Come, Follow Me for Teens

This week’s episode begins our study of Psalms 1–46 and the theme: “The Lord Is My Shepherd.”
We’ll talk about how to read Psalms in a way that helps teens discover meaning for themselves, beginning with Psalm 1 and the image of a person who delights in the law of the Lord becoming like “a tree planted by the rivers of water.” We’ll explore why God’s laws can bring stability, protection, peace, and lasting happiness, and how noticing contrasts, images, and repeated ideas can help us better understand what a psalm is teaching.
Next, we’ll turn to Psalm 23 and the declaration, “The Lord is my shepherd.” We’ll discuss what it means to make Jesus Christ our personal Shepherd, how to recognize His voice among all the other voices competing for our attention, and why following Him can bring peace, restoration, direction, and strength even when the path leads through difficult valleys.
Finally, we’ll study Psalm 119:105: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” We’ll talk about how scripture and the words of living prophets can provide enough light to help us take the next faithful step, even when we cannot see the entire road ahead.
This episode also introduces a special “Find the Psalm You Need” resource that helps teens search Psalms for themselves when they feel afraid, alone, in need of direction, in need of forgiveness, grateful, surrounded by opposition, unsure whether God hears them, or simply want to praise Him.
This week’s lesson helps teens do more than understand a few familiar psalms. It helps them learn how to open the scriptures, discover truth for themselves, and find words from God that can speak directly to what they are experiencing. https://joshdowns.com/cfm-resources/p/psalms-1-46-the-lord-is-my-shepherd

• Join the Come Follow Me for Teens membership for full access to weekly lessons, early episodes, teaching guides, devotionals, and resources:
https://joshdowns.com/cfm-membership

This week’s episode focuses on the book of Job: “Yet Will I Trust in Him.”
We’ll talk about why bad things can still happen to good and faithful people, what Job’s story teaches about mortality as a test, and how Jesus Christ can strengthen us when we face things we cannot immediately solve. We’ll also study Job’s powerful declaration, “For I know that my redeemer liveth,” and connect it with Peter walking on the water to see how focusing on Christ can bring peace and strength even while the wind and waves are still present.
Finally, we’ll explore Job’s testimony, “When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold,” and what trials can teach us about refinement, growth, compassion, and becoming more like the Savior. Along the way, we’ll connect Job’s experience with Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail, Francis Webster and the Martin Handcart Company, and personal experiences that show how Jesus Christ can help us survive what we cannot yet solve and redeem even the hardest parts of our story.
The book of Job helps teens understand that suffering is not always punishment, unanswered questions do not have to destroy faith, and even when we cannot see what God is doing, He still knows the way we take.
• Get this week’s Study & Teaching Guide:
https://joshdowns.com/cfm-resources/p/come-follow-me-job-for-teens-yet-will-i-trust-in-him
• Join the Come Follow Me for Teens membership for full access to weekly lessons, early episodes, teaching guides, devotionals, and resources:
https://joshdowns.com/cfm-membership

This week’s episode focuses on the book of Esther: “For Such a Time as This.”
We’ll talk about how the many seemingly ordinary events in Esther’s life reveal the quiet work of an all-knowing God; how fasting helped Esther place faith above fear and receive spiritual strength to do something difficult; and how the Lord completely reversed Haman’s plan so that what was intended for destruction was “turned to the contrary.” We’ll also connect Esther’s story with Joseph of Egypt, Bart Millard and the story behind “I Can Only Imagine,” and other examples of how Jesus Christ can take painful experiences and turn them toward growth, compassion, service, and eventual good. The book of Esther helps teens see that God may be preparing them long before they understand why, that prayer and fasting can strengthen them when the next step feels frightening, and that in the hands of Jesus Christ, their worst days do not have to become wasted days.
• Get this week’s Study & Teaching Guide: https://joshdowns.com/cfm-resources/p/come-follow-me-esther-for-teens-study-teaching-guide

• Join the Come Follow Me for Teens membership for full access to weekly lessons, early episodes, teaching guides, devotionals, and resources:
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Study & Teaching Resources
This week’s episode focuses on Ezra 1–7 and Nehemiah 1–8: “I Am Doing a Great Work.”
We’ll talk about how God worked through Cyrus, a Persian king outside the covenant faith, to help His people return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple; how Jesus Christ can rebuild testimony, hope, trust, worthiness, and other holy things that may feel weakened or broken; and how Nehemiah protected the work when opposition, fear, distraction, and pressure came. We’ll also compare Nehemiah’s declaration, “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down,” with Lahonti being drawn away from safety and poisoned “by degrees.” These chapters help teens see that God is working through more people than we may realize, that no life is too damaged for Christ to restore, and that when He helps us rebuild something holy, we must be prepared to protect it and remain faithful.
• Get this week’s Study & Teaching Guide: https://joshdowns.com/cfm-resources/p/come-follow-me-for-teens-ezra-nehemiah-study-teaching-guide

• Join the Come Follow Me for Teens membership for full access to weekly lessons, early episodes, teaching guides, devotionals, and resources:
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Study & Teaching Resources
This week’s episode focuses on 2 Chronicles 14–30: “Our Eyes Are upon Thee.”
We’ll talk about Asa trusting the Lord when Judah faced an overwhelming army and how we must keep relying on God even when pressure increases; Micaiah standing for truth when 400 other voices told the king what he wanted to hear; and Jehoshaphat’s powerful prayer, “Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.” These chapters help teens see that faith does not always mean having every answer. Sometimes faith means turning our fear toward God, trusting His prophets, standing for truth with courage and compassion, and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus Christ when the battles of life feel bigger than we are.
• Get this week’s Study & Teaching Guide: https://joshdowns.com/cfm-resources/p/2-chronicles-14-20-26-30-our-eyes-are-upon-thee

• Join the Come Follow Me for Teens membership for full access to weekly lessons, early episodes, teaching guides, devotionals, and resources:
https://joshdowns.com/cfm-membership