January

JANUARY 1

Alive and Active

The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

HEBREWS 4:12 NIV

Since we are starting a new year together and reading God's Word, I want to begin by acknowledging the power we have at our fingertips when we read the Bible. God's Word is alive and active! Do you believe that?

When we say that God's Word is alive and active, it means that the Bible can speak to us in different ways depending on what we're going through in life. If you are in a time of waiting, then the verses on patience will stick out to you. If you are in a season of uncertainty, God's faithfulness will give you hope. We can be in God's Word during any time of life because it always has fresh, new teachings to inspire us.

Reflect

How much time are you spending in God's Word? Do you listen to God's voice in your life?

Jesus, I thank you for the power of your Word. I thank you for meeting me wherever I am and for always pursuing and loving me. Amen.

JANUARY 2

The Wilderness

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

ISAIAH 43:18-19 NIV

God is doing a new thing in you. This is his promise. He declares that he will make streams come forth in the wastelands. He has made you with your gifts and talents for such a time as this, and he is making a way for you to use them.

He has a plan for you, and he looks for followers who will be obedient and bold. Don't give up. Be faithful and passionate. The hopes and dreams that you carry are inside of you for a reason. Pursue what you were made for, sweet sister!

Reflect

Look up today's verses in other translations. Consider what the promises and declarations mean for your life.

Lord, you are faithful. I trust you with my life. I place my hopes and dreams at your feet. Lead me according to your will and your way. Amen.

JANUARY 3

Plans

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV

In less than a week, God created all that exists, and the Bible is full of prophecies that God fulfilled through Jesus thousands of years later. This is all to say that God knows what he is doing. He promises us in our verse today that he plans for us to prosper and enjoy a future full of hope. He is in control, and we can trust him.

We have the freedom to make plans as well. The anointing on our lives happens when we align our plans with the Lord's. We tend to confine our dreams to boxes of security and comfort. That is, we want God to move as long as the risks to us are minimal. But God's plan falls outside of those neat, comfortable boxes. It's time to step into God's plan!

Reflect

Ask God to reveal the next step of his plan for you.

Your will, your way, Lord. I desire your plan for my life over my own. Amen.

JANUARY 4

Satisfy My Soul

"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life."

JOHN 10:10 NLT

Jesus says that he has come to give us a rich and satisfying life. He obviously wasn't saying that he came to fill our homes and garages with a bunch of material things or to busy our calendars with activities. He is saying that he came so that we can have a rich life-a life full of love, joy, and grace. Peace. Adventure.

What satisfies your soul? Dream big and pursue your heart's desires with faith, but also remember that a life like this often won't receive the loudest applause. Jesus offers us a satisfying life, not an easy one.

Reflect

Create a list of things that satisfy your soul.

Lord, thank you for creating me. Thank you for my passions and talents. I submit my life to you, Lord. Amen.

JANUARY 5

Powerful Spirit

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

ROMANS 8:11 NLT

Romans 8:11 is perhaps one of my favorite promises in the Bible. It promises the most amazing phenomenon: the Spirit of God lives in you. The same Spirit, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, lives in us. Can I get an amen?

If we live out of this truth each day, then our days will look a lot different. Our minds will be set free, and our joy will overflow. The ways that we go about our conversations and tasks will take on new meaning. We must tap into the Spirit inside of us. That is where we claim a life of freedom.

Reflect

Embrace the power of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of you.

Jesus, I praise and thank you for your Holy Spirit living within me. I pray that it will consume me, Lord. More of you and less of me. Amen.

JANUARY 6

Strong Hearts

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

2 CHRONICLES 16:9 NLT

Today's verse is powerful. Imagine God's eyes searching the world, examining the hearts of his people. Paint it in your mind: God's eyes running through the scenes of our lives. He wants his followers to represent him and to be the salt of the world. I desire for my heart to be fully committed to him so that he will pour out his strength on to me.

We are all wonderfully made, and each of us is unique. Maybe you need some of God's strength today. Perhaps you need purpose or direction. Whatever is going on in your life, God sees it. His eyes are on your heart, and he is ready to pour out his strength on to you.

Reflect

Our hearts need to be fully committed to Jesus. In what areas are you holding back from God?

Lord, thank you for pouring out your strength onto my life. You are so good, and I long to serve and be used by you. It is a deep honor and my heart's desire. Amen.

JANUARY 7

Prayer

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?

JEREMIAH 17:9 NIV

We do not have to be taught how to be bad because it is innately within each of us. It