devotionals

Reflection: Alone With God

Scripture

  • “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)
  • “We know that we have the requests we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:15)
  • “He who comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Teaching

Prayer is not about trying to convince God with many words or urgent pleading. He already knows what you need before you ask. Instead, prayer is about childlike trust in a Father who loves, sees, and cares.

When you pray, shut out distractions and enter the secret place with God. There the Father is waiting for you. Jesus Himself will teach you to pray in that quiet space. Being alone with God should be your greatest joy and strength.

God is not concerned with how little you bring Him, but with how much He longs to give to you. His heart is full of tender, caring love. Even when your heart feels cold, sinful, or dark, His presence brings light and warmth.

Encouragement

  • Prayer in secret cannot be wasted. God promises to reward it openly.
  • The blessing of prayer doesn’t depend on strong feelings, but on God’s power and love.
  • Faith grows as we trust that our Father sees, hears, and knows our needs.
  • Prayer is not forcing an unwilling God, but resting in a willing and faithful Father.

Application

  • Go often into your “inner chamber” — a place where you can be still with God.
  • Close the door, silence distractions, and simply look to the Father.
  • Trust Him to answer in His way and His time.
  • Let your prayer be less about many words and more about faith, quietness, and confidence.

Prayer

Father, You see me, You hear me, and You know what I need even before I ask. Teach me to treasure time with You in the secret place. Give me faith to trust that You will answer and reward what is done in secret. Let my greatest joy be to be alone with You and to know that You supply every need according to Your riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Attribution

Excerpt adapted from Andrew Murray, With Christ in the School of Prayer (1885).

God Has Not Forgotten You

Reflection

You may fear that the Lord has passed you by, but it is not so. He who counts the stars and calls them by their names is in no danger of forgetting His own children. He knows your situation as thoroughly as if you were the only creature He ever made, or the only saint He ever loved. Rest in His compassion and draw near to Him in peace.

Prayer

Lord, You make a way out of no way.
You have already planned a pathway through the valley of impossibility. Help me to operate with faith, not just facts.

Amen.

Attribution: Reflection adapted from Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. Prayer from 100 Days of Believing Bigger by Marshawn Evans Daniels.

Thinking That Leads to Peace

Philippians 4:6–9 (NIV)

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

In the absence of truth, lies reign.

This is probably a passage you’ve read before. But have you thought of applying it to your every thought—especially the toxic ones?

The mind feasts on what it focuses on. What consumes our thinking will be the making or breaking of our identity.

That’s why we need to think on, ponder, and park our minds on constructive thoughts—not destructive thoughts. Thoughts that build up, not tear down. Thoughts that breathe life, not drain the life from us. Thoughts that lead to goodness, not anxiety.

Prayer

Dear Lord, reveal to me untruths throughout my day that can so easily distract and discourage me. Help me see You and Your truth in all I do. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Excerpt from It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way by Lysa TerKeurst

Keep Circling in Prayer

“On the seventh day, march around the city seven times.”
Joshua 6:4

To pray or not to pray—those are the only options. Whether you’ve been circling your prayers for the past seventeen days or seventeen years, if the answer is not yet, then you’ve got to keep circling. It’s always too early to give up! Because it’s never over until God says it’s over. If your cause is ordained by God, then the battle belongs to the Lord. It’s His victory to win, not yours. God’s timing is perfect. And as you wait, you’ve got to keep praying.

Today, examine the request you want to bring to God. No matter if it’s an old request or a new one, if it’s ordained by God, then write it down, keep praying, keep asking, keep circling.

Excerpt from The Circle Maker: 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson

The Gift Hidden in Heartbreak

Pressing Through the Pain

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” — James 4:8 (NKJV)

Does it ever feel like the heartbreak in your life is trying to break you? I understand. I really, really do. I’ve been in that place where the pain of heartbreak hits with such sudden and sharp force that it feels like it cuts through skin and bone. It’s the kind of pain that leaves us wondering if we’ll ever be able to function like a normal person again.

But God has been tenderly reminding me that pain itself is not the enemy. Pain is the indicator that brokenness exists.

Pain is the reminder that the real Enemy is trying to take us out and bring us down by keeping us stuck in broken places. Pain is the gift that motivates us to fight with brave tenacity and fierce determination, knowing there’s healing on the other side.

And in the in-between? In that desperate place where we aren’t quite on the other side of it all yet, and our heart still feels quite raw?

Pain is the invitation for God to move in and replace our faltering strength with His. I’m not writing that to throw out spiritual platitudes that sound good; I write it from the depth of a heart that knows it’s the only way.

We must invite God into our pain to help us survive the desperate in-between.

If We Avoid the Hurt, the Hurt Creates a Void

The only other choice is to run from the pain by using some method of numbing. But numbing—the pain—never goes to the source of the real issue to make us healthier. It only silences our screaming need for help.

