5/15/2026 | A Foundation of Love
May you walk in joy today as you lean into this love-based reality a bit more.
Most of the time our emotional happiness is based on our life’s circumstances. As we continue our week on the simplicity of love, today we’ll be taking a look at the joy that comes from living a love-based life. Once we know that God’s love is for us always, unconditionally—no matter what, our hope is secure and joy is ours for the taking. May you walk in joy today as you lean into this love-based reality a bit more.
Philippians 4:4 ESV
In God we have access to the fullness of joy. In Psalm 16:11 David says to God, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” God has set out for us all a path to the fullness of joy found only in his presence, and that path is marked by love. We can have joy in and out of every season because God never stops loving us.
When we base our lives on the love of God rather than the thoughts, perspectives, and pursuits of the world, we position ourselves to live filled with the joy that comes solely through relationship with the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17 says, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” We have been ransomed from the ways of this world and brought into the kingdom of our heavenly Father. And in this kingdom we discover a wealth of joy found in the Spirit of God dwelling with us.
The Holy Spirit longs to make us a joyful people. He longs to lead us away from that which will steal our joy and guide us to green pastures and still waters. But a choice remains constantly before us. Will we choose the stress, burdens, and insecurities of this world or will we follow God into a more abundant life of his joy-filled presence? We have a very real enemy tempting us every day to choose a world that will never fulfill us. While we may not be his any longer, he will do whatever he can to rob us of the abundant life afforded us by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus. But 1 John 4:4 tells us, “Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
The Holy Spirit dwelling within us is perfectly capable of guiding us away from the temptations of the enemy and toward the joy that can only be found in living for God’s kingdom. If we will choose today to be loved by God and love him in return, we will undoubtedly be filled with joy. Joy is a consistent symptom of seeking first the kingdom of God because his kingdom is marked by joy.
Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” I pray that your life will be marked by rejoicing today. I pray that you will so encounter the love of God that you are filled with joy in all you do. Choose today to base your life on the unconditional love of your heavenly Father. Choose to love him and others in all you do in response to the wealth of affections he has for you. Experience his love today and be filled with inexpressible joy.
Take time in guided prayer to encounter God’s presence, commit your day to the wholehearted pursuit of love, and receive the joy available to you in God’s kingdom.
1. Ask God to make you aware of his nearness. Receive his presence into your heart and rest in the joy and that comes with it.
2. Commit yourself to pursuing love today in all you do. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you love God and people with your thoughts, actions, emotions and words.
3. Receive the joy of the Holy Spirit. Ask him to bear the fruit of joy in your heart, work and relationships. Ask him to transform you into a person marked by joy.
Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” This life is too short to live for anything but the kingdom of God. All other kingdoms fall away. Anything we build up that is of this world will return to dust just like us. Make the choice to live for a greater purpose than worldly acceptance and discover the wellspring of joy available to you in the kingdom of your loving heavenly Father.
Extended Reading: Listen to When You Feel Alone, a part of our Christian Prayers for Mental Health series.
Matthew 6 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Matthew 1-13.
Make the choice to live for a greater purpose than worldly acceptance and discover the wellspring of joy available to you in the kingdom of your loving heavenly Father.
]]>5/14/2026 | A Foundation of Love
May we take a step back today, examine our own hearts’ pursuits, and rest in the reality of how simple God’s love really is.
It has been and always will be easy for people, especially religious people, to become focused on the wrong things in life. I constantly find myself making things more difficult or convoluted than they really are. The reality of this life with God is that all he asks of us is love. As we continue this week on the simplicity of love, today we’ll explore God’s heart on the subject. What does God require of us? What does he ask of us? May we take a step back today, examine our own hearts’ pursuits, and rest in the reality of how simple God’s love really is.
“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 ESV
One of the most life-giving, transformational truths of the gospel is that of everything we have to offer God, of everything in this life we have to give, he most desires our love. To love God is all-encompassing. Colossians 3:14 says, “And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” To love God is to pursue a life of wholehearted devotion to a King who is wholeheartedly devoted to us. To love God is to place ourselves in this never-ending, blessed cycle of giving and receiving limitless love.
The simple truth that God simply wants our love frees us from frivolous pursuits. It frees us from systems and practices that are rooted in “should” rather than true desire. God will take us however he can get us. He’ll take us if all we have to give is a belief that we should serve him or be with him. But he never desires to keep us in that place. He longs to love each of us to such a level that we would live and serve him out of a place of full devotion as the natural response to his overwhelming affections for us.
1 John 4:16 says, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” Allow 1 John 4:16 to create an image in your mind for a second. Picture what it would be like to truly abide in God and have him abide in you. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a vision of what that would be like. What would everyday life look like if you were to truly abide in God and have him abiding in you?
So great is God’s love for us that he makes himself available for us to abide in him. So great are his affections for us that we could have him abiding in us. If we will pursue love above all else, we will discover a wellspring of simplicity and life rooted in wholehearted devotion to the God of love.
Cast off all other pursuits today in light of God’s call to love. Cast off the striving and tireless work of doing life rooted in the “should” and let God love you to a place of love-based obedience. Find rest today in the truth that God is simply after your heart. Open up to him and receive his vast affections. 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all that you do be done in love.” May you abide in the heart of your heavenly Father and allow him to come in and meet with you that all you do today might be done in love.
1. Meditate on the call of God to love. Allow Scripture to fill you with a wholehearted desire to love God in all you do.
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with a fresh revelation of God’s love for you. Receive the love of God and allow it to cast out all fear and reservation.
3. Respond to the affections of God with your own. Tell God how you feel in his presence. Thank him for all that he’s done for you. Enter into the cycle of giving and receiving affection.
“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19
This cycle of giving and receiving affection is really just a picture of what it is to worship. As we allow God to love us, our natural response will be to love him in return because we are created for worship. As we receive his love we will naturally love him and others. For a long time I pictured worship as this time where I had to drum up affection for God that I honestly didn’t feel. God never asks us to fake it. He never wants worship that isn’t truly from our hearts. He knows we need his love to love him in return. If you find yourself emptied of affection for him and others today, take time to simply let him love you so that you can live wholeheartedly today.
Extended Reading: 1 Corinthians 13 or watch The Bible Project’s video on 1 Corinthians.
If you find yourself emptied of affection for him and others today, take time to simply let him love you so that you can live wholeheartedly today.
]]>5/13/2026 | A Foundation of Love
May your heart be even a little more free today after a fresh encounter with the Father’s love.
There is nothing in the world more freeing than being loved as you are. Today we’ll be exploring how God’s love has set us free as we continue in our week of the simplicity of love. Having God’s love and affection from the start before giving him anything in return frees us from the burdens and weight of having to earn his love and strive for his affections. Today God wants us to step out in and fully live experiencing that freedom as beloved children. May your heart be even a little more free today after a fresh encounter with the Father’s love.
Romans 8:1-3 ESV
What does it look like to be totally free in Christ Jesus? What does it look like to live in the world, but be free from the constraints, demands, burdens, and stresses of living for the world? Scripture proclaims to us a life more abundant, purposeful, and free than what I am now experiencing. The Holy Spirit quietly but clearly beckons me to choose him throughout my day that I might know what it is to live in constant communion with him. God clearly has a plan for us far greater than anything we have yet experienced. And he longs for today to be a day marked by the freedom of life that only comes through a transformational encounter with his presence, truth, and love.
God’s love has set us free from everything that would entangle us to this world. His love sets us free emotionally, spiritually, and practically. His love broke the chains of sin and depravity as Jesus breathed his last breath on the cross. His love broke through to earth as he tore the veil from top to bottom signifying the availability of his presence for all. His love broke through in each of our lives as we said yes to crowning him King and accepted his free gift of eternal relationship with him. And his love breaks through every morning as surely as the sun rises, declaring to us the availability of a day filled with his nearness and love.
Scripture says in Romans 7:4, “Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.” And in Galatians 5:22-23, Scripture says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” God longs for our lives to be marked by the presence of the Holy Spirit. He longs for us to bear his fruit that we might enjoy all that restored relationship with him affords us.
Romans 8:1-3 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.” God’s love has set us free from “the law of sin and death” that we might live by the law of “the Spirit of life.” His love has made a way for us to be fully known and fully loved. But the choice is still ours today. Will we submit ourselves to this new law marked by the fruit of his presence, or will we choose to resubmit ourselves to the law of this world as if the death of Christ was for nothing? Choose abundant life today by opening your heart and experiencing the nearness of the Holy Spirit.
1. Meditate on the freedom of life available to you through Christ. Allow Scripture to stir up your faith and desire to live differently today.
“Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” 1 Peter 2:16
2. Where have you been choosing the law of the world over the law of freedom? Where have you been living for the things of the world instead of choosing life in the Spirit of God?
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you submit yourself fully to “the law of the Spirit of life.” Ask him to reveal his nearness that you might know his love today. Take time to rest in his presence and bear the fruit of communing with him.
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
What would it be like to live free from condemnation as Romans 8:1 tells us? What would it be like to live free from the burden of man’s opinion that we could simply enjoy how God feels about us? May the Lord help you today to experience the life that comes only by choosing freedom. May he guide you into a lifestyle of continual encounters with his love. May your days be marked by the fruit of knowing him personally. And may you exhibit to the world how wonderful it is to know and experience restored relationship with the Lord of all.
Extended Reading: Galatians 5 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Galatians.
May your days be marked by the fruit of knowing him personally. And may you exhibit to the world how wonderful it is to know and experience restored relationship with the Lord of all.
]]>5/12/2026 | A Foundation of Love
God’s love has come in and given us meaning, beauty, redemption, and purpose. It is through God loving us that we become sons and daughters; we become saints.
As we explore the simplicity of love this week, today we’ll look at how God’s love has redeemed us. There is an amazing Brennan Manning quote that says, “In loving me, you made me lovable.” And that is basically the concept we’ll be unpacking today. God’s love has come in and given us meaning, beauty, redemption, and purpose. It is through God loving us that we become sons and daughters; we become saints. I hope today you’ll open your heart up to this life-changing love, and never be the same again.
“For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.”
Psalm 130:7 ESV
The eternal redemption afforded to us by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus is a wonderful, life-giving demonstration of God’s unconditional, unchanging love. I’ve gone through much of my life feeling condemned. I look at my thoughts, actions, reactions, and failures and apply my condemning perspective to my perception of my heavenly Father. But in reality, he has so faithfully demonstrated his overwhelming love to me through the securing of my redemption. In reality, he truly loves me just as I am even with all my failures and faults.
Colossians 1:19-22 says,
God sees you and me as “holy and blameless.” Through his love we have been totally redeemed: set right before the God whose perspectives and beliefs are true above all else. When he says we are redeemed, that truth is now meant to be at the foundation of all we think, believe, and do.
Psalm 130:7 says, “O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption.” You and I are redeemed apart from anything we do. We are made holy apart from any inherent ability or worthiness we possess. God’s passionate desire for restored relationship with us caused him to secure what you and I could never attain on our own: the eternal redemption of all who believe in Jesus Christ.
So what does it mean for you to be redeemed? What effect does redemption have on your day today? 1 Peter 1:14-15 says, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct.” Live your life today in light of the redemption secured for you by Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to do a mighty work and help you live differently today than you did yesterday. Your past failures and weaknesses do not define you. Your present misconceptions and sins can be forgiven, healed, and transformed this instant. Jesus made a clear path for you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians 4:1). All that is required of you is to believe, trust, open your heart to God, and live today in the constant communion God desires with you. May your day today be filled with the life-giving transformation and freedom that comes from living in light of your present redemption.
1. Meditate on the redemption secured for you by the powerful sacrifice of Jesus.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Ephesians 1:7
Allow the truth of Jesus’ sacrifice to move your heart to trust and peace before God.
2. Where have sins, lies, past failures, or wounds been causing you to live apart from your redemption? Where has your life looked more like the world and less like heaven? Confess those sins and your need of God’s forgiveness, transformation, and presence.
3. Receive God’s forgiveness. Spend time opening your heart and receiving his presence.
“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
Our heavenly Father is wholly patient with us as we learn to live out this incredible gift of redemption. He is perfectly kind and forgiving when we come to him and confess our sin. And he has a perfect plan every day for our transformation, healing, and freedom if we will simply make space in our lives to spend time with him and receive all he has to give. May we as the body of Christ learn what it is to live in light of the glorious inheritance of redemption, freedom, and abundant life secured for us by the precious blood of Jesus.
Extended Reading: 1 Peter 1 or watch The Bible Project’s video on 1 Peter.
May we as the body of Christ learn what it is to live in light of the glorious inheritance of redemption, freedom, and abundant life secured for us by the precious blood of Jesus.
]]>5/11/2026 | A Foundation of Love
Love is to be at the foundation of all we do, all we are, and all we hold on to.
1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” The greatest of all aspects of the Christian life is love. Love is to be at the foundation of all we do, all we are, and all we hold on to. If we focus on love and allow the Holy Spirit to strip everything else away, what will be left is a life of blessed simplicity rooted in face-to-face relationship with our heavenly Father. As we spend time this week looking at the simplicity of love, I pray that all the weighty, frivolous things of the world that rob you of an abundant life fall away in light of the glorious goodness of God’s unconditional and wholly available love for you.
1 John 4:19 ESV
The fact that we are pursued by the Creator of the universe is an unfathomable truth perfectly illustrating the amazing love our heavenly Father has for us. Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” Those of us who have believed in and accepted the free gift of salvation have been lifted out of the world’s foundation of works-based living and ushered into a new standard of grace. By grace alone we have wonderful, restored relationship with the God who passionately pursues us in every season of life. And by grace alone our lives are now based on the unconditional love of our good Father.
1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” All that God does is love because it is his very nature. Every word of Scripture was authored because he loves us. Every good thing we have in life is only available to us because he loves us. The fact that you and I have air in our lungs is a miraculous demonstration of God’s overwhelming faithfulness. The fact that we can enter into such a depth of relationship with a perfect, holy God reveals his heart to pursue us.
Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” This passage in Revelation is God’s word to the lukewarm church in Laodicea. God doesn’t just knock on the doors of hearts already filled with passion for him. He doesn’t just knock on the doors of the lost. He knocks on the doors of the hearts that are in desperate need of inner revival through his tangible, powerful love. He knocks on the doors of the hearts whose flame has been squelched by the cares and stresses of this world that he might come and reignite passionate communion between our spirit and the Holy Spirit.
The God of heaven and earth is passionately pursuing you right now. No matter how close you are to him, he is knocking on the door of your heart, asking to come in and meet with you once again. He’s not knocking just to fix you. He’s not knocking just to make you do something for him. He simply wants to meet with you. He simply wants to love you.
How you respond to the passionate pursuit of God is totally up to you. There is grace for you today to seek the face of your heavenly Father. There is grace to open up your heart and accept the wonderful gift of encountering God’s presence. There is grace to know and experience the depths of God’s love for you. The question before you is simply this: will you choose today to let God love you?
1. Meditate on the heart of your heavenly Father to pursue you in love.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” Jeremiah 31:3
2. Open up your heart to your loving Father. Ask him to reveal his nearness and love. Ask him to reveal his presence that you might spend time truly meeting with him today.
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29
3. Take time to simply let God love you. Open up the places of your heart that are broken, wounded, and cause you pain. Confess any sins that are holding you back from walking in the fullness of relationship available to you. Don’t move on from God’s presence until you feel he has done the work he desires to do today.
Taking time to sit in the presence of God and simply receive his love is foundational to every other aspect of Christianity. All of eternity is simply about being with our Creator. It’s all about allowing God to love us and giving him our hearts in return. May Ephesians 3:14-19 stir your heart to truly seek a revelatory knowledge of God’s love for you.
Extended Reading:
Listen to When Your Mind Won’t Slow Down, a part of our Christian Prayers for Mental Health series. John 15 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 13-21.
Taking time to sit in the presence of God and simply receive his love is foundational to every other aspect of Christianity. All of eternity is simply about being with our Creator. It’s all about allowing God to love us and giving him our hearts in return.
]]>5/10/2026 | The Father Heart of God
Let’s allow God to reshape our notion of him and free our hearts up to enjoy just how good God really is. He is better than anyone we’ve ever known, and it’s my hope today we can see that with clear eyes.
God loves to exceed our expectations and break our boxes. Today’s topic does just that. As we end our week, today we’re exploring God’s attributes that make him a fun, joyful Father. Let’s allow God to reshape our notion of him and free our hearts up to enjoy just how good God really is. He is better than anyone we’ve ever known, and it’s my hope today we can see that with clear eyes.
Psalm 30:11-12 ESV
There is a terrible misconception in the church today that our Father is not a fun God. For most Christians, what they know of God comes through worship services rather than direct encounters with the living God. As the body of Christ, we have not cultivated a culture of restored relationship well. But regardless of faults in the church today, God longs to give you a revelation of how incredibly fun it is to have him as your Father. He longs to guide you into a lifestyle of abundant joy as you grow in your relationship with him.
While God’s fun may look different than the world’s, every form of fun apart from his is a cheap imitation. We see countless examples in Scripture of God’s children experiencing a depth of joy unattainable apart from God. David writes in Psalm 16:11, “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” The fullness of fun is found with God because he alone guides us to the path of true life. He alone frees us, heals us, loves us, rejoices over us, has grace for us, and longs to fully satisfy our desires. In John 10:10 Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” God longs to lead you to the fullness of life today. He longs to guide you to the riches of his love that you might experience how fun it is to be truly loved by your Creator, Sustainer, and Lord.
Our Father loves parties. He loves to celebrate and have fun with his children. Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 says, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy.” Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine to keep a wedding feast going (John 2:1-11). The Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15 is the story Jesus told of an earthly father and son and a parallel to our relationship with the heavenly Father. When the prodigal son returns home, the father tells his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:22-24). While the older son was out in the field, he heard everyone celebrating with music and dancing. He couldn’t help but go see what was going on. And Revelation 19 foretells the great marriage supper of the Lamb where we will celebrate our total and complete union with God, the party to end all parties.
Psalm 30:11-12 says, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!” Your heavenly Father longs to lead you to the fullness of fun today. He longs to clothe you with gladness and turn your mourning into dancing. The God you serve is the inventor of fun. He loves to celebrate with his children. He longs to fill your days with that which will satisfy the deepest longings of your heart, including your need for fun. May you encounter the fun heart of your heavenly Father today as you enter into guided prayer.
1. Meditate on God’s desire to give you a fun life. Allow Scripture to reorient your understanding of what it’s like to live life with your heavenly Father.
2. Where do you need more fun in your life? Where do you need God to clothe you with gladness? Where do you need to experience the abundant life Jesus died to give you?
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to have the fullness of fun today. What is he providing for you that you might experience all the joy and celebration available to you? What is keeping you from living a more fun life? He wants to free you today. Spend timing resting in his presence and allow him to do a work in your heart today.
Sometimes we hold to an idea that advancing the kingdom and having fun don’t go together. We leave parties and fun to others as we are too busy with more important matters. But why would a nonbeliever want to get to know a boring God? Why would they want to spend time with a group of boring people? As children of God, we have the greatest source of joy available. We should be the happiest, most fun, and most loving people the lost will ever encounter. It’s in our joy, love, and fun that we will best advance the kingdom. It’s living the abundant life God longs to give us that will encourage others to want to know the God we serve. May you advance the kingdom of your heavenly Father by living today with the fullness of fun.
Extended Reading: Luke 15 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Luke 10-24.
May you advance the kingdom of your heavenly Father by living today with the fullness of fun.
]]>5/9/2026 | The Father Heart of God
As we dig deeper today, may our hearts be open to God’s loving perspective on correction for our good.
Discipline can be a tricky subject. Many of us have not seen discipline done well, and no one really loves being disciplined or having something they’ve done wrong pointed out. But something we must keep in mind with our heavenly Father is that he loves perfectly, so discipline must be a part of his perfect love. As we wrap up our week of looking at who God is, this is a crucial topic we have to look at to engage with all the ways God loves us. As we dig deeper today, may our hearts be open to God’s loving perspective on correction for our good.
Hebrews 12:6 ESV
Our world despises discipline. We view correction as an attempt to keep us from doing what we really want rather than an act of love to guide us toward a more abundant life. If we are ever going to live the incredible life God longs to give us, we need renewal in the area of discipline. We must allow God to correct and shape us as the potter molds the clay so that we can live the life to which we have been called.
Our heavenly Father never disciplines out of anger or frustration, but only out of love. Hebrews 12:7-14 says,
God longs to establish a foundation of discipline in your relationship with him because he loves you. It’s our pride and lack of revelation that keeps us from allowing God to correct us. If we truly knew the abundant life available to us on the other side of discipline, we would run to the forming hands of our God rather than hiding from them. If we had revelation on the incredible plans God longs to equip us for, we would yearn for the loving correction of our Father rather than withholding the broken places in our hearts from him.
Your heavenly Father has greater plans than you could ever ask or imagine in store if you will allow him to mold and shape you through discipline. He longs to correct every area of your heart that isn’t bearing the fruit of the Spirit or producing abundant life. He longs to provide discipline for your sin so that you can live in the freedom of righteousness.
Open your heart to his loving discipline today. Allow him to mold and fashion you into the likeness of Jesus. Spend time allowing his love to wash you clean and free you from the bonds of sin. May you have a powerful encounter with the loving discipline of your heavenly Father as you enter into guided prayer.
1. Meditate on God’s desire to encourage you. Allow Scripture to fill you with the truth about the life God intends for you.
“A wise son hears his father’s instruction, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” Proverbs 13:1
2. Where do you need to be disciplined today? What part of your life does not line up with God’s plans for you? Where does God need to prune you so that you might bear more fruit of the Spirit?
3. Spend time allowing God to love and correct you. Ask him to prune and teach you. Ask him to guide you into a lifestyle of greater confession, repentance, forgiveness, and healing.
Sometimes the best instruments of correction are fellow believers. Ask the Lord if there is anyone you need to confess your sin to. James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Ask for wisdom from the men and women in your life who are experiencing freedom and abundance in an area in which you have need. May you experience the entire abundant life available to you through the loving discipline of your heavenly Father and the fellow believers he has placed in your midst.
Extended Reading: Hebrews 12 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Hebrews.
Ask for wisdom from the men and women in your life who are experiencing freedom and abundance in an area in which you have need.
]]>5/8/2026 | The Father Heart of God
There is nothing like an encouraging word from the Father when we’re feeling low and discouraged.
As we continue our week on God being our Father, we look today at how God encourages us. There is nothing like an encouraging word from the Father when we’re feeling low and discouraged. Sometimes life can be daunting, and our good Father knows just what to say when we need to hear it most. If you’re feeling discouraged today, I pray the Lord speaks courage to your weary heart and strengthens your weary bones to keep running the race set before you.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Romans 8:31 ESV
Our God is the great encourager. He takes the weak and makes them strong. He takes the hopeless and transforms them into beacons of eternal salvation. He takes the broken and heals them with his love. And he takes the doubting and fills them with powerful encouragement from on high.
Our heavenly Father longs to give you confidence today. He longs to encourage you to accomplish the incredible calling for which you were created. As we look today at a powerful story of God’s encouragement, may your heart be filled with a longing and passion to seek out the entirety of God’s perfect plans for you. Judges 6:12-18 says,
God calls Gideon a mighty man of valor prior to any mighty actions Gideon had done. He commands Gideon to go out in the might to which he was called and accomplish the very work for which he was created. And when Gideon responds by asking God for a sign, God obliges him and remains with grace and mercy.
God is calling you to a life of eternal significance. He’s calling you to a life that matters. There is no weak tool in the hands of God. And there is no small calling in his perfect plans. You were created to live a life that changes the world. You were created for a destiny that draws the lost back into the fold of our heavenly Father. But in order to accomplish the life to which you were called you will need courage. You will need time spent in God’s presence being filled with his encouragement.
God is calling you a mighty man or woman of valor. He is speaking strength over you. He is near to you, ready and able to empower you. Take time in guided prayer to hear the voice of your heavenly Father. Allow his Spirit to speak to your spirit. Allow him to encourage you in his love. And follow his voice in faith that you might be used in greater ways than you could ever imagine.
1. Meditate on God’s desire to encourage you. Allow Scripture to fill you with the truth about the life God intends for you.
2. Where do you need courage to pursue the life to which God has called you? What is God calling you to today that seems impossible? What has God spoken over you in the past that fear has crippled you from pursuing?
