. Since He is infinite—in His understanding and His presence— the Lord of the universe can know everything about every situation affecting every person. And He can (and will) make perfect plans for every one of His children.
Even if you don’t know every detail of God’s plan, you can certainly trust that He has your good at heart. By consciously exercising your faith in Him, you allow God to lead and guide you into the best possible life. Do what He says, step-by-step and day by day, and believe that His plan will “give you the future you hope for.”
Lord, I want to trust You. Remind me every day that Your plans will always excel my own.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
J eremiah 29:4–12
Fill Up on God’s Love
How great is Your loving-kindness! You have stored it up for those who fear You. You show it to those who trust in You in front of the sons of men.
Psalm 31:19 nlv
In a challenging world, you’ll find all the strength you need in God’s love. No matter how hard your circumstances seem, God is in them, ready to share His great loving-kindness with you.
Physical food powers your body for everyday responsibilities, whether you’re attending school, doing chores around home, or climbing a mountain. But spiritual food—the sustenance God provides through His Word and His presence in your life—is even more important. Lots of people have physical food to spare, but their souls are empty. If you know Jesus, that need never be said of you.
But you do have a responsibility to take in the nourishment that God offers. You can look admiringly at a table piled high with your favorite foods— but if you don’t actually eat, you’ll remain empty. It’s the same way with the Christian life—you need to “fear” (show God the respect He deserves) and “trust” (believe what He says). When you do these things, He will fill your soul with His love and kindness.
And, by the way, He’ll provide for your physical needs too.
Thank You, Lord, for meeting all my needs. Help me to fear and trust You.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide: P salm 31:14–24
Equipment
Good, Old Wisdom
Good friend, follow your father’s good advice; don’t wander off from your mother’s teachings. Wrap yourself in them from head to foot; wear them like a scarf around your neck. Wherever you walk, they’ll guide you; whenever you rest, they’ll guard you; when you wake up, they’ll tell you what’s next. For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path.
Proverbs 6:20–23 msg
To survive in the wilderness, some equipment is essential—things like a knife, a canteen (with a water purifying kit), and one or more tools for starting a fire. For a guy facing the wilderness of teen life, be absolutely sure to take along your parents’ wisdom. Yeah, we know, parents aren’t always cool right now, but they are God’s preferred method for imparting the life skills you’ll need for successful adulthood. When they talk to you, you’re wise to consciously shut your mouth and open your ears. Moms and dads have a lot more life experience than a teen guy does, and they love you more than you probably realize. When your dad gives advice, seriously consider it. What your mom has taught, put into practice. These things will guard and guide you, just as God intended.
Heavenly Father, please help me to humbly accept my parents’ teaching. May I listen and learn and save myself trouble down the road.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
P roverbs 6:20–35
Awareness
Expect Trouble
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 niv
The existence of survival guides confirms that you should expect trouble in the natural world. Why else would you need guidance for overcoming hard situations?
The ultimate survival guide—the Bible—also promises trouble. Jesus warned His followers that they should be ready for the opposition and hatred of unbelievers: “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man” (Luke 6:22 niv ).
Being aware of such trials is the first step toward overcoming them. Don’t try to fool yourself into believing that the faith life is easy—it’s good and right and beneficial, but it will never be trouble-free. No matter how hard things get, though, know that Jesus will always go with you through them. And fix this reality in your mind: He has already “overcome the world.”
Your survival is really in His hands. This truth allows you to take heart and have peace.
Lord God, I thank You for Your honesty about the troubles I’ll face in this world. Now help me to trust in Your presence and power to enable me to overcome them.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide: J ohn 16:1–33
First Aid
Slow Down and Catch Up
He said to them, “Come away from the people. Be by yourselves and rest.” There were many people coming and going. They had had no time even to eat.
Mark 6:31 nlv
The human body can’t go forever without rest. Really, it can hardly go a full day. In your everyday world, downtime and sleep are essential. Without them, you’ll become weak. You’ll lose focus. You’ll make mistakes, which can be very dangerous if you’re already in a difficult situation.