We think we are freeing ourselves from the pain when, in reality, what numbs us imprisons us. If we avoid the hurt, the hurt creates a void in us. It slowly kills the potential for our hearts to fully feel, fully connect, fully love again. It even steals the best in our relationship with God.

Pain is the sensation that indicates a transformation is needed. There is a weakness where new strength needs to enter in. And we must choose to pursue long-term strength rather than temporary relief.

So how do we get this new strength? How do we stop ourselves from chasing what will numb us when the deepest parts of us scream for some relief? How do we stop the piercing pain of this minute, this hour?

We invite God’s closeness.

For me, this means praying: No matter how vast our pit, prayer is big enough to fill us with the realization of His presence like nothing else. Our key verse (James 4:8) reminds us that when we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. When we invite Him close, He always accepts our invitation.

And on the days when my heart feels hurt and my words feel quite flat, I let Scripture guide my prayers—recording His Word in my journal, and then adding my own personal thoughts.

One of my favorites to turn to is Psalm 91. I would love to share this verse with you today, as an example for when you prayerfully invite God into your own pain.

A Prayer from Psalm 91

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1).

Prayer:

Lord, draw me close.
Your Word promises when I draw close to You, You are there. I want my drawing close to be a permanent dwelling place. At any moment when I feel weak and empty and alone, I pray that I won’t let those feelings drag me down into a pit of insecurity. But rather, I want those feelings to be triggers for me to immediately lift those burdensome feelings to You and trade them for the assurance of Your security.
I am not alone, because You are with me. I am not weak, because Your strength is infused in me. I am not empty, because I’m drinking daily from Your fullness. You are my dwelling place. And in You I have shelter from every stormy circumstance and harsh reality. I’m not pretending the hard things don’t exist, but I am rejoicing in the fact that Your covering protects me and prevents those hard things from affecting me like they used to.
You, the Most High, have the final say over me. You know me and love me intimately. And today I declare that I will trust You in the midst of my pain. You are my everyday dwelling place, my saving grace.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

And with that I close my prayer journal, feeling a lot less desperate and a lot more whole. I breathe the atmosphere of life His words bring.

I picture Him standing at the door of my future, knocking. If I will let Him enter into the darkness of my hurt today, He will open wide the door to a much brighter tomorrow.

Dear Lord, in this moment I draw near to You and I invite Your closeness. Help me to experience Your presence today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Attribution: Excerpt from Embraced: 100 Devotions to Know God Is Holding You Close by Lysa TerKeurst

Stop Shrinking: You Were Made to Shine

Blessing Blockers

Shrinking

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.
— Romans 12:3 NIV

Our trust in God is not somehow separate from our belief in ourselves. For far too long we’ve been taught that believing unapologetically in ourselves is considered unspiritual or prideful.

To the contrary, divine trust and self-belief are linked together by the umbilical cord of purpose. We cannot fulfill our destiny with just one or the other; we need both. The Bible says not to think more highly of yourself than you should, but it doesn’t say not to think highly of yourself. The reason God wants you to have a strong, all-things-are-possible self-image is for the very purpose of being able to fulfill your purpose. You need a healthy and hearty self-image to even have the audacity to pursue all God has in store for you.

Notice that it doesn’t say you need a strong self-image to believe in God. It’s not enough to love God but not really like yourself. That’s not God’s will. But truth be told, many of us spend an inordinate amount of time trying to fix our faults or find a way to simply “live with” ourselves. If you don’t learn to celebrate yourself, you’ll settle for a life where you merely tolerate who you are. You’ll shrink. You’ll settle. You’ll take the leftovers and never go after what God has for you.

What if you really believed in your potential and power, not only your imperfections? There is nothing God-glorifying about hiding your anointing, gifts, and voice. The very nature of your existence is a supernatural permission slip! When God said, “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3), He was giving you permission to shine.

Excerpted from Blessing Blockers: Shrinking by Sarah Jakes Roberts.

From Intimidating to Inviting: Reading the Bible with SPACES

Using the SPACES Bible Study Tool

Overview

Reading the Bible can feel intimidating. The SPACES acronym is a simple tool to help you engage with Scripture, understand it, and apply it to your life. You can write this acronym on a piece of paper or in your journal and use it as a guide every time you read a chapter.

What SPACES Stands For

S — Sin to Avoid

  • Look for sins mentioned directly or shown through characters’ actions.
  • Ask: What behavior or attitude should I avoid?

P — Promise to Claim

  • Identify promises God gives in the passage.
  • Ask: What can I confidently trust God for in my own life?

A — Attribute of God

  • Notice what the passage teaches about God’s character.
  • Ask: What does this reveal about who God is?

C — Command to Obey

  • Find explicit or implicit instructions to follow.
  • Ask: What is God calling me to do or change?