3. Allow God to fill you with courage. Open your heart to him and ask him to empower you and fill you with his love. Rest in his nearness. Allow Scripture to fill you with faith to pursue to the fullest whatever God asks you to do.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!” Psalm 27:14
Don’t settle for a life of mediocrity today. God has a plan and purpose for everything you do. He longs to turn your relationships, job, finances, and passions into good works of eternal significance. His calling will satisfy your heart like nothing else. And the empowerment of his Spirit for his plans will transform you into a passionate, effective, and loving man or woman of valor. May you pursue wholeheartedly the life to which you have been called by your loving heavenly Father.
Extended Reading: Listen to When Anxiety Feels Overwhelming, a part of our Christian Prayers for Mental Health series.
Judges 6 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Judges.
May you pursue wholeheartedly the life to which you have been called by your loving heavenly Father.
]]>5/7/2026 | The Father Heart of God
As we learn of God’s intentions to meet our every need, open your heart today to trust in this God who’s our Provider.
In the kingdom of God, we find a culture different from that of our world. We are often taught to be self-made, pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, and that it’s the survival of the fittest. God’s kingdom turns these principles on their head. We are encouraged to wait, trust, and receive from our God who supplies for our every need. Does your life mimic one of trust and waiting? One of open hands and thankfulness? Today as we move forward in our week of God being our Father we’ll look at his provisional nature. As we learn of God’s intentions to meet our every need, open your heart today to trust in this God who’s our Provider.
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19 ESV
In Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus says,
Your heavenly Father is the Great Provider for all the earth. He gives rain when the earth needs refreshment. He calls the sun from its hiding when the earth needs warmth. He gives to the animals their food, the flowers their beauty, the birds their shelter, and you and me everything we need.
We worship a God who is both loving and powerful. He is both omnipotent and omnipresent. He is both good and able. If he were not, we would be forced to fend for ourselves, striving for that which he has promised to provide. If he were only good, we would not be assured of the provision his power provides. And if he were only able, we would fear for a lack of his desire to provide. But God is our heavenly Father who both knows what we need and longs to provide for us in exceeding measures. He is our Creator and Sustainer, Lord of all and Lord in all.
So why do you fear for your needs? Why do you stress over the foundational cares of this life while your heavenly Father is seated on his throne? The truth is that until we experience for ourselves both the goodness and power of our heavenly Father, the truth of his provision will only ever feel like a heady, theological principle. Until we experience firsthand the character and provision of our God, fear will remain.
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” God longs to perfect you in his love today. He longs to guide you into an encounter with his goodness and power. He longs to establish a foundation of his faithfulness by which you can live in faith. May you have a transformative encounter with the Holy Spirit today that frees you from fear and striving as you enter into guided prayer.
1. Meditate on God’s promises of provision. Allow Scripture to renew your mind and transform the way you act, think and feel.
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
2. Where do you have fear in regards to provision? Where are you striving for what God has already promised to provide? Where does God want to bring peace into your life today?
3. Take time to allow God to reveal his goodness and power. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into an encounter with all that God is. Allow Scripture to speak to your circumstances so that you might live today in line with God’s promises.
No matter how old we get, God will still be our Father. We never have to go through a season apart from his perfect provision. We never have to step outside of his leadership and love. He will always be our Good Shepherd. He will always be our Sustainer. And he will always be our heavenly Father who provides. Never doubt the goodness and power of your God. Rest in his promises. And continue to grow in your knowledge of who he is by resting in his presence. May you experience today the abundant provision of your loving, heavenly Father.
Extended Reading: Philippians 4 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Philippians.
Never doubt the goodness and power of your God. Rest in his promises. And continue to grow in your knowledge of who he is by resting in his presence.
]]>5/6/2026 | The Father Heart of God
The beautiful thing about our heavenly Father is that he is present in our lives, and we are never alone.
Many of us deal with a fear of abandonment, rejection, or loneliness, and often for good reason. The beautiful thing about our heavenly Father is that he is present in our lives, and we are never alone. As we continue our week looking at the ways God is good to us, open your heart today to the very tangible presence of your Father, even now in your midst. Allow truth to permeate the broken places and make you confident and whole in God’s ever-present love.
Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
If there’s one truth that has the power to guide you into the fullness of life available to you in Christ, it’s that God is present. Psalm 139:7-10 says,
No matter where you go, no matter what you do, God is with you. And he isn’t just with you in an abstract sense, he is available for you to tangibly and powerfully experience. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” In the presence of the Lord there is fullness of comfort. Throughout every season of your life, he is there ready to empower you, encourage you, strengthen you, and love you. He longs to meet you where you’re at and provide all the guidance, love, comfort, and fatherly encouragement you need.
You see, when God meets with us he both satisfies our emotions and transforms us. He heals our hearts and empowers us to live the life he has planned for us. As our Father, he not only comforts us when we need him, but guides and helps us through the various seasons of life. God is present not only to love you emotionally, but practically as well.
Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” As a father teaches his son or daughter how to walk by upholding them, your God longs to uphold you through whatever decision, trial, season, or pain you are presently experiencing. He is not a distant God who just gives his children rules and tells them to go through life on their own. He is not a far-off Creator who leaves his creation to its own devices. He is working presently in our midst to shepherd us toward the fullness of life Jesus died to give us. There is no more present, loving, or powerful father than our God. There is no greater helper than the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. And there is no greater life than one lived in constant communion with our Creator.
Whatever season you find yourself in today, press into the heart of your heavenly Father. As you enter into guided prayer, allow God to fill you, satisfy you, comfort you, and love you. Allow him to shepherd you, empower you, uphold you, and encourage you. Experience the nearness of your heavenly Father and walk today in constant communion with your God who is present.
1. Meditate on the fact that God is present. Allow Scripture to fill you with the faith to encounter your heavenly Father today.
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
2. Where do you need God to be present in your life? Where do you need his encouragement, love, guidance, and empowerment?
3. Ask God to make his presence known to you. Ask him to fill you with his love and nearness. Rest in his presence and allow him to love you and speak to you.
A vital part of Christian spirituality is making time to simply fellowship with God. Resting in the presence of the Lord puts all of life in perspective. It places God at a higher value than whatever else we could spend our time pursuing. It empowers us to live peacefully and purposefully. And it lays a foundation of God’s love on which we can live out the calling given to us by our heavenly Father. Take time throughout your day to receive God’s presence. Allow him to flood wherever you are with his love and encouragement. May your day be transformed by the nearness of God.
Extended Reading: Psalm 139 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
Take time throughout your day to receive God’s presence. Allow him to flood wherever you are with his love and encouragement. May your day be transformed by the nearness of God.
]]>5/5/2026 | The Father Heart of God
Today allow God to reorient the way you understand him and his heart towards you. He is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, unlike anyone we’ve ever known.
In our fallen state, patience isn’t something we find very often in ourselves or others. I don’t know if I know one person who has perfectly displayed patience for me, myself included. What’s incredible about our Father in heaven is that he is an endless well of patience. He has patience in abundance, and it never runs out for us. Today allow God to reorient the way you understand him and his heart towards you. He is slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, unlike anyone we’ve ever known.
2 Peter 3:9 ESV
There is no virtue more calming than patience. A peaceful lifestyle begins with patience. When birthed by a heavenly perspective, patience can transform even the most stressful places of one’s heart into calm streams of joy and abundant life.
Our heavenly Father perfectly models a patient heart. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God’s perspective and overwhelming love for us fill his heart with incredible patience.
Think for a second about all the atrocities, perversions, sin, and depravity God witnesses on a continual basis. He watches in pain as humanity kills, steals, lies, and cheats. He watches as those he most cares for throw away his perfect plans for cheap imitations that only cause heartache and pain. But God in his patient mercy waits to return and bring about the complete restoration of creation that all might reach repentance. God is patient because he is love.
God is not only patient in regard to the second coming of Jesus. He is wholly patient with you in regards to your sanctification and relationship with him and others. He beckons you moment by moment, whispering to your heart about the great plans he has for your life. He waits patiently as he transforms you into a reflection of Jesus by filling you with his abundant love. He knows your frame. He knows the wounds the world has caused. And he is patient with you.
Take time this morning to slow down and take a deep breath. Carve out some space in the busyness of your life and rest in response to God’s patience. God isn’t in a rush with his plans for you. He isn’t in a rush to fix you. He simply longs for you to take some time and be with him. He wants to overwhelm you with his patient love that you might live free from the burdens and cares of this rushed, stressed world.
Psalm 103:8 says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” May you encounter the patient, merciful, gracious, peaceful, and loving presence of your heavenly Father as you enter into guided prayer.
1. Meditate on the patient heart of your heavenly Father. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you a revelation of how patient God is with you as you mull over his words.
2. Where do you need an increase of patience today? What burden or care doesn’t line up with the heavenly perspective of patience?
3. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be patient like your heavenly Father. Ask him to give you a heavenly perspective about your life so that you can cast off stress and burden. Pursue patience and passion for all God has given you.
Oftentimes we believe patience and passion can’t be connected. We see examples of those who achieved so much seemingly out of a lack of patience and believe that we need to be as rushed and stressed as they were in order to have a meaningful life. That is not the case with God. God’s timing is perfect. His will can be known. If you will trust the patient heart of your heavenly Father and live as he directs, you will achieve the purpose for which you have been called. Seek the face of your heavenly Father today for wisdom and direction. Pursue passion with patience. And discover the wealth of joy and peace that comes from having patience for yourself and others as your heavenly Father does.
Extended Reading: Psalm 103 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
Seek the face of your heavenly Father today for wisdom and direction. Pursue passion with patience. And discover the wealth of joy and peace that comes from having patience for yourself and others as your heavenly Father does.
]]>5/4/2026 | The Father Heart of God
As we spend time looking at the father heart of God, may a fresh revelation of his love for you guide you into greater depths of relationship with your heavenly Father.
There is no better father than Creator God. He formed us and knows us. He provides for us, loves us unconditionally, and longs for a real, life-giving relationship with us. He runs out to meet us in our sin, clothes us with a new identity, and restores to us the abundant life he has always planned for us. As we spend time looking at the father’s heart, may a fresh revelation of his love for you guide you into greater depths of relationship with your heavenly Father.
1 John 4:18 ESV
In Brennan Manning’s book, Abba’s Child: The Cry of the Heart for Intimate Belonging, he writes,
But we cannot assume that [God] feels about us the way we feel about ourselves—unless we love ourselves compassionately, intensely, and freely. In human form Jesus revealed to us what God is like. He exposed our projections for the idolatry that they are and gave us the way to become free of them. It takes a profound conversion to accept that God is relentlessly tender and compassionate toward us just as we are—not in spite of our sins and faults (that would not be total acceptance), but with them. Though God does not condone or sanction evil, He does not withhold his love because there is evil in us.
May we experience the freedom that comes with a true revelation of God’s unceasing love for us.
God loves you with an unconditional love. To know God is to know love in its truest form, because he is love. Love isn’t just something he gives. It isn’t just something that he feels. It is who he is. God’s love for you is limitless and has the power to set you free from every wound, thought, sin, and broken relationship that causes you to live anything less than a joyful and content life.
Romans 5:8 says, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Really take a minute today and allow the truth of God’s word to settle into your heart. While you were still a sinner, Christ gave his life that you might live. God demonstrated the depth of his love for you by sending Jesus to die while you were still a slave to sin. At your lowest point, God loved you with an everlasting love. There is no need to cleanse or fix yourself before you run into the arms of God. There is no need to fake happiness or holiness with your heavenly Father. God loved you prior to clothing you with Christ. He will love you in the midst of every mistake you make, and he will love you whether or not you ever love him back. His wrath was satisfied with the death of Jesus so that you could come to him just as you are and simply experience his love.
Titus 3:4-5 says, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” Take time in guided prayer to allow the Holy Spirit to wash you with regeneration and renewal. Allow God to cast out any fear or reservation that is keeping you from experiencing the fullness of his love. Allow him to establish a new foundation of grace on which you live with unshakable joy and security in the affections of your heavenly Father.
1. Meditate on the depth of God’s love for you. Allow the truth of his grace and mercy to settle in and change your perspectives.
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
2. What keeps you from experiencing God’s love? What thought or wound holds you back from spending more time with your heavenly Father?
3. Allow God’s love to renew within you a longing to spend more time with him. Rest in his presence. Receive a fresh revelation of his goodness. Spend time with your heavenly Father just letting him love you.
It’s vital that as believers we are constantly checking the status of our mental and emotional health. A single lie planted in our mind has the power to steer us away from experiencing the fullness of God’s love. If you are having a hard time pursuing relationship with God, take some time to find out why. If you can’t seem to find joy, take time to do a mental and emotional inventory. May you experience freedom from whatever thought, belief, past or present event, worry, or doubt that is keeping you from the abundant life Jesus came to give you.
Extended Reading: Listen to A Guided Prayer for Negative Self Talk, a part of our Christian Prayers for Mental Health series.
Romans 5 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Romans 5-16.
May you experience freedom from whatever thought, belief, past or present event, worry, or doubt that is keeping you from the abundant life Jesus came to give you.
]]>5/3/2026 | God the Giver
Open your heart today in light of God’s love. Let go of anything holding you back from abundant life, and step forward with Jesus into fearless living.
In today’s devotional, we wrap up our week on God giving good gifts by looking at how God is the giver of courage. Fear is something that plagues us all in this life. But our Father’s way is better. The Lord wants to cast out all fear with his perfect love and empower you to live boldly, full of courage and confidence. Open your heart today in light of God’s love. Let go of anything holding you back from abundant life, and step forward with Jesus into fearless living.
“Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalm 27:14 ESV
Your portion as a child of the Most High God is a life filled with bravery and courage. The Lord desires to take what brings you fear and force it out with an infilling of courage rooted in the truth of his word for you. Open your heart and mind today to receive healing and transformation in the areas of fear, insecurity, and doubt. Allow God to come in and do a mighty work that frees you to live with joy, security, and courage.
In God we have a constant source of courage. Isaiah 43:2-3 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” Your heavenly Father is always with you. He will never leave nor forsake you. And in every situation, trial, and problem, he has a perfect plan to guide you into a lifestyle of strength, courage, and peace.
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” God’s love has the power to drive out every source of insecurity and fear that plagues you. His loving presence fills every crevasse of our hearts, satiating and healing all our longings and wounds. His Spirit speaks truth where lies and wrong perspectives have led us away from life as sons and daughters of the King. And his word remains a constant reminder of the power and freedom available to those who trust in their God over their own feelings of weakness and insecurity.
Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!'” The death of Christ brought you a new Spirit. And it’s in that Spirit that we are now filled with new identity, new purpose, and new perspective. When you find yourself in a situation that would normally fill you with fear, call upon the power of the Spirit and ask him to fill you with fresh vision, strength, and courage. Renew your mind to the truth that you are no longer a citizen of this world and are not subject to the emotions, fears, doubts, and insecurities that come with it. You are now a child of the omnipotent, omnipresent, and fully loving Creator of all.
David wrote in Psalm 34:4, “I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” May you seek the face of your heavenly Father today, press into the heart of God for all the healing and deliverance he longs to give you, and find yourself freed from the fears and insecurities that have held you back for far too long.
1. Meditate on your new portion as a child of God. Renew your mind to the truth of the courage and security available to you in Christ.
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7
2. Reflect on your life. What situations fill you with insecurity and fear? What person, past wound, or lie has left you crippled or afraid? Where do you need the courage and bravery of God today?
3. Rest in the presence of God, and allow his love to cast out fear and fill you with courage and truth.
May you have fresh vision for the abundant courage available to you in God. May you pursue wholeheartedly the transformation God longs to work in you. Don’t be content with less than God desires for you. Instead, passionately seek out the life Christ died to give you. Find courage, hope, and fulfillment today in the nearness and love of your heavenly Father.
Extended Reading: 1 John 4 or watch The Bible Project’s video on 1-3 John.
Find courage, hope, and fulfillment today in the nearness and love of your heavenly Father.
]]>5/2/2026 | God the Giver
May you experience the embrace of the Father today as you draw near.
In today’s First15, we’re going to explore and experience the ways God gives us strength. There is not much better than becoming aware of our weakness and being met by God’s strength and grace in the midst of it. God fills in all the places we lack, and he wants to hold you up and strengthen you today in your weakness. We can release the need to appear strong because we have a very strong God on our behalf. May you experience the embrace of the Father today as you draw near.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:26 ESV
The story of God’s people is one of God’s strength covering our weakness. Our heavenly Father takes our problems, sins, fears, and feebleness and uses them as opportunities to demonstrate the overwhelming power of his love. He takes those the world deems to be the weakest and uses them to accomplish incredible, powerful works. Isaiah 40:28-31 says:
Our God knows our frame. He knows that our bodies have come from dust and will one day return to their original form. He knows that without his help we accomplish nothing. But Paul’s declaration in Philippians 4:13 is just as true for you and me as it was for him: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” We can do all things through the anointing and power of our heavenly Father. We can tackle any obstacle that stands in our way because our God is perfectly strong in our weakness.
Where do you need the strength of God today? Where do you feel weak, powerless, or weary? Where do you need to run but only feel exhausted? Your lot is not to go through life living solely by your own power. You’ve been given a new identity as a son or daughter of the Most High God who desperately wants to clothe you with strength and teach you how to use the authority given to you by Jesus.
In God you can defeat the powers of sin and darkness that have held you back. In God you can accomplish the tasks set before you with joy, energy, and strength. And in God you can love and be loved to such a capacity that your very attitude, outlook, and emotions transform into reflections of your heavenly Father’s.
Spend time in prayer receiving the strength that comes from God alone. Allow him to fill you with fresh vision and align your perspective with his.
1. Meditate on God’s desire to fill you with strength.
2. Where do you need God’s strength today? Where do you feel weakest? Where do you need his power and anointing?
3. Ask God to fill you with the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask him to make his strength known to you. Allow your perspective and outlook to shift in light of God’s power and love.
“It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he causes me to stand on the heights.” 2 Samuel 22:33-34, NIV
We are never meant to do life on our own. We are designed to be in connection to the strength of our heavenly Father in every situation, relationship, job, and trial. God longs to fill us with strength to accomplish the good work laid before us. He longs to make us strong in him. Don’t go throughout your day in your own strength. Instead, seek out the hand of your heavenly Father and allow him to help you today.
Extended Reading: Psalm 73 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
Don’t go throughout your day in your own strength. Instead, seek out the hand of your heavenly Father and allow him to help you today.
]]>5/1/2026 | God the Giver
He has a plan for each of our lives, and he desires to partner with us to watch it unfold. May you find rest today in the direction God brings.
As we near the end of our week on God giving us good, heavenly gifts, we’re going to take time today to discover and reflect on the ways God gives us direction. Sometimes life can be confusing, and it is difficult to know which decisions to make. Thankfully, we have a Father who has sent his Spirit to speak and lead us through life’s winding paths. He has a plan for each of our lives, and he desires to partner with us to watch it unfold. May you find rest today in the direction God brings.
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way.”
Psalm 37:23 ESV
Isaiah 48:17-18 offers a hopeful yet heart-wrenching promise of God. Scripture says, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” What would it be like to experience peace like a river? What would it feel like to float on a continual stream of rest and contentment? How would past circumstances have turned out differently if only we would have listened to the commandments of God? Isaiah makes it clear that a lifestyle of peace and righteousness is readily available to us if we will simply follow the Lord our God “who leads [us] in the way [we] should go.” Let’s open our hearts and minds to the Spirit of the living God today and ask him to mold and shape us into followers of his direction.
Psalm 32:8-9 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you.” The Lord is faithful to give direction. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” God’s word illuminates the ways in which we should go physically, emotionally, and mentally. His word is designed to influence the ways we think, feel, and act. If we will choose to follow the direction offered to us in Scripture, we will discover a wellspring of peace and righteousness that completely drenches every part of our hearts with passion and purpose.
Scripture is also clear that God continues to speak to us and offer us direction straight from his voice. John 10:27 says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” All throughout the New Testament we see God’s people living and working by the direct word of the Lord. The Holy Spirit loves to speak to us and give us knowledge of his plans for us. Our job is to keep our ears open to him and to respond anytime he offers us direction. He longs to lead us daily into the incredible plans he has for us. He longs to direct us into abundant peace, joy, and purpose. As his sheep we must acknowledge the leadership of our Shepherd and trust in his guidance.
What situation lies before you today in which you need the direction of your all-knowing, loving heavenly Father? Where do you need peace and righteousness today? Where do you need your path illuminated? Dive into the word and God’s heart under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and search out his commandment for your life. Tune your ears to the frequency of God’s Spirit and listen to whatever he would say to you. May you discover the direction you need today as you pray.
1. Meditate on God’s desire and ability to offer you direction through his word and voice.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
2. Where do you need God’s direction today? Where do you need the peace that comes from knowing God’s will and desire for you?
3. Ask the Spirit to direct you right now, and dive into what God’s word says about your circumstances. Trust that God will speak to you perfectly because he loves you. He will make his will known to you if you ask him.
God never desires to send you out into this world on your own. He longs to establish you as a good follower of his direction. He longs to teach you how to live your life under the guidance of the Spirit and the word. Spend time receiving fresh revelation on what it looks like to follow your heavenly Father and receive his will. Ask him to guide you throughout your day today and teach you how to be a good follower.
Extended Reading: Psalm 32 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
Ask him to guide you throughout your day today and teach you how to be a good follower.
]]>4/30/2026 | God the Giver
As you fix your eyes on Jesus and trust him, I pray you experience rich contentment today in God’s love and provision.
In today’s First15, we’re going to explore the way God gives us contentment in the midst of every season and place he plants us. May you walk in immense satisfaction today as you open your heart and mind to the Lord’s presence and truth. As you fix your eyes on Jesus and trust him, I pray you experience rich contentment today in God’s love and provision.
“The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied.”
Proverbs 19:23 ESV
In Philippians 4, Paul describes what he calls “the secret” to contentment. Scripture says, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-13).
Similarly Hebrews 13:5 says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” Imagine a life of total contentment regardless of your possessions or status. Imagine the peace, joy, and strength you would find in this kind of freedom Paul experienced from the ways of the world. The question before you today is this: what is keeping you from living your life consistently and completely content?
Scripture is clear that true contentment transcends circumstances. True contentment is found apart from abundant provision. God longs to draw you into a lifestyle of situational transcendence. He longs to provide contentment for you on every level, but it will take surrendering your system of values and pursuits to experience the satisfaction of God’s perfect perspective. Contentment comes solely through a lifestyle of surrender.
The truth is, we consistently believe a lie that the world can offer us true contentment. We believe that the next purchase, friend, job, or hobby will satisfy foundational needs that can only find their fulfillment in God. We reach out to the world for help as if the world wasn’t in immense need already.
Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If your value lies in possessions and status, they will own you rather you owning them. If you search after the opinion of man above God’s, your contentment will come and go with the fleeting whims of those around you. But if you place your treasure with your heavenly Father, your heart will find its home in the loving arms of God.
If you will find the courage to surrender possessions, family, friends, jobs, and status today, you will find wonderful strength and contentment that transcends this world and finds its source in God alone. Spend time in prayer cutting your emotional ties to the world and placing your hope and trust in your heavenly Father alone.
1. Meditate on God’s desire to bring you contentment that transcends your circumstances.
“The fear of the Lord leads to life, and whoever has it rests satisfied.” Proverbs 19:23
2. Where have you been finding your contentment? What have you been seeking after to satisfy your emotional needs? Where have you placed your treasure?
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:21
3. Repent of any area in which you have been pursuing the ways of the world, and ask the Holy Spirit to help you value what he values. Ask him how he feels about your possessions and to give you the courage to give away or sell anything that is keeping you from reaching contentment. All that God would lead you to do is perfect and absolutely for your best interest.
“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5
When it comes down to it, what’s more valuable than contentment, peace, joy, fulfillment, and love? What possession, friend, job, or status is of greater value than what God has to offer us? The world seeks contentment from avenues which only ever lead to greater need. God has placed before you the avenue of surrender and promised an unconditional and limitless supply of contentment if you will simply take his hand and trust and follow him. May you gain the perfect perspective of your heavenly Father today and pursue the contentment that comes from him alone.
Extended Reading: Matthew 6 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Matthew 1-13.
May you gain the perfect perspective of your heavenly Father today and pursue the contentment that comes from him alone.
]]>4/29/2026 | God the Giver
We all need peace in this chaotic world, and thankfully God has an abundance of it, which he wants to lavish on his children.
As we continue our series on God the Giver of Gifts, we’re going to take time today to look at the peace God is faithful to give. We all need peace in this chaotic world, and thankfully God has an abundance of it, which he wants to lavish on his children. Open your heart today, be still, and take in the peace of heaven.
