 Fail to see God at work

in our
circumstances. Doubts
DAILY DEVOTION
creep in when we have
asked Him to take action
When Our Faith but nothing appears to be
Wavers happening.
 Have guilt over sin,
We access all the riches of past or present. We
God with the simple decision cannot operate with strong
to trust Him—in everything. faith when we are mindful
of ongoing sin or dwelling
September 1, 2024
on guilt over past
wrongdoing.
James 1:1-8
Faith is defined as “the certainty
Faith is the heart of our Christian
of things hoped for, a proof of
life. It’s how we are saved,
things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
receive forgiveness for our sins,
Do confidence and conviction
enjoy a personal relationship
describe the condition of your
with God, and have assurance of
faith?
eternal life in His presence. By
faith, we experience the peace Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 17-
of God and the power of the 19
Holy Spirit. Yet at times our life
and prayers are plagued by
doubts.
Building Trust
Our faith wavers when we. . .
When Faith Is
 Apply human thinking
Unsteady
to our
If believing God is difficult in
circumstances. Sometim
this season of your life, draw
es God may require us to
closer to Him for the help you
do something with which
need.
human reasoning
disagrees (Isaiah 55:9). September 2, 2024
 Allow our feelings to
Mark 9:21-24
overcome our
faith. Perhaps feelings of Since trust in God is
unworthiness, fear, or foundational for Christians, the
inadequacy cause us to consequences of wavering faith
doubt we can do what the can be far-reaching. Sometimes,
Lord asks. after praying for direction, we
might receive an answer that
leads us to think, I can’t do that.
So, instead of obeying and
asking God to strengthen our
faith, we may choose to
postpone or compromise our
obedience.
But partial obedience is actually
disobedience, and when our
faith falters, it can result in poor
choices that prove costly. For
example, the Israelites
wandered 40 years in the desert
because the nation allowed
unbelief to overtake their faith.
How to Bolster
Their wavering trust made them Your Faith
miss out on God’s intended
blessings. When your faith is wavering,
spend extra time in the Word
When we are spiritually to fill your mind with truth.
unsteady, we can easily be
shaken by little things. Instead September 3, 2024
of standing firm, we may find
our confidence eroding. Then we Colossians 2:6-7
become less willing to take a
Just because you’ve made up
risk when God asks us to do so.
your mind to obey God, that
Rather than acting with
doesn’t mean you won’t ever
certainty, we question and doubt
hesitate or question the wisdom
what we are hearing from the
of that decision. So, what should
Lord. We may also find joy
you do when faith wavers?
diminishing because our
wavering faith has led us away Ask yourself questions about
from God’s will (Hebrews 10:23). God, such as: Has God
The inner peace that we once promised to meet all my needs?
enjoyed evaporates as our faith Has He sent the Holy Spirit to
weakens. dwell in me, guide me, and
equip me to obey Him? Is
No matter how unsteady our
anything too hard for
faith, God invites us to draw
Him? Search the Scriptures for
near so He can strengthen our
answers, and let truth fill your
trust in Him. When He does,
mind.
accept His invitation and give
Him the glory. Meditate on God’s Word. Ask
the Lord to help you find Bible
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 20-
verses that relate to what you
22
are facing (2 Timothy 3:14-17). relationship with God? Good
Then study the passage and news—He wants that kind of
apply its lessons to your life. friendship with each of us, and it
develops when we ...
Recall the Lord’s past
faithfulness. God by His very  Commit our ways to
nature is faithful, and He always God. This means that we
acts true to His character. The invite the Lord to examine
enemy would have us forget all our desires and intentions
that God has done for us. —and to change whatever
does not fit His purpose for
Assess the situation. Ask
our life.
yourself, How critical is this
decision, and whom might it  Trust Him. Who is more
affect? worthy of our faith than
the Father, who gave Jesus
Choose to trust the Lord. Make
Christ to save sinners?
the decision to believe God and
obey, no matter how you feel. The One who would not
spare His only Son will
As you take a step of faith, God
certainly provide all that
will strengthen you through His
His children need (Romans
Spirit and enable you to
8:32).
continue on. Before you know it,
your faith will become steady,  Rest in the Lord. When
joy will return, and you will be we fret, we are neither
moving ahead once again. committing ourselves to
the Lord nor trusting in
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 23-
Him. Because our human
25
viewpoint is limited,
waiting patiently isn’t
Delight Yourself easy. God, however, has
in the Lord infinite wisdom and knows
when circumstances are
God wants you to find perfectly aligned for His
satisfaction and joy in your will to be done.
relationship with Him. Though a growing relationship
with the Lord can involve hard
September 4, 2024 work, it is a labor of love. We are
designed to derive joy and
Isaiah 61:10-11
fulfillment from being in God’s
The word delight means to gain presence. Walking alongside a
great satisfaction and Father who adores us is the
happiness. Wouldn’t you like greatest pleasure we can
that to describe your experience in life.
