Day 1

by: Michael Murphy

Psalm 138:2

A quick Google search revealed that there are thousands of promises from God. God promises to give strength to the weary, that His love will never fail, to be your peace in the middle of a storm, to be your healer, provider, way maker and thousands of other promises.

All of this is backed up by the honor of God’s name. He literally stakes his reputation on it. If God’s Word is untrue or deceptive, then His name would literally be meaningless. If this was so, then His Word would be meaningless.

God literally stakes everything that He has said in His Word by backing it up with His name.

Day 2

by: Michelle Martin

Malachi 1:11

I remember where I was the first time I experienced the presence of God in a life-changing way. I was on my knees in a hotel bathroom in Nashville, TN, feeling desperately lost and confused. I didn’t even realize I was worshiping, I was just praying and begging God to come and help me in my mess. That moment marked my life forever, because I suddenly had revelation that I didn’t have to wait until church on Sunday to spend time in the presence of Jesus.

I love Malachi 1:11 because it tells us that in “every place” incense and pure offerings are to be brought before the Lord. We are to worship God in our churches, our homes, our vehicles, our work places…you get the idea. Abraham built altars everywhere he went, and we’re called to do the same. Worship can shift circumstances and change outcomes, just like it did in 2 Chronicles 20 (go read it). It’s a powerful weapon and the primary occupation of the believer.

I want to encourage you to build altars to the Lord in your everyday life. God is omnipresent, but when we begin to acknowledge His presence and commune with Him He manifests His power in amazing ways. Be like Abraham. Build an altar everywhere you go, and watch how God shows up.

Day 3

by: Makayla Martin

Isaiah 60:1

A few years ago, I was really struggling with feelings of depression. No matter what I did, negative thoughts and feelings would always creep in. One day I flipped open my Bible and the page I opened it on was this verse, “Arise and Shine”. It was a light bulb moment. If I really wanted to move past all this negativity in my mind, I was going to have to do more arising and shining than dwelling on and murmuring about my negative emotions and circumstances that I had found myself in at that time.

In John chapter 9, there is a story about a blind man. Jesus mixes dirt and saliva to make mud and spreads it on the man’s eyes and tells him to go to the pool of Siloam – which means sent. So this blind man is sent to the pool named sent. Its interesting that Jesus did not heal this man right on the spot, there was a simple act of obedience that he asked the man to do. All powerful Jesus asks this blind man to walk some unknown distance to a pool with mud on his eyes to be healed! The man obeys and the results were wonderful.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, (Hebrews 13:8) and if it worked for the blind man it will work for us. What simple act of obedience is the Holy Spirit prompting you to do to receive what you need? Maybe you are like how I was, and you need to discipline yourself to spend time with God daily or do things on purpose that you know will lift your spirits (or avoid those things and people that do the opposite) or simply be more thankful. Whatever it is, obey the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will not disappoint. Now believe me, this isn’t works based religion, but instead allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. Maybe you have been trying to solve a problem on your own and you have felt the Holy Spirit urge you to trust in the Lord with all your heart, and not lean on your own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6). Then do it! You will not regret being obedient to the Holy Spirit and what he speaks to you through God’s word (emphasis on God’s word, it’s the solid rock 😊). Arise and Shine and go do whatever it is he is leading you to do, his power will be with you.

Day 4

by Olivia Sherfey

Acts 18:9-10

Everyday God gives us opportunities to tell others of the wonders that He has worked in our lives. We regularly choose not to take them because we are afraid. We live in a world that is not always open to hearing what we have to say. People can be cruel and if we do take the time to stop and listen to what God is placing on our hearts in a moment, we risk being seen as a Bible-thumping loonatic. What is incredible though is how we read in Acts 18 about Paul, who arguably faced a lot more afflictions than we do today and how he fervently shared the Good News. Paul was ridiculed for his beliefs. We are told that Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching and testifying and because of his devotion to God he was opposed and abused. The Jews even tried to have him arrested. What is so amazing is that this verse is one of the many promises that God makes to us in the bible. God promised that He would be with Paul through all of it. He didn’t have to fight by himself and God never expected him to. We are told many times throughout scripture that God will be with us in the face of our adversity. Psalm 71:24 says “My tongue also will utter Your righteousness all day long; For they are ashamed, for they are humiliated those who seek my hurt.” We are all called to bear witness to the unconditional love that we get to encounter everyday. We were never meant to keep the most prized gift known to man, the gift of salvation, to ourselves. Yes, that can seem daunting, but He is not a god who wants us to do it all on our own, nor is He a god who leaves us feeling alone and abandoned, but He is THE God who tells us that we are not alone. God promises the same things over our lives and helps us just as He did for Paul. Challenge yourself to open your ears and truly listen to what God is speaking into your life. Then, choose to share that encouragement with someone. Whether it’s a friend, a co-worker, a family member, or even a complete stranger, God can touch any life through you. Don’t let a fearful or anxious heart convince you that it is better to be silent than to speak light and love into someone's life. Proclaim the truth of God boldly to the people you encounter because no matter the circumstance you will never do it alone.

Day 5

by Mary Davidson

Isaiah 50:7

Set like Stone! In this world today, and all the opposing culture it’s hard to set ourselves like stone. So how did Isaiah do it? “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me!!” Isaiah was a man called to speak truth, and sometimes that truth didn’t set well with others, but he had made a decision that he would live his life determined to do God’s will! No matter what adversity he might face or was facing, he KNEW, his God was Sovereign, the definition of Sovereign is;

supreme, absolute, unlimited, unrestricted, unrestrained, unbounded, boundless, infinite!

Wow, the Sovereign God is for me, He will not let me be disgraced and as long as I am determined to do His will(not mine) then I will not be put to shame!!

I have a necklace that states, “Secure in His Sovereignty” and it’s my favorite, because it reminds me that no matter what I may be facing in this world, in my job, in my family, my God is Sovereign and that means He fights for me, He gives me justice and He will make sure in the end, I am not ashamed. So set your face like stone, gazing only at Him and His Word. No one else’s opinion, belief, thoughts, ridicule matters! Only Jesus, and His will for your life. Take comfort today knowing that your security is not dependent on anyone or anything. You are secure and set like stone, unmovable and strong because your God is Sovereign and on your side!!!

Day 6

by Emily Carson

Ephesians 3:18

Have you ever doubted God? Have you ever doubted His love for you? I have. Too often I’ve doubted God because of my lack of understanding of His character and His love. I’ve believed His love to be similar to the love I’ve experienced in this life—which is often broken and imperfect. Because of sin, we are all imperfect beings and, therefore, we love imperfectly. Sometimes we hurt others and they hurt us.

However, that imperfect love that we’ve experienced from others or given to others doesn’t define or change the perfect love that God has for you and me. God is who He says He is and through His Word we can trust in that truth.

In this passage, Paul is praying for the spiritual growth of the Ephesians. His prayer is for them to experience and apply the truth of God’s love so that they may experience fullness of life and so much more.

He prays that they’ll have the power to comprehend how wide and accepting, long and lasting, high and exalted, and deep and sacrificial God’s love is.

His love is greater than the most perfect love we’ll ever experience with another person. God’s perfect love will never turn us away and it will never end. It is the most important love we need to seek and Jesus’ sacrifice proved just how out of this world His love is.

We can’t mistakenly allow the imperfect love we’ve experienced, or been hurt by, to falsely define God’s true and perfect love that is relentlessly pursuing us. We can trust in His love for what it is, search its depths, and let it be our anchor, our foundation, and our identity.

That trust can only grow through quality time with Him and His Word—seeking Him, learning about Him, applying His truth, and living in the fullness that His love provides. Put your trust in the One who loves you more than you can being to comprehend and He will make you complete.

Day 7

by Kishona Lape

Isaiah 40:8

From the time I decided to follow Jesus when I was 4-years-old, I wanted to do everything I could and should do to become more and more like Him. I wanted to be a good Christian because I loved Jesus. So I read my Bible, prayed, and I even remember the first time I lifted my hands in worship.

But growing up in church can be interesting. Somewhere along the way, I got the impression from grown-up Christians in church that a person had to have a favorite Bible verse, as though that was one of the marks of a “real” Christian.

So, at around 9-years-old, wanting to be seen as a serious follower of Jesus, I figured that I had to find myself a “favorite” verse. (And it couldn’t just be John 3:16 or something else super popular, obviously.)

I honestly can’t tell you how I came across it or how I knew it should the one, but I picked Isaiah 40:8, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

Maybe I liked that it mentioned flowers or had a fun word like “withereth” in the King James translation… I don’t know. But I wrote it down and memorized it so I’d be prepared to share my favorite verse whenever I needed to.

However, as I grew older and matured in my relationship with God, I realized that we’re not limited to only one special verse. In fact, God has quite a plethora of scriptures that He wants us to cling to, ones that He can use to arrow into our hearts to teach us new things about Him, to give us direction, to convict and challenge us to grow and change, or to comfort us during a trying season. Therefore, the more we are in His Word, the better - and the longer our list of favorite verses will become.

And while I now laugh at my younger self - because having a favorite verse is definitely not a requirement to Christianity or even proof of a good relationship with God or being well-read in the Bible - I do have a bit of a special place in my heart for that verse.

And not just because it was my first “favorite verse.” It’s because I’ve seen it proven true in my life. No matter what I’ve faced or what changes or struggles have come along in the years since, God’s Word has been rock solid. Through family moves, friend’s betrayals, job promotions, relationships, life changes, blessings, heartaches, and more – His Word has never let me down. It never fails because He never fails.

And funny enough, even if I had chosen another verse when I was little, it would have proven to be true all of my life also, because “the word of our God stands forever” no matter which ones you pick.