“Let me hear what God the Lord will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints.”
Psalm 85:8 ESV
Peace is a commodity that can only be found with time spent seeking the face of God. The world can’t offer us peace because it has nothing in which to place its hope, trust, and security. Kingdoms come and go. Leaders move in and out of power. What societies value changes like the passing of the tides. Our only constant is God. He has been, is, and forever will be the Creator, Sustainer, and Lord of all. All authority has been given to him. He governs the change of seasons. He thwarts the plans of our enemy. And he longs to offer total and sustained peace to all who place their hope and trust in him.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Our God has peace in store for us in every situation if we will choose to keep our mind stayed on him and trust him. The world says that peace can only come when you’ve worked your fingers to the bone and have finally attained all you want. You can only have peace when you have enough money, friends, the right job, or the right spouse. You can only have peace if friends, family, and bosses like you. God’s way is to draw you into himself and offer you peace in the midst of your circumstances. He doesn’t want you to wait until everything gets worked out before you can have rest—he’s offering you rest right now.
Psalm 23 says, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul . . . . You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows” (Psalm 23:1-3, 5). God longs to prepare a table for you in the midst of whatever trouble surrounds you. He is calling you to keep your mind stayed on him no matter what lies before you. And he is asking you to seek his face and find your rest in him rather than toiling and striving for circumstantial peace.
Romans 8:6 says, “To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” It’s by the Spirit alone that you will find life and peace. Stop looking for your fulfillment in the things of the world. Stop asking the world to offer you what it never had to begin with. Look toward your heavenly Father for the peace that surpasses all understanding. May you be filled with rest and peace today as you spend time in prayer seeking the face of God.
1. Meditate on the truth that God is your sole source of peace and rest. Allow God’s word to mold and shape your perspective.
“To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6
2. Where have you been running to for peace? Have you had much peace and rest in your life lately? Acknowledging your past pursuits will help you make present changes.
3. Seek the peace that comes from placing your hope and trust in God alone. Ask the Spirit to fill you with peace in the midst of your circumstances. Let your requests be known to God, and receive the peace that comes from casting your burdens on the loving and capable shoulders of your heavenly Father.
You will be robbed of peace as soon as you turn your trust away from God and begin to live in your own strength. The only source of consistent peace is keeping your mind stayed on God. You can trust in the reality of God’s desire and ability to help you. You can wait on him if he tells you to wait. You can move when he tells you to move. Offer your understanding, actions, and emotions to him, and allow him to be Lord over them all today.
Extended Reading: Psalm 23 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
The only source of consistent peace is keeping your mind stayed on God.
]]>4/28/2026 | God the Giver
May that truth bring you immense peace and comfort as you experience his presence.
Today as we continue to explore ways God is a wonderful, giving Father, we’re going to focus on the delivering power of God to set the captive free and rescue his people. Wherever you find yourself today, know that God is a safe rescue and the deliverer of our souls. He loves you mightily and is working on your behalf at all times. May that truth bring you immense peace and comfort as you experience his presence.
“You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.”
Psalm 32:7 ESV
Our God, who delivered Daniel from the clutches of ferocious lions, David from countless pursuers, Israel from the entire nation of Egypt, and Lazarus from four days of death, promises to deliver us from whatever schemes the world has set against us. 2 Samuel 22:2-4 says, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
When we call upon the Lord our God, he works in mighty, mysterious, and perfect ways. God is perfectly able to do any and every work it takes to deliver us. Whether you need deliverance from sin, affliction, lies, or sickness, God has the power and desire to deliver you. He is both mighty and loving. He is both mysterious and real. He is both servant and King. And he sees your need and longs to meet you exactly where you are.
What enemy comes against you today? What stress, circumstance, sickness, or sin seems to have entangled you? The Lord says to you, “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (Psalm 91:14-16). Hold fast to the hand of your heavenly Father. Don’t just put your head down and muscle through whatever circumstance is before you. Instead, call on your Great Deliverer, place your hand in his, and allow him to guide you, equip you, and empower you for whatever stands in your way.
God loves to take the very circumstance that seemed insurmountable and use it to reveal to you the reality of his power and love. He loves to take the walls of Jericho that seem to stand between you and your dreams and cast down the enemy that you couldn’t defeat on your own.
Psalm 32:7 says, “You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance.” God is surrounding you with his shouts today. The question is, will you have the patience and faith to pause, open your ears, listen, and follow wherever he leads you?
Spend time in prayer allowing God to deliver you, protect you, comfort you, guide you, and give you peace.
1. Meditate on God’s desire and ability to deliver you from whatever lies before you today.
2. Reflect on your own life. Where do you need deliverance today? Ask the Spirit to give you revelation about an area from which he wants to deliver you.
3. Spend time in God’s presence opening your ears to hear all that he would speak to you. Ask God to deliver you. Pray boldly that your heavenly Father would come through for you in mighty and miraculous ways.
Keep your eyes open today to take notice of all the different ways God answers your prayer. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” God will deliver you because he loves you, and his nature does not change. If he delivered Lazarus, the Israelites, David, and Daniel, he will deliver you. Have confidence in the love and power of your heavenly Father today.
Extended Reading: Psalm 34 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
Have confidence in the love and power of your heavenly Father today.
]]>4/27/2026 | God the Giver
Everything he gives us satisfies, transforms, and leads us to abundant life.
Our heavenly Father is the giver of every good gift. This week in the First15 devotional we’re going to explore the different gifts only God can give. His mercies are vast, powerful, and real. His love has the ability to completely overwhelm and satisfy every one of our needs. Everything he gives us satisfies, transforms, and leads us to abundant life. As we spend this week stirring up our affections toward God, allow your heart to become soft and open. Allow his loving character to draw you close and provide life to every dry and weary place in your soul.
Isaiah 66:13 ESV
Isaiah 66:13 says, “As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you.” Your heavenly Father is the God of comfort. When the world takes its toll on you, he longs to wrap you in his loving embrace and bring you comfort to cover all your pain. In the face of trials and tribulations, he desires to provide you comfort in the fact that he works all things for your good. And when everything seems bent against you, he longs to sing comfort over you as he fills you with the joy and foundation of his presence.
Jeremiah 31:13-14 says, “‘Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will feast the soul of the priests with abundance, and my people shall be satisfied with my goodness,’ declares the Lord.” God is in the business of turning what your enemies meant for evil into the very source of your joy. He loves to transform what was once your greatest sorrow into a reason for gladness. He longs to lead you to a life of abundance and satisfaction when the world around you seems to be dry, weary, and depleted.
God is calling out to you, “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). He is beckoning you to open your heart to him and receive the comfort only he can provide. Sometimes opening our hearts to him can be difficult. To have our wounds be truly comforted and healed requires allowing him to come and speak to the vulnerable and sore places of our hearts. We all have wounds deep down that we have worked tirelessly to keep hidden from others and even ourselves. We all have areas of our lives that seem to hurt too greatly to bring up again, even if the very act of bringing them to the surface will be our source of healing.
When God beckons you to open up the hurt places in your life to him, know that he will only ever speak love, mercy, and forgiveness. And know that after he gets done comforting you, the area that used to be a harmful wound will be a continual source of joy, gladness, and abundant life.
Open your heart to your heavenly Father today as you pray. Allow the Spirit to guide you to wounds that need to be comforted and healed. Allow him to wrap you up in his loving presence and guide you into the abundant life he intends for you.
1. Meditate on God’s desire and ability to comfort your every hurt. Reflect on his promise to provide you rest where you are weary.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
2. Ask the Spirit to guide you to areas of your heart that need to be comforted and healed. What past or present afflictions have wounded you? What’s at the source of your mourning, sorrow, or pain? What does God long to heal today?
3. Ask God to show you how he feels about the person, situation, or belief that wounded you. Ask him to show you where he was through it all. Spend time in his presence, allowing him to speak and provide comfort and healing. Spend as long as it takes for your hurt to be comforted.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” As you receive healing and comfort, God will use you to provide healing and comfort to others. God loves to use those who were broken and now healed to guide others to the place of comfort. Look for those suffering from an area in which God has healed you and comfort them with the comfort you have been shown by your heavenly Father.
Extended Reading: Jeremiah 31 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Jeremiah.
Look for those suffering from an area in which God has healed you and comfort them with the comfort you have been shown by your heavenly Father.
]]>4/26/2026 | God's Character
May the weights and cares of the world fall off of your shoulders today as you set out to seek the heart of your good and loving Father.
In today’s First15, we’re going to respond to God’s open invitation to seek his face. God desires to meet with you just as you are. So great was his desire for real, restored relationship with you, that he would send his only Son. May the weights and cares of the world fall off of your shoulders today as you set out to seek the heart of your good and loving Father.
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
Jeremiah 29:13 ESV
There is a misconception in Christianity that we cannot tangibly encounter our heavenly Father. Often we’re taught that we are too broken, dirty, or sinful to experience God. We’re told that experiencing God is only for some people, or only for some nations and cultures. Or maybe as a result of a lack of experiencing God in the past we believe that we are made without something that allows us to encounter God. Maybe we believe that encountering God is for other people, but not for us. Nothing could be further from the truth.
We encounter God because he desires to be encountered, not because we possess some special ability. We encounter God because he longs for us to know him, not because we are more holy than someone else. You see, encountering God is entirely based on his grace and love for us.
In Jeremiah 29:13 God promises us, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” All that is required of us to experience God is time and energy set aside to seek him. Let that truth settle into your heart for a moment. Allow your beliefs about encountering God to be renewed by his word. You can undoubtedly experience the living, active, and most high God right now because he desires for you to. He longs for you to experience him. His greatest desire is for his children to walk in the fullness of relationship available to them. He gets excited about the idea of tangibly revealing himself to you. He is filled with joy at the idea that you would experience all the love he has in his heart for you.
Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus did what no one else could. He made a way for us to tangibly experience our heavenly Father. Nothing can separate us from the love of our heavenly Father because Jesus has restored us completely into the fold of God. The curtain of the holy of holies was torn in two. The manifest presence of God was released by the sacrifice of Jesus for all the children of God to experience.
What do you feel is in the way of you experiencing your heavenly Father today? What past experience or present thoughts are keeping you from seeking God with all your heart? May Hebrews 10:19-22 guide you into a powerful encounter with your loving heavenly Father who desires for you to experience him today:
1. Meditate on God’s desire for you to encounter him. Take a few moments to reflect on the passionate pursuit of God as revealed in Acts 17 where Paul writes,
2. Reflect on your own life. What do you believe stands between you and experiencing your heavenly Father? What sin do you believe has separated you from him? What belief has kept you from seeking God? What lie have you believed?
3. Allow Scripture to stir your confidence to seek the face of God. Believe Scripture over past experiences or beliefs in response to the truth that God desires for you to seek him! Take a moment to simply rest in the presence of your God who loves to be near to you.
Hebrews 10:19-22 says:
The enemy’s greatest desire for those of us already saved is to keep us from walking in the fullness of what God intends for his children. Satan can’t keep us from eternal life with God, but he can keep us from experiencing the abundant life available to us here. He knows God’s greatest desire is for relationship with us, so he will stop at nothing to keep God from having his desires satisfied. May your life be one marked by the fullness of what’s available to you in Christ. May you be a child of God who consistently and fully experiences the love of your heavenly Father.
Extended Reading: Acts 17:22-34 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Acts 13-28.
May your life be one marked by the fullness of what’s available to you in Christ. May you be a child of God who consistently and fully experiences the love of your heavenly Father.
]]>4/25/2026 | God's Character
May striving cease today as we receive the lavish affection of our good and loving God.
In today’s First15 we’re going to create space to talk about and receive God’s great gift of love. You and I were made to be loved by God. And until we make room to receive the unselfish, steadfast, tangible love of God, we’ll spend the rest of our lives striving, vying for affection from others. May striving cease today as we receive the lavish affection of our good and loving God.
1 John 4:19
You need to experience the love of God. The single most important part of your day is receiving the love of your heavenly Father. Without being loved by God, you can’t fully love him or others. And the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:1, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” You’re called to live your life in response to God’s love, because God asks that everything you do be done in love. If what you are doing isn’t done in love, it is not pleasing to him, and you can’t live a lifestyle of loving others without being loved by him first.
What’s more, God’s desire is to completely overwhelm you with his love right now. He doesn’t want to love you just so you’ll love him back or love those around you. Loving God and others is a natural by-product of receiving God’s love. He loves you just because he loves you.
He longs for you to live a lifestyle of love because he knows that’s the absolute, most fulfilling, purposeful, and peaceful way of life for you. He longs to set you free from the burdens of living for your own gain. He longs to lead you to the path of abundant life. But it all starts with simply receiving his love.
The love of God will guide you, establish you, empower you, and fully delight you. His love will free you, compel you, and sustain you. His love for you is eternal, real, and right now. All you need to do is simply open your heart to him and set aside a little time right now to receive his amazing gift of love.
God desires to be experienced. He is living and active, but so few experience the life and love he wants to bring. Today, after receiving his love, take some time to reflect on how differently you feel and act afterwards. See if you feel a stirring of desire for God and those around you. You see, God intends for us to have his love for those around us. In loving God you receive his love for others. You care about the things the people you love care about. It is the same with God. But it all starts with simply being loved by him. There’s no better time than right now, wherever you are, to receive the love of your heavenly Father.
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you encounter the love of God. Receive the peace, love, and comfort of God. Let all your cares go and take some time to just rest in his presence.
2. Ask God to give you revelation on his heart for you and those around you. Reflect on this passage from 1 John 4 as you pray:
3. Ask the Spirit to help you love the people you encounter today with God’s heart for them. Ask God a specific way you can love someone else out of the overflow of his love for you. Jesus said in John 13:34:
Know that wherever you go, God is there. You can receive his love at any time. Whenever someone harms you today, whenever you get frustrated or stressed, take a few minutes to simply be loved by your heavenly Father. May his love be the foundation for yours in all that you do today.
Extended Reading: John 17 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 13-21.
May his love be the foundation for yours in all that you do today.
]]>4/24/2026 | God's Character
Where are you questioning God’s goodness today?
In today’s First15, we’re going to dive deeper into the reality of God’s goodness. At every turn, just when I wonder how good God really is, he always has a plan to show me how truly loving and good he is. So as we begin, where are you questioning God’s goodness today? When things go wrong, when we get hurt, it’s only natural to start questioning and building walls. But rather than going our own way, let’s come before God with confidence, asking our questions and inviting him to meet us in a meaningful way today.
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!”
Psalm 27:13 ESV
God is good. What emotion does that fact stir in you? I know for some this phrase stirs up unspeakable joy, while others of us seem to be immune to its emotion in our lives. I believe the issue for many of us is that the phrase “God is good” is so frequently said and so infrequently experienced. For many of us we are just told that God is good from a young age, but we are seldom given the chance to experience that goodness. Goodness is something meant to be experienced and then believed, not the other way around.
David said that he would look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. He had already seen God’s goodness in his life and believed that he would see it again. He knew for a fact that God was good and therefore he sought to experience that goodness. It’s that same heart that the Sons of Korah had in the famous Psalm 84, singing, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God . . . For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:1-2,10). That sounds like the worship of a good God, a goodness that had been experienced.
When was the last time you experienced the goodness of God? Psalm 33:5 says, “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” God’s goodness is here, just waiting to be experienced. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” God is always good, and every good and perfect gift you’ve received is from him! He demonstrates his goodness to us in innumerable ways, all the time. How is it then that we don’t recognize it? How is it that we can be surrounded by God’s goodness and not experience it?
God has proven in Scripture that he works in our midst demonstrating his goodness, but we have to take time to listen and respond to these demonstrations. In Psalm 27 God says to David, “Seek my face,” and David responds, “My heart says to you, your face, Lord, do I seek.” When God says “seek” he uses a Hebrew word that is meant for more than one person. God calls all of us, his people, to “seek my face.” Then in response we are to say, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Take time today to respond to God’s invitation of goodness. Seek to look upon his face and to experience his goodness. He has laid a banquet table before you and is simply asking you to come and dine with him.
1. Take time to quiet yourself and receive God’s presence. Meditate on this verse:
2. Respond to his goodness by telling the Lord:
“My heart says to you, Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Psalm 27:8
3. Make David’s prayer yours today:
Take time to make that prayer your own throughout your day today. Memorize it. Write it on your heart so that you can experience the goodness of God throughout your day. It only takes a minute to receive his presence and have the joy and peace that can only be found in Christ Jesus.
Extended Reading: Psalm 27 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
It only takes a minute to receive his presence and have the joy and peace that can only be found in Christ Jesus.
]]>4/23/2026 | God's Character
Life is never better than when God is fully at the center of our lives, and fully at the center of our hearts.
In today’s First15, we’re going to spend time reflecting on how worthy God is of our devotion. Life is never better than when God is fully at the center of our lives, and fully at the center of our hearts. May we authentically give God our devotion today as we take time to discover how holy and worthy he is.
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Isaiah 6:3 ESV
Throughout Scripture we see a powerful principle exemplified: when God is seen for who he truly is, the natural response of the seer is full and absolute devotion. When God reveals his glory, love, power, holiness, and splendor, the seer responds with absolute commitment and worship. I believe that God would reveal himself to us today in simple but mighty ways. I believe that he longs for us to see him as he truly is, and that his chief desire is our devotion. May we see God face-to-face today and be forever changed by a fresh revelation of this God who would give up everything for relationship with us.
Isaiah 6 exemplifies both a vision of God and a response of devotion. Isaiah has an open vision of the majesty of God in heaven. He sees God on his throne and hears angels declaring his holiness and splendor by saying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). And in response to this vision Isaiah 6:8 says, “And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me.'” Isaiah responds to seeing God with full devotion.
God doesn’t ask for your devotion the way man does. He doesn’t offer you ultimatums or transactionally based benefits if you will love him. Devotion to him is meant to be the natural response of seeing God for who he is, because he is inherently worthy of every bit of devotion we can bring to him. He is worthy of our allegiance because he is the King of Kings. He is worthy of our obedience because his will is both knowable and perfect. He is worthy of our worship because he is the almighty God to whom all creation offers ceaseless praise. And he is worthy of our heart because he is the God of love and mercy who has created us for relationship with him.
Too often we mistake God’s mercy and grace as opportunities to go our own way and come back to him as we please or when we need something. Too often we treat his love as an opiate for our problems rather than the foundation on which we devote our lives in humble submission to him. God is patient. He is kind. He will never force or manipulate us into loving him. But his patience, kindness, and gentleness do not change the fact that he is King of kings, Lord of lords, and Creator of all, and that he is worthy and deserving of our ceaseless devotion.
Run to meet your God in the secret place today. Look upon his face and see him for both the loving and majestic God he is. He longs to reveal his nature to you. He longs for you to search out the depths of him and be awed by his wonder and mystery. Spend time in prayer meeting with your loving heavenly Father and responding to his nature with your love, worship, and devotion.
1. Meditate on the majesty, holiness, and love of God. Allow Scripture and the Holy Spirit to guide you into a direct encounter with the living God. Ask God to reveal his nearness, holiness and love to you in a fresh way.
2. Spend time giving him thanks for who he is. Worship him through thanksgiving.
3. Now offer God your total devotion in response to who he is. Commit to following his leadership and living your life in total obedience to him through the help of the Holy Spirit.
May your life be an example of a believer in love with God. May you offer God all the love, obedience, and devotion you can. All God desires is your heart. He longs to have all of you. He is completely relationship focused and completely lovesick for you. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” God will help you live your life in commitment to him if you allow him to. Receive the strength of the Lord and respond to his love with your devotion today.
Extended Reading: Isaiah 44 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Isaiah 40-66.
Receive the strength of the Lord and respond to his love with your devotion today.
]]>4/22/2026 | God's Character
May our hearts be filled with greater measures of trust as we make space for God to fill.
In today’s First15, we’re going to take time today to simply focus on how trustworthy our heavenly Father is. Our trust is always meant to be a response to God’s trustworthiness, an act of love given as we receive the unconditional, life-changing love of God. May our hearts be filled with greater measures of trust as we make space for God to fill.
Psalm 9:10 ESV
Our heavenly Father calls us, his children, to place our trust solely in him for provision, well-being, and guidance. We see God call his people to a lifestyle of trust throughout Scripture, but time and time again the people of God take matters into their own hands. Why is trust so difficult? Why do we have a hard time placing the burden of provision, well-being, and guidance in the capable hands of our heavenly Father? The only good posture of our hearts is total trust in our God. The only way we will experience the full reality, love, and power of our heavenly Father is in trusting him. It’s when we trust him that we allow him to move in our lives. It’s when we trust him that we position ourselves to receive the powerful working of the Holy Spirit. It’s when we trust him that we allow him to work in and through us to see his will done on the earth. So, let’s allow God’s word to be our guide today as we open our hearts to receiving the courage and faith to place our trust in God.
Psalm 9:10 speaks to the core of trusting in God: “And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” Trusting God is first and foremost a matter of knowing his character and faithfulness. We must know his name, or who he is, and know in our heart of hearts that he will not forsake us. Trusting God starts with a knowledge of his trustworthiness, but must make its way down to the heart. If we don’t allow God’s character and faithfulness to become a transformative reality of our heart, we will never bear the fruit of trust. So in order to begin a lifestyle of trust in areas in which we have taken control for ourselves, we must begin by asking God for a fresh revelation of his character and faithfulness. We must see God for who he is, reflect on his faithfulness as demonstrated in Scripture, in the lives of other believers, and in our own lives, and allow these revelations to transform our hearts’ desires and bear the fruit of trust.
Oftentimes it takes me being at my wit’s end, where there is nothing possible left for me to do, before I pray and ask God for his help. In reality, I should begin every part of my life with surrender to the Holy Spirit’s power and guidance. I should follow God’s leadership from the beginning. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.” My life should be a continual response to the love and faithfulness of God rather than a trial of my own strength ending in cries of desperation to my heavenly Father who longed to help me all along. God’s desire is that we would be a people marked by the peace that only comes from continual trust in response to his trustworthiness. Continual peace comes from continual trust.
Psalm 37:3-5 offers what I believe to be a blueprint for the abundant life God desires for each of us. David writes, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” When we place our trust solely in God we are filled with delight in him in place of the burden and weight of living life in our own strength. And when we delight ourselves fully in God, our desires come into line with his, allowing us to simply “do good” and “dwell in the land.” If we will trust in God he will both fill us with the desires he has for us and then satisfy those desires. When the people of God respond to his faithfulness with trust, he does mighty and incredible works. God delivered the entire nation of Israel through the trust of one man, Moses. He destroyed the walls of Jericho through the faithful marching of his people. He scattered the Midianites in response to the trust of Gideon. He delivered Paul and Silas from prison as they worshipped him in trust. The stories go on and on, but they all have this in common: God spoke his desires to his people, his people trusted him at his word in response to his character and faithfulness, and he did a mighty work in their favor.
Where do you need a powerful work of your heavenly Father today? Where do you need his help and guidance? Spend time meditating on the character and past faithfulness of your heavenly Father and place your trust in him in response to his trustworthiness. Your God loves you and longs to help you. He has a plan to deliver you from whatever comes against you. Just as he destroyed the enemies of his people time and time again, he will help you overcome whatever obstacle stands in your way today. Place your hope and trust in God and follow him as he leads you to a life of victory and freedom.
1. Meditate on the character and faithful works of God.
2. Reflect on your own life. Where do you need God’s help today? Where do you need his favor or guidance? Where do you need a miracle?
3. Place your trust in God, ask for his help, and follow his leadership. Spend time placing your trust solely in him. If it feels too difficult to trust him completely, ask for his help! Ask him to uncover whatever lie is keeping you from trusting him. Ask him to reveal his nearness, love, and power to you. Trust is meant to be a response, not something you conjure up. Allow him to reveal himself in deeper ways so that you can simply respond to his overwhelming reality, love, power, and faithfulness.
May you grow in your knowledge of the trustworthiness of your God today. May you experience the joy of having the Creator of all working in the details of your own life. God is not too busy for you today. He doesn’t have better or bigger things planned than your problems. He is infinite, vast, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. He longs to work in the little things along with the big things. Listen to him as he speaks Isaiah 43:1-2 over you today:
Extended Reading: Psalm 37 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
May you grow in your knowledge of the trustworthiness of your God today.
]]>4/21/2026 | God's Character
May our hearts be comforted and our hands be filled with strength as we make space for God to fill.