E — Example to Follow

  • Observe positive examples in characters’ lives.
  • Ask: Who should I imitate in this passage?

S — Something to Pray About

  • Turn what you read into a personal prayer.
  • Ask: How should I respond to God in prayer based on this passage?

How to Use It

  1. Write “SPACES” at the top of your notes when you start a chapter.
  2. As you read, jot down insights under each letter.
  3. Use your notes to guide prayer and application.
  4. Share it with a friend or in a small group study to help others engage with Scripture.

Why Use SPACES?

  • Reduces intimidation when reading the Bible.
  • Encourages deeper understanding and reflection.
  • Makes it easier to discuss and share Scripture with others.

Start using SPACES today and enjoy a more meaningful time in God’s Word!

Adapted from content by Jeremy Vuolo, shared in an Instagram video post.

Living From Love, Not For Love

We often act out of a deep desire to be loved, seeking approval, validation, or respect from others. This mindset can leave us anxious, disappointed, and focused on ourselves.

But when we remember that we are already loved by God, everything changes. We can act from a place of security and freedom rather than striving for acceptance. We can serve, give, and relate to others without hidden agendas or unrealistic expectations.

Living because we are loved means:

  • We can humble ourselves without needing to prove anything.
  • We can give our worries to God instead of obsessing over our performance.
  • We can resist lies and stand firm in faith rather than relying on feelings.
  • We can embrace growth and strength instead of choosing comfort and ease.

When we live from the truth that we are loved, we find true freedom and clarity. We stop striving and start living with purpose and grace.

Lord, help me remember today that I am loved. Free me from self-focus and striving, and help me live out of Your love. Amen.

Adapted from Lysa TerKeurst, Because I Am Loved.

“Wait for the LORD.” — Psalm 27:14

It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian doesn’t learn without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier for God’s soldiers than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, doesn’t know what part to take. Then what shall it do? Vex itself by despair? Fly back in cowardice, turn to the right hand in fear, or rush forward in presumption? No, but simply wait.

Wait in prayer, however. Call upon God, and spread the situation before Him; tell Him your difficulty, and plead His promise of aid. In dilemmas between one duty and another, it is sweet to be humble as a child, and wait with simplicity of soul on the Lord. It is sure to be well with us when we feel and know our own folly, and are heartily willing to be guided by the will of God.

But wait in faith. Express your unshaggering confidence in Him; for unfaithful, untrusting waiting, is but an insult to the Lord. Believe that if He keeps you tarrying even until midnight, yet He will come at the right time; the vision shall come and shall not linger.

Wait in quiet patience, not rebelling because you are under the affliction, but blessing your God for it. Never murmur against the second cause, as the children of Israel did against Moses; never wish you could go back to the world again, but accept the situation as it is, and put it as it stands, simply and with your whole heart, without any self-will, into the hand of your covenant God, saying,

“Now, Lord, not my will, but Yours be done. I don’t know what to do; I am brought to extremities, but I will wait until You shall halt the floods, or drive back my foes. I will wait, if You keep me many a day, for my heart is fixed upon You alone, O God, and my spirit waits for You in the full conviction that You will yet be my joy and my salvation, my refuge and my strong tower.”

Attribution: Morning by Morning by Charles H. Spurgeon, August 30 entry.

“Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed.” — Jeremiah 17:14

“I have seen his ways, but I will heal him.” — Isaiah 57:18

It is the sole prerogative of God to remove spiritual disease.
Natural disease may be instrumentally healed by mortals, but even then the honor is to be given to God who gives virtue to medicine, and bestows power to the human frame to cast off disease.

As for spiritual sicknesses, these remain with the great Physician alone.
He claims it as His prerogative, “I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal”, and one of the Lord’s choice titles is Jehovah Rophi, the Lord that heals you.

“I will heal your wounds,” is a promise which could not come from the lips of a mortal, but only from the mouth of the eternal God.

On this account the psalmist cried to the Lord:

“O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony,”
and again,
“Heal me, for I have sinned against You.”

For this, also, the godly praise the name of the Lord, saying:

“He heals all our diseases.”

He who made us can restore us; He who was the Creator of our nature can new create it.

What a transcendent comfort it is that in the person of Jesus “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

My soul, whatever your disease may be, this great Physician can heal you.
If He is God, there can be no limit to His power.

Come then with the blind eye of darkened understanding, come with the limping foot of wasted energy, come with the maimed hand of weak faith, the fever of an angry temper, or the ague of shivering despondency, come just as you are, for He who is God can certainly restore you to health.

None shall restrain the healing virtue which proceeds from Jesus our Lord.
Legions of devils have been made to own the power of the beloved Physician, and never once has He been baffled.

All His patients have been cured in the past and shall be in the future, and you shall be one among them, my friend, if you would just rest in Him this night.

— Charles H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening (August 30, Evening)