What is your image of strong faith?

Jacob is alone in the night.

He is about to meet Esau, the brother he betrayed years earlier. Fear hangs over the whole moment. He sends his family ahead and remains by himself. Then something strange happens:

A man wrestles with him until daybreak.

It’s one of the most mysterious scenes in the Old Testament. Jacob struggles through the night with this unknown figure who is somehow more than a man. By the end of the encounter, Jacob realizes he has been wrestling with God Himself.

And Jacob refuses to let go.

“I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

There’s something deeply honest about that moment.

Faith is not always calm and peaceful. Sometimes it looks more like wrestling. Questions, fears, confusion… persistence. Holding on to God even while struggling to understand what He is doing.

Jacob knows what it means to carry a complicated past. His very name is tied to deception and grasping. Much of his life has been spent trying to secure blessing through his own effort and manipulation.

But now, on the edge of this fearful reunion with Esau, God strips away Jacob’s self-reliance. The struggle leaves him wounded. His hip is put out of joint. He limps away from the encounter.

And yet, he also leaves blessed.

That’s often how God works in our lives too.

There are seasons where faith feels less like confidently striding forward and more like clinging to God in the dark. We pray, wrestle, question, and hold on. Sometimes God changes our circumstances. Sometimes He changes us. The key is the hold on.

Jacob enters the night trying to remain in control. He leaves with a new name: Israel.

God’s blessing did not come through Jacob’s strength. It came through God meeting him in the struggle.

And perhaps that’s comforting to hear.

Because some Christians quietly assume that strong faith means never struggling, doubting, or wrestling. But Scripture paints a different picture. God’s people are often people who cling to Him in weakness. Faith holds on even in the struggle.

It’s not because they are strong enough; but because He refuses to let go of them.

So if you find yourself wrestling today—with fear, uncertainty, guilt, or unanswered questions—don’t assume God has abandoned you.

He’s meeting you there. Don’t let go. Hold Him ever closer in your struggle. He promises not to let go of you.

Let’s Pray…

Heavenly Father,

There are times when faith feels like a struggle. I wrestle with fear, questions, and uncertainty. Yet even in those moments, help me cling to You and Your promises. Meet me in my weakness, strengthen my faith, and remind me that Your blessing rests not on my strength, but on Your grace.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Do you have a green thumb?

Jesus begins teaching beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathers that He gets into a boat while the people remain on the shore. Then He tells a parable about a farmer scattering seed.

Some seed falls on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns, and some on good soil. The same seed is scattered everywhere, but the results are very different.

Later, when Jesus explains the parable to His disciples, He says the seed is the Word of God.

That means the focus of the story is not mainly on the skill of the farmer or even the quality of the seed. The seed is good. The question is what happens when it is received.

Jesus describes several ways people respond to God’s Word.

Some hear it and quickly lose it. Some receive it with excitement, but it does not take root deeply enough to endure difficulty. Others allow worries, desires, and distractions to choke it out over time.

And then there are those who hear the Word, receive it, and bear fruit.

This parable is honest about the human heart. Simply hearing God’s Word is not the same thing as holding onto it. There are many things that compete for our attention and trust.

At the same time, this parable also says something encouraging about Jesus and His ministry.

He continues scattering the seed.

Not selectively. Not cautiously. Generously.

Jesus knows that people respond differently, yet He keeps speaking, teaching, calling, and inviting. He does not withhold His Word until He finds perfect people ready to receive it.

That matters because it means the Gospel is for real people living real lives—people with doubts, distractions, fears, and weaknesses.

So, we don’t withhold the Gospel from certain people because we don’t they’ll receive it, we share the Gospel and see what happens. The truth is, we can’t see a person’s heart and can’t really judge the “soil” of their heart well. Many people who looked like “bad soil” have heard the Gospel and become amazing Christians.

This passage also invites us to ask an important question: What kind of soil am I?

Not in a hopeless or fearful way, but honestly.

• Are there things hardening my heart?
• Are there distractions slowly crowding out God’s Word?
• Am I listening without really taking it in?

Jesus tells this parable not to push people away, but to draw them in. He wants His Word to take root and grow.

I pray the soil of your heart is soft and free of rocks and thorns.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

Your Word is good and life-giving. Break up what is hard in my heart, and keep distractions from pulling me away from You. Help me to hear Your Word, hold onto it, and grow in faith through it.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you ever carried something around for so long that you forgot what it felt like not to carry it?

Sometimes people do that with guilt.

They replay conversations. Regret decisions. Try to ignore what happened. Some distract themselves. Some justify it. Some just keep moving and hope the weight eventually fades.

David tried silence.

In Psalm 32, he describes what happened when he kept his sin hidden. His strength dried up. The guilt didn’t disappear just because he avoided talking about it. If anything, it grew heavier.

That’s what sin does.

We often think hiding sin will protect us, our reputation, and our relationships. We hope it will protect us from consequences.

But hidden sin has a way of growing and working itself deeper into the heart. It get’s heavy. And eventually, carrying it becomes exhausting.

Then David does something simple but difficult.

He confesses.

“I acknowledged my sin to You.”

No excuses. No blame-shifting. No pretending.

And what happens?

“You forgave the iniquity of my sin.”

That quickly. That freely.

I want you to think about that for a moment. How often to do we hold on to our sin and guilt? How often do we carry around a burden we don’t need to carry. We worry and agonize and try to figure out how to handle it in a way that works out how we want, when all we need to do is confess. This is true with God, but it’s also often true with other people. 

This is one of the great themes of Scripture. God is not looking for perfect people. He forgives sinners who come to Him honestly.

That doesn’t mean sin is small. It isn’t. Sin is serious enough that Jesus went to the cross for it.

But that’s exactly why forgiveness is so meaningful. Jesus carried our guilt so we would not have to. He took the burden upon Himself and paid for it fully.

So confession is not about informing God of something He doesn’t know.

It’s about bringing sin into the light and receiving the forgiveness Christ has already won.

And there is freedom there…not because we fixed ourselves or even made up for what we did…but because God forgives.

Completely.

Psalm 32 calls the forgiven person “blessed.”

There is no greater comfort than knowing your sin is covered by the mercy of God.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

I often try to hide my sin instead of confessing it. Forgive me for the things I have done wrong and for the ways I avoid bringing them to You. Thank You for the complete forgiveness won for me through Jesus. Help me to live in the freedom of Your grace. Help me also find the courage to confess to others when I have hurt them and I pray they would receive it with grace so we can both find healing.

Amen

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

How are you with receiving gifts?

Most people are comfortable with the idea that grace helps us. What is harder to accept is the idea that grace is necessary from beginning to end.

We often assume there must be something we contribute. Maybe not perfectly, maybe not enough to earn salvation entirely, but surely something. A better attitude. A stronger faith. More consistency. Some evidence that we are worth saving.

But Paul leaves no room for that kind of thinking in Ephesians 2.

After describing humanity as spiritually dead and trapped under sin, he writes two words that change everything:

“But God…”

The turning point is not human effort. It is God’s mercy.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us… made us alive together with Christ.”

Notice the direction of the action. God is the One acting. God is the One making alive. And He does this not when people are improving themselves or moving toward Him, but while they are still dead in sin.

That is what grace actually means.

Grace is not God helping people who are almost able to save themselves. Grace is God bringing life where there was none. Grace is God’s unearned favor.

Paul wants us to see this clearly, which is why he repeats it:

“By grace you have been saved.”

And then he goes even further:

“This is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works.”

Many of us struggle with receiving gifts. We can give gifts easily enough, but receiving them feels like we aren’t enough or we are a burden.

Yet, there is something freeing about hearing that again. Your salvation does not rest on the strength of your faith, the quality of your obedience, or your ability to hold everything together. It rests on Christ and what He has done for you. It’s freeing because, when we take an honest look at ourselves, we know we don’t measure up.

That does not make good works unimportant. Paul will speak about those soon enough. But he puts them in the right place. They are the fruit of salvation, not the cause of it.

The foundation is grace.

So when you begin to wonder whether you have done enough, or whether God’s love for you depends on how well you are doing spiritually, come back to these words.

• You are saved because God is merciful.
• You are alive because Christ has acted.
• You stand by grace given because of God’s love.

Also, when you feel like you are doing pretty well and that you’re a pretty good person, maybe worthy of contributing something towards your salvation…

• You are saved because God is merciful.
• You are alive because Christ has acted.
• You stand by grace given because of God’s love.

Grace is a gift and your salvation is by grace alone.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for loving me even when I could not save myself. Forgive me for the times I try to base my standing with You on my own efforts or accomplishments.

Help me to rest in the gift of Your grace and to trust fully in what Christ has done for me.

Let my life today flow not from fear or striving, but from gratitude for Your mercy.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

What is the biggest influence on your life?

When Proverbs talks about the heart, it means more than emotions.

Today, we often think of the heart as the place of feelings. But in Scripture, the heart is deeper than that. It’s the center of a person’s inner life — desires, thoughts, motivations, loves, fears. It’s the place from which the rest of life flows.

That’s why this proverb is so important.

“Keep your heart with all vigilance…”

In other words: pay attention to what is shaping you internally.

Because whether we realize it or not, something always is.

• The things we repeatedly watch.
• The voices we constantly listen to.
• The thoughts we allow to settle in and stay.

Over time, they do something to us.

A person who continually feeds anger often becomes more angry. Someone who constantly lives in comparison slowly loses contentment. Those who listen to hateful people, will start to hate others.

This may be most obvious when observing middle schoolers. Just look at any friend-group and you’ll notice they all sound alike and will even dress alike and have the same hair styles. That’s not coincidence. What we spend time with, either internally in our minds or externally through friends, TV, social media, etc. gets into our heart.

Eventually, what is happening in the heart begins to show up in words, attitudes, decisions, and relationships.

Jesus says something similar in the Gospels when He teaches that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. What is inside does not stay hidden forever.

That can be uncomfortable to admit because we’re often more focused on appearances than the condition of the heart itself. It’s easier to manage outward behavior than to honestly examine what is happening underneath it.

But wisdom invites us to slow down and ask deeper questions.

• What has been shaping my heart lately?
• What have I been feeding it?
• What have I allowed to take root there?

Those questions matter because the heart is not neutral ground.

And this is also where we need more than self-improvement. Left to ourselves, we cannot simply clean up the heart through effort alone. We need the Lord’s work within us. We need His forgiveness for the sin that lives deeper than outward behavior, and we need His Spirit to renew us from the inside out. We need His Word to transform us.

The good news is that this is exactly what God delights to do. He does not only change actions. He changes people.

Slowly. Patiently. Over time.

So today, don’t only think about what you are doing. Pay attention to what is shaping your heart beneath it.

Because from that place, life flows.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

You see not only my actions, but my heart. You know the thoughts, desires, fears, and attitudes that live within me. Forgive me for the ways I have allowed unhealthy things to take root there. Guard my heart from bitterness, pride, anger, and temptation. Shape me through Your Word and Spirit, and renew me from the inside out. Help my thoughts, words, and actions to flow from a heart centered on You.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

The Sixth Commandment

“You shall not commit adultery.”

It sounds simple at first, but like the other commandments, it reaches far deeper than outward actions alone.

This commandment is about faithfulness.

God created marriage as a lifelong union between husband and wife, and He intends sexuality to be received within that gift, for the marriage bed to be undefiled. When we follow His ways and keep sex in and only in the boundaries of marriage between one man and one woman, we are blessed.

In a world that often treats relationships casually, this commandment reminds us that people are not objects to consume or experiences to chase.

• Relationships matter.
• Promises matter.
• People matter.

Like all the commandments, this commandment not only has a negative explanation, but also has a positive one: we should lead a sexually pure and decent life in what we say and do, and husband and wife should love and honor each other.

Notice those words: love and honor.

This commandment is not just about avoiding certain sins. It’s about learning to see others rightly—with dignity, faithfulness, and self-control. I think this changes how we see this command. For example, a boyfriend and girlfriend doesn’t just resist temptation with each other, they seek to love each other and protect each other from the destruction of sin.

And learning to see others rightly is increasingly difficult in a culture shaped by temptation and instant gratification. Sexuality is constantly disconnected from commitment, physical intimacy disconnected from relational intimacy, relationships avoid sacrifice, and desire is separated from responsibility.

But God’s commands are not arbitrary restrictions.

They are protection.

He knows the damage caused when intimacy is separated from faithfulness. He knows the wounds caused by betrayal, selfishness, lust, and broken promises.

And if we are honest, this commandment convicts all of us in some way—not only in actions, but in thoughts, words, desires, and the ways we view others.

Jesus makes that painfully clear when He says that lust itself is a violation of this commandment.

Which means this is not a commandment anyone keeps perfectly.

This is also where the Gospel becomes precious.

Jesus came for sinners—not for people with spotless records. He came to forgive sexual sin, relational failures, hidden shame, and everything we try to bury.

He does not excuse sin.

He forgives it.

And more than that, He restores. He teaches us a better way to live—not driven by selfish desire, but shaped by faithful love.

Because that is how Christ loves His Church.

Faithfully. Sacrificially. Completely.

And in Him, you are given a relationship with God that is good and right. God does not use you and abuse you. He truly loves you and has a real and deep relationship with you. Where we may misconstrue love and intimacy, God does not. He always loves perfectly, He knows you better than even you know yourself, and He invites you to know Him.

Let’s pray…

Lord Jesus,

Forgive me for the ways I have sinned in thought, word, and deed against this commandment. Teach me to live with purity, faithfulness, and love. Help me to honor others, protect them, and to reflect Your faithful love in my relationships.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you ever been in a desperate situation?

Have you ever seen God provide in a desperate situation, just in time?

I have. I’ve seen God provide in many desperate situations. He’s also provided in advance for situations that would have been desperate. And, of course, He provides each and every day in ordinary ways as well.

Abraham lifts his eyes and sees it—a ram caught in the thicket by its horns.

Moments earlier, everything had seemed unbearable…desperate. God had called Abraham to offer Isaac, the son of promise, the child through whom God had said a great nation would come. Abraham climbed the mountain carrying not only wood and fire, but questions he could not fully answer.

And then, at the critical moment, God provides.

A substitute.

The ram dies in Isaac’s place.

It’s hard to read this passage without feeling the tension in it. Abraham does not know how everything will unfold. Isaac does not understand why there is no lamb for the offering. The whole scene presses against human understanding.

But in the middle of it, one truth stands firm: the Lord provides what is needed.

That provision comes at exactly the right moment—not early enough to remove all tension, but not too late either.

We often wish God worked differently. We would prefer advance explanations, immediate answers, and clear roadmaps. Instead, there are many times when we walk forward not knowing how things will come together.

Abraham knew that experience.

And yet, on the mountain, he discovers something important about God. The Lord sees ahead. The Lord knows. The Lord provides.

Sometimes that provision is physical. Daily needs or strength for the next step. Maybe, help that arrives at the right time.

Sometimes it is spiritual. Forgiveness when guilt weighs heavily. Peace in the middle of uncertainty. Hope that holds steady when circumstances do not.

This was a defining moment in Abraham’s and Isaac’s lives, but it’s much more than that too.

God caused this moment not only to test and teach Abraham and Isaac. He did it to show us all what Jesus would do.

Isaac is spared because another takes his place. Centuries later, God’s own Son will carry wood up another hill. But this time there will be no substitute provided for Him—because He Himself will be the substitute for the world.

“The Lord will provide.”

Abraham spoke truer than he knew.

So when you face moments of uncertainty, when the path ahead feels difficult or confusing, remember the mountain of Moriah. God is not absent in the tension. He is the God who provides, often in ways we could not have imagined beforehand.

Let’s pray…

Heavenly Father,

There are times when I do not understand what You are doing or how things will work out. Help me trust that You see what I cannot see and provide what I truly need. Thank You for Your daily care, and above all for providing salvation through Jesus, my substitute and Savior.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.

Have you ever completely misjudged someone?

As Jesus’ ministry continues, the crowds press in again. There is so much demand that He and His disciples don’t even have time to eat. From the outside, it looks overwhelming—maybe even out of control.

And that’s exactly how some begin to interpret it.

His own family hears what is happening and comes to take charge of Him. They think He is out of His mind. At the same time, the scribes arrive with a different explanation. They accuse Him of being empowered by evil.

Two very different groups, but the same conclusion: they misunderstand who Jesus is.

Jesus responds directly to the scribes. Their accusation isn’t just incorrect—it reveals how far off they are. They are seeing the work of God and calling it something else entirely.

A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. If He is casting out evil, it cannot be by the power of evil. Something stronger is at work.

In fact, Jesus describes His work as entering the house of a strong man and overpowering him. It’s a picture of what He is doing—confronting and overcoming the forces that hold people captive.

This shows us something important about His mission. Jesus is not simply offering guidance or encouragement. He is actively rescuing.

Then His family arrives, standing outside and calling for Him.

Someone tells Jesus,

“Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”

And Jesus answers in a way that might seem surprising:

“Who are my mother and my brothers?”

Looking around at those seated with Him, He says,

“Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

This is not a rejection of His family. It showing that there is a deeper relationship even than blood family…the family of faith.

Being close to Jesus is not about proximity, background, or what family you are born into. It is about hearing His Word and being drawn into what God is doing through Him. It tells us that, ultimately, our connection to Christ and to each other in Christ, is greater than even familial relationships.

In this passage, we see how easily Jesus can be misunderstood.

• Some dismiss Him.
• Some explain Him away.
• Even those closest to Him can fail to see clearly.

But Jesus remains steady in His mission. He confronts what is broken, and He gathers people into a new kind of family—one formed not by blood, but by faith.

That invitation still stands.

To be with Him. To listen and belong.

That invitation is for you, today.

Let’s Pray…

Lord Jesus,

It is easy to misunderstand You or to reshape You according to my own thinking. Help me to see You clearly through Your Word. Thank you for the family You give through You. Draw me into Your family, and lead me to trust and follow You.

Amen.

As part of your devotion time, I encourage you to also pray for at least some of the following:

• Your family
• Your local church
• Your pastor
• Some of your fellow church members
• The people on your B.L.E.S.S. list
• Your country and her leaders
• Your community

After praying for these people, you may want to finish your devotion time with the Lord’s Prayer…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power, and the glory, forever and every. Amen.