Every day we experience fear in some way. Whether it’s fear over the opinion of others, fear of the future, or fear over the ways and plans of evil, we’re in need of comfort and faith. Today we’re going to spend time focusing to protection God offers us every day in his goodness and love. May our hearts be comforted and our hands filled with strength as we make space for God to fill.
“But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 ESV
I used to be scared to death any time I heard someone talking about the devil. He always seemed so cunning, too cunning, for me to handle. I saw Christian after Christian enveloped in temptation fall away from what seemed to be God’s will for their life. I heard about the ways in which the world was so tricked by his schemes. And I thought I would never be able to fully defeat this strong and cunning foe.
Do you feel that way? Does your enemy seem too strong to defeat? Does he seem too cunning to outwit? Does it feel like he has so grasped you in his clutches that escape is impossible? The most important fact for you to know about Satan is that he is the father of all lies. John 8:44 says, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Let that truth sink in for a minute. Everything the devil tells you is a lie. He cannot speak full truth. Everything he tells you is in opposition to God, who is the author of all truth. All of the devil’s whispers about his strength and your inability to defeat him are in opposition to the word of God. May we find blissful freedom today in the powerful words of our loving, truthful heavenly Father. May we allow his Spirit to come in and correct the lies of the enemy we have believed so that we might walk in the abundant life available to us through Christ.
2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” Our heavenly Father is a perfect, capable protector from Satan. He promises to establish us and guard us. He is always with us and always knows exactly what we need in order to withstand the temptations of the evil one. 1 Corinthians 10:13 teaches us, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” The Holy Spirit will always provide us an exit from temptation. Always. There will never be a temptation that comes your way that you cannot escape when you are under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.
One of the enemy’s most used weapons is the lie that you cannot defeat him. He reminds us of our past failures, of his great cunning ways, and of his victories over us. He whispers that he is stronger than us and that we will give in eventually. All lies. Past failures do not have to dictate the outcome of future battles. In fact, if we will allow the Holy Spirit to use past failures to reveal to us ways in which he longed to lead us away from temptation, past sins become stepping stones on which we achieve future victories. Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” God’s grace lays the foundation for our victory over the enemy, not our own works. It was in his grace that Jesus died to set us free from this world and restore us to God. His grace leads us away from temptation. And it’s his grace that he offers us every time we confess our sins to him. God’s grace is powerful, freeing, perfect, and full of love. He knows our weaknesses. He knows our frame. But he is also perfectly capable of being strong in our weakness if we allow him to be.
You never have to fall into temptation again. God has a perfect plan for every temptation that comes your way. The enemy is not stronger than you. He is not more cunning than you. And he will not have victory over you because you have God, and God has defeated him. Your protector and guard is the very God who defeated the enemy at the cross and will throw him into the lake of fire, resulting in his ultimate destruction. That God lives inside of you, has grace for you, and plans to use your past failures and current weaknesses to powerfully defeat your enemy.
Spend time in prayer meditating on the truth of God’s power over the enemy. Reflect on your own life and allow the Spirit to take your past failures and turn them into future victories. And allow Scripture to fill you with truth to combat the future lies of the enemy.
1. Meditate on God’s faithful protection over you.
2. Reflect on your past failures. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you ways in which he was leading you away from temptation. What did he desire you to do so that you might walk in victory over your enemy? In what ways did he desire to protect you?
3. Allow the Spirit to empower you for future victories. Ask him to make you more aware of his leadership in future temptations and to empower you to follow him. Meditate on the truth of who you are in Christ and the truth of the enemy’s plans for you. May Scripture and the Holy Spirit empower you during this time for every temptation the enemy has planned for you.
It’s critical that we renew our mind to the truth of who we are in Christ on a daily basis. The enemy will never stop tempting us because he will never stop hating us and the God whom we belong to. But you can achieve victory over the enemy every single time because victory is already yours in Christ. You are the enemy’s no longer. You have been given a new nature of righteousness. The most powerful weapon you have is God’s word. Memorize Scripture about your new nature and allow it to redefine the way you see yourself. Walk in light of the incredible grace of God working in and through your life today.
Extended Reading: 1 Corinthians 10 or watch The Bible Project’s video on 1 Corinthians.
Walk in light of the incredible grace of God working in and through your life today.
]]>4/20/2026 | God's Character
As we spend time this week focusing on God’s character, allow who he is to stir up your desire to know him even more.
It’s vital to the Christian life that we as sons and daughters of the most high God allow our affections to be stirred by the loving, powerful nature of our heavenly Father. Too often we feel that God is distant or separated from us. Too often we allow misconceptions or lies to place a rift between us and experiencing God. So as we spend time this week focusing on God’s character, allow who he is to stir up your desire to know him even more.
2 Peter 3:9 ESV
1 Corinthians 13:4 tells us, “Love is patient.” Patience is a part of love that doesn’t feel fun at the beginning. It feels like an act of self-control rather than passion, as if the two aren’t perfectly connected. And it often comes across as a sign of weakness rather than an attribute of the bold and powerful we so often admire. But Scripture teaches us a different view of patience. 2 Peter 3:8-9 says, “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God, in his passionate desire for restored relationship with all his children, has perfect patience toward us. His passion leads him to patience. And it is in his desire to see us grow in all manner of holiness and godliness that he waits to bring about the restoration of all things to him with the coming of the new heavens and earth. Let’s open our hearts today to become more like our heavenly Father and allow him to create in us a heart worthy of him who has so patiently loved us.
I fear that much of the bride of Christ is living day-to-day, getting by until Jesus returns. And I fear that in our complacency we are not engaging in the purposes for which Christ came. God’s intention here is to use us to bring about a saving knowledge to all those around us. His plan was for restoration of relationship here, not just biding our time while suffering from a lack of his reality working in our lives. 2 Peter 3:14 says, “Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for [new heavens and a new earth], be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” And Hebrews 12:3-11 says,
Because God loves us he does not desire for us to remain as we were or as we are. His plan is to do such a work in us that we live on this earth as Jesus did. But he is entirely patient to accomplish this work. He is entirely patient with our sanctification.
When I began engaging in the process of sanctification I was filled with frustration. For the first time I began to see all the dirt and muck covering up this beautiful gift of a new nature God had given me. I felt like I was never going to be able to get through all the sin that seemed to so entangle me to my old nature, and I was right. Scripture teaches us that it is God, in his patience, who produces holiness and godliness. In my own strength I have no ability to change my heart. My only job is to engage with him and allow him to work in and through me. Philippians 2:13 says, “For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” The NLT version says it this way: “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” God’s desire isn’t for us to engage in works that have the appearance of morality but aren’t flowing from the true desire of our hearts. His longing is to mold and shape our hearts by his love into a perfect reflection of his heart so that we might live true lives of holiness out of the overflow of what he has done in us. Only he can accomplish such a work. Only he can fill us with the ability to truly love. And as 2 Peter 3:9 tells us, he is patient to do so.
1. Meditate on the patient heart of your heavenly Father. Reflect on how his patience comes from his passionate love for us.
2. Now meditate on God’s desire to produce holiness and godliness in you. Allow this truth to grow in connection to God’s love. His love leads him to discipline and work in us.
3. Now engage in the process of sanctification with the Holy Spirit. Allow him to reveal to you places in your life that do not align with your new nature. Ask him to take you to the source of your sin and correct your understanding so that you might walk in holiness today.
God has promised to deliver us from this world. We have hope that the trials and tribulations of this world will not be forever. Jesus is coming again to restore all things to be as they should. Find peace and joy in the fact that God is both working now and will work then. He is both healing, transforming, and freeing us now as he will then. In his patience he is passionately waiting for more to come to know him. May your life be a reflection of his perfect love to all those around you, that Jesus might gain the due reward of his suffering through you.
Extended Reading: Romans 6 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Romans 5-16.
May your life be a reflection of his perfect love to all those around you, that Jesus might gain the due reward of his suffering through you.
]]>4/19/2026 | Knowing God
May God draw us closer to him, and give us a greater measure of faith today as we focus on his steadfast love and faithfulness.
In the last day of this week where we’re seeking to stir up our affections for God, today we’re going to look at God’s faithfulness. You and I can have faith, because God is faithful. His faithfulness lays the foundation we need to love him, follow him, and walk with him. May God draw us closer to him, and give us a greater measure of faith today as we focus on his steadfast love and faithfulness.
Numbers 23:19 ESV
Numbers 23:19 describes a foundational aspect of God’s character, his faithfulness. Scripture says, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” As believers, we need a revelation of God’s faithfulness. Being able to fully trust God is the beginning of living an abundant life. If you don’t fully believe that God is faithful to lead you into the best possible life you could live, then you won’t seek out his will, trust him with your possessions, or be able to fully enjoy his presence.
God’s word promises us in Numbers 23:19 that God is perfectly faithful, steadfast, and true. Philippians 1:6 says, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” Romans 8:28 promises, “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Your God is wholly faithful to you. No matter what you do, he will be there for you. His faithfulness isn’t dependent upon your works. All he requires is a willing heart to bring about the incredible fruit of the Spirit in your life.
You aren’t meant to live life apart from the knowledge of God’s faithfulness. You aren’t meant to live with the weight of doing life on your own. Man may fail you, but your God will not. Family and friends may not be there when you need them, but your God will always be there for you.
Where do you feel on your own? In what ways do you need a fresh revelation of God’s faithfulness? He promises to be true to you. He promises to see you through any situation you find yourself in. Isaiah 54:10 says, “‘For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” Faithfulness is foundational to the very character of God. God’s steadfast love for you is more sure than the very ground you walk on.
So respond to God’s faithfulness today. Let his promises steady the parts of your life that feel unsure. As you step outside today, take time to look at the world around you. Think about the things you’ve put your trust in. And remember, God promises that his faithfulness will outlast anything your eyes can see. May your affections for him be stirred today. May you respond to his faithfulness with your own. And may you experience the love and joy of a Father who loves you perfectly and completely.
1. Meditate on God’s promise to be faithful to you.
2. Now reflect on your own life. Where in your life do you feel unsure? What situations seem to toss your emotions around like a boat in the middle of a storm? Where do you need a firmer foundation today?
3. Ask the Spirit for a revelation of God’s faithfulness in those areas. Ask God to help you trust in his promise of faithfulness. Ask him how he plans on bringing peace to those areas that are disturbing you today. Listen to him as he speaks.
Not only does God promise you his faithfulness, but he will actually reveal to you how he is working in your life. You can ask him for his plans, and he will show you! You can ask him how he feels about you and your life, and he will tell you! Within his promise of faithfulness is the promise of his voice. You will hear him speak today if you open your heart, listen to the Spirit and be alert for God to speak through whatever avenue he chooses. Your heavenly Father loves you. Spend your day establishing the foundation of his faithfulness in your own life. And experience a life lived in the abundance of God’s assurance and peace.
Extended Reading: Listen to Securely Held: A Guided Prayer for Anxiety and Peace, our newest Guided Prayer!
Read Isaiah 54 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Isaiah 40-66.
Spend your day establishing the foundation of his faithfulness in your own life. And experience a life lived in the abundance of God’s assurance and peace.
]]>4/18/2026 | Knowing God
May God give us eyes to see who we are to him today, and the courage to abide in him in life-giving relationship.
In today’s First15, we’re going to stir up our affections for God by looking at what it means, when Scripture calls us his children. As a child of God, you are adopted into the family of the Creator of all. And you have a good, and loving Father, filled with grace, mercy, and compassion. May God give us eyes to see who we are to him today, and the courage to abide in him in life-giving relationship.
Galatians 4:6-7 ESV
You are the child of God, brought into his family by the power and grace of Jesus’ sacrifice for you. As believers, we hear we are God’s children. But often we don’t live our lives in response to that truth and instead live out of the mindset of an orphan. Children don’t worry when they have a good father. They don’t wonder if they’ll be able to eat, if they’re loved or if they have a place in this world. The unconditional love of a parent lays a foundation for them to have secure peace and joy. Your God desires the same for you. God wants to lay an unshakable foundation for you based solely on his love for you as his child so that when the storms come and waves crash over you, you remain strong in your identity.
First, let’s look at what Scripture says about you, and then take some time to respond to God’s word in faith. John 1:12-13 says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” Galatians 4:6-7 says, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Finally, 2 Corinthians 6:18 says, “And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” Through adoption into God’s family you are now a co-heir with Christ. Romans 8:17 says that we are God’s children, “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.” You were born again into God’s family when you asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior.
So what does it mean to be God’s child? What does it mean to be a co-heir with Christ? It means that all that is God’s is yours. He shares with you his kingdom. You have a Father who gives you amazing gifts. You have a Father who absolutely loves spending time with you. Your heavenly Dad’s love for you knows no bounds. His love is pervasive, powerful, and freely given. You no longer need to worry about whether you have a place in this world. There’s no need to concern yourself with whether you will have clothes or food. You no longer have to live in pursuit of the opinions of those around you. God enjoys you. He has a plan for you. He doesn’t take being your Father lightly. He takes complete ownership of his responsibility. He will strengthen you, teach you, develop you, and give you a life of passion and meaning. To be the child of God is to be loved, liked, and completely cared for.
So how can you live in response to God’s word? How can you get out of the mindset of an orphan? You must have faith that God is who he says he is and believe he will do what he’s promised to do. Romans 10:17 says that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” You have heard the word of the Lord today. You are his child. He promises to provide for you. So have faith! Faith isn’t something you just conjure up. It’s a response to God’s faithfulness. God has and will be faithful to you. Allow his word to stir up faith within you today. Live in response to his promises and allow the peace and joy of being God’s child to lay an unshakable foundation for you today.
1. Meditate on the truth of God’s word. You are his child. Let it sink deep into your heart.
2. Now ask the Spirit to show you any mindsets you have that don’t line up with his word. Where in your life do you feel stressed? What makes you feel like you don’t have what it takes? Where do you feel unloved or unliked?
3. Now ask God to speak to those places. What does it mean for you to be his child? What about your life should be different? Cast off those mindsets and realign your way of thinking with God’s.
“And I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18
God’s love for you is sure. There is nothing you could ever do to remove yourself from his family. Once you are his child, you are his forever. As a Christian you are living under God’s grace, not works. God loves you because he loves you—not because of what you think about yourself or what you do. Therefore, release any thoughts you have of yourself that don’t line up with God’s word. Let go of any burdens you’re carrying today in light of his love. And experience the transforming power of a life lived in response to the faithfulness of God.
Extended Reading: Galatians 4 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Galatians.
Let go of any burdens you’re carrying today in light of his love. And experience the transforming power of a life lived in response to the faithfulness of God.
]]>4/17/2026 | Knowing God
May we all draw nearer to God today in this time together.
In today’s First 15, we’re going to stir up our affections by looking at God’s invitation to us in Revelation 3:20 to share a meal with him. This metaphor, this image of sitting across the table from God, especially in the context of the author of Revelation, John’s, culture, creates a pathway for you and me to journey down that leads to real, close relationship with our Creator and Savior. May we all draw nearer to God today in this time together.
Revelation 3:20
Revelation 3:20 reveals amazing insight into the relationship God desires with us, his crown of creation. In it Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Do you know that God wants to be friends with you? Just as a friend would ask you out to a meal, God longs to spend time with you. Every day God is knocking on the door of your heart. If you are willing to open your heart to him and listen, you can spend time with God in ways more boundless and satisfying than you could with any other friend.
Where in your life do you need God’s friendship today? John 15:15 says, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” The story of the gospel is God losing relationship with the crown of his creation, you and me, and through the death of Jesus gaining restored relationship with us. He has been working tirelessly from the very first sin just to be able to call you and me friends again. What you desire from friends around you is completely available to you in God and to even greater depths!
If you need a friend to talk to, God is standing at the door of your heart asking to come in and listen—“Behold, I stand at the door and knock.” If you need advice, the Holy Spirit who authored Scripture is waiting to reveal to you the wisdom of God—“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13). If you need to laugh, God longs to bring you unfathomable joy—“When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad” (Psalm 126:1-3).
You have a best friend in God. He is not distant. What was true for the psalmist in Psalm 73:23-26 is true for us, “I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Spend time in God’s presence today. Listen to him knocking on the door of your heart and invite him to come in and meet with you. Let his friendship heal the broken places of your heart that need his love. He offers himself freely to you today. He’s gone to unimaginable lengths to be able to simply spend time with you. Lay the table of your heart bare before him, and let his smile restore to you the joy of your salvation.
1. Spend some time meditating on God’s desire for friendship with you.
2. Open your heart to God and receive his presence. Receive the peace and joy that comes from being in the presence of your heavenly Father.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20
3. Spend time simply enjoying your friendship with God. Talk to him about anything you desire. Receive his joy over you.
Friendships aren’t built in a day, but over lifetimes. You have all of eternity to spend getting to know God. After spending consistent time with him, he truly will become your best friend. He will be the person you run to when you have a problem. He will be the source of your joy, peace, and life. Every day, you have the choice to do life with God or on your own. And you have an enemy working to lead you to choose the latter. The more consistently you spend time with God, the easier that decision will become. Once you know the goodness and reality of God there is no going back. Enjoy God today. Walk in the abundant life of restored relationship with him. Answer his call whenever he knocks on the door of your heart. There is no better way you could choose to spend your days and no better friend than God.
Extended Reading: John 15 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 13-21.
Answer his call whenever he knocks on the door of your heart. There is no better way you could choose to spend your days and no better friend than God.
]]>4/16/2026 | Knowing God
May we praise God for his wisdom, and ask him with boldness and confidence to share that wisdom with us today.
In today’s First15, we’re going to stir up our affections for God by looking at his wisdom. Not only is our God wise, but he longs to share his wisdom with us as his people. Living with true wisdom, true perspective, knowing how to order our desires and our days is one of the real keys to living an abundant life. May we praise God for his wisdom, and ask him with boldness and confidence to share that wisdom with us today.
James 1:5 ESV
Your heavenly Father is perfectly wise. Everything he does is perfect. Every thought and idea he has is filled with complete wisdom. What’s more, through the Holy Spirit you have access to that wisdom. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” Your God loves you so much that he’s just waiting to bestow on you his vast wisdom. He never wants you to suffer from a lack of knowledge. So often, we are taught that God only reveals to us what we absolutely have to know right before we need to know it. But that’s not the truth of Scripture. James 1:5 proves that. Your God gives his wisdom “generously!”
Not only is the wisdom of God given to you generously if you ask, but it also has with it incredible attributes. James 3:17 says, “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” The wisdom of God will do incredible things for your life. With it comes the very nature of God. James 3:17 could just as easily have said that God is “pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” So when you receive the wisdom God bestows upon you, you are receiving many of the attributes of God himself.
The wisdom of God is unlike any other way of thinking you’ll find. 1 Corinthians 3:18-20 says, “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness,’ and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.'” Jesus taught us in Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” The path he is guiding you to is the way out of the stress that worldly ambition and success will assuredly cause. He’s guiding you to a life of abundant peace. When you forgo the wisdom of this world for his, you will undoubtedly appear more foolish to some. But you will have found a way of living free from the burdens of the world. God’s wisdom leads you to a life truly hidden with Christ, lost in the sea of his love and mercy.
Ask God for his wisdom today. Read his word with the guidance of the Spirit. God is waiting patiently to reveal everything you have the desire to seek out. Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.” Ask him for his wisdom today, and live the abundant life God has planned for you.
1. Meditate on the amazing qualities of God’s wisdom. Let meditation stir up within you a desire to think like God.
2. Where in your life do you need God’s wisdom? Maybe you need to know how to see yourself. Maybe you have a situation in which you could really use some guidance. Think about the areas in your life in which you need God’s help.
3. Ask God for his wisdom. Have faith in response to his word that he gives wisdom generously, and receive and implement anything he shows you.
The wisdom of God won’t do much for you if you don’t choose to implement God’s thinking over the world’s. If you continuously work for the favor of man and worldly success in light of what you know to be God’s truth, you will continue to experience the consequences of a life lived foolishly. God’s word must be implemented to produce fruit. You have to choose to live in light of your position in Christ for transcendent peace to become the norm in your life. God gives wisdom to you freely when you ask. The question before you today is simply whether or not you will choose to trust God and implement it.
Extended Reading: 1 Corinthians 3 or watch The Bible Project’s video on 1 Corinthians.
God’s word must be implemented to produce fruit. You have to choose to live in light of your position in Christ for transcendent peace to become the norm in your life. God gives wisdom to you freely when you ask. The question before you today is simply whether or not you will choose to trust God and implement it.
]]>4/15/2026 | Knowing God
May God open our eyes and hearts in a special way today to receive his grace in every corner of our hearts.
In today’s First15, we’re going to continue our series seeking to simply stir our affections toward God, by looking at his boundless grace. On a daily basis, it’s God’s grace that always draws me close first. His forgiveness, his loving compassion, his gaze changes everything. May God open our eyes and hearts in a special way today to receive his grace in every corner of our hearts.
Ephesians 1:7 ESV
Grace is one of the most astounding and life-transforming aspects of God’s character. From the beginning of time God has chosen to lavish grace upon us instead of wrath. Time and time again, we’ve turned our backs on him. And time and time again he demonstrates the depth of his desire for us through the giving of his boundless grace. In his grace we are afforded a life not only apart from his wrath, but lived in the glory of relationship with our Creator through the redemption of Jesus.
Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” Let’s look at a few of these ideas today and let them stir our affections for God. Allow God to speak through his word to the places of your heart where the grace of God hasn’t been given the opportunity to abound yet.
Paul says that in Jesus we have “redemption through his blood.” Have you thought about the nature of your redemption at length before? Colossians 1:19-22 says, “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.” Such is the grace of your heavenly Father that there is not a single thing between you and him. You, who at one time stood apart from God, have been brought into the family of God, redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
Not only have you been redeemed once and for all, but you are forgiven both now and forever. Paul writes that we as believers have “the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.” (Ephesians 1:7-10) Where in your life do you need forgiveness today? What do you feel is separating you from unveiled relationship with your heavenly Father? When you confess your sins, God offers you his forgiveness for anything you have done. “According to the riches of his grace,” which was made perfectly evident in the death of Jesus, you are being offered forgiveness. If God would send his Son to die in order to have restored relationship with you, you better believe he will forgive any trespass that seems to stand in your way now.
God doesn’t operate the way the world does. He doesn’t make you pay the penalty for your own sin. Instead, he offers perfect grace. In story after story in Scripture God turns the systems of the world on their head through the concept of grace. In the story of the prodigal son, the father allowed the son to dishonor him, set aside his rightful punishment, and threw a huge party for his wayward child returned home. He didn’t wait. He didn’t make him work for his redemption. He immediately offered him forgiveness freely in grace. God offers you the same today. Don’t attempt to pay for your own sin by separating yourself from the fullness of relationship with God. Jesus paid the only price necessary by his own death. Live in light of God’s grace. Offer your heart to God freely. Let him work out redemption in every area of your life that you might more fully experience the wonderful relationship you have available to you with God.
1. Take time to reflect on the amazing grace of God.
“He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!” Psalm 111:9
2. Talk to God about any area of your life you feel separated from him through sin or a lack of understanding. Where in your life do you not feel grace? What part of your thinking is dominated by condemnation or negativity?
3. Ask God for forgiveness and understanding of his grace in those areas of your life. Receive the freedom that comes from his presence and forgiveness.
God works tirelessly to lead you into the fullness of relationship with him because he loves you. You are his child. He knows everything about you; he’s created you, and he loves spending time with you. May your affections be stirred towards him today. May you know and experience his love in mighty and transformative ways. May you spend your day in God’s presence, changed and empowered by the reality of his boundless grace.
Extended Reading: Ephesians 1 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Ephesians.
May you spend your day in God’s presence, changed and empowered by the reality of his boundless grace.
]]>4/14/2026 | Knowing God
May God guide us down his path to peace today as we make space for his presence.
In today’s First15, we’re going to continue our pursuit of stirring up our affections for God by looking at how God exchanges our burdens for his peace. As a society, we are more continually stressed now than ever. Stress has become our new normal. But in God, we have the opportunity to live with a peace that surpasses our understanding. May God guide us down his path to peace today as we make space for his presence.
Matthew 11:28-30 ESV
Scripture describes a great exchange of our burdens for the peace of God. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” You have a God who loves you so much that he offers to take your burdens off your own shoulders, place them on his, and give you peace in return. Where does your life feel heavy? Where do you feel buried under the burdens of the world? God offers you his peace today if you will take some time to align yourself with him and “yoke” yourself to the teaching of Jesus.