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 26- directed His people into the
28 Promised Land. However, fear of
the inhabitants so invaded their
hearts that they refused to
enter. As a result, God said the
Israelites who were disrespectful
would “by no means see the
land” (14:23). And the rest
would have to wait 40 years.
The postponement was so
disheartening that they decided
to change their minds. Sadly, it
was too late, and the people
were distraught with grief. At
that moment, do you think God
had their attention? Absolutely.
The next time He gave Israel a
command, don’t you imagine
Speaking they listened a bit more
Through intently?

Disappointments
We are hesitant to believe that
Our loving heavenly Father our loving Father could be
may use difficulties to reset responsible for our frustrations.
our priorities. Yet God is perfectly willing to
use disappointments to realign
September 5, 2024 our thoughts and plans with His.
Consider the difficulties you
Numbers 14:17-24
have faced in your own life—and
It’s easy to become so focused whether the Lord might have
on someone or something that been trying to say something in
we’re unable to hear the Lord. In the midst of them.
those times, one of God’s most
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 29-
effective methods of getting our
31
attention is through
disappointments (Proverbs
19:20). But oh, how we dislike How to End Well
this approach!
In every season of life, God
Disappointment is one of the calls us to serve others.
ways the Lord spoke
dramatically to the nation of September 6, 2024
Israel. In Numbers 13, He
2 Timothy 4:6-8 until the end? Think about what
changes God might be calling
Many people think about the last
you to make.
years of their life as an
opportunity to relax. But this Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 32-
does not fit with God’s purpose 33
for us; He wants us to serve Him
throughout all our days. Our Help in
Let’s look at the apostle Paul’s Prayer
journey and explore what it
means to finish well. He spent The Holy Spirit intercedes for
time pouring into others until us and shows us what
the very end of his life—consider petitions to bring to the Lord.
the letter he wrote to Timothy
from prison prior to being September 7, 2024
executed. In every season of life,
God calls us to serve others. Romans 8:26-27
Paul was a godly servant whose Does this sound familiar?
life was marked by surrender. Determined to spend more time
His mindset is obvious in these in prayer, you kneel, open your
words: “Present your bodies as a mouth to speak to the Lord, and
living and holy sacrifice, —draw a blank. Sure, you
acceptable to God, which is your manage a few words about what
spiritual service of worship” you need Him to do for you and
(Romans 12:1). your family, but you should be
praying for more than that,
Paul trusted God to determine
right?
everything about his life,
including where he would go, Yes, you should. Believers’
what he would do, and when he needs are indeed the Father’s
would die. Death did not scare concern; nothing escapes His
him, because he knew he would notice. However, He tells His
dwell with Jesus forever. children to imitate Jesus—they
should “not merely look out for
God doesn’t require us to have a
[their] own personal interests,
perfect life in order to finish
but also for the interests of
strong. We can live abundantly
others” (Philippians 2:4). Selfless
and be ready to meet our Maker
prayer likely isn’t natural to us,
by surrendering, walking
but thankfully, God has supplied
victoriously with Christ, and
a Helper. The Holy Spirit, our
serving others.
willing and able partner in
If Jesus called you home today, praying effectively, intercedes
would you—like Paul—be for us (Rom. 8:26).
confident that you lived well
How should we cooperate with John 14:16-17
the Spirit’s intercession for us?
Following the Last Supper, Jesus
First, we must recognize God’s
took time to teach the disciples
authority, holiness, and glory.
more about His mission and
Then, we need to submit to His
what would happen after He left
leadership. Finally, we must
the earth. He knew their darkest
entrust our future to Him,
times were ahead. So in today’s
believing that He will bring great
passage, He promised a Helper
good out of negative as well as
who would stand alongside them
positive events in our life.
in the coming trials.
In submission to the Holy Spirit,
We often face life with a stiff
we’ll discover greater peace and
upper lip, trusting our own
joy. And as we bring petitions
abilities to get us through.
inspired by the Spirit, we’ll also
Choosing to follow the Lord,
find new words for praying to
however, involves a totally
the Father. Even more
different mindset: We’re weaker
importantly, we will develop a
than we could have imagined,
deeper understanding of God’s
but through the Holy Spirit, we
greatness.
are stronger than we dared to
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 34- hope.
36
Whether our struggle is spiritual,
emotional, or physical, we can
rely on the Holy Spirit to help us.
Paul shows us what this looks
like. The apostle prayed that the
Lord would take away what he
referred to as a “thorn in the
flesh.” Instead, God said His
power would be “perfected in
weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Too many Christians operate
under the misconception that
God helps us only when we have
Our Help in gone as far as we can go. In
reality, His Spirit doesn’t simply
Weakness add to our strength; rather, He is
its inexhaustible source! When
God has provided us with an we admit we are powerless to
inexhaustible source of help ourselves, the Holy Spirit
strength. gives us the strength we need to
face any challenge with absolute
September 8, 2024 confidence in God.
