“He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.” —Ecclesiastes 11:4 ESVDevotionalThere will always be wind to watch. There will always be clouds that make us wonder whether this is the right time. If we require perfect conditions before we move, we will remain in the same place while calling our delay wisdom.Perfectionism often looks responsible. It tells us to...  Read More

“Master, I knew you to be a hard man…” —Matthew 25:24 ESVDevotionalBefore the servant said, “I was afraid,” he revealed what he believed about the master: “I knew you to be a hard man.” His fear was connected to his perception of the one who had entrusted him with the talent.What we believe about God shapes the way we respond to what He places in our hands. If we see God as angry, impossible to pl...  Read More

“I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground.” —Matthew 25:25 ESVDevotionalThe servant’s words reveal exactly how fear works: “I was afraid, so I hid.” Fear was not simply an emotion he experienced. Fear shaped his behavior. It made his decision for him.The master had placed something valuable in his hands. The servant had ability. He had an opportunity. He had been trusted with som...  Read More

“Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”—Mark 4:40 NLTDevotionalJesus’ question was not intended to shame the disciples for experiencing fear. It invited them to examine what fear had caused them to believe. They believed the storm had the final word. They believed they were alone. They believed Jesus did not care.But the truth was already in the boat with them.Over the past week, you hav...  Read More

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." —Psalm 46:1 ESVDevotionalWe often ask God for an explanation. Why is this happening? When will it end? How will everything work out?We want dates, details, answers, and guarantees. But God’s answer to fear is not always an explanation. Most often, it is His presence.Jesus was in the boat before the storm stopped. He was present whil...  Read More

“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” —2 Timothy 1:7 NKJVDevotionalWe can often identify the story fear has been telling us by looking at what it is producing in our lives. Fear does not always look frightened. Sometimes fear looks angry. Sometimes it looks controlling. Sometimes it looks like constantly checking someone’s location, searching sympto...  Read More

“…bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" —2 Corinthians 10:5 NKJVDevotionalNot every thought that enters your mind deserves to stay there. Fear often speaks with certainty. It does not say, “Something difficult might happen.” It says, “This is going to happen. You will not be able to handle it. Everything is going to fall apart.”Because the thought feels urgent, we assum...  Read More

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.”—Psalm 56:3 NKJVDevotionalDavid did not say, “I am never afraid.” He said, “Whenever I am afraid.”That is an important difference. Sometimes we believe that admitting fear is the opposite offaith. We try to hide what we feel, cover it with spiritual language, and convince everyone—including ourselves—that we are fine.But hidden fear does not disappear. F...  Read More

“Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”—Mark 4:38 NLTDevotionalThe disciples were not imagining the storm. The wind was real. The waves were real. Waterwas coming into the boat, and these were experienced fishermen who understood thedanger they were facing. They had probably been through storms before, but somethingabout this storm convinced them that they were not going to survive.Th...  Read More

Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness... And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken. Acts 4:29-31DEVOTIONALThe believers in Acts 4 were facing genuine opposition. Peter and John had been threatened and commanded to stop speaking about Jesus. When they returned to the Church, the believers' first response was prayer.They did...  Read More

Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this... But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you.' 2 Corinthians 12:8-9DEVOTIONALPaul prayed repeatedly for God to remove what he called a 'thorn in the flesh.' God answered Paul, but He did not answer in the way Paul initially wanted. Instead of removing the weakness, God promised sufficient grace within it.Whether we receive our preferred outco...  Read More

When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. Matthew 6:6DEVOTIONALJesus did not say 'if' you pray. He said 'when' you pray. He expected prayer to be a normal part of a disciple's life.Jesus warned against using prayer as a public performance. Prayer is not an opportunity to impress people with spiritual language. It is an invitation to meet honestly ...  Read More

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. James 4:8DEVOTIONALPrayer is not primarily a transaction. It is a relationship. If prayer becomes nothing more than giving God a list of requests, we will eventually become frustrated whenever His answers do not arrive according to our expectations. But the greatest gift of prayer is not merely receiving something from God's hand. The greatest gift i...  Read More

I am the vine; you are the branches...apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5DEVOTIONALJesus did not say that apart from Him we would accomplish slightly less. He said that apart from Him we can do nothing. We may create activity, attract attention, and appear successful, but we cannot produce lasting spiritual fruit without remaining connected to Him.Prayer is where our dependence upon God be...  Read More

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer. Acts 1:14DEVOTIONALJesus had given His disciples an enormous assignment: they were to carry the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Yet He specifically told them not to begin immediately. They had received the Great Commission, but before they could fulfill it, they needed the power of the Holy Spirit. So they waited and pra...  Read More

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42DEVOTIONALPrayer was not an occasional activity for the early Church. It was one of the central rhythms around which they organized their lives. Luke does not say they prayed only when someone became sick, when persecution began, or when they needed direction. He says they were ...  Read More

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! Revelation 5:12 DEVOTIONALWorship changes our focus, strengthens our faith, unites the Church, and sustains us through hardship. These are beautiful results of worship, but they are not its ultimate purpose. We do not worship God only because worship helps us. We worship because God...  Read More

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! Psalm 95:6 DEVOTIONALAgain and again throughout Scripture, when people recognized the presence, holiness, and goodness of God, there was a response. Some lifted their hands. Some bowed down. Some knelt. Some sang, shouted, clapped, danced, wept, or stood silently in awe. Their response did not create God's presence. The...  Read More

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25 ESVDEVOTIONALPaul and Silas had been publicly beaten, placed in the inner prison, and fastened in stocks. Their backs were wounded, their bodies were hurting, and their freedom had been taken from them. At midnight, they prayed and sang.They did not worship because the prison d...  Read More

Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart. Ephesians 5:19 ESVDEVOTIONALCorporate worship moves in two directions. Paul says we sing and make melody to the Lord, but he also says we address one another. Our worship is directed toward God, yet it can strengthen the people standing around us.There will be Sundays when you ent...  Read More

Though the fig tree should not blossom...yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:17-18 DEVOTIONALActs 2 was a mountaintop season for the early Church. Thousands were being saved, miracles were happening, needs were being met, and the believers were experiencing favor throughout Jerusalem. Praise flowed naturally from their glad and generous hearts. Bu...  Read More

They received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. Acts 2:46-47 DEVOTIONALThe early Church was devoted to biblical teaching, fellowship, sharing meals, prayer, generosity, and caring for people in need. These were beautiful and essential expressions of life together, but none of them was allowed to replace Jesus at the center.They praised God...  Read More

Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus...let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Hebrews 10:19-22DEVOTIONALUnder the Old Covenant, access to the Most Holy Place was restricted. Only the high priest could enter, and he entered only once each year on the Day of Atonement. A heavy curtain separated the place representing God's presence from ever...  Read More

For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10DEVOTIONALReaching people was not a side interest in the life of Jesus. It was central to His mission. He entered homes others avoided, spoke with people others ignored, touched those society rejected, and intentionally searched for those who were far from God.If we are going to be the Church Jesus built, reaching people cannot be ass...  Read More