In Matthew 11, Jesus presents us with an image of two animals sharing the burden of work together. The point Jesus is making here is in reference to coming under his teaching. He asks us, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” He isn’t asking us simply to cast our burdens on him, but also to humble ourselves and submit to his teaching. If we are willing to come underneath him as our Teacher, then we no longer carry the burden of figuring out life on our own. And in freedom we are able to live life under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit.
Do you ever feel alone in what you’re doing? Do you ever feel like peace is an unobtainable goal, blocked by layer upon layer of work you need to get through first? God’s plan is different than the world’s plan. The world says you can only have peace when you’ve completed the job, become the best, or gained the approval of man. God tells you to stop working in your own strength, yoke yourself to his teaching, and rid yourself of all the stress and pressure of the world. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “[Cast] all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” You have a God who cares about you. Your God is for you. He knows society tells you to work for and care about certain things, but he offers you the refuge of his peace instead.
You serve a God who doesn’t want you to live even one day burdened. Every day, you can wake up and choose to yoke yourself to your heavenly Father and his word. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Align your mind with what he says about you—casting off every opinion other than his. Align your day with the leading of God’s Spirit, and receive the anointing and power he longs to bring into every situation.
God says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” If you will choose God today over the way you’ve done things in the past, if you will choose to obey his word, then “you will find rest for your souls.” What area of your life needs rest today? In what parts of your heart do you need God’s peace and ease? He’s waiting right now to meet with you, to offer you his yoke. Let him take your burdens, fears, and stress. Our fragile frame wasn’t meant to bear such pressure. Come underneath God’s teaching today, align your thinking with his, and let the cares of the world fall off as you live in light of the teaching of Jesus.
1. Reflect on your life for a minute. In what areas do you need God’s peace today? It could be your mindset, your appearance, friends, family, work, anything that you feel burdened by.
2. Now offer that area of your life to God and ask him for his opinion. Listen to God and let him tell you what he thinks about you. Look up verses that reveal his teaching on the subject.
3. Meditate on Scripture or what God spoke regarding the area in which you need peace. Let his peace flood that area of your life. Submit yourself to his word. Believe that he sees things truthfully. Whatever God says goes.
Yoke yourself to the teaching of Jesus today. Let his word be your refuge in a world full of opinions. Doing life yoked to God, being obedient to his word, is the best way to walk the path God lays out for us to abundant life. Every day attacks will come your way. But every day God has provided the truth you need in his word to fight those attacks. Choose the word of Jesus today, walk in obedience to it, and experience God’s “rest for your [soul].”
Extended Reading: Matthew 11 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Matthew 1-13.
Choose the word of Jesus today, walk in obedience to it, and experience God’s “rest for your [soul].”
]]>4/13/2026 | Knowing God
May God empower us to live with open hands and an open heart, ready and willing to receive all that he longs to give.
This week we’ll start a new series, making space to simply stir up our affections for God every day. Today, we’re going to look at the reality that our God loves to give us good gifts. May God empower us to live with open hands and an open heart, ready and willing to receive all that he longs to give.
James 1:17 ESV
One of my favorite parts of God’s heart is his desire to give us amazing gifts. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” Every good gift you receive is because God loves you. His love for you is so great that he looks for every opportunity to give you a gift. He desperately wants you to know that you are loved and valued by him. He so deeply wants you to know that he is not distant from you but, rather, is working in your midst to lead you to abundant joy, peace and life.
Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” I love how God has chosen to be known to us as a Father. And because God has chosen to reveal himself as a Father, we can more tangibly understand the love of God by looking to good earthly parents. God longs to bless you the way a good Father would. And at the same time he loves you more deeply and powerfully than any earthly parent ever could. Our heavenly Father far outdoes any example an earthly father gives us. What gift are you longing for today? Do you long for friendship? Do you need a greater sense of being loved? Do you just need to know that he is with you?
God’s gifts may not look like a present you opened for Christmas last year, but they will be exactly what you need when you need it. If you need a friend, ask God for one! He’s promised you his friendship, and he loves to guide his children into community with others. Do you need to know you’re loved? God so longs for you to know the depth of his love that he sent his only Son to die for you! He’d love to pour his love out on you right now. Do you need to know that God is with you? Just ask for his manifest presence. Ask the Spirit to give you eyes to see all the ways he is working in your life. Ask God to reveal to you the ways he was, is and always will be with you. Do you need financial provision? Ask for the leading of the Holy Spirit in your finances! Ask God to provide for you what you need. Whatever gift you need from God today, his word promises in 1 John 5:15, “if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” Your God hears you today. What’s more, he will respond to you perfectly.
God’s gifts are much more life-giving than anything an earthly parent could give. He gives the gift of a beautiful sunrise because he knows you have a longing to gaze upon beauty. He gives the gift of his presence because he knows you need the peace that only he can bring. He gives you the gift of friendship because he knows you aren’t made to do life alone. He provides your finances because he cares about everything you need and desires to use you to bless others. Spend some time today reflecting on the amazing gifts he has given you. Thank him for his desire to bless you. Worship him because he is good. And open your heart to receive all the gifts your heavenly Father longs to give you today.
1. Take a minute to reflect on all the good gifts you’ve been given by God.
2. Now thank God for everything you’ve been given. Thank him for your friends, family, job, church—anything that you love. Let thanksgiving stir your affections to know your heavenly Father more.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
3. Now ask the Spirit to open your eyes and heart to see and receive all the gifts God has in store for you today. Often to know a gift comes from God, we must be in tune with the Spirit. For a sunset to tell us of God’s love, we must be sensitive to God’s presence in our lives.
Thanking God for what he’s already given us is a powerful way to position our hearts to be receptive to what he will give us in the future. Life is so much better when we acknowledge what God is doing in our midst. Knowing you are loved, liked and cared for is better than any material possession you could receive. You have a heavenly Father who gives amazing gifts. Celebrate his love today. And receive all that he longs to give you.
Extended Reading: Matthew 7 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Matthew 1-13.
Celebrate his love today. And receive all that he longs to give you.
]]>4/12/2026 | Stirring Affections
May God guide us and empower us today, and reveal himself in a fresh way.
Today we’re wrapping up our week-long series of stirring up our affections for God by looking at what it means to have friendship with the Holy Spirit. The nearness of God’s Spirit, the reality of his voice and leadership, is our deepest connection to God on this earth. And like any other relationship, any other connection, it takes time to develop a true friendship with the Spirit. So today we’re embarking on a journey with one simple goal in mind: growing a little bit closer to the Spirit in friendship. May God guide us and empower us today, and reveal himself in a fresh way.
Romans 8:26-27 ESV
At salvation you were given the gift of God himself, the Spirit of Christ, dwelling within you. Ephesians 1:13-14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” And with the indwelling of the Spirit, friendship with God has been made available to greater depths than you can imagine. He longs to spend time with you like a friend. He longs for you to know how he feels, what he thinks is best and your heavenly Father’s heart for you.
Scripture teaches us a lot about the character of the Spirit. Acts 13:2 teaches us that the Spirit speaks: “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'” In Ephesians 4:30 we learn that the Spirit feels emotions like grief: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Romans 8:26-27 teaches us that the Spirit is our Helper and prays for us: “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Friendship with the Spirit is one of God’s greatest gifts to us. He speaks to us, is emotionally invested in our lives, helps us in our weakness and prays for us when we don’t have the words.
So great is God’s love for you that he sent his Spirit to dwell with you. So great is his desire for continued relationship with you that, in his grace, he has given you himself as a constant companion. Another important characteristic of the Spirit, however, is that he will not force relationship on you. He speaks when you listen, he gives you revelation as you open your mind to receive it, and he leads you as you ask for his guidance. The Spirit is full of incredible power but also incredible meekness and humility. He is both powerful and respectful. If you ask for a deeper friendship with the Holy Spirit, you will find he is the best friend you have ever known.
Take time as you enter into guided prayer to get to know the Holy Spirit like a friend. In his book The Pursuit of God A.W. Tozer writes, “Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of created personalities to the creating personality, God.” The Holy Spirit has a personality. He has likes and dislikes. He feels, thinks, enjoys, likes, suffers, and desires. May your time in prayer be filled with new levels of friendship with the Spirit of God dwelling within you.
1. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal his nearness to you. Take time to acknowledge his presence.
2. Give thanks to the Spirit for who he is. Thank him for his presence in your life. Thank him for his desire to speak to you, lead you, help you and pray for you.
3. Now ask the Spirit how he’s currently feeling. Ask him his perspective on anything in your life or the world around you. Listen and pay attention to any inclination you feel brought to mind. Journal what he says.
Friendship with the Spirit is like any other friendship in that it develops over time. Like a new friend, you must get to know his character and personality. Spend time just talking with him, listening to him and allowing him to work in your heart and life. He is an incredible gift given to you. He is your gateway to experiencing the things of God. Walk in relationship with him, follow his guidance, and make a new best friend in the Holy Spirit.
Extended Reading: Ephesians 1 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Ephesians.
Walk in relationship with him, follow his guidance, and make a new best friend in the Holy Spirit.
]]>4/11/2026 | Stirring Affections
God’s forgiveness is as constant as our need for his forgiveness.
As we near the end of our week, creating space every day to simply have our affections stirred up for God, we’re going to take time today to look at God’s heart to forgive us. God’s forgiveness is as constant as our need for his forgiveness. And today, I hope and pray that he reveals his heart to forgive us completely and immediately when we confess our sin to him, and his heart to constantly restore us to intimacy with him.
1 John 1:9 ESV
As much as God hates sin because of its destructive effects on us and others, he hates even more that something could come between our relationship with him. Because he desired a relationship with us, God sent his Son to pay the price for our restoration. And it’s because of his continued love for us that he forgives us the very moment we repent of our sin. There’s no price to pay. There’s no time we have to spend outside of his perfect love. Jesus paid the price for every sin you and I will ever commit.
Think for a moment about your normal routine after you sin. What process do you usually go through before you feel restored to God? How long do you wait to repent? How much time do you usually let pass before you feel you can open your heart to God and enjoy him? It’s true that the consequences of sin can linger even after we ask forgiveness, but an obstacle in our relationship with God is not one of them. Jesus paid the highest price, his own life, so that nothing could ever come between us and God again. The Bible says in Romans 8:33-39,
The depth of God’s unconditional love for you drives him to forgive you. Psalm 103:12 says, “As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” After you confess your sin to him, he chooses to remember it no more. If you feel reminded of a transgression, it is not the voice of the Spirit. You have an enemy who lies constantly to form barriers between you and God. Because the enemy can no longer keep you from heaven, he will work tirelessly to wreck your relationship with God here on the earth. The moment you confess your sin to God is the moment there is nothing between you. Allow nothing to hinder your relationship with your heavenly Father. Renew your mind to the truth of what God says about your sin. God’s heart is to forgive you now and forever. His heart is to lead you into perfect relationship with him every day, all day. Say yes to God’s leading today, and rid yourself of the condemnation of past sins he has already forgotten.
1. Let the peace of God which surpasses all understanding fill your room right now.
2. Now ask God to reveal any sin in your life, and take some time for confession. Again remember that God’s heart is not to condemn, but to heal. Write down your confession if it helps you focus or remember.
3. Receive his forgiveness for your sin. An incredibly important part of confession is receiving forgiveness. Choose not to punish yourself any longer. Choose not to veil your heart before God because of shame. Align your heart with the truth that he chooses not to remember your sin after you confess.
Restoration with God so often hinges upon our choices. Will you choose to condemn yourself? Will you choose to listen to the voice of your enemy who reminds you of past transgressions? Or will you choose to trust God at his word and receive total restoration with the Father? The choice you make will profoundly impact your quality of life. You were made for unhindered relationship with God. Anything that gets in the way of you and him needs to be removed as quickly as possible. Receive his forgiveness today. Whenever you are reminded of past sin, align your heart with God’s word through the renewing of your mind. Live in restored relationship with your heavenly Father today.
Extended Reading: Romans 8 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Romans 5-16.
Receive his forgiveness today. Whenever you are reminded of past sin, align your heart with God’s word through the renewing of your mind. Live in restored relationship with your heavenly Father today.
]]>4/10/2026 | Stirring Affections
In today’s devotional, we’re going to look at the reality that God loves to heal hearts.
In today’s First15, we’re going to look at the reality that God loves to heal hearts. As we continue this series allowing who God is and what he does to stir up our affections for him, may his desire to heal us emotionally, to bind up our wounds to draw us closer to him in meaningful ways.
Psalm 147:3 ESV
One of my favorite chapters in all of Scripture is Psalm 147. It’s a psalm laden with the wondrous works of God, rich with imagery and powerful in stirring our affections for God. In it we learn that God “determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names,” and that he “covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.”
The verse that I want to emphasize for us today, however, is verse 3: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Jesus was a perfect example of God’s heart to do this very thing. All throughout his ministry Jesus healed those around him physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Scripture gives us insight into characters such as Mary Magdalene, who was delivered of demon possession and brought into close friendship with Christ himself. Jesus healed her spiritually, emotionally, and physically by delivering her from oppression and being her friend. Then there’s Paul. Before Jesus revealed himself to Paul, he was Saul, a man committed to destroying the very movement of Christianity that he would later give his life to build. He was a driven, successful, and prideful man. He was a religious zealot of great discipline, but a man far away from the heart of God. However, after meeting Jesus and being healed of his former ways, he was able to confidently say he counted all things “as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)
God has the same heart for you he had for Mary and Paul. He knows the wounds that people, circumstances, and sin have caused in your life. He knows what you struggle with, the habits and addictions that hold you back from living the abundant life he has planned for you. And he has both a desire and plan to heal those wounds. God desires to heal your heart right now. You don’t have to wait to encounter the power of God. God wants you to live a life receptive to all the love and blessing he longs to give you.
Let the stories of Mary and Paul fill you with a longing to encounter more of God. Allow what God has done in others’ lives to stir up a yearning to be healed by God yourself. Wait on the Lord, open your heart to him, and let him do what he has promised to do in you. He’s promised his healing, transformation, and abundant life. All that’s left is for you to receive the gift of healing he longs to give as you follow the leading of the Holy Spirit today.
Take time to press into the heart of God to heal you today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.
1. Meditate on God’s desire to heal any broken places in your life as revealed in Scripture.
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3
2. Tell God of the places in your heart that are broken. Your wounds could go back to your childhood or just yesterday. Either way, God desires to heal anything that’s holding you back from fullness of life in him.
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise.” Jeremiah 17:14
3. Take action where God is leading you. Sometimes healing comes through forgiveness, a conversation, or taking some extra time to pray and be with God. Ask him how he feels about any wounds from your past, any broken relationships, or any recurring sin in your life. Journal what he says.
Healing is often a process, but know that God desires to lead you through every step of the way. If he puts it on your heart to forgive someone or to have a hard conversation, know that it’s best for you. While it may be hard today, your life will be better because of it. Even if the person that hurt you has passed away, you can still forgive that person. As these issues begin to come up, take time to be in God’s presence and allow him to heal the broken places in your life. God has healing and transformation in store for you, and that life is available to you right now.
Extended Reading: Psalm 147 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
If he puts it on your heart to forgive someone or to have a hard conversation, know that it’s best for you. While it may be hard today, your life will be better because of it. Even if the person that hurt you has passed away, you can still forgive that person.
]]>4/9/2026 | Stirring Affections
I pray that God reveals his love in a tangible and fresh way today for you and me as we open our hearts to meet with him.
As we reach the middle of our week-long focus on stirring up our affections for God, today we’re going to create space to simply delight in God’s love. Oftentimes focusing on the simple, foundational aspects of our relationship with God will produce more fruit than trying to journey beyond them. And I pray that God reveals his love in a tangible and fresh way today for you and me as we open our hearts to meet with him.
John 17:26 ESV
John 17 is an incredibly significant passage of Scripture for Christians today. Jesus prayed perfectly in accordance with the will of the Father, in submission to him during his time on earth. Therefore, everything Jesus prayed, God will accomplish. Part of the beauty of their oneness is shared desires. In John 17:26, Jesus prays to the Father, “I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” Imagine that! Jesus says we can have the same love in us with which God the Father loved Jesus. Think of the magnitude of love the Father has for his Son, and now think about God having that same magnitude of love for you! You are his beloved, his prized possession. Your heavenly Father gave up his own Son to have a personal relationship with you, to be able to pour his vast love out on you.
The Bible describes David as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). He was a man who delighted in God’s love and experienced the joy of his presence throughout various seasons of life. In Psalm 16:5-11 David wrote, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” When I read David’s words I can’t help but desire his joy and security. I am filled with a desire to know that kind of love in my own life. Psalm 16 makes me desire to have God as “my chosen portion,” and I wholeheartedly want to experience “pleasures forevermore.” What about you?
Allow your desires be stirred to experience for yourself the immeasurable love with which God has loved Jesus. Know that it’s not only your desire to experience love, but the desire of your heavenly Father as well (John 17:26). In what areas of your life do you need to “set the Lord always before” you? What areas do you need him to be “at [your] right hand?” In the Lord, there truly are “pleasures forevermore.”
Take time today to simply delight in your God, and allow his presence to flood the dry, weary places of your heart. You are his chosen portion, the apple of his eye. God gave up his only Son for the chance to meet with you right now. Simply open up your heart and delight in the love of your heavenly Father.
1. Meditate on John 17:26. Allow these words of Jesus to give you a better revelation of the depth of God’s love for you.
“That the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:26
2. Where do you need to delight in the love of God today? Where is your life not marked by the fullness of joy David described in Psalm 16?
“In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11
3. Take time to simply delight in the love of God for you, the very same love that he has for his Son, Jesus Christ.
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Every day is a battle to root yourself in the love of God. But it is a battle worth fighting. It’s a battle waged within the depths of your soul—the fight between what God and the world says matters. When you make more space for God to fill by ridding yourself of the ways of the world, his heart and mind will become your own. What matters to him will begin to matter to you. Keeping his love in perspective will become as natural as breathing. The fullness of relationship with him is meant to be our source, portion, strength and desire. Give way to his loving kindness today, and let the cares of the world go in light of his goodness and grace.
Extended Reading: John 17 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 13-21.
Give way to his loving kindness today, and let the cares of the world go in light of his goodness and grace.
]]>4/8/2026 | Stirring Affections
May he draw us closer as he reveals what a good Father he is to us.
In the third day of this week-long series, taking time every day to stir up our affections for God, today we’re going to look at all it means for him to be our Father. Out of all of the metaphors used for our relationship with this eternal, transcendent God, the concept of him being a Father today has been most meaningful. May he draw us closer as he reveals what a good Father he is to us.
1 John 3:1 ESV
As a follower of Jesus you have been brought into the family of God. Take a moment to let that truth sink in. Think about what it means to have God, the Creator of the universe, the embodiment of Perfect Love, as your Father. So often we lose sight of the fact that God is our Father and view him through perspectives not aligned with Scripture. We view God through lenses the world and unfortunate experiences have given us rather than a revelation of him as a good Father given to us by the revolutionary teaching of Jesus.
In Matthew 7:9-11 Jesus teaches us, “Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” You have a Father who loves to give you good gifts. So often we think of God as a harsh disciplinarian who never lets his kids enjoy life. We assume he will say no to anything that gives us pleasure as if he only wanted us to go to church more, pray more, or give more time and money. But that’s not the heart of your Father. Your God is the author of joy, pleasure, happiness, and good gifts. He longs for your life to be filled with the perfect gifts he has planned for you every day. John 10:10 says, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” As your perfect Shepherd, God will faithfully guide you to and supply you with all you need to live marked by fullness of life.
In Matthew 19:14, Jesus displays the heart of the Father when he says, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” As our Father, God longs for us as his children to simply be with him. He longs for us to know his love and embrace—to let it be the foundation of everything we do. More than God desires any task of you, he longs for your heart. So great was his desire for just the opportunity of relationship with you that Jesus displayed the fullness of God’s unconditional love by willingly laying down his life for you. There is no room in Scripture to view God as anything but perfectly loving and good. View God as the good Father he is, and run to him with open arms and an open heart that you might find fullness of life in his eternal embrace.
Take time in guided prayer to allow God’s presence to overcome misconceptions you might have about him. Often if we’ve been in church for long enough we stop at a theological understanding of God the Father and don’t allow time and space for him to heal our hearts and transform our lives. Don’t let that happen today! You have a good Father who loves and longs to simply meet with you. Spend time with him today getting lost in the sweetness of restored relationship.
1. Receive God’s presence as you meditate on Scripture.
2. Ask God how he feels about you. Listen and quiet your soul to receive a revelation of his heart.
“God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” -Augustine
3. Where do you need to apply God’s character to your life? In what ways are you living as if God was a taskmaster rather than a good Father? In what ways are you seeking to provide for yourself rather than working to receive provision God has already promised?
In every trial and circumstance you face today, God has a plan to lead you perfectly. He is not a God who sits back and watches as we try to figure life out. He wants to get involved in all that you do, just as a perfect father wants to help his children succeed and live with joy. Ask God what he thinks about what you’re doing. If you run into a problem today, ask for the Spirit’s guidance. Doing your day with God is the absolute best way to live. He knows everything and has a perfect plan for you! Take time today to listen to God and trust his leading.
Extended Reading: 1 John 3 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 1-3.
Ask God what he thinks about what you’re doing. If you run into a problem today, ask for the Spirit’s guidance.
]]>4/7/2026 | Stirring Affections
May we develop a greater sense of his nearness today and learn how we can live our life in light of the goodness of his presence.
As we continue our focus on simply stirring up our affections for God this week, today we’re going to take time to focus on the fact that God is present in our lives. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, God is with you in and through it all. And his presence, his nearness is the foundation on which we are meant to live as his people. May we develop a greater sense of his nearness today and learn how we can live our life in light of the goodness of his presence.
Zephaniah 3:17 ESV
Hardly a verse in all of Scripture sums up the heart of God for his people better than Zephaniah 3:17. As we walk through this passage today I pray your life would be transformed by the reality of God’s nearness and the depth of his love for you. Scripture says,
“God is in your midst”—take a moment to consider that fact. God is not far off; in fact, he is with you right now. If you are a Christian, his Spirit dwells within you, fellowshipping with your spirit. Psalm 139:7 says, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” God’s presence is with you right now. He is in your midst.
He is “a mighty one who will save.” As a believer you have been saved not of your own accord, but by the humble, loving sacrifice of Jesus. If you have confessed your faith in Christ, you are his forever and nothing can take away your salvation. Rejoice in him today; the Almighty God has come for you, and you now have nothing to fear. Salvation is yours in him; you are a child of God.
“He will rejoice over you with gladness.” To rejoice over you means to rejoice in who you are. Do you believe that God rejoices in who you are? The world is in the business of convincing you that you’re nothing to rejoice about. Your enemy constantly points out things you do wrong, attempting to convince you that you aren’t lovable—that you are worthless. But the Bible says that God will rejoice over you with gladness. God believes that you are worth the death of his Son, and there is nothing you can do to change his mind. He rejoices over you today.
“He will quiet you with his love.” How often do you allow God to do this? How often do you take time to let him quiet your life with his love? This is his promise, but like any other gift it has to be received. His desire is to bring a quiet peace to the stress and worry of your world. You have God’s peace available to you any time you are willing to surrender your heart and be filled with his presence.
“He will exult over you with loud singing.” To exult over you means to show or feel elation or jubilation, as the result of a success. Do you know that God sees you as a success? The story of Scripture is God creating mankind for the purpose of having communion and fellowship with us. He lost that perfect communion when mankind chose sin over him, and he has been working to restore it ever since. With the death of Jesus, the curse is broken, our sin is paid for, and we are now able to walk in restored relationship with God. God now has what he has longed for all this time—you. He exults over you because there is nothing between you and him. To God simply having relationship with you makes you a success already.
As a believer you can live out of the great victory God has achieved in you. You get to meet with God face to face. God is present with you today, desiring to do all that Zephaniah 3:17 promises. Allow God to come and fulfill his promises in your life as you enter into guided prayer.
1. Receive God’s presence by meditating on this truth: God is in your midst.
“My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14
2. Receive the quiet heart that his love brings as you meditate on Scripture.
“He will quiet you by his love.” Zephaniah 3:17
3. Allow the truth of Scripture to go deeper into your heart. Your Father rejoices over you with gladness. He exults over you with loud singing. You are a success in his eyes.