But your spiritual life requires rest too. Even Jesus occasionally got away from the hustle and bustle of life, and He encouraged His disciples to do the same. They were often swarmed by crowds who wanted to see, hear, and touch Jesus—people demanding His time and attention to teach, feed, and heal them. Jesus came to serve (Mark 10:45), so He regularly stretched His human nature to meet needs. But He would sometimes respond as He did in Mark 6:31. It’s a good lesson for us. If you’re serving others, great! Take a breather once in a while. But if you’re just running from activity to activity, with the constant background noise of music, movies, or podcasts, definitely step away for a while. Spend some quiet time with God and His Word as first aid for your soul.
Help me, Jesus, to quiet my heart before You.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide: m ark 6:14–31
Weapons
Power of Persistence
He said, “Stand in line and take your turn. The children get fed first. If there’s any left over, the dogs get it.” She said, “Of course, Master. But don’t dogs under the table get scraps dropped by the children?”
Mark 7:27–28 msg
Survival demands persistence. If you’re trying to get back to civilization after a remote plane crash, you’ll have to do hard things over and over till you reach a place with good food, clean water, and a comfortable bed. If you intend to live a consistent, productive Christian life, you’ll need to demonstrate what previous generations called “stick-to-it-iveness.” Persistence is a powerful weapon. Following Jesus well means you spend time in His Word daily—not just reading but studying, thinking it over (called “meditating”), even memorizing verses that speak to your needs. You’ll talk with God regularly—that’s the idea of “pray all the time” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 msg ). You’ll deny your sinful desires, even when it’s hard—especially then. You’ll orient your whole life toward God and what He wants because that’s ultimately best for you.
Be like the foreign woman who begged Jesus to heal her daughter. When He said His focus was on Israel, she persisted—impressing Jesus so much that He gave her what she wanted most.
Lord, give me the persistence to pursue You and Your will like my life depends on it—because it does!
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
m ark 7:24–30
Navigation
Finding a Partner
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
1 Timothy 4:12 niv
Almost any job is easier with a good partner. Few people can move a sofa by themselves. Many car repairs demand a third hand. Like-minded partners can overcome wilderness survival situations better than one guy by himself. This principle holds true in all of life, so God designed human beings for marriage. As He said of Adam, pre-Eve, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18 niv ). Chances are, God has a suitable helper in mind for you too.
You’re young, and marriage may seem distant. But you may be dating, or will be soon—and the interactions you have with girls now will affect the success of your marriage partnership later.
As the apostle Paul told young Timothy, youth should be no barrier to respect—and it won’t be, if you set a good example in your speech, conduct, love, and faith. And don’t overlook the last item on that list: purity.
We’ll consider that further in later readings. For now, pray:
Lord, please help me to be pure in my interactions with girls so I can look forward to a healthy marriage partnership someday.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide: 1 t imothy 4:1–14
Awareness
Avoid Impurities
God wants you to live a pure life. Keep yourselves from sexual promiscuity. Learn to appreciate and give dignity to your body, not abusing it, as is so common among those who know nothing of God. Don’t run roughshod over the concerns of your brothers and sisters. Their concerns are God’s concerns, and he will take care of them. We’ve warned you about this before. God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, grungy life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside.
1 Thessalonians 4:3–7 msg
Survival kits often include water purification tablets. Good hydration is vital for the human body, but river water may contain harmful bacteria and other microorganisms. Purification pills kill off the bad stuff, making water safe for human use.
Impurities can make you sick, both physically and spiritually. And sexual impurity is a very dangerous “bacteria” in our world. God invented sex for good purposes—for pleasure in marriage and the creation of children—but Satan has twisted it into something selfish and destructive.
As a teen guy, you’ll do well to run—like the biblical Joseph (Genesis 39)— from every sexual temptation. Save your sexual activity for the time you’re married—remember, impurities can and will make you sick.
Heavenly Father, this world pushes sex on me every day. Please give me the wisdom and the will to avoid all of Satan’s impurities.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
1 t hessalonians 4:1–12
Equipment
Self-Control
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22–23 niv
Knives are all-purpose survival tools—you can use them to clean fish for food, trim tree branches for shelter, even cut rope as a belt to keep your pants in place. In the spiritual realm, self-control is a similar essential.
