Month: September 2025

Praise God that our need for love, security, and companionship is satisfied in a relationship with Him.

Philippians 4:19-20

Our heavenly Father has promised to provide everything we need. Let’s consider some of the good gifts that are ours in Christ.

One universal human need is love. Out of His great concern for our well-being, the heavenly Father sent Jesus to die on the cross for our sins. Through faith in the Savior, we are adopted as God’s beloved children. In that way, we experience His rich affection for us (John 3:16), and as a result of our relationship with Him, we know a love like no other.

In fact, by means of salvation, our Father also provided for two other basic needs—companionship and security. When we accept God’s offer of forgiveness, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, fulfilling the divine promise never to leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Furthermore, Christ Himself promised that no one would ever snatch us out of His hand (John 10:28). In other words, we can rest in the knowledge that we are God’s children forever. That is true security, utterly unlike anything the world can offer.

Praise God that our deep need for love, security, and companionship can be satisfied by an intimate, eternal relationship with the Lord. Have you trusted Christ so you could be blessed in this way?

Believers can depend upon the Lord for everything needed to live according to His will.

Titus 3:4-7

The Christian life is just that—a life, not simply a set of rules. Sadly, some believers see our faith only as a list of dos and don’ts. They reduce it to a kind of cold mathematical formula: Jesus’ saving grace plus good deeds minus bad deeds equals righteousness.

But this runs counter to Scripture. Jesus not only condemned the Pharisees’ heavy-handed religion; He also offered liberty through grace (Matthew 23:1-4; John 8:36). Neither keeping God’s law by self-effort nor adhering to extra rules makes us free.

By accepting the saving grace of Jesus, a person receives a new life and is utterly changed. (See Romans 6:4.) The mind and heart are transformed, and Christ lives through the new believer. God’s Holy Spirit flows into him or her just as sap runs in a vine. Then strength fills places where weakness once prevailed.

It’s important to realize that only works done through the Holy Spirit have lasting spiritual value. So why rely on ourselves when He will supply the courage and power to accomplish kingdom goals? Besides, trying to do good in our own strength might be well-intentioned but can lead to extreme burnout. Instead of relying on yourself, surrender to the Lord. Jesus is your life. Depend upon Him to change you from the inside out, and trust that He will.

Your time alone with the Lord will transform your character and strengthen your witness to others.

Daniel 6:16-27

Daniel had been faithfully living for the Lord from the time he was a teenager. His reputation for integrity and godliness was earned over a lifetime. Today’s passage shows him facing a dangerous situation: the lions’ den. Although we usually focus on Daniel and the beasts, it’s also interesting to note the behavior of the king who sent him there to die.

Though he’d signed the law that created Daniel’s predicament, Darius was so impressed by his servant that he tried to save him. When that effort failed, the ruler made a surprising statement of trust in the Lord: “Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you” (Dan. 6:16).

Unwavering devotion to Christ leads others to trust Him. It’s tempting to have a “commitment of convenience,” where we stay faithful as long as it’s safe and doesn’t involve risk, rejection, or criticism. But doing so is a poor example of what it means to trust God. We should keep in mind that our response can draw people to Jesus—or push them away.

If you desire to be like Daniel, practice your commitment to Christ both privately and publicly. The time you spend alone with God will transform your character. Then your integrity might inspire others to want to know the Lord.

In times of testing, our faith and commitment grow as we personally discover God’s love and power.

Genesis 22:15-18

Abraham began walking with the Lord many years before he was asked to offer Isaac on the altar. His first step of faith involved leaving his home and going to a land God pledged to show him. But now he was being told to sacrifice his son—the child of promise, through whom God would bring forth a great nation and bless the entire world. Offering Isaac up was the biggest challenge Abraham ever faced, yet he obeyed.

At times, the Lord tests our commitment. These moments are not only opportunities for us but also expressions of His love, designed to help us grow in faith, obedience, and spiritual maturity while increasing our dedication.

Abraham’s obedience was shaped by his understanding of God. He believed that the Lord would keep His promise to give him descendants through Isaac, even if it required raising the boy from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19). That’s why Abraham confidently declared to his servants, “We will worship and return to you” (Genesis 22:5, emphasis added). He knew God was faithful.

If you’re going through a time of testing, the Lord wants to prove to you that He’s faithful to His promises and will greatly bless your obedience. The experience may be painful in the moment, but all the while He’ll surround you with His love.

Every hardship that weakens our self-reliance strengthens our faith in the Lord.

Exodus 33:12-23

Living by faith can come with times of hardship. Let’s look at Moses. In order to serve the Lord, he had to choose to go forward by faith in spite of many daunting challenges.

Having grown up in Pharaoh’s palace, Moses knew all about the Egyptian ruler’s pride, as well as the importance of Hebrew labor. So he understood the difficulty of carrying out God’s command to free His people from slavery. As it turned out, Moses’ job didn’t really begin until they were released. He then spent more than 40 years leading the Hebrew people, interceding for them when they disobeyed God, and calling upon the Lord for rescue when they faced trouble.

Moses’ life was marked by trials and sacrifice, but more importantly, it was shaped by an intimate relationship with God. Every hardship that knocked away his self-reliance strengthened his faith in the Lord. When a new challenge arose, Moses turned first to God for guidance and provision.

Scripture tells us that adversity produces deeper intimacy with the Lord (1 Peter 5:10). Moses’ life demonstrates this, and the same holds true for us. Hardships are inevitable. We can try to avoid them but will likely end up frustrated and unsuccessful. A wiser approach is to meet each challenge and go forward by faith.

The children of God inherit His spiritual riches, including deep inner peace and joy that can withstand anything.

Philippians 4:6-7

While in prison, Paul wrote precious words about the sufficiency of Christ. We tend to associate the idea of contentment with beach vacations and mountain retreats, but from an unpleasant place, the apostle asserted we are not to be anxious, because we have the Lord’s peace.

Contentment is the believer’s birthright. Peace is part of the spiritual fruit that is ours when we trust in Jesus; it is an inward serenity that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7). The Lord lived through conflict with a sense of inner quiet, and because of the indwelling Holy Spirit, that remarkable calm also belongs to God’s children.

But there’s a flip side as well: “‘There is no peace for the wicked,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 48:22). The wicked are those who willfully reject God’s right to forgive their sins and take command over their life. This means that if you aren’t a believer, you can’t experience true and lasting contentment.

When we are born again (John 3:3-8), we become children of the living God and rightful heirs to every good thing He offers—including the deep inner peace and joy that can withstand any trial. This ironclad promise is a sure blessing for those who belong to the Lord (Hebrews 13:6).

Even those with a strong faith in the Lord may have seasons where they struggle with uncertainty.

Matthew 6:25-30

When we place our faith in the Lord, we entrust every aspect of our life to our sovereign God, who wants the very best for His children. What do we have to fear when we place our confidence in Him?

Believing in the Lord doesn’t mean that we’ll never experience uncertainty. But it does mean we must choose to trust Him to provide for our needs in His time and His way. Otherwise, fear and doubt can manipulate our thoughts and compel us to make unwise choices.

Anxiety itself isn’t a sin, but faith can be shaken when its foundation is weakened by unbelief. For example, if we tell ourselves, I know God is capable of dealing with my problem, but I’m not sure He will, we may start to look for our own solution. Since it’s always wisest to wait on the Lord (Lamentations 3:19-25), trouble can brew when we take matters into our own hands.

The Lord sees the beginning and the end of every situation we face. He knows the causes of our anxiety, the best way to calm our heart, and how to turn our weeping into joy. When we leave the method and timing to Him, He will take care of the issue. And He’ll do so without leaving our side, because He loves us deeply and desires to bless us richly.

God promises that He will use every trial—even those of our own making—to benefit us.

Psalms 23:1-6

Valley experiences are moments when heartache or hardship makes it feel almost impossible to keep functioning. Like a giant wave crashing over our head, such events can be overwhelming.

Realistically, situations like these will sometimes be of our own making. If we disobey God, we can end up in a painful place. Suffering can also be caused by others—perhaps through loss, infidelity, or betrayal. Then there are occasions when our heavenly Father Himself leads us into the valley. Although He could guide us in a way that bypasses the anguish, He chooses not to. He has a purpose in mind, which would not be fulfilled if we took a smoother path.

Whatever the cause, Psalm 23 uses four words to describe the time we spend in such valleys: shadow, death, fear, and evil. There is no way to hurry through an ordeal marked by emotional or physical distress. A trial’s depth and length are determined by the Lord’s will, but He walks with us and protects us as we endure it.

God promises that He will use every valley—even those of our own making—to benefit us (Romans 8:28). But with eyes firmly fixed on Him, we must walk steadily, attuned to His presence and trusting in His pledge.

We all have unique personalities and different opportunities, but each of us can share Jesus with someone.

John 1:35-42

The disciple Andrew is known for bringing people to Jesus. Immediately after meeting the Lord, he found his brother Simon and introduced him (John 1:41-42). Later, when a great multitude was hungry, he found a boy with five loaves and two fish and brought him to Jesus (John 6:8-9). And when some Greeks wanted to meet Christ, Andrew and Philip made the introductions (John 12:20-22). The disciple’s actions show that he clearly saw the importance of knowing the Savior.

By asking “Rabbi, where are You staying?” (John 1:38-39), Andrew was making a request to spend time with Jesus and learn from Him. The disciple’s example is a good reminder that sweet fellowship with the Lord isn’t limited to devotional times. Rather, it should stimulate a desire to share with others the joy we find in our relationship with Christ. And just as Andrew wasn’t shy about connecting others with the Messiah, we should be ready to do likewise anytime the situation presents itself.

When Andrew answered the call to discipleship, Jesus told him he’d be catching men instead of fish (Matthew 4:18-19). As followers of Christ, we also have this same wondrous goal. Our styles, personalities, and opportunities to do so may vary, but we’re each tasked with bringing others to Jesus.