“Let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely.” Song of Solomon 2:14
When the cares of the world come and crowd out the peace of God’s presence, turn your attention toward him and receive what he has already promised to give you. Memorizing a verse like Zephaniah 3:17 will help you consistently experience the promises of God.. Meditating on it throughout your day is the best gift you could give yourself today. Make some time to memorize Zephaniah 3:17 that it might become more than words on a page and produce transforming, transcendent peace and joy.
Extended Reading: Memorize Zephaniah 3:17 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Zephaniah.
Make some time to memorize Zephaniah 3:17 that it might become more than words on a page and produce transforming, transcendent peace and joy.
]]>4/6/2026 | Stirring Affections
May you be stirred by the unconditional love of your heavenly Father this week as his perfect nature is revealed to you in greater, more transformative ways.
As we focus on stirring up our affections for God this week, today, we’ll take time to focus on his incredible love for us. What we believe about God's love shapes everything about us, and so today, we’ll take a moment to reflect on the great lengths he went to restore our relationship with him.
Ephesians 5:2 ESV
Think about the death of Jesus for a moment. Picture how horrific the scene would have been to witness in person. Now try and imagine witnessing it from the Father’s perspective. Think about how he saw, heard, felt, knew, and wept over everything that happened to Jesus. Think about how he felt placing the sin of the world, the sin of you and me, on the shoulders of his perfect and undeserving Son.
I ask you to imagine all of that for one reason—to gain perspective on the unfathomable love of God as expressed in Ephesians 5:2. Scripture says, “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God, a sweet fragrance.” When I read that verse initially I skipped over a life changing phrase: “a sweet fragrance.” With all the Father witnessed that day, with all the suffering Jesus faithfully endured, God still considers Jesus’ death “a sweet fragrance.” How is that possible? How could anyone consider the death of Jesus a sweet fragrance, let alone the Father?
Such is the incredible depth of God’s love for us that he would count the atrocities committed against his Son as a sweet fragrance. Such is the enormity of God’s desire for restored relationship with us that he would look upon the death of his Son with favorable remembrance.
I don’t think we as God’s children understand the joy our Father feels when we spend time with him. I don’t think we understand the depth of his love that he would pay the highest price simply to have unhindered relationship with us again. While meditating on this Scripture I realized I had never once thought about how tirelessly God has been working since Adam and Eve sinned simply to be able to enjoy his people again—to walk with them as he once had.
The death of Jesus was a turning point in the scope of eternity. His sacrifice meant a change from all of humanity opposing God to the crown of his creation returning to his fold. When God placed the sin of humanity on Christ’s shoulders he was able to take the position of the father in the story of the prodigal son, running out to meet us as we are—his children finally able to return home to him for good.
God so longed for communion with you that he paid the ultimate price. He counts you worthy of the death of his Son. Let that truth shape your identity. Let God’s love be the foundation for your perspective, thoughts, emotions and actions today. May your heart be stirred to live in light of God’s unconditional love. May you be rooted in the unshakable nature of your heavenly Father. And may you live today in the eternal embrace of God, knowing that you are wholly and forever his beloved.
1. Meditate on the sacrifice of Jesus. Allow Scripture to form a foundation of unconditional love for your heart.
“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” 1 Peter 3:18
2. Meditate on who you are as a child of God. Form your identity around the truth of Scripture.
3. Ask God to reveal the depth of his love for you. Rest in the reality of his nearness. Let him fill your heart with his love to overflowing.
Don’t let the opinion of others sway you from your firm foundation of God’s love. What is the opinion of man in comparison to the perspective of God? If God counts relationship with you worth the death of Jesus, you are that valuable. Cast aside the fickle thoughts of others for the truthful, life-giving love of your heavenly Father. Rest in his presence and find hope and security in the truth that his arms are always open to you—ready to embrace you just as you are.
Extended Reading: 1 Peter 2 or watch The Bible Project’s video on 1 Peter.
Cast aside the fickle thoughts of others for the truthful, life-giving love of your heavenly Father. Rest in his presence and find hope and security in the truth that his arms are always open to you—ready to embrace you just as you are.
]]>4/5/2026 | God Speaks
My prayer today is that God opens our eyes and ears to discover fresh parts of how he declares his heart to us, and that we’re empowered to take action today in even more meaningful ways.
As we finish this week of looking at different ways God speaks, today we’re going to look at the role of taking action in hearing God. One of the most powerful ways to discover what God thinks and how God feels is joining him where he is at work in the world around us. So my prayer today is that God opens our eyes and ears to discover fresh parts of how he declares his heart to us, and that we’re empowered to take action today in even more meaningful ways.
James 1:23-25 ESV
Faith and action go together. Understanding and works are tethered—joined together at salvation through the working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. James 2:14-17 asks us,
The poor, orphaned, widowed, and lost don’t just need a word from God. They need us to act on our beliefs and love and serve selflessly with the help of the Holy Spirit. Gathering together as believers to worship is just a part of what God intends for us as his children. If we are to receive all that God has for us, if we are to walk in the abundant life God intends, we must resolve to be doers of the word.
James 1:23-25 gives us a window into the life of a believer who never puts action to his faith. Scripture says,
Your identity as a disciple of Christ undoubtedly comes from relationship with God, but it is meant to be lived out in your deeds. God longs for you to live a life of good works in response to the unconditional love you’ve been given. He longs for you to live in selfless humility sharing with others what he’s done in you.
We’ve separated Christianity from the world. We’ve separated Sunday from Monday, the sacred and secular. Jesus lived in line with God’s love every minute he was here. He broke the rules in healing on the Sabbath. He ministered almost completely outside of the walls of the synagogue. He brought the good news of God’s grace to all who would believe everywhere he went. His life was in no way segregated. Jesus’s turning the water into wine at a party was just as holy and spiritual as his reading of Isaiah in the temple, proclaiming his fulfillment of the prophecy regarding the Messiah. His love was put into perfect action through every word, miracle, step, glance, and prayer.
With Jesus as our perfect example, let’s live in accordance with God’s will. Let’s blur the line of faith and works until the two become one. Let’s regard meals, conversations, rest, family time, and parties as important and holy as worshipping inside the walls of our churches. Let's live as Jesus did and make love an action instead of just an idea we talk about on Sunday.
1. Meditate on God’s desire for your faith to produce good works.
2. Ask God where he would have you put faith into action. It could be buying flowers for your wife, finding a new way to honor your husband, taking your children on a special trip, or offering encouragement to someone around you at work or school. Ask the Spirit to give you specific ways in which he desires for you live out the love you have received.
3. Ask God for the strength and courage to live out his word. Follow the leadership of the Spirit into the good works he has prepared for you today.
The Spirit has an incredible ability and power to guide a willing heart into action for God. Receiving the knowledge of God’s love for the people around you will open up doors in your own life to better know the fullness of God’s heart. You will be more deeply blessed by serving others than you could ever be blessed in being served. God pours his love and grace out on those who minister in line with the leading of the Spirit. It’s truly an honor to be used by God to further the advance of his kingdom in the earth. You were made to live out the truth of the gospel. So choose today to act upon the leading of the Spirit. Choose to be a doer of the word.
Extended Reading: James 1 or watch The Bible Project’s video on James.
Choose today to act upon the leading of the Spirit. Choose to be a doer of the word.
]]>4/4/2026 | God Speaks
May God empower us to quiet ourselves today in his presence.
In today’s First15, we’re going to look at the value of solitude in making space to hear from God. In all the noise of our world, solitude is more important now than ever. We need quiet to tune our ears to the still, small voice of God. We need the type of peace that only comes from quieting our hearts and minds. We need the type of relationship with God that can only be formed in solitude. May God empower us to quiet ourselves today in his presence.
Psalm 46:10 ESV
Solitude—a time set apart where the rush, noise, and anxiety of the world fall mute on the ears and heart of a child of God completely lost in the peace and presence of the Creator. Solitude is a time to be with your heavenly Father, free from the distractions the world offers us at seemingly every moment. We are made for consistent time spent in solitude.
C.S. Lewis wrote in The Weight of Glory, “We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.” Most of us have grown accustomed to what truly does amount to being “starved” for solitude. We never fully realize how great our need is to be alone with our Sustainer. Let’s take some time today to recognize our need for solitude and then learn how to best practice solitude on a daily basis.
You can know that you need solitude for one reason—Jesus needed it. All over the New Testament we see examples of Jesus going off on his own to pray. One example, Mark 1:35, tells us that Jesus, “rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark . . . departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” Jesus, who practiced perfect communion with his heavenly Father while here on earth still needed to spend time in solitude. Jesus, who loved parties, loved people, and was God and man simultaneously, needed time alone. If he needed it, you and I can be sure we need it. When God incarnate was up against his hardest task, the Crucifixion, he didn’t just toughen up and get through it. He spent time alone in the Garden of Gethsemane in conversation with his heavenly Father. He needed solitude to accomplish his purpose here on earth and so do you and I.
Solitude is life-giving. It’s necessary to the Christian spiritual life. Richard J. Foster said, “Loneliness is inner emptiness. Solitude is inner fulfillment.” Solitude is one of the most important and life-giving spiritual disciplines. If you want to hear God, you must practice solitude. If you want fortitude in your life, a steadfastness that surpasses your circumstances, you must practice solitude. You are designed for time spent in the quiet, simply being with your heavenly Father.
So how can you best practice solitude? The first step is finding a place where you can spend time with God free from distractions. Find a place where you know you won’t be interrupted. If you live with others, find a time when they will not be around or awake. If you live alone, designate a place and time that you will spend in solitude free from any distractions. Second, give yourself an amount of time to spend with God just being in solitude. It could be ten minutes or an hour. Spend this time free from reading, free from worship or prayer unless solitude leads you to those things. Madeleine L’Engle said, “Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence.” Solitude is a point of deep communion where words aren’t required in light of God’s glorious nearness.
Take some time today to practice the incredible discipline of solitude. Be patient with yourself. Be patient with God. Fill the emptiness of silence with the satisfaction of God’s presence. Your heavenly Father loves just simply spending time with you, enjoying deep communion with his crown of creation. You are his child. Climb into the comforting and sustaining arms of your heavenly Father today as you enter into a time of solitude.
1. Find a place free from distractions. Ask the Spirit to calm your heart and mind and help you to spend time in deep communion with God.
2. Spend a few moments simply resting with God in solitude.
3. Reflect on how solitude made you feel. If you felt uncomfortable or frustrated, that’s alright! Solitude and silence is something most of us have never practiced. Have patience with yourself.
Solitude is a practice. The more you do it the better and more fulfilling it will become. Once you connect with God’s heart free of words and just look at him face to face, his gaze will become one of the most important parts of your life. Knowing experientially that your heavenly Father sees you and loves you is meant to be at the foundation of everything you do. Commit yourself to spend time in solitude with God and learn what it is to be a child simply enjoyed by the Father.
Extended Reading: Psalm 46 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
Commit yourself to spend time in solitude with God and learn what it is to be a child simply enjoyed by the Father.
]]>4/3/2026 | God Speaks
May God reveal his heart for us to meditate as a central discipline of our faith. And may he empower us to make room for his presence in a meaningful way today.
In today’s First15, we’re going to look at the role of meditation in hearing from God. Meditation for many reasons, seems to have found its way out of our Christian context. But the reality is that meditation has been central to our faith throughout its history. And the Bible is chocked full of encouragement to meditate on who God is, on his word, allowing space for God to fill in our daily lives. May God reveal his heart for us to meditate as a central discipline of our faith. And may he empower us to make room for his presence in a meaningful way today.
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.”
Psalm 119:15 ESV
The spiritual discipline of meditation does for the heart of a Christian what nutrients and good soil do for the seed of a plant. Through meditation the seed of God’s word takes root and produces life-giving, abundant fruit. Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline wrote, “The purpose of meditation is to enable us to hear God more clearly. Meditation is listening, sensing, heeding the life and light of Christ. This comes right to the heart of our faith. The life that pleases God is not a set of religious duties; it is to hear His voice and obey His word. Meditation opens the door to this way of living.”
The Christian practice of meditation is, at its core, ruminating on the word of God. Meditation creates space for the Spirit to speak directly to our hearts and apply God’s word to our lives. When we ruminate on a passage of Scripture like Lamentations 3:22, “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end,” we give God space to reveal all the ways in which his mercy and steadfast love are available to us. Meditation creates a pathway for Scripture to go past our minds and affect change within our hearts.
Another powerful aspect of Christian meditation is mulling over the character of God. Sometimes when I feel hopeless I will take a few passages of Scripture about the hope God provides and meditate on them. And in the process of meditating on God’s perfect character my thoughts, perspectives, and emotions come in line with the unchanging nature of my heavenly Father. Meditating on who God is powerfully affects the way we view the world. It’s for this reason Psalm 1:1-3 declares,
Take time to meditate on Scripture today. Make space to listen to God and apply the seed of his word. Ruminate on his unchanging, perfect character. May your day be filled with abundant life as you bear the fruit of meditation.
1. Choose a verse or aspect of God’s character to meditate on.
2. Make space to hear from God as you meditate on his word or character. Allow the Spirit to apply God’s word to your life as you meditate. Allow God’s character to lay a foundation for your emotions.
“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” Psalm 119:15
3. Now take note of how the verse or phrase seems to have made an impact in the way you think, feel, or desire to act. Rejoice in the power of God’s word to transform lives and hearts.
Meditation should be a daily practice for Christians. God’s word was never meant to just be understood but to be alive and active in his children. Scripture is meant to direct us into becoming more like Jesus both internally and externally in our actions. Meditating is one of the best tools God has given us in taking the Bible from words on a page to a living and active lifestyle. May engaging in meditation transform your spiritual life into one filled with joy, power and fruit of the Spirit.
Extended Reading: Psalm 1 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
May engaging in meditation transform your spiritual life into one filled with joy, power and fruit of the Spirit.
]]>4/2/2026 | God Speaks
May God reveal his heart today to speak through his Creation. And may our hearts be stirred to listen.
As we arrive in the middle of this week-long focus on hearing from God, today we’re going to look at the role of Creation in God speaking to us as his children. Throughout human history mankind has gone to nature to get a deeper sense of the divine. And I believe that when we open our ears to hear what God is declaring to us through that which he’s made, we’ll find a wonderful avenue to stay in communication with our heavenly Father. May God reveal his heart today to speak through his Creation. And may our hearts be stirred to listen.
Romans 1:20 ESV
Nature has an ability to bring me peace in a way nothing else does. Sure I get annoyed by bugs or tired from hiking. But seeing the beauty, creativity, and complexity of what God has made has had a profound effect on my spiritual life. Have you ever just spent some time in God’s creation? Maybe it was hiking, lying on the beach, swimming in an ocean or a lake, fishing, gazing over the Grand Canyon, driving through the mountains, watching a thunderstorm or just playing in the rain. Take a minute to reflect on that time and what you felt. Looking back, do think you might have felt God’s presence? Did the awe and wonder of nature’s splendor bring you peace, or even lead you to thoughts about God?
The more I’ve come to know God the more there has grown in me an adoration and appreciation for his creation. Romans 1:20 states that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.” Nature is meant to declare to us the “invisible attributes” of God. And Scripture is clear that God is at work in his creation—maintaining and facilitating all that happens in the world. Psalm 147:8-9, 15-18 tells us,
He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry… He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold? He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
When you see animals eating, you are witnessing God’s provision in the earth and can, as a result, know that he will provide for you. When you see snow fall, ice form, and springtime come to melt away the cold you can know that God is at work around you and in your life. To miss out on all creation speaks to us is to miss an important part of God’s voice.
You see, while God does an incredible job taking care of a world wrought with the effects of sin, he promises to take care of you even more. Jesus commands us in Matthew 6:26-30,
Jesus teaches us to look upon creation and listen as it declares to us the nature of God. In fact, he commands us to do so. You can look at the grass of the field and know of God’s unwavering faithfulness for you. You can look at the birds and never wonder if you will get your next meal. Nature declares to us that God has and will provide for us all of our days. Nature tells us not to worry because God is both powerful and near. Nature tells us that God is creative, practical, brilliant, loving, and full of mystery and wonder. Nature tells us that God speaks.
God created the cosmos so that you might have another mysterious yet clear way of hearing his voice. Whether you live in the city or country, look upon God’s creation and listen for his voice. Ask him what he wants you to know as you see all the wonders of his hands. Let the beauty and mystery of all of God’s creation fill you with a deeper longing to know your heavenly Father. Listen to God today and allow your heart to be stirred as you discover his unwavering desire to speak to you through his creation.
1. Take some time to go out in God’s creation.
2. Now ask God what he wants to tell you through his creation. Let him speak in whatever way he desires.
3. Meditate on the truth he reveals to your heart and take some time to rest in his presence.
As children of an infinite, paradoxical God we must learn to embrace and value mystery. God longs to speak through his creation. He longs to satisfy your longing for fascination as you ponder the mystery and beauty of that which we will never fully understand. May you hear the loving voice of the Father today as you allow the Creator to speak through his creation.
Extended Reading: Psalm 19 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
May you hear the loving voice of the Father today as you allow the Creator to speak through his creation.
]]>4/1/2026 | God Speaks
May God stir up our hearts to hear his voice through the pages of Scripture today. And may we align our hearts with the principles found in its pages.
As we continue our series looking at different ways God speaks to us as his children, today we’re going to look at the role of Scripture in hearing God. The pages of Scripture contain so many amazing stories of how God spoke to his people. Within these stories we see the power of a people focused on following God’s leadership, and the destruction that takes place when people go their own way. May God stir up our heart to hear his voice through the pages of Scripture today. And may we align our hearts with the principles found in its pages.
Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV
Deuteronomy 8:3 teaches us that, “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” The word of the Lord when planted in good soil produces abundant, life-giving fruit (Matthew 13:20-22). We have in Scripture a feast that satisfies the deepest places of our hearts no food or drink could ever satiate.
When you open your Bible, you are literally opening the words of God. Scripture is God’s voice available for you in every moment, situation, and predicament you face. You can know God desires to speak to you because you have in your possession his voice through the Bible. God desires to reveal to you his will because he has given you his Spirit to “guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come” (John 16:13).
When you read Scripture with the help of your teacher, the Holy Spirit, the Bible is no longer just a book written thousands of years ago but a source of life-giving revelation. Read the Bible prayerfully, paying attention to any words, phrases, or ideas that stand out to you. Allow God to apply Scripture directly to your life through his Spirit. And as you read, submit yourself to God’s word with a continual “yes” in your heart. Choose to be a doer of the word that you might be blessed in everything you do (James 1:22-25).
God’s word is only as impactful as you are willing to be obedient. The power of Scripture becomes evident as you daily submit yourself to it. So today as you read God’s word, ask the Spirit to highlight phrases and ideas, submit yourself in obedience to what Scripture says, and be a doer of the word. God is ready to speak to you. He is prepared to sow the seed of his voice wherever it’s welcome. Open your heart to the word of God, and allow it to produce the fruit of joy, peace, and purpose in your life.
1. Ask the Spirit what you should read today. Pay attention to anything you feel like reading or pick from John 17 or Proverbs 3. Meditate on any phrases, words, or ideas that stand out to you.
“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” Deuteronomy 8:3
2. Submit yourself to the word of God. Allow Scripture to be the foundation for all your thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. Allow God’s word to influence and transform any parts of your life that don’t align with it.
3. Now commit yourself to follow through with any action that God’s word requires. Ask God what he would have you do with what he’s shown you. Choose to be a doer of the word.
If you aren’t in the habit of reading God’s word daily, look for a Bible reading plan or book of the Bible you can read consistently. We were made to feast on the life-giving words of Scripture. God’s word can’t produce abundant fruit in your life if you aren’t consuming it. May your day be transformed as you seek to live in faithful obedience to the word of God.
Extended Reading: Proverbs 3 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Proverbs.
May your day be transformed as you seek to live in faithful obedience to the word of God.
]]>3/31/2026 | God Speaks
May he guide each of us into a fuller understanding of what it means to hear his voice, and may we grow in grace and confidence today to make space to simply listen to whatever it is God wants to say.
As we continue this series looking at different ways God speaks to us as his children, today we’re going to look at what it means to hear God’s voice. The idea of hearing the voice of God is something I get asked about all the time. And I think it’s because, honestly, it sounds kind of crazy! But Scripture and Christian History tell us clearly that God loves to communicate with his people. So may he guide each of us into a fuller understanding of what it means to hear his voice, and may we grow in grace and confidence today to make space to simply listen to whatever it is God wants to say.
John 16:13 ESV
God desires to speak directly to you. As a good Father, he longs to engage with you in continual conversation. So great was his longing for communication that he’s given you the gift of the Holy Spirit. You now have access to the heart of God through the Spirit. You can know his will, hear his voice, and live with the knowledge of his love.
John 16:13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” If you are a Christian, the “Spirit of truth” has come. He dwells within you. He longs to tell you how God feels about you. He longs to guide you to the Father’s perfect, hopeful, and pleasing plans (Jeremiah 29:11). His voice is perfect, full of love, and always truthful. He will never guide you into something that isn’t best for you. He will never speak hate or condemnation to you. As John 16:13 promises, he will declare to you what he hears the Father say.
Let the truth that God desires to have real, life-transforming conversations with you sink into your heart for a minute. Think about what it means for your own life to have communication with God. Your Creator longs to help you with your decisions, relationships, work, finances, and identity. God himself wants to talk with you about your life—to fully know you and be known by you.
Just as any good parent loves talking with their children, your heavenly Father loves talking to you, his child. You see, God speaking to you is so little about your ability to hear his voice and so much more about his desire for you to know him. His voice in your life is just another product of grace, God’s unmerited favor for those who believe. Like any conversation, you will only hear him when you are listening. And just like any good conversation, God longs to hear from you as well.
Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Have faith that God longs to speak to you. Draw near to him in the assurance that he is already filled with love for you. The Holy Spirit longs to have a communicative relationship with you. Let the weight of conversation with God rest on his shoulders, trust in his word and his character, and listen to whatever he would speak to you today.
As you enter into guided prayer, take time to quiet your heart and listen to the voice of the Spirit.
1. Take a moment to quiet your mind and soul. Receive God’s presence and meditate on the important truth that the Spirit speaks.
2. Now listen to God. If you have a situation, question or anything you want to ask him, now is the time! God longs for you to tell him what you want help with. If you just want to know how he feels about you, ask him! Again, the weight of God speaking is on him. Trust him and his timing. God does desire to speak to you.
3. Write down whatever God tells you. Rest in the goodness of what he’s spoken.
Communicating with God is similar to engaging in conversation with a close friend. I don’t go to my friend and ask them to tell me anything so I know they are real. Rather, I seek to know them as a person and conversation takes place as a result. Seek to know God as deeply as possible. Trust that he is real and that he speaks. Talk with him because you simply want to know him. And rest in the fact that you will have conversation with your loving heavenly Father throughout eternity. May your day be marked by life-giving conversation with the Holy Spirit.
Extended Reading: Psalm 27 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
May your day be marked by life-giving conversation with the Holy Spirit.
]]>3/30/2026 | God Speaks
May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.
You and I have been given the invaluable gift of communication with God. Last week we learned about the process of making the soil of our hearts soft and receptive to God. This week we’ll learn some different ways to receive the seed of his word. May your communion with God flourish as you engage in continual conversation with your loving, present heavenly Father.
Jeremiah 33:3 ESV
For too much of my Christian life I believed God didn’t like to talk. My experience led me to think that God only spoke a few times in history and only to people like Moses, David or Paul, but never to a person like me. Then one day God spoke to me. I asked him a question out of desperation and he spoke. The Creator of the universe broke through the walls of my misconceptions and spoke to my heart in a voice so clear it couldn’t be mistaken.
After God spoke to me so clearly, I began to take time to listen. And in making space for God to speak, my life began to be transformed by consistent, internal conversation with my heavenly Father. You see, Scripture makes it clear that God loves to talk with his children. John 8:47 says, “Whoever is of God hears the words of God.” Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Isaiah 55:3 says, “Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” Psalm 32:8 says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” The list of Scriptures goes on and on. In story after story the people of God hear God and know his will. The Bible is clear that God speaks to all of us as his children in a way we can understand through any and every means possible.
God speaks through all sorts of avenues. Most assuredly, he speaks to us through his Word. The Bible is one of our greatest gifts as Christians. It is the very word of God, “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). God also speaks directly to us through his Holy Spirit. John 16:13 says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” And Scripture reveals how God speaks through his creation. Romans 1:20 says that God’s “invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.”
God loves to speak. He isn’t silent. He isn’t distant. He longs for you to live with the knowledge of his love and perfect will. The question isn’t whether God speaks. The question is, will you listen? Will you choose to submit yourself to him—to receive and obey what he would tell you? The first time God spoke directly to me he asked me to do something incredibly difficult. It didn’t make total sense. But I knew he spoke. And in submission I obeyed his command and my life has been different ever since.
Listen to God today. Quiet your soul and receive the gift of conversation with your heavenly Father. God has placed his Spirit within you—closer to you than you can fully comprehend. You are unified with God. Ask the Spirit to reveal to you God’s word today. Ask God to make you aware of any and every avenue he desires to speak through. Then listen with an obedient, receptive heart to all the wonderful things he longs to tell you.
1. Take time to quiet your soul. Confess anything that you feel is in the way of your relationship with God. Hand over to him anything that’s troubling your mind. Receive his peace, and wait patiently for him to speak.
“Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live.” Isaiah 55:3
2. Listen. Ask the Spirit how God feels about you. Ask him for his will and direction. Pay attention to any thoughts, inclinations or changes in your emotions that come from the Holy Spirit. Allow God to speak in any way he wants.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3
3. Now thank God for speaking. Worship him because he isn’t distant. Let the truth of his nearness transform your perspective and emotions today.
Listen to God throughout your day. Engage with him in consistent conversation. Practice listening to him in all circumstances. Ask for his help and understanding in anything that troubles you. The rest of this week we’ll be practicing hearing God through different ways he chooses to speak. May this week lead you into a deeper and more satisfying relationship with your heavenly Father as you engage with him in continual conversation.
Extended Reading: John 8 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 1-12.
May this week lead you into a deeper and more satisfying relationship with your heavenly Father as you engage with him in continual conversation.
]]>3/29/2026 | Experiencing God
May we simplify what it means to experience God’s presence today and gain a greater sense of confidence to experience the presence of God for ourselves at all times.
One of the greatest gifts of my life has been experiencing the presence of God. His presence is essential to experiencing and knowing him. And God has made himself so available to us through all that Jesus accomplished. May we simplify what it means to experience God’s presence today and gain a greater sense of confidence to experience the presence of God for ourselves at all times.
Psalm 27:4 ESV
Experiencing the presence of God sounds like such a mystery. It sounds like this wonderful but evasive thing that some people get sometimes, but isn’t concrete enough to expect or place your hope in. We associate God’s presence with emotions and music as if it were a breeze so light and momentary you almost couldn’t be sure it happened at all.
But in reality God’s presence is as simple as being in the presence of a friend or spouse. It’s as simple and concrete as being around a person except for one simple truth: God never leaves. And just as you can be in the same room as a friend and not know it, you can live the Christian life apart from experiencing God’s nearness. Just as you can be sitting right across from a friend and be so busy with technology or your own thoughts to even remember they are there, you can go through life focused on the busyness of present circumstances and miss out on the fact that God is closer than your breath.
But we find hope for encountering the presence of God in Psalm 27:4. Scripture says, “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.” This pursuit, this action of seeking the living God, never comes back empty. To seek God is to encounter God. Emotions aside, complexities cast away—God is already with you. He is already closer than he could ever be. His Spirit, his presence in the earth, never leaves you and never forsakes you. And when you turn your attention toward him, just as you can to a friend sitting across a table from you, you can encounter him.
Psalm 139:7 says, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” His presence is always available. He’s not a friend who turns away from you or hides his heart. He’s not a small gust of wind that comes and goes as he pleases. He’s a God who would suffer and die that he might tear the veil and make his presence fully, continuously available to all those who would seek him. He’s a God who’s working tirelessly to restore his crown of creation to himself that we might walk with him like in the Garden of Eden, but this time for all of eternity with no possibility of a fall or barrier between us.
Your ability to meet with God is as simple as turning your attention toward him and allowing yourself to be known. May you meet with your heavenly Father in profoundly simple ways today as you enter into a time of guided prayer.
1. Meditate on the availability of God’s presence.
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” Psalm 139:7
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13
2. What’s your greatest fear regarding God’s presence. What’s something that would keep you from seeking after him like you would a close friend?
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” 1 John 4:18
3. Surrender any hesitation you have to him and seek him in faith that he is already with you. Turn your heart toward him and talk to him honestly and openly. Allow him to reveal his nearness to you in any way he wishes.
The best place to start with God is always honesty. He doesn’t meet you in a place that isn’t real. So if you’re trying to seek him but avoiding something, you are attempting to sew back together the veil he so lovingly tore in two. There’s no need to veil your heart from him. There’s no reason to act as if everything is all right if it isn’t. Whether you’re at church, with friends, or meeting him in the secret place, he only asks for honesty from you. Tell him how you feel. Open up the places of your heart that you are too shameful or scared to let into the light. Allow him to flood your fears with his relentless love and experience the presence that only grace has to offer.
Extended Reading: Psalm 27 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalms.
Allow him to flood your fears with his relentless love and experience the presence that only grace has to offer.
]]>3/28/2026 | Experiencing God
Christ said his work was finished on the cross, and it’s about time we start living in the new reality he instated for us.
Today we’ll explore the experience of God’s freedom as it relates to our identity and what we believe about ourselves. Many of us have yet to truly taste the freedom available to us through the finished work of Christ. There is nothing else like it in the world. It is my prayer you are liberated today, and that your thinking toward yourself changes and in result changes your actions. Christ said his work was finished on the cross, and it’s about time we start living in the new reality he instated for us.
Romans 6:1-4 ESV
The Christian experience of freedom was not established by the power and endurance of mankind, but by the sacrifice and love of our God. The freedom we experience is not our own, but his. Apart from the redemption bought for us, we have no strength to resist sin. And apart from continually renewing our minds to the truth of this redemption, we’ll continue to act as if chains that were broken long ago still tie us down to the world from which we’ve been successfully ransomed. Paul says in Romans 6:1-4,
To experience freedom here on earth is to continuously acknowledge that our old ways—our former self—was buried with Christ the day we accepted him as Lord. To sin is to live outside of the reality that we’ve been given a new resurrected identity in Christ, our resurrected King.
How do you see yourself in regard to your sin today? How do you believe you experience freedom? In what areas of your life are you still trying in your own strength to fight for something Jesus already bought with his blood? What sin have you not yet brought to the glorious light of God’s powerful resurrection that you might see it for what it truly is?
There is freedom for you today in Christ that’s available apart from any past failures, present downfalls, or future concerns. You can “walk in newness of life” as you live in the reality of the inner working of the Holy Spirit and follow his leadership away from your old identity. Your mistakes don’t change the reality of God’s grace. Your sin is powerless to bind you. Your freedom is just as sure as the limitless love of your Savior.
Take time today to renew your mind to who you are in Christ. Take time to bring your sin to the light and confess it that God might take it from you as far as the east is from the west. May you experience the freedom of your risen King today as you live in light of his powerful grace.
1. Meditate on what the Bible says about freedom from sin. Align your understanding of your sin with the truth of God’s word.
2. What sin do you need to bring to God today in confession? What feels too dark and too powerful to gain freedom from? Bring it to him that you might see it in light of his power and sacrifice.
3. Ask God to reveal how he sees you. Ask him to reveal your new identity in him. Ask him how you can experience freedom from that which doesn’t align with your new identity.
Renewing our minds to our new identity takes time. Often, while we are gaining a correct understanding of our freedom, we need to set up boundaries to gain separation from darkness. Take time to identify things that continuously lead you into temptation. It could be friends, media, or actions that seem beneficial, like lifting weights or going shopping. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you establish boundaries that will guard your heart from the outside as he does a powerful work in you on the inside. May you experience the freedom purchased for you by the blood of Jesus as you “walk in newness of life” with the power of the Holy Spirit.Extended Reading: Romans 6 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Romans 5-16.
May you experience the freedom purchased for you by the blood of Jesus as you “walk in newness of life” with the power of the Holy Spirit.
]]>3/27/2026 | Experiencing God
Everything with God starts and ends with relationship, and he simply wants to co-labor with you.
Today we’ll explore the concept of partnering with God in his purposes in the earth. God is already at work all around us. He is asking us today to have eyes to see it, and step in with him to see his will fulfilled in the earth. As we assess our hearts today, may you go forward with a deep sense of purpose and calling. Everything with God starts and ends with relationship, and he simply wants to co-labor with you.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV
True friends are those who are willing to partner with us in things that really matter to us. True friends are willing to help simply because they love us, even if the task isn’t something they would have ordinarily valued. In John 21:15 we gain insight into a conversation between two friends, Jesus and Simon Peter. Scripture says,
Jesus didn’t ask Simon Peter if his heart burned for taking care of his people. He didn’t ask Peter his plans after Jesus had gone. After being established in the heart of Peter as Lord, Jesus simply asked him if he loved him.
I’ve spent so much of my life trying to figure out what I liked—what I felt like doing. I’ve taken all the gift tests, personality tests, and strength tests. And while God absolutely fashions, forms, and equips us for unique purposes, I believe God is asking the same question of you and me that he did of Peter. I believe that our purposes are to be foundationally birthed out of utter devotion to Jesus above what we want or feel equipped to do.
Jesus is looking for disciples who will say yes to that which is greater than they could have ever imagined doing. He’s looking for friends like Simon Peter who will follow him wherever he leads, even if it means to their death. He’s looking for those who are so in love with him that at a single statement from his lips we willingly and obediently respond by taking up our cross as he did and living a surrendered, purposeful life.
Take time today to hear the voice of your Lord saying, “Do you love me?” Assess today whether he truly is your greatest love. And in response, open your heart to receive any command he would speak to you today. If you are faithful to respond with your life, you will find his strength to accomplish any purpose and the reality of his love to be your unshakable joy.
1. Meditate on John 21:15. Allow the word of God to search your heart.
2. Next, assess whether Jesus truly is your greatest love. If he isn’t—if you wouldn’t follow him anywhere—take time to surrender anything you’ve placed above him. Confess any idols you have in your life that he might truly be crowned King of your heart today.
“Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.” Jonah 2:8
3. Ask him to speak his will to you today. Ask him what he would have you do and where he would have you do it. Be faithful to respond in obedience and trust today.
In John 15:12-14 Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Rather than placing yourself at the center of your thoughts, actions, motives, and emotions, choose to center your life around others today. Choose to serve and love others as Jesus did. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you his heart for those around you that you might be a reflection of his great love in the earth. Seeing God’s kingdom come is nothing more than choosing to love and live as Jesus did. You can be a conduit for his purposes in the earth today. May your day be filled with spectacular wonders as God manifests his kingdom through your life.
Extended Reading: John 12 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 1-12.
May your day be filled with spectacular wonders as God manifests his kingdom through your life.
]]>3/26/2026 | Experiencing God
Bring whatever fears, stresses or worries you have to the risen Christ today, and experience the very real breath of heaven.
Life this side of heaven is plagued with all kinds of stress and anxiety. None of us is immune to this reality, but thankfully we have Jesus who the Bible tells us is himself our peace. What a beautiful comfort we have found in him. May you lose yourself in Jesus today and allow him to wrap you in his peace afresh. Bring whatever fears, stresses or worries you have to the risen Christ today, and experience the very real breath of heaven.
2 Thessalonians 3:16 ESV
One of the most heavenly aspects of experiencing God is his abounding peace. Peace is not something this world can offer us. This world is run on chaos, stress, confusion, striving, and frivolous pursuits with no satisfaction. Even in this life, God offers us the peace of heaven, the peace that comes from having our hearts wrapped up in true relationship with him.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” God exchanges our earthly cares and stresses for his heavenly, sustaining peace. He is such a good Father to us that he takes that which troubles our hearts, promises to take care of us down to the smallest burden, and offers us incomprehensible peace from his Spirit.
Jesus says in John 16:33, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” When we seek relationship with Jesus we are seeking relationship with the One who conquered death and destroyed any and every scheme of the enemy against us. To know him is to know a true Conqueror. And in knowing him our lives become wrapped up in his. Our worried and fearful hearts become wrapped up in his heart of peace.
Isaiah 26:3 says, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” God longs for us to so encounter his trustworthiness that our lives are marked by his peace. He longs for us to so trust him that this world cannot rob us of the peace that comes from knowing our God will always prove himself faithful. All he has promised to do he will do. All he has said of himself he truly is. Peace comes from keeping our mind stayed on the perfect character of our heavenly Father and letting who he is be at the foundation of all we do, think, and feel.
God has heavenly peace in store for you today. The peace he offers you isn’t of this world and therefore will sustain you through any of its troubles (John 14:27). Come before your loving heavenly Father and cast your cares on him. Let your requests be made known to him. Place your trust in his trustworthiness. And receive the perfect, sustaining peace of your loving Father.
May your day today be marked by the fruit of wholehearted relationship with the God of peace.
1. Meditate on the peace available to you in relationship with God. Allow Scripture to help you not settle for stress, burdens, and cares that aren’t your portion in Jesus.
2. What has been causing you stress? What’s been stealing your peace? What thoughts, people, situations, fears, or spiritual attacks do you need to bring before your loving heavenly Father?
3. 1 Peter 5:6-7 says, “Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” Take time to bring before God all that’s bothering you. Lay all your anxieties at his feet, choose to trust that he will take care of them and help you through them, and receive his peace that surpasses all understanding.
Romans 8:6 says, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” We have the choice moment by moment to set our minds on the things of this world or on the things of God. When we choose to set our minds on the Spirit, we are positioning ourselves to be people marked by the fruit of his presence in our lives. When we choose the world we are only setting ourselves up for failure, anxiety, and trouble. Choose today to set your mind on the Lord in every situation. The things of this world are fleeting, but our God spans throughout the farthest reaches of eternity. May his power, faithfulness, and nearness bring you peace today.
Extended Reading: Philippians 4 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Philippians.
May his power, faithfulness, and nearness bring you peace today.
]]>3/25/2026 | Experiencing God
I hope today you will feel the pressure or weight lift off your shoulders as you learn just how simple relationship with and knowing God truly is.
As we continue our week on knowing God through experiencing him, today we’ll explore what it means and looks like to experience his voice. This can often be an intimidating topic. Many of us feel inadequate or even unable to hear the voice of God—but nothing could be further from the truth. I hope today you will feel the pressure or weight lift off your shoulders as you learn just how simple the relationship and knowing God truly is.
John 8:47 ESV
To seek the fullness of relationship with God is to hear his voice. “Whoever is of God hears the words of God” (John 8:47). Just like when I seek true relationship with a person, a conversation must happen; when we seek to truly know God, he talks with us. He is not a God who is silent but a God who speaks to us in any and every way he can.
All throughout the New Testament, there is both teaching on hearing the voice of God and instances where the people of God had conversation with him. In John 14:16-17 Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” And later in John 16:13 Jesus says, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
God himself dwells within us and longs to speak to our hearts. He longs for us to know the will of our heavenly Father the way Jesus did. He longs for us to follow his leading moment by moment the way the apostles did. And he longs for us to engage in conversation with him as all those who are in true relationship with one another do.
God is constantly speaking to us. The problem is that we don’t know how to listen. Scripture tells us that he is declaring the invisible attributes of his nature through creation (Romans 1:20). When I take time to experience firsthand the things God has made, I feel his presence. There is a reason it’s peaceful to be in creation. There is a reason it’s restful to be in the mountains, lay on a beach, or swim in the sea. All of creation is declaring the wonderful character of our loving God. We just need to learn how to listen.
God speaks to us through his revealed word. The inspirer of Scripture dwells within us and longs to use the Bible as a wonderful avenue to encountering its Author. The Bible is not a biography written after someone has died. Rather, it is the living, active words of a living, active God who longs for relationship with us (Hebrews 4:12).
God speaks to us through one another. All of us as believers have been given the same Spirit who has called us to a lifestyle of encouraging one another. We are called to be a critical part of the process of discovering God’s heart and will in each other’s lives. If we will make time to learn how God speaks to us for others, we will discover the very words of God given by grace to the lips of man.
And God speaks to us directly from his Spirit to our spirit. The Holy Spirit is a vocal God. He longs for us to know his thoughts. He longs to direct us whether it be through words, a sense, a desire, an uneasiness, or a prompting. He is always speaking to us. In order to learn to hear his voice moment by moment, whether we’re in solitude or in chaos, we must make time in the secret place to seek the fullness of relationship with him. It’s in seeking relationship with God that we become familiar with his voice and are able to follow him as sheep with their Shepherd.
Take time in guided prayer to seek the face of your heavenly Father and hear his voice however he is choosing to speak. Don’t limit yourself to hearing him in only one way. The path to the fullness of relationship with him is marked by his voice in each of these ways and more. Open your heart to hearing him through any and every way he is speaking that you might grow in your relationship with a good and loving God.
1. Meditate on Scripture that declares God to be a vocal God. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to hear God in every way he speaks.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20
2. In what ways are you comfortable hearing God? What ways might be new to you? Know that there is grace to grow in every facet of your relationship with him. Don’t limit yourself to only what you’ve known or experienced up to this point. Rather, seek the truth of God’s word by his Spirit and discover a wealth of relationship you might not have yet experienced.
3. Choose one of the ways God speaks that’s new to you and ask him to help you have conversation with him through that avenue. Again, hearing his voice through all of these avenues is meant to be the byproduct of simply seeking relationship with him. Just as we don’t seek to hear the voice of another person but seek relationship with them and get a conversation as a result, simply seek to know God and talk with him.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3
To have conversation with God might sound strange for some, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. Rather, to have conversation with God available to us and to not take advantage of it is strange. God longs to speak to you. The Creator of all longs to have dialogue with you. The King of kings and Lord of lords is inviting you to meet with him that you might have true relationship. Seek God with all your heart. Look to Scripture and the lives of biblical believers as your source of truth and normalcy. Because of God’s heart to speak to you, you can live your life in constant conversation with a God who is both near to you and loves you.
Extended Reading: John 10 or watch The Bible Project’s video on John 1-12.
Because of God’s heart to speak to you, you can live your life in constant conversation with a God who is both near to you and loves you.
]]>3/24/2026 | Experiencing God
God’s love is most radical and life-changing upon encounter, and it’s my hope today you’ll press into him and really feel first hand yourself how much God truly loves you.
As we spend this week wholeheartedly seeking to know God with all we are, we’ll take time today to experience God’s love for us. We all may live with the head knowledge that God loves us, but go long s purts of time without actually experiencing God’s love. God’s love is most radical and life-changing upon encounter, and it’s my hope today you’ll press into him and really feel first hand yourself how much God truly loves you.
Romans 5:5 ESV
There is nothing in this world like experiencing the unconditional love of God. His love extends farther than the width of the skies. His love goes deeper than the deepest sea. His love is more powerful than a raging fire, and it is closer than the heartbeat within your chest. Experiencing his love is like becoming new again and again. With each taste of his affection, the wounds of the past become healed and restored that one no longer regrets pain but rejoices in the opportunity it gives to experience the love of a good and near heavenly Father once again.
When we seek to know God we gain experiences with his love because it’s who he is. 1 John 4:8 says, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” To know love is to know God because every bit of true love comes from him. 1 John 4:16 says, “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.” It’s time for you and me to “believe the love that God has for us.” It’s time that we cease questioning whether we are loved and instead seek the face of our heavenly Father that we might know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loves us.
Almost all of my energy goes toward being loved. I look for love everywhere. I look for it from my wife, friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and total strangers. I constantly concern myself with whether I am, moment by moment, loved or not. But Jesus came that we might no longer ask ourselves that question. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God already loved us so much that he died for us (Romans 5:8). There’s nothing we have to do to earn his love. If we need a fresh reminder of it, all we have to do is simply seek his face and love will come as the result.
We have unlimited access by the grace of God to the love of God. Unconditional, limitless love awaits us at every turn if our hearts will simply seek his. Scripture says in Psalm 27:8, “You have said, ‘Seek my face.’ My heart says to you, ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.'” May we be children who constantly seek the face of our loving heavenly Father. May we be a bride wholly wrapped up in the love of our Bridegroom. And may we experience as the result of simply seeking God the powerful affections of a God who laid down his own life for the sake of his creation.
1. Meditate on the love of your heavenly Father. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to seek God and as a result experience an encounter with his love.
“Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8
2. Where are you seeking love? To whom or what are you turning for love other than God?
3. Take time to seek the face of your heavenly Father and encounter his love. Open your heart to him and simply desire relationship with him. He will take care of the rest.
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” We have no reason to fear seeking God. All that he would say to us, do in us, and lead us to comes from a foundation of his perfect love. There is no reason to fear in this life. There is nothing here that can separate us from eternal, unbound relationship with our heavenly Father. Allow his love to cast out any reservations you have today. Receive an awareness of his perfect love and rest easy in his kindness.
Extended Reading: 1 John 4 or watch The Bible Project’s video on 1-3 John.
Allow his love to cast out any reservations you have today. Receive an awareness of his perfect love and rest easy in his kindness.
]]>3/23/2026 | Experiencing God
May you encounter wonderful aspects of relationship with your heavenly Father this week as we wholeheartedly seek to know him with all we are.
To know God is to experience God. Just as we experience aspects of one another as we grow in friendship, we experience the wonders of God as we seek to simply know him. God is calling us to a life of seeking him with all we are. He is calling us to value relationship with him above all else that we would love no other but him. May you encounter wonderful aspects of relationship w ith your heavenly Father this week as we wholeheartedly seek to know him with all we are.
Psalm 46:10 ESV
The single greatest privilege in life is to know God. The God who formed you, provides for you and sent his Son to die for you longs to have real relationship with you. He longs to be known by you. And through the powerful sacrifice of Jesus, we truly can know him like any other person. And in fact, in some respects he is infinitely more knowable than any other person. Jeremiah 31:33-34 says,
“From the least of them to the greatest,” says the living God. No matter who you are, no matter what you’ve done, you can know the God of love. Knowing God is no longer reserved for those individually appointed as his leaders. Knowing God is no longer reserved for those like David, Isaiah, Peter, or the clergy. All of us have equal access to the living God.
And from the place of knowing God, we are granted the ability to experience his incredible attributes and be blessed by a greater awareness of our union with him. When we seek to know God, the Bible is clear that we begin to experience his love (Romans 5:5), hear his voice (John 10:27), and feel his peace (2 Thessalonians 3:16). We can partner in his purposes (1 Peter 2:9), experience his freedom (Romans 6:4), and rest in his presence (Psalm 16:11).
When we center our lives around knowing God, we gain experience with him like we do any other person. I don’t seek to hear my wife’s voice, rather I seek to know her and have conversation with her as a byproduct of that. I don’t seek just the emotion of love from my wife; rather, in getting to know her and walking in relationship with her, I experience her affections for me. So it is with God. When we simply seek to know him we gain experience in return.
I pray that as we look at the individual aspects of experiencing God this week your heart is stirred to simply seek deeper relationship with your heavenly Father, whatever may come as the result. Your Father loves you enough to pay the ultimate price to have relationship with you. Seek him and discover the wealth of his affections for you.
1. Meditate on the availability of knowing the living God. Allow Scripture to stir up your desire to seek him with all your heart.
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
2. Is your life centered around the pursuit of knowing God? Check the posture of your heart today. Look at the way you spend your time, your emotions, your thoughts, and your actions. What seems to be your greatest pursuit?
3. Spend some time centering your heart around true relationship with a knowable God. Ask him to help guide your heart through your day toward this pursuit. Ask him to give you a check in your heart when something takes his place as the greatest desire in your life. Live today with him as your highest priority.
“With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!” Psalm 119:10
Jeremiah 9:23-24 says,
May we be those who boast solely in our relationship with God. May his love and nearness be our highest joy. And may it be said of us at the end of our days that we sought the Lord above all else.
Extended Reading: Psalm 46 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Psalm 46.
May we be those who boast solely in our relationship with God. May his love and nearness be our highest joy. And may it be said of us at the end of our days that we sought the Lord above all else.
]]>3/22/2026 | God's Manifest Presence
Find rest today as we encounter the Spirit of the living God and allow him to minister to us.
As we wrap up our week exploring the tangible, life changing presence of God, we’ll look to the baptism of Jesus and how the Spirit of God descended and rested upon him. What does this mean for us as Christ’s followers? Is the Spirit’s presence available to us just the same? Find rest today as we encounter the Spirit of the living God and allow him to minister to us.
Matthew 3:16-17 ESV
The baptism of Jesus lays the foundation on which you and I can return time and time again to experience the abundant life made available to us at salvation. Matthew 3:16-17 says, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'” Through the baptism of Jesus the Spirit of God powerfully enters into the scene of humanity. The Holy Spirit’s always been moving and working, but through Christ the way was paved for him to fill us and rest on us. Through the baptism of Jesus, we can all be baptized with the Spirit (John 1:33, John 3:5).