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 37- no matter how small we
39 think it is.
 If we serve in our
Salvation: The church or help others in
Work of Our God’s name, aren’t we
part of His family? Good
Sovereign God works do not solve our sin
problem or reconcile us to
Only through Jesus are we God. Only Jesus does
freed from slavery to sin and (Romans 5:1). Good works
made a part of God's family. are an important result of
salvation, not the basis for
September 9, 2024 it.
Ephesians 2:1-10 Salvation is a work of God’s
grace rather than the product of
Salvation refers to the freedom
our effort. When we respond to
gained when God rescues
the Spirit’s prompting, believe in
someone from bondage to sin
Jesus, and are born again as
and makes that person part of
God’s children, we can be
His family. It is a deliverance
assured of our place in heaven.
accomplished only through
Jesus, who died in our place so Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 40-
we might be reconciled to the 42
Father. This statement often
evokes questions:
The Purpose of
 If I try to live in a moral
way, won’t God accept
Our Trials
me? Questions like this In the midst of our struggles,
assume that the Lord we may feel overwhelmed,
saves us on the basis of but God will carry us through.
our conduct. But Romans
3:10 says, “There is no September 10, 2024
righteous person, not even
one.” In God’s sight, even 1 Peter 4:12-13
our virtuous acts, on their
Some believers like to portray
own, amount to nothing
their life as ideal and carefree.
more than a filthy garment
But in reality, being a Christian
(Isaiah 64:6).
isn’t easy. In fact, sometimes
 Won’t the Lord accept we’ll experience trials that truly
us because of His test our faith and ability to trust
goodness? God is loving in God.
and good, but He is also
just. He won’t overlook sin,
In today’s passage, Peter refers Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 43-
to times of testing as a “fiery 45
ordeal.” He says we shouldn’t be
surprised when adversity comes. Our Source of
It’s important to remember that
God has a purpose for our Comfort
difficulties and will see us
through them (Romans 5:3-5). God sent His Spirit to live
Here are some of the goals He inside every believer, and
may have for painful He's always available to help
experiences: us.
 At times the Lord uses September 11, 2024
hardship to cleanse
us. Trials drive us to Him. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
And as we focus on God,
The world’s definition
we’re increasingly able to
of comfort is the alleviation of
see things from His
suffering or despair. However,
perspective.
God has a different view: It’s a
 A difficulty in our life teaching tool. Because we
may be the Lord’s way mature spiritually when we
of testing us. He could exercise faith, our Father
be trying our faith, doesn’t remove our troubles but
endurance, or devotion to instead gives us the
Him. encouragement and strength to
work through them.
 God uses suffering to
demonstrate His power God sent His Spirit to dwell
to sustain us. When He within everyone who believes,
brings us through and in that way, our source of
challenging times, He help is as close as our own
glorifies Himself. In turn, beating heart. When we face
this encourages others, affliction and feel as if we can’t
because they have bear it, He whispers into our
witnessed God’s sustaining soul, “Yes, you can, because I
power in our life. am here.” There is no healing
balm like the voice of God’s
Ultimately, hardships strengthen
Spirit.
our testimony. In the midst of
our struggles, we might feel In some circumstances, the
overwhelmed and discouraged. Spirit directs our mind to a Bible
But once the storm has passed, passage. Reading God’s Word is
we can often look back and see a way to hear directly from Him.
the Lord’s providential hand A scripture’s personal meaning
carrying us through. and application may not be
apparent immediately, but God In facing Goliath, David showed
will bring the verse to mind at real courage and faith. But we
the time it’s most needed. see that what drove him to face
the giant was righteous
indignation: “For who is this
uncircumcised Philistine, that he
has dared to defy the armies of
the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26).
When we receive Christ, we are
sealed as God’s child. The Lord
promises us, “I will never desert
you, nor will I ever abandon you”
David believed that someone
(Hebrews 13:5). He will walk
had to wipe away the reproach
beside us in every trial—and
caused by Goliath’s insults.
since He is omnipresent, He’s
Since no one else would step
always available to help and
forward, he volunteered to
comfort us.
defend Yahweh’s name.
Bible in One Year: Ezekiel 46-
At one point or another, we also
48
will find ourselves in a situation
that challenges us to stand up
Confronting for the Lord. At such a time, will
Goliaths we listen to our fears and
remain silent? Or will we
When God calls you to stand represent God’s name in the
for Him, go forward with way for which He’s called and
courage—the battle is the equipped us? Our “smooth
Lord's. stones” (v. 40) are the truths
from God’s Word. Whatever the
September 12, 2024 outcome appears to be, the
battle is the Lord’s, and He gives
1 Samuel 17:20-49 victory to the faithful.
David’s short battle with Goliath Bible in One Year: Daniel 1-2
was more than a fight between
Israel and the Philistines. It was
a defense of Jehovah’s name
An Imperishable
against those who doubted Him. Inheritance
As David pointed out, the only
way a boy with a sling could Believers have a glorious
defeat a giant warrior like inheritance reserved and
Goliath was by the Lord’s hand. protected for us in heaven.
And that’s exactly what
happened. September 13, 2024
1 Peter 1:3-5 prosperity. Take time each day
to refocus your mind and heart.
We all want to feel safe and
Then start storing up wealth of
secure. But whenever we base
lasting value.
our sense of security on the
things of this world, we can Bible in One Year: Daniel 3-4
expect to be disappointed. This
is especially true when it comes
to our finances. That’s why
remembering our eternal future
is so important.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that Confronting

believers have an inheritance
that cannot be stolen? It was
Conflict
given to us when we placed our
Painful disagreements are a
hope in Jesus Christ and won’t
part of living in this world—
ever be taken away because it’s
how we respond matters.
reserved and protected for us in
heaven. Someday, when we see September 14, 2024
Jesus face-to-face, we will
receive and then forever enjoy Galatians 2:11-16
the fullness of our inheritance.
The Scriptures record many
But did you know that every day instances of conflict—between
we live on this earth, we have an nations, among friends, and in
opportunity to build up that families—and we see the same
inheritance by investing in the things today. While fighting,
things God values? That’s what people can say harsh, unfair
Jesus was talking about when He words. Their accusations often
said, “Store up for yourselves create turmoil and emotional
treasures in heaven” (Matthew pain. But the way we respond to
6:20). Whenever we live such aggressiveness is
righteously and obey God, we’re determined by what we believe.
adding to the treasure that
awaits us. To start with, we should remind
ourselves of two things. First,
Are you more concerned with God has the power to work our
investments in this life than with painful times into something
everlasting riches? It is very beneficial. And second, our
easy to let daily demands and caring heavenly Father always
responsibilities overshadow the remains by our side. He
importance of building eternal understands what we’re
experiencing and will walk with and perfectly understands
us through it. the source of the problem
—and He can enable us to
God’s Word proclaims His
comprehend it, too. With
sovereignty over nature (Psalm
the Spirit’s assistance, we
135:6), government (Job 12:23), will gain insight into the
and mankind (Acts 17:25). When situation.
we believe in His sovereign rule,
our perspective on hard times  A quiet spirit. Our human
changes. Then, instead of nature will want to react
responding with fear or quickly so we can defend
resentment, we will turn to Him ourselves or stand up for
in prayer and ask for guidance. what we think is right.

In the world, conflict is

inevitable. When something But before we act, it’s
we’ve done is the source of the important to deliberately
turmoil, we should apologize. If focus our attention on God
others are at fault, we should and experience the inner
forgive. As Christ’s peace that He promises
ambassadors, the way we (John 14:27).
respond really matters.
 Wisdom. The Lord told
Bible in One Year: Daniel 5-6 the disciples that the Holy
Spirit would give them
Responding to wise words to say (Luke
12:11-12). And He’ll do
Conflict that for us as well. If we
are tempted to speak
When criticism comes your hastily, we should ask the
way, pause to ask for God's Spirit for guidance and the
wisdom before replying. words to speak (Psalm
141:3).
September 15, 2024
God has called us to represent
Proverbs 15:18 Him in every situation the same
way Christ did—by depending on
When conflict occurs, what
the heavenly Father. Next time
should our response be? Turning
someone speaks critically to
to the Lord in prayer is always
you, focus your heart on God
the best way to respond in a
and let Him direct your
crisis. By doing so, we can ask
response.
Him to provide …
Bible in One Year: Daniel 7-9
 Spiritual
discernment. God knows
 home and any prospect of
The marriage to a countryman, she
Requirements of demonstrated absolute
Loyalty allegiance.
Loyalty demands something of
Deep friendship demands us, but too few are willing take
commitment—and results in on that responsibility. Some hold
abundant blessings. acquaintances at arm’s length to
avoid obligation or
September 16, 2024 inconvenience. But our Father
wants His children to stand
Ruth 1:1-22
together in love and encourage
The Christian life isn’t free of one another (John 13:34; 1
responsibilities. God’s Word is Thessalonians 5:11). Doing so
filled with His instructions about always brings blessings.
how to treat people in our
Bible in One Year: Daniel 10-
various circles and ways to
12
enrich those relationships by
giving of ourselves.
Yet many people prefer not to
invest in deep friendships,
opting instead for acquaintances
that demand little. They can talk
about pop culture, movies, and The Blessings of
sports but avoid discussing deep Loyalty
concerns. They don’t have to
bear anyone else’s burdens or A decision to serve and love
heartbreak. But neither will they often comes with sacrifice,
learn the joy of expressing care but it is always rewarded by
and loyalty. The human heart God.
was created for intimate
fellowship—the kind of September 17, 2024
connectedness that is based on
mutual trust and love. Ruth 4:13-22
Ruth is an example of this kind Ruth’s remarkable loyalty is
of selfless dedication. When her what earned her a place in both
mother-in-law Naomi went the Bible and the lineage of
through a bitter period of loss Jesus (Matthew 1:1-5). Ruth is an
and hopelessness, the young example of faithfulness—she
widow Ruth chose to stay with willingly adjusted her own life to
the older woman. Though this meet the needs of her mother-
meant sacrificing the comforts of in-law Naomi.
With no family left to care for As we grow in relationship
her and no neighbors who with our heavenly Father, our
shared her faith in God, Naomi requests become bolder.
found herself in a foreign land,
far from the comfort of a familiar September 18, 2024
community. During that dark
time, Ruth—her son’s widow— Nehemiah 1:1-11
sacrificed everything to stay by Nehemiah demonstrates the
Naomi’s side. The younger power of prayer. As a servant to
woman even chose to move to a the king of Persia, he had no
foreign country and to worship right to request leave to rebuild
Naomi’s God. Jerusalem’s walls, much less to
Ruth was undoubtedly aware of requisition materials and
the risks involved in casting her protection. Yet knowing the God
lot with another woman in a to whom he prayed, Nehemiah
male-dominated society, but she did not hesitate to act boldly and
did so without hesitation. And ask the king for assistance.
her commitment did not end His prayer began, “Please, Lord
when they arrived in Israel. It God of heaven” (Neh. 1:5). Lord,
was Ruth who kept the two when capitalized this way,
women fed. And it was Ruth, means the One “who is eternal
under Naomi’s tutelage, who in His being”—in other words,
made an alliance with Boaz that Jehovah. When God makes a
secured their future. promise, He knows how He’ll
keep it. That’s why Nehemiah
called Him “the great and
Ruth sacrificed mightily for her awesome God, who keeps the
mother-in-law, and as a result, covenant.”
God blessed her greatly. He
loved her and gave her a Another Hebrew name for God
husband, a home, and a child. is Elohim, meaning “He who is
Moreover, Ruth is counted sovereign.” This name refers to
among the ancestors of the the Creator and speaks of His
Messiah, Jesus Christ. What an omnipotence. He spoke the
awesome testimony of the world into being, so Nehemiah
blessings bestowed on a loyal knew He was more than able to
heart. provide all that was needed.

Bible in One Year: Hosea 1-5 The Bible contains many other
names for God, such
as Adonai (“master”), Jehovah-
The God to Whom Jireh (“provider”), and Jehovah-
We Pray Rapha (“healer”). Since the
Hebrew language is precise, it
can help us to better know who aside for charity, Christians
the Lord is. Then, we’ll should give sacrificially by faith.
confidently turn to Him in any Hebrews 13:16 (NIV) tells us,
situation: When we need solace, “Do not forget to do good and to
we call upon the God of comfort; share with others, for with such
in our confusion, we have the sacrifices God is pleased.” The
God who teaches. Always Lord responds by supplying
remember, the way we view God enough to cover the gift and our
impacts how we pray. own need (Luke 6:38). Only
through giving do we learn that
Bible in One Year: Hosea 6-9
we can never outgive God.

The Godly Quality Some believers choose

selfishness and rebellion, but
of Generosity God promised a form of poverty
—whether financial, emotional,
Are you experiencing the joy or spiritual—to those who do.
and wonder of giving Instead, let’s choose to cultivate
sacrificially? a generous spirit for the Lord.

September 19, 2024 Bible in One Year: Hosea 10-

14
Proverbs 11:24-25
Generosity is an attitude of
gladly sharing whatever we
might have, regardless of our
wealth. Scripture reveals that
openhanded lavishness is an
attribute of God (Deuteronomy
28:12). And as part of His
transformative plan for
believers, the Father desires
that we develop a generous
spirit.
A bighearted approach to our
time and material goods starts
by giving ourselves to God.
When we accept that He owns
everything, we will be able to
God’s Patience
hold our share more loosely. But
God is slow to anger and
the choice to nurture generosity
gives us time to repent, but
is based on our trust. Instead of
He loves us too much to let us
adding figures to see what little
continue in sin.
amount might safely be set
 September 20, 2024 thank Him for His patience and
lovingkindness.
1 Timothy 1:12-16
Bible in One Year: Joel 1-3
Just as a toddler has to learn
obedience, God’s children also
must learn to walk in His ways.
Through the
He takes pleasure in watching us Trials
do what is right and wants to
help us when we go wrong. Trouble comes into every life,
Therefore, He is patient and but God provides everything
allows us time and room for needed to survive and thrive.
mistakes.
September 21, 2024
Paul appreciated God’s patience.
His life demonstrated that Matthew 14:22-34
because the Father is slow to
anger, unbelievers have a much We all will face trials.
greater opportunity for salvation Realistically, you are either in a
(1 Tim. 1:16). In Romans 2:4, storm, just getting out of one, or
Paul affirms that our heavenly about to enter one. That is the
Father’s kindness and mercy bad news. Here’s the good
lead to repentance. But in the news: We serve a good God who
next verse, he warns those with provides beautifully—especially
stubborn hearts that they will during the dark periods of life.
experience judgment. Today’s passage tells of a
Let’s look at the nation of Israel. stormy night on the Sea of
In the Old Testament, they Galilee. Jesus provides for us
repeatedly experienced this today just as He did for His
painful truth. They turned away disciples then. Today, let’s look
from the Lord and did evil in His at some ways He does this.
sight by worshipping idols. First, the Father offers us His
Eventually, He’d withdraw His presence and the promise that
protection until they would cry He will never leave
out and return to Him. (Deuteronomy 31:8). We are
Ultimately, even when the Lord able to live with a sense of
allows calamity to reach His comfort, courage, and
children, it is still drenched with confidence, no matter the
His love and purpose. circumstances.
Second, the Lord blesses His
If there is unconfessed sin in children with a pathway through
your life, ask God to forgive you trouble. He is in total control of
and help you turn from it. Then our storm and will use the trial
for His purpose. We may not
understand, but we can trust His may be necessary to
hand to guide us and accomplish mature us spiritually.
good. However, the Father offers
protection by staying with
Third, the Father offers believers
us in the struggle. What’s
the potential to grow. Hardships more, we have assurance
are exercises in trust and times that nothing can separate
to learn more fully how great us from His love (Romans
God’s power and love are. 8:38-39). So our ever-
No one enjoys hard times. But present God walks with us
remember to express gratitude through the hardships,
for God’s hand in your life and providing guidance and
the way He will use the speaking truth into the
adversity. Even though trials are situation.
painful, they offer us the chance 2. Peace. While difficulties
to trust our Creator and know cause many people
Him better. anxiety, God’s peace is
Bible in One Year: Amos 1-4 available to us. This
serenity does not depend
on whether circumstances
God’s Provisions improve. Rather, it’s a
in Adversity result of our relationship
with Him. Our main focus
Are you struggling right now? shouldn’t be on fixing the
Look for reasons to express problem; rather, we should
genuine gratitude to the Lord. seek and trust the Lord.
As we recognize the Lord’s
September 22, 2024 provision during trials, we can
genuinely express gratitude.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Doing so will enable us to fix our
Yesterday, we looked at three eyes on Him rather than on our
provisions believers can count circumstance. While we often
on during adversity: God’s aren’t aware of the purpose for
presence, a pathway through each trial facing us, we do know
trouble, and potential to grow. that God is trustworthy and good
Today, let’s explore two more. —and He won’t waste our
suffering.
1. Protection. God doesn’t
necessarily keep believers Bible in One Year: Amos 5-9
from distress or
disappointment. Stopping
the storms may
be our goal, but from His
point of view, the adversity
 have multitudes of things that
God has blessed you with, but
the moment any of it has a hold
on you, His work in your life will
be blocked. But when you open
your hands, gripping nothing,
the Holy Spirit’s power can flow
The Freedom of unimpeded through you. Then
Letting Go you will be able to experience
freedom.
Is there anything you feel you Is there anything you feel you
could never give up? Trust could never give up? Seriously
God with everything to consider whether it holds you
experience complete captive (Romans 6:19-23).
freedom. Release that relationship,
possession, or situation to the
September 23, 2024 Lord right now so He can give
you the freedom you’ve been
1 Peter 5:6-7
craving.
Our heavenly Father is
Bible in One Year: Obadiah
interested in every detail of our
1:1-21, Jonah 1-4
life. If we want Him to work in a
particular area—relationships,
finances, vocation, habits, or The Reward of
something else—we must be Letting Go
willing to let go and give
whatever He asks of us. We may not always
We may think we have no understand God's plans, but if
attachments that come between we choose to trust Him,
us and the Lord, but He knows blessing will follow.
our heart. Ask Him to guide you
and help you come to a place of September 24, 2024
being able to say, “Lord, if that’s
Genesis 22:1-3
what You desire, I commit it to
You. You have the right to claim We won’t always
it at any time, so it’s Yours right understand how God is going to
now.” accomplish His plans. All He asks
is that we surrender our will to
It’s difficult to be completely
His and trust that He’ll show us
obedient if we’re holding on to
the way (Proverbs 3:5-6).
something too tightly. The Lord
Abraham’s willingness to give up
wants us to be attached
what was most precious to him
exclusively to Him. You may
came from his unyielding faith in We can experience peace and
the Lord’s trustworthiness. joy, no matter our
circumstances, because of
However, if you tell God no
Christ in us.
because He won’t explain why
He wants you to do something, September 25, 2024
you actually hinder His blessing.
But when you say yes to the Philippians 4:10-13
Lord, He will pour out His
goodness and reward your After encountering Jesus on the
obedience. What matters more road to Damascus, Paul had
than material blessings are the much to learn about salvation
things He is teaching us in our and following Christ. From that
spirit. moment on, the apostle shared
with others what he was
Obeying the Lord naturally discovering. In his letter to the
positions us to receive what He’s church at Philippi, he wrote
already trying to give us. But about an important life lesson—
when we fail to trust Him and the secret of being content.
refuse to do what He says, we’re
the ones choosing to close What do you think brings
ourselves off from some of the contentment? You might assume
good God would have it’s a life with few troubles or
accomplished in our life. great success. Perhaps you
envision good health, financial
What has the Lord told you to security, and a loving family.
do? Have you only partially Paul’s life was not at all like this.
cooperated? Or have you, like He was in danger from both his
Abraham, given up your need to own countrymen and the
understand and obeyed opposition (2 Corinthians 11:23-
completely? 26). Sometimes the people
If God says to give more than listened when he spoke, but
you think you’re able to part more often they were hostile to
with, know that He will provide. his message. What’s more, Paul
Whether things are running spent considerable time in
smoothly or the bottom has prison, chained to a guard. Yet
dropped out, He is always he boldly wrote, “I have learned
trustworthy. the secret of being content in
any and every situation” (Phil.
Bible in One Year: Micah 1-4 4:12 NIV).
The secret he discovered was to
The Secret of live on the basis of his position
Contentment in the Lord, not his
circumstances. As God’s child,
Paul knew he was spiritually rich
—“blessed . . . with every wanting anything to be different.
spiritual blessing in the heavenly It means learning to allow God’s
places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3) power to come into our
—because he had a loving weakness so we can accept and
Father and the Holy Spirit’s adapt to changing
guidance. And so do we. circumstances. When we
respond to life with that kind of
Bible in One Year: Micah 5-7
thinking, we move beyond living
by feelings to living by faith (2
Corinthians 5:7).
Submission and trust are needed
for such a lifestyle. First, we
must surrender to God. In every
situation, we are to yield what
we want and then accept
whatever He allows. The second
step is to trust God to oversee
our specific situation. If we
believe He is working out His
Finding perfect plan for us, then we’ll
Contentment experience the joy that comes
from fully relying on Him.
Contentment will be ours.
When we yield what we want
and accept what God wills, we Paul submitted his life to God
move beyond living by and trusted Him. He faced
feelings to living by faith. insults, rejection, and many
difficult trials but was still
September 26, 2024 content. When we surrender
control to the Lord and believe
John 14:1-6
He has our best interest at
Too often we let our heart, we will experience
circumstances determine our contentment, too.
attitude. If life is going smoothly,
Bible in One Year: Nahum 1-3
then we feel good. But when it
gets hard, our mood drops.
However, we don’t have to live Jesus Christ, the
this way. Like the apostle Paul, Son of God
we can learn and practice
contentment. The Savior came to show us
The word contentment describes the love of our heavenly
being at peace, no matter how Father.
things are—in other words, not
September 27, 2024
John 1:1-2 What has Jesus taught you about
the Father? Think about how to
Have you ever heard someone
share that insight with someone
deny that Jesus claimed to be
today.
God? Such a statement shows a
weak understanding of Bible in One Year: Habakkuk
Scripture. Repeatedly, Jesus 1-3
placed Himself on equal footing
with both the Father and the Spiritual
Holy Spirit (John 10:30).
Experiences: Real
Why is it important for us to
believe this? Because Jesus did or Counterfeit?
something that had never been
done before: He enabled us to If you want to know God
see God in a new way. deeply and personally, listen
In Colossians 1:15, Paul explains to Him.
that Jesus is the “image of the
invisible God.” No one has ever September 28, 2024
looked upon the face of the
Luke 9:28-37
Almighty. In the Old Testament,
some people were confronted God sometimes gives us an
with God, but they were never amazing spiritual experience.
able to look fully upon Him in all And when He does, it’s to reveal
His glory. In fact, even Moses, truth about Himself. That’s what
who is called a friend of God happened at the Mount of
(Exodus 33:11), could not look Transfiguration.
directly at His face (Exodus
As Peter, James, and John stood
33:18-23).
in the presence of Jesus—God in
The reason Jesus came, human flesh—they suddenly saw
however, was to bridge the gap His divine majesty. Observing
between God’s glory and Him there with Moses and Elijah,
mankind’s sinful nature. In the two Old Testament prophets
original Greek text, the word for revered by the nation of Israel,
“image” is directly related to the they heard a voice from heaven
English word icon and means and fell face down in worship
“likeness, image, or portrait.” As (Matthew 17:5-6).
the “icon,” Jesus is the exact,
What about us? If we have a
flawless, in-the-flesh
spiritual experience, how do we
representation of God. That’s
know whether it’s authentic?
why He could say, “The one who
One way is to realize that the
has seen Me has seen the
Lord’s purpose for such things is
Father” (John 14:9).
to focus our thoughts on Him.
Any spiritual event that
magnifies itself or some other to build the faith we need to
activity but does not direct our serve Him.
attention to God is, more than
likely, counterfeit. September 29, 2024

Why does God sometimes allow Hebrews 11:17-19

these special glimpses of
spiritual realities? He might be The Lord doesn’t let us
motivating us for His purposes experience tremendous spiritual
or strengthening us to resist moments simply so we may
future doubt. Or perhaps He is boast or witness something
correcting a misperception, such marvelous. Instead, He uses
as the idea that He is them to build genuine faith.
somewhere far away from us An exceptional encounter of this
(Psalm 145:18). sort is intended to encourage
God wants to unveil Himself to our growth and deepen our
His people and commune intimacy with God. It is also
intimately through His Holy designed to enhance our
Spirit. If you listen to Him, He motivation to serve Him
will. wholeheartedly, giving ourselves
for His work and His glory
Bible in One Year: Zephaniah without reservation.
1-3, Haggai 1-2
The Lord has several purposes
for such experiences: to reveal
Himself in a fresh way, to
prepare us for a valley, or to
teach us to obey. The lessons
we learn from Him in those
special moments are intended to
carry us through harder times.
Then we will be able to look
back and remember what He
taught on the mountaintop. And
in times of testing, our
obedience will bring honor to
God’s name (1 Peter 1:6-8).
The Purpose of
The Lord may want to get your
Spiritual attention during times of
Experiences profound worship, in a moment
of deep devotion, or when
When needed, the Lord you’re all alone, listening and
provides significant moments intimately conversing with Him.
Treasure the things He teaches
you, whether they’re powerful The apostle Paul understood
revelations or more typical that powerful lessons are taught
insights. If you allow yourself to by our actions. For this reason,
be led to the path of obedience, he made sure he modeled the
He’ll take you to even greater right behavior and values for his
heights. spiritual children to observe and
emulate (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9).
Bible in One Year: Zechariah
1-5 It is not an issue of whether or
not we will communicate a
Our Quiet message. Rather, the issue is,
What kind of message are
Communication you already communicating?
Search yourself for any disparity
Do your actions and attitudes between what you say and what
match your spoken words? you do, and choose to share a
complete, unified message of
September 30, 2024 hope with the world.
James 2:14-18 Bible in One Year: Zechariah
6-10
The Lord calls us to share His
truth with others, but sometimes
our actions and attitudes can Remembering
contradict the words that are
coming out of our mouth.
God’s Goodness
Every day, most of us How can you create
communicate something to reminders of the Lord's
someone. We send messages by faithfulness?
what we say and by what we
don’t say, by what we do and by October 1, 2024
what we don’t do. For example,
Joshua 3:10-17 - Joshua 4:1-8
if parents decide to stop tithing
their income, they are sending a Some information—like a
message to their children. birthday or phone number—is
Without ever saying anything, easy to remember. Yet we tend
they are teaching their kids that to forget examples of the Lord’s
Mom and Dad don’t believe God goodness to us. Today’s verses
is faithful to provide. What our suggest a way to counteract
conduct conveys—especially to this.
children—speaks much louder
After bringing His people safely
than the words we use.
out of Egypt and through the
Red Sea, God miraculously
provided another dry path by
piling up the Jordan’s waters in a
heap upstream. He knew the
Israelites were about to enter
Jericho and would, by His power,
overcome that city. It was
certainly compassionate of God
to give that tangible illustration
of His strength and presence
before the battle. But He also
knew how quickly they had
forgotten Him before.
The Lord had a plan to help His
people recall the miracle at the
river. He told them to create a
memorial with 12 stones, each
representing a tribe of Israel
that had passed safely through
the waters (Josh. 4:7-8). Then
they would have a lasting visible
reminder of divine rescue.
We’re much like the Israelites:
When God works in big, obvious
ways, it’s easy to trust Him. But
in time, we drift toward self-
reliance until we’re reminded of
our need for Him and repent.
How can you create reminders
of God’s faithfulness? Whether
it’s by journaling or creating a
“thankfulness list,” make sure
you have a way to remember
the Lord’s involvement in your
life.
Bible in One Year: Zechariah
11-14