Certainly self-control will help you avoid the problems of sex before marriage. But it also keeps you from saying dumb and hurtful things, from overeating or laziness or video game addiction, from flaring up with anger at other people’s provocations (and they will provoke you). Self-control helps you maintain good relationships with family and friends, steady employment, the level of grades and school attendance that move you toward a successful adulthood.
So, where do you find self-control? Notice that first word: self . This is your responsibility, something no other human being can impose on you. But notice too in today’s scripture, that self-control is a “fruit” of God’s Spirit. When you follow Jesus, He sends the Spirit to live within you—and He will grow good qualities in your life as you allow Him to work.
Study the Bible, pray, take steps to deny your old, sinful nature. God will happily grow your self-control.
Lord, please help me to say no to sin and yes to You—every time.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
G alatians 5:13–26
Awareness
Know Who You Are
They said to Him, “We were born of parents who were faithful in marriage. We have one Father. He is God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your father, you would love Me.”
John 8:41–42 nlv
You can’t survive and thrive in this life without a clear understanding of who you are. Knowing your true identity is essential to success.
Jesus once schooled some antagonistic Jewish leaders on this topic. They didn’t believe He was God’s Son and—as the second member of the Trinity—actually God Himself. Jealous of His popularity and power, they wanted to kill Jesus.
They claimed to be God’s children, but Jesus said they were actually sons of Satan, following their evil father’s example (John 8:44). Sadly, that’s true of everyone until we’re born again by faith in Jesus. When He calls us to Himself and we respond in grateful love, we become true children of God. We are adopted by a perfectly wise and powerful Father who will help us through every challenge of life—then welcome us into a perfect eternity with Him.
There’s more to say on this issue of identity, but for now, just stop and consider how blessed you are to be a Christian.
Heavenly Father, thank You for making me Your son through my faith in Jesus. Remind me every day of who I am and whose I am.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
J ohn 8:33–47
First Aid Healing Wounds
But now, this is what the L ord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
Isaiah 43:1 niv
If you’re lost in the woods, identifying as a tree might be a way to cope with your frustration and fear. But it won’t help you find your way home.
Maybe that seems like a silly example. Yet young people today identify as all kinds of things that don’t align with reality. They’re suffering from wounds and pain that need healing but too often miss the only source of wholeness, the God who created and keeps them and who longs to redeem them.
Reality comes from the all-wise, all-powerful God who made all things. He made human beings as the pinnacle of creation. He made male and female. He made some guys extra smart, some extra talented, some extra good looking, and others quite average. He knew exactly what He was doing, and He never makes mistakes.
If you ever struggle with accepting yourself as you are, reread today’s scripture and tell yourself, “God made me. He’s called me by name. I’m a son of the King of the universe!”
Lord, You do all things well—and that includes the way You made me. Please heal my emotional wounds and strengthen me to be everything You want me to be.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide: i saiah 43:1–7
Equipment Responsibility
“But if the watchman sees war coming and doesn’t blow the trumpet, warning the people, and war comes and takes anyone off, I’ll hold the watchman responsible for the bloodshed of any unwarned sinner.”
Ezekiel 33:6 msg
Be sure your personal survival kit contains a good quantity of responsibility. It will guide you around common pitfalls and help you out of them if you happen to stumble.
Christians are supposed to look out for each other (Galatians 6:2; Philippians 2:4), but that’s no excuse for slacking off personally. God’s words through the prophet Ezekiel, quoted above, show that He takes this issue of human responsibility quite seriously.
Ezekiel described matters of life and death, but being responsible makes our everyday experience better. When you keep up with your household chores, stay on top of your homework, practice hard for band or sports, and perform well at your job, everyone benefits. But you, especially, enjoy the satisfaction of having done your best.
Your parents, teachers, and boss can all tell you what to do—but the choice to do things well, with a good attitude, is completely yours. Commit to being responsible, and God will provide the wisdom and strength to follow through. And who knows just where that may lead you?
Heavenly Father, please help me to banish laziness and finger-pointing from my life. In all my duties, I want to show exemplary responsibility.
Finish out your 5 minutes in the ultimate survival guide:
