Scripture: Exodus 20:13 (ERV) “You must not murder.” Genesis 4:6–8 (ERV) “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why do you look so upset? If you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you don’t do what is right, sin is ready to attack you. Sin wants to control you, but you must control it.’ … Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” Devotion: Have you ever thought to yourself, “How can people just take another life, and why?” Every day we read or hear

Scripture: Psalm 23:3 (KJV) “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.” Devotion: Have you ever felt like everything has been thrown at you but the kitchen sink? Like you can’t take one more thing or you will break? Feeling burnout or being overwhelmed is very human and normal. It is not a good feeling at all; and many great people in the Bible experienced it , including Jesus. If you are always the strong one, and you’re not only

Scripture: Ephesians 1:4 (ESV) “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” John 15:16 (ESV) “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” Devotion: When it comes to a relationship with God, there is no question that He loves you, wants a relationship with

Scripture: Psalm 22:3 (KJV) “But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.” Devotion: Where is God and how can we invoke His presence around us? Let’s gather together and PRAISE HIM! He will be there. He inhabits the praises of His people. Inhabit means to live or occupy a space . So He will not only show up, but if you continually praise Him, you give God a place to live. Although the scripture refers to Israel, it also applies to us. Israel was God’s

Scripture: Psalm 139:7–10 (NLT) “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.” Devotion: He who created the heavens and the earth is EVERYWHERE (Genesis 1:1). God is omnipresent and supreme. He is not limited by time, distan

Scripture: Psalm 145:18 (NLT) “The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.” Devotion: While some of us experience the presence of God daily, there are others who are silently wondering, “Where is God?” For those who DO experience Him, they feel His presence every time they: Pray Simply call His name Read His Word Believe His Word Praise Him Worship Him Enter His house among other believers In all these acts, HIS PRESENCE COMES. This is no

Scripture: Exodus 14:14 (NIV) “ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. ” Devotion: Have you ever felt like NOBODY had your back? Or like you might lose simply because you didn’t have support? As living souls, we all naturally desire to be protected, defended, and taken care of. Many of us do this for ourselves because we never had anyone else to do it. Others depend on the people they love for it, making their support a source of security. But the truth is t

Scripture: Proverbs 13:11 (NLT) “ Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears; wealth from hard work grows over time. ” Proverbs 13:11 (ESV) “ Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it. ” Devotion: Have you ever heard the saying, “Too good to be true”? I was taught that if something sounds too good to be true, it more than likely is not true. People who want fast cash will fall for any scheme! The schemes that seem l

Scripture: Romans 1:20–31 (NIV) “Slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.” Devotion : There are moments when I look around and honestly wonder… What happened to the world? Why do so many people seem so unkind, selfish, hateful, and flat-out God-less? Even those who claim to be “church-going Christians” are slandering instead of praying… walki

Scripture: Matthew 14:30–31 (NIV) “But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?’” Devotion : Life will put us in moments that shake us. Moments that make our chest tight, our palms sweaty, and our mind race with a thousand “what ifs.” Sometimes fear doesn’t show up as a scream ; it shows up as a whisper: “What if this goes w

Scripture: Matthew 5:9 (NIV) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” Devotion: Peaceful people are truly pleasant to be around. They aren’t the ones starting fights, stirring up arguments, or causing unnecessary chaos. Even if they aren’t outgoing or overly social, they carry a kindness and a calming spirit that makes others feel safe and comfortable. Jesus Himself came into this world with a mission, and one of those purposes was to bring pe

Scripture: Titus 1:16 (NLT) “Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live…” There’s a simple truth we all know but often forget: our actions must back up our words for our words to mean anything. It is incredibly easy to say something with no real intention of proving it. For example, people boldly profess, “I’m a believer. I’m a child of God.” Yet their lifestyle reflects something completely different. Others say, “Oh, I can cook”, but the proof

Scripture: Luke 17:15–19 (NIV) “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan… Then he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’” Devotion: Being full of gratefulness should be a daily practice. There is always something to thank God for. Our level of gratitude reveals the posture of our heart and speaks volumes about our character. You’ve probably heard

Scripture: Ecclesiastes 7:8 (NKJV) “The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” Devotion: Patience… how many of us truly have it? How do you feel when you’re sitting at a red light that holds you for over two minutes? When you pull up to a drive-thru and see a long line wrapping around the building? Or when you’re waiting for Thanksgiving dinner to finally be ready? LOL! The truth is, WE DON’T LIKE TO WAIT. It d

Scripture: Matthew 7:1–5 (NIV) “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you…” Devotion: When I look at the world around me: social media, YouTube, church, and even everyday life ; all I see is a bunch of judges. I see the black robe, the proud stare, and the gavel in hand. For so many different reasons, people judge others quickly , harshly , and ignorantly . How di

Scripture: Acts 2:40–41 (NLT) “Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation!’ Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” Devotion In today’s devotion, we continue our discussion on Acts 2:40–41. The Bible says Peter preached strongly and for a long time . Why? Because he desperately wanted the people to be saved. He understood the ur

Scripture: Acts 2:40–41 (NLT) “Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, ‘Save yourselves from this crooked generation!’ Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.” Devotion: It’s funny how something can be completely available to us, yet we still go without it simply because we won’t get up and pursue it. We’ll sit there feeling defeated… stressed… overwhelmed… saying, “Woe i

Scripture: Matthew 6:14–15 (NIV) “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Devotion: Let’s be honest, unforgiveness has haunted every one of us at some point. Some of us are still upset with people right now. Family members who hurt us… friends who betrayed us… exes who broke us… coworkers, neighbors, even church members who off

Scripture: Psalm 63:3–4 (NIV) “Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” Devotion: Imagine a great hero walking through town ; someone who rushed into a burning building and saved many lives. The community gathers around him, cheering, celebrating, lifting him up because they KNOW what he did. But if you knew nothing about his heroic act, your reaction would be totally dif

Scripture: “Praise the LORD! Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”  ( Psalm 106:1 NLT) Devotion: In a previous devotion, we learned that real love genuinely cares about another person’s well-being. Now imagine this: Out of the goodness of your heart, you go out of your way to help someone. You supply a need they couldn’t meet themselves. You give them food so they won’t be hungry. You let them stay in your home when they had nowhere el