Peter says in Acts 2:38, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And Romans 6:4 tells us, “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” At salvation the Spirit descends on us and fills us. He is the promise of God for our eternal life. He is our Helper, Teacher, and Comforter while we are here on earth. And he is the one who leads us into the abundant, new life made available to us through Christ.
You see, just as the Spirit rested on Jesus, through his presence in our lives we have untapped resources of unconditional rest. God desires that we would rest in him as he rests on us. He desires for his children to find the only consistent source of peace available to us through the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Where do you need rest today? What trouble, situation, thought, or person is stealing your peace? The Holy Spirit wants to descend on you today as he did on Jesus. He wants to guide you into the rest of your heavenly Father. Isaiah 40:28-31 says,
You have the one who never faints or tires and gives power and might dwelling within you as a follower of Jesus. You have an inexhaustible resource of joy, strength, renewal, and rest readily available to you in the Spirit. All that is required of you is to make space in your life to enter into the rest God longs to provide you. Allow him to lay a foundation of his presence in your life by spending time simply being with him, and he will transform you into a person of the Spirit who fellowships and receives from the Spirit constantly. Learn to listen to his voice, follow his guidance, and enjoy his presence today.
Wherever you need rest today the Holy Spirit is waiting to provide it for you. As you pray, make space in your heart and day to rest in him as he rests on you.
1. Meditate on the Spirit’s desire to descend on you as he did on Jesus. Allow your faith to be stirred to have a real, tangible encounter with the Holy Spirit.
2. Now, reflect on your own life. Where in your life do you need rest today? Where do you need a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit? What trouble seems to plague you? What brokenness needs healing and peace?
3. Ask the Spirit to descend on you and bring you rest. Ask for him to make his presence a reality to you. Follow him as he guides you into his presence. Worship, pray, and read the word. Do whatever will guide you into an encounter with the presence of God. God longs to bring you rest. It’s his desire that brings his presence, not your ability to feel him. He makes himself known when we open up our hearts and wait on him. Spend time waiting on his presence and resting in his love.
May you discover today the path to continual encounter with the Holy Spirit. He isn’t a God who separates himself into different sections of your life. You are created to live in continual, tangible relationship with your heavenly Father. You are created to find consistent rest in his loving presence. When you begin to feel the burdens of the world weighing you down and robbing you of the abundant life that is yours in Christ, take a minute and receive his presence again. Find consistent times throughout your day to press into the heart of God and discover his continual, new, and refreshing presence that’s available to you anytime and anyplace. Don’t allow a mediocre day to be enough today. Press into the Spirit for more and find all that God intended for your life.
Extended Reading: Isaiah 40 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Isaiah 40-66.
Don’t allow a mediocre day to be enough today. Press into the Spirit for more and find all that God intended for your life.
]]>3/21/2026 | God's Manifest Presence
May your heart grow in gratitude and friendship with the Spirit today as a result of your time with him.
Pentecost means so much to us as believers. The day of Pentecost changed everything for us. Today we’ll explore walking with the Holy Spirit and how he affects our daily life so much. May your heart grow in gratitude and friendship with the Spirit today as a result of your time with him.
Acts 2:1-2 ESV
Pentecost marks the powerful beginning of a global movement of the power of God’s presence sweeping across the earth. As we read the account of what happened as the Spirit descended with power on God’s people, place yourself in their midst. Imagine what it would look like, sound like, and feel like to witness firsthand such a powerful movement of God’s Spirit:
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
The Holy Spirit is our greatest gift. When the disciples received the Spirit they began living as Jesus did. They began speaking to, healing, and transforming a world that had known no restored relationship with their Creator since Adam and Eve. And Scripture makes it clear that our lives are to follow their example. We’ve been given the same Spirit as the disciples, who moved so powerfully in revealing our loving heavenly Father to a world in desperate need of relationship with their Creator. I feel that there are three areas in which the Spirit would anoint us more powerfully today as he did the disciples at Pentecost. Let’s boldly seek out all that the Spirit would do in our hearts and lives today.
The first act of the disciples upon being filled with the Spirit at Pentecost was to speak to all who would listen, explaining all the powerful acts that were going on around them. And with the preaching of Peter three thousand listeners accepted the free gift of salvation. We who are marked by the Spirit’s presence are to be disciples who move in the power of love. Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The Spirit longs to use us to proclaim the goodness of God’s love to this lost and dying world. He longs to fill us with the desire to love this world the way he does. 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, “Let all that you do be done in love.” Galatians 5:22 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love.” And in Mark 12:31, Jesus says that the second greatest commandment is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Is your life marked by love for others? Do you live your life in service to your heavenly Father and his children? Seek out a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit today. It’s the Spirit who bears the fruit of love in your life. You cannot love others on your own, for true love comes solely from God. But, the Spirit longs to fill you with a desire and anointing to love others around you that they might better know the love of the heavenly Father.
The coming of the Holy Spirit also brought powerful unity to the disciples. Acts 2:44-47 says,
Only the Spirit can bring unity between broken, competitive, and needy people. Only through the Spirit do we have the ability to love and accept others regardless of our differences and unite toward the common goal of loving God and others wholeheartedly. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:1-3, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Are you a disciple marked by a desire to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?” Are you a Christian marked by grace-filled love for your fellow believers? We all need to seek out greater anointing and desire from the Spirit toward unity. We cannot be selfless in our own strength. We need the help of the God of perfect love to pursue unity through humility. Seek out a desire and anointing to be a person who works toward the goal of unity instead of division today. Spend time in God’s presence allowing him to transform your heart to look more like his.
Lastly, Pentecost filled the disciples with the ability to connect directly to God through the avenue of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 2:10, “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” Acts 15:28 says, “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements.” The disciples knew God’s desires, received revelation from him, and were transformed into the likeness of Christ through fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit. We as disciples are to be marked by direct connection with the Holy Spirit. Paul and Peter had no special human ability to talk to God. Prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit, Paul was killing children of the very God he was trying to serve, and Peter chose his own safety over Jesus, who had shown him such immense love and grace. It was only with the Holy Spirit that these men were able to connect to God so deeply, and we can have that same connection today. So, are you a believer marked by direct connection with the Holy Spirit? Do you spend time seeking his presence, counsel, and anointing? Let’s be children of God who pursue deeper connection with our heavenly Father today. Let’s seek the face of God as the early disciples did and be believers marked by relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Spend time during guided prayer pursuing all that the Spirit would do in you. Open your heart and mind to be transformed by his love. And commit to living your life with direct connection to the God who dwells within you.
1. Meditate on the Spirit’s desire and ability to anoint us with the power and desire to love others. Ask him to show you how to better love others today. Ask his forgiveness for any way in which you have been hurtful to those whom he loves. And receive the anointing to love people from his heart and strength rather than your own.
“Let all that you do be done in love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14
2. Now meditate on God’s desire to use you to bring unity to his children. Confess to God anyone who annoys you or angers you. Confess anyone whom you have a hard time loving. Ask him for his heart for that person. Ask him to fill you up with a supernatural ability to love those who are difficult or different. Ask him to help you be a person who pursues unity.
3. Now seek after a direct connection to the Holy Spirit. Ask him to guide you into the knowledge of his presence. Ask him to show you the overwhelming love, grace, and anointing he has for you today. Seek out answers to any questions you have of him. May you discover a wellspring of friendship in the Holy Spirit today.
It’s crucial that we as children of God seek out all that he longs to give us. Relationship with God is meant to be anything but stale, stagnant, and weak. The disciples demonstrated that those filled with the Spirit of God are to be marked by adventure, mystery, and the miraculous. God has a story for the ages written with you in mind. He has a plan beyond what you could ever imagine if you will seek him out, trust him, and follow him. Rest today in the fact that God loves you enough to lead you away from a mundane life. Pursue his plans and watch as he fills your life with adventure and wonder.
Extended Reading: Acts 2 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Acts 1-12 and Studies on Prayer Volume 1 & Volume 2 by Janet Denison.
Pursue his plans and watch as he fills your life with adventure and wonder.
]]>3/20/2026 | God's Manifest Presence
As we learn of all Jesus’ sacrifice accomplished, may our hearts swell in worship and thanks to our King.
Today as we look at the Holy of Holies, we’ll see how Jesus fulfilled the requirements of God’s law and is the perfect High Priest on our behalf. As we learn of all Jesus’ sacrifice accomplished, may our hearts swell in worship and thanks to our King.
Hebrews 10:19-22 ESV
Descriptions of the Holy of Holies strike fear in my heart. Leviticus 16:1-5 describes the work a priest would have to go through in order to enter into the presence of God and not be killed. Scripture says,
The holiness of God required absolute purity from all who would enter into his presence. And so powerful was God’s presence that it killed the two sons of Aaron, the high priest. When I picture the terrifying, powerful presence of my God as told in the Old Testament, my heart is filled with reverence and awe. How could this holy God love me, a broken and helpless sinner? How could I come before God and enter into his presence when his holiness requires such purity?
But Hebrews 9:11-12 says,
Our high priest entered into the holy places on our behalf and secured safe passage for us all to enter into God’s presence. Hebrews 10:19-22 describes this powerful truth in saying,
What’s more, through the death of Jesus, God is now able to flood the earth with his presence. Christ defeated the power of sin and death and made the way for you and me to be the new temple of God’s holy, powerful presence. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 states, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” Later, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
The question before you today is this: are you experiencing the fullness of what has been made available to you through Christ? Are you experiencing the power and nearness of the God who has made his temple within you? Are you living out of the holiness of the very Spirit who dwells within you and has made you a righteous new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21)?
1 Corinthians 6:20 commands us to “glorify God in [our] body” as a response to being filled with the presence of God through the work of our high priest, Jesus Christ. It’s in living our life out of the inner working of the Holy Spirit that we begin to experience all that God intends for us. We must first acknowledge that the very presence of God who dwelled within the Holy of Holies and was so powerful that it killed men now dwells within us. The same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives within us. And in acknowledging the reality of God’s presence in our lives we must begin to realign our lives with the will of the Spirit. We must react to God’s grace with our obedience. So great was God’s desire to provide you with an abundant life in him that he sent Jesus as the final, perfect sacrifice. The fact that you are now the temple of the Holy Spirit means that you have God himself to guide you, love you, fill you, heal you, and deliver you. You have access to a more real and intimate relationship with your heavenly Father than you can fathom.
Spend time in prayer acknowledging the presence of God within you and responding to his presence with humility and trust. Allow the Spirit to transform you in his presence and guide you into who you were created to be. May you encounter the power of the God who loves you too much to allow you to lead a life apart from his holy and loving presence.
1. Meditate on the power of the presence of God that dwells within you. Reflect on the holiness of God as described in the Old Testament accounts of the Holy of Holies.
2. Now meditate on the fact that you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Acknowledge the reality of the Holy Spirit in your life. Open your heart and mind to experience his nearness, love, and power.
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
3. Come before God with the boldness made available to you through Christ. Ask the Spirit to guide you deeper into God’s presence. Ask God to reveal to you new parts of his love for you. Take time to rest in the wonderful, real, and loving presence of your heavenly Father.
In God’s presence you can experience all he longs to do in you. Allow the Spirit to guide you to past wounds that need to be healed. If you are suffering from a physical ailment, ask the Spirit to heal you. God’s Spirit is as alive and active today as ever, working to heal the brokenness of a world wrought with the destruction of sin. Allow him to work in you, that you might be a picture to others of the reality of your heavenly Father’s love for his children. Open your heart, ask him to move and work, and receive whatever it is he desires to give you today. There’s no time like being in the presence of God to experience all that he has to offer us in his love and grace.
Extended Reading: Hebrews 9-10 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Hebrews.
There’s no time like being in the presence of God to experience all that he has to offer us in his love and grace.
]]>3/19/2026 | God's Manifest Presence
Open your heart to trust him afresh today, and remember he is for you.
Today as we explore the stories of the Israelites being led by the pillar of God’s presence, we’ll examine what that means for God’s leadership in our own lives. As we submit to his leadership, may we find how truly faithful he is to lead us in every single season. Open your heart to trust him afresh today, and remember he is for you.
Exodus 13:21-22 ESV
One of the greatest realities of God’s presence is the way it guides us. Exodus 13:21-22 provides an illustration for an important truth God would have us know today: when we need guidance we can run to his presence and discover his leadership in abundance. Scripture tells us, “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.”
Even in the Israelites’ sin, God faithfully led them. Even in their lack of faith, he still provided miraculous leadership. And now, through believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been filled with the presence of God himself. We’ve been given the miraculous gift of the Holy Spirit who is always present with us and in us. As amazing as it is that God led his people with pillars of cloud and fire, how much more incredible is it that we have been filled with the very presence of God by the work of Christ? Jesus made a way for us to know the will of God with every moment as we fellowship with the Spirit of God himself.
So, how can we follow the Spirit as the Israelites followed the pillars of fire and cloud? How can we discover the abundance of leadership available to us through the presence of God? First, we must acknowledge our need of his leadership and seek out his counsel. He can only guide those who choose to follow. If you choose to go your own way in life you will step outside the guidance of his presence. It’s in seeking his will that we discover the vast reservoir of the Spirit’s perfect leadership. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Acknowledge him. Acknowledge the reality of his presence in your life in all your ways. Trust in his guidance rather than your own understanding, and watch as he makes straight all of your paths.
Second, you have to believe that God can and will guide you when you ask for his leadership. Isaiah 58:11 says, “And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” This world is suffering from a lack of God’s guidance. We live in a world continuously searching, striving, and yearning for some sort of message of leadership. All around us the blind lead the blind into greater depths of darkness, continually searching for what we have already found in God. God longs to satisfy your desire for leadership. He longs to make you “like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.” All you have to do is ask him. James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” God will guide you when you seek him for wisdom. He will lead you to the perfect will he has for you if you humble yourself before him and commit to following him. All you have to do is ask and follow the Spirit’s guidance in however he chooses to lead you. He will make his leadership clear if you stay behind him and listen.
Last, you must follow his leadership to experience the fruit of his guiding presence. The prize of a winning lottery ticket remains worthless until it is cashed in. The contents of a gift remain useless until it is opened. You have been given the most incredible gift of all: God’s guiding presence in your life. Proverbs 3:13-18 says,
But until you choose to follow the wisdom of God in your life, you won’t experience an ounce of its value. Until you follow the wise guidance of the Holy Spirit, you won’t experience the incredible, abundant life he has in store for you. James 1:22-25 commands us,
Persevere today in God’s presence. Seek out his wisdom and counsel during guided prayer. Lay the burden of leading your own life on his mighty and loving shoulders, and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into the abundant life he has prepared for you.
1. Meditate on God’s desire and ability to lead you.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3
2. Now meditate on the value of God’s leadership in your life. Trust in his word. Believe that his wisdom is far greater than your own. Trust in Scripture that what he leads you to is far beyond anything you could discover yourself.
3. Now ask the Spirit for wisdom and guidance in your life. Where do you need the mind of Christ today? What issue before you do you not know how to handle well? Where do you need the leadership of God? Lay your questions at his feet, and pay attention to how he responds to you.
The prayer of Paul to the Ephesians is my prayer for you today. May you be blessed with the vast reservoir of God’s wonderful guidance:
Extended Reading: Proverbs 3 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Proverbs.
The prayer of Paul to the Ephesians is my prayer for you today. May you be blessed with the vast reservoir of God’s wonderful guidance.
]]>3/18/2026 | God's Manifest Presence
Know that as you come before him, you are loved by him and made right with him through the blood of Jesus. He simply wants you to come.
Today we will look at the stories of Moses and Isaiah. They encountered the holiness of God and were changed forever. As we look upon him, may we be changed just the same. Know that as you come before him, you are loved by him and made right with him through the blood of Jesus. He simply wants you to come.
Exodus 3:2 ESV
Two of the most powerful recorded encounters of God’s presence are found with Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-7 and with Moses in Exodus 3:2-6. Let’s open our hearts to both learn from these encounters and allow them to guide us into a powerful encounter with the living God ourselves.
Isaiah 6:1-7 says,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”
Isaiah demonstrated that experiencing the holiness of God and seeing our own sin in light of his holiness are consistent and important parts of encountering God’s presence. Time after time in Scripture, God’s people see their own sin, repent, and are healed after having an encounter with the presence of God. In fact, Moses has a similar response to being in the presence of God for the first time in Exodus 3:2-6:
In light of God’s astounding holiness, Moses was filled with fear to look at the face of God. These two descriptions of God’s presence illustrate an important truth for all: the light of God’s holiness has the ability to pierce into the depth of our soul, bringing to light the darkness that destroys us from within. My prayer today is that we would follow the examples of Moses and Isaiah and allow God’s holiness to shine light on our sin and draw us to repentance. And may we experience healing today the way Isaiah did as the angel of the Lord cleansed him with the coal.
God’s presence casts light on our sin and brokenness because in order for us to live the fullness of life God desires, we must walk in righteousness. It’s because of God’s love that he reveals our sin. It’s because God longs for us to experience a life of holiness and freedom as his children that he shines light on our darkness and draws us out into the glorious light of righteousness.
God promises in Isaiah 42:16, “And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.” And 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” God’s desire has always been to lead his children into his righteousness. God’s longing for us to partake in his divine nature has been a chief desire of his from the first sin of Adam and Eve. And through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our nature has been transformed. Ephesians 2:1-6 says,
You have been set free from what once separated you from your heavenly Father. But the key to experiencing this freedom is allowing God to shine light on what does not belong to you anymore: your sin. You must walk as a child of the light, not as a child of wrath, and it’s spending time encountering the holiness of God that will transform you from the inside out. Spending time on holy ground as Moses did will heal you from the sins that entangle you. Spending time allowing God to reveal your sin and purge it from you as he did with Isaiah will empower you to choose the light over the darkness. A vital part of encountering God is repenting of our sin in light of his wonderful, holy love for us.
Experience the holiness of God today as you enter into guided prayer. Repent of whatever is in you that’s not in line with your new nature in Christ and walk as the child of God that you are in light of his wonderful and powerful grace.
1. Meditate on Moses and Isaiah’s encounters with the holiness of God. Put yourself inside the story. Imagine yourself as their character. Feel what they would have felt. See what they would have seen. Allow the stories of Scripture to come to life around you.
2. Allow the holiness of God to shine light on the darkest parts of your soul. Where do you have unconfessed sin? What’s holding you back from walking fully in the light? What sin does God want to heal you from today?
3. Confess your sins to God. Repent from any area of darkness and turn fully toward the light of holiness. Rest in his forgiveness and allow it to be the foundation on which you can live in the freedom bought for you by the blood of Christ.
Psalm 30:11 says, “You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” When we give our sin over to God he turns what the enemy meant to harm us into our greatest source of gladness. Forgiveness is something to dance over, to sing about, and to enjoy wholeheartedly. Our God takes what was dark and makes it light. He took what tied us to this world, placed it on the shoulders of Jesus, and put it to death with the last breath of his perfect Son. May you discover today a freeing joy in the presence of the God of holiness and forgiveness. And may you live your life in light of the glorious grace you’ve been shown through the love of God.
Extended Reading: Romans 8 or watch The Bible Project’s video on Romans 5-16.
May you discover today a freeing joy in the presence of the God of holiness and forgiveness. And may you live your life in light of the glorious grace you’ve been shown through the love of God.
]]>3/17/2026 | God's Manifest Presence
May God make all our faces shine in his presence today, that the world would see the goodness that comes from spending meaningful time alone with God.
In today’s First15, we’re going to build on the foundation we built yesterday by looking at different stories in which God made his presence known in a perspective-changing way. Today, we’ll look at Moses and the Tent of Meeting.
Exodus 33:7 ESV
Stories of Moses and the presence of God stir up my desire to meet with my heavenly Father face-to-face. We read in Exodus of God’s faithfulness to lead, speak to, and encounter Moses. We read of Moses coming before his God boldly and asking for his hand in delivering and forgiving his people. Today, let’s look at the story of Moses and the tent of meeting found in Exodus 33, and allow it to guide us into more consistent and impactful encounters with the living, all-powerful, and all-loving God.
Exodus 33:7-11 says,
Moses, a sinful, murdering, and fearful man, was able to see the living God “face to face” and speak with him “as a man speaks to his friend.” Picture that tent in your mind’s eye. Picture the cloud of God’s presence descending from heaven in a way that everyone could see. Place yourself in that tent, hearing Moses talk with God, seeing the glory of God face-to-face with a broken, sinful man. What a picture of God’s heart for us! If Moses could enter into the presence of God, surely all of us can. If Moses could speak with God face-to-face, surely we who have been bought with the blood of Christ can. If God would encounter Moses, speak to him, and guide him, he will surely do the same for each of us. In humility today, let’s learn from this man who so faithfully encountered and followed God. Let’s allow this story in Exodus to teach us how we might more fully and consistently meet with our heavenly Father.
The first thing we learn from this text is that Moses set up a place to meet consistently with God. It is crucially important that we find a place we can consistently seek the face of our heavenly Father. We need an uninterrupted time and place to rest in his presence in order to live our lives with his Spirit, word, and love as our foundation and fuel. Where can you meet with God consistently? What time in your day can be uninterrupted? The best time for me to meet with God is early in the morning before the rest of the world awakens to rush and busyness. When I don’t make time at the beginning of my morning to seek God’s face, I scramble to find pockets of time throughout the day. And without this dedicated meeting with God, I have a much more difficult time living my life in light of the glorious goodness I can only discover in his tangible presence. Without consistently encountering my heavenly Father, I struggle to remain free from the burdens, lies, and sin that so easily entangle me though I have been set free by the blood of Jesus. May we be children of God who learn from Moses and make space and time in our lives to meet with our One, True Source of abundant life.
Next, we must believe that God longs to encounter us just as deeply as he longed to encounter Moses. God loves each of us to the absolute fullest extent possible. You are created for intimacy with your heavenly Father. There is no other path to the abundant life and destiny he has called you to than life lived in his presence. And there is no other way to live in step with his Spirit than spending time consistently encountering his presence. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” God’s greatest satisfaction is spending time with his children. His greatest joy is meeting with you face-to-face as he did with Moses. So great was his desire to encounter you that he offered up his only Son as payment for restored relationship. Believe in his desire to encounter you, believe that he will reward you when you seek him, and believe that you will discover a deeper reality of God’s presence than you have ever encountered.
Lastly, know that as you encounter God consistently and abundantly, you will draw others to worship and seek a greater relationship with your heavenly Father. Exodus 33:10 says, “And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.” We are designed to encounter the presence of God. We are made to see him face-to-face. So, living as God designed you—by consistently encountering his presence—will lead others to do the same. Others will see in you what they were created for and begin to pursue deeper relationships with God. The best way to lead others to God is out of consistent encounters with him. In encountering him, we naturally begin to become like him and therefore reveal his heart in all that we do.
May you be drawn into deeper encounters with your heavenly Father, whose love for you knows no bounds. Follow the example of Moses and find a consistent place to spend time seeking God’s face. Have faith that God longs to encounter you and to make himself known to you. And as you spend time in his presence, may you naturally lead others to do the same.
Spend time in worship and guided prayer allowing God to reveal himself fully to you.
1. Meditate on how Moses met with God face-to-face and spoke with him. Allow God’s word to stir your desires to meet directly with him as Moses did.
2. Now seek the face of God in faith. Come before his throne boldly by the blood of Jesus. Believe that he loves you and longs to encounter you. And open your heart to receive all the love he would pour out on you in this moment.
3. Rest in the presence of God. Spend time talking with him, receiving more of him, and being transformed by his nearness. Receive his love. Cast your burdens on him. Talk with him about anything that is weighing you down today.
While we only see a glimpse of God here on earth, a glimpse of him is unequivocally better than any other sight. A glimpse of God is more powerful than a rushing wind, more real than your own skin, more vast than the oceans put together, and more satisfying than time spent with your closest friend. Whatever longing that feels unsatisfied can be quenched with a glimpse of your God. Run to his presence when you have need, or when you feel attacked or unfulfilled. Run to your tent of meeting when you need refreshment or guidance, or to talk with God. May you grow in your desire and ability to meet with your heavenly Father face-to-face, to talk with him and to be satisfied in his love.
Extended Reading: Exodus 34:29
May you grow in your desire and ability to meet with your heavenly Father face-to-face, to talk with him and to be satisfied in his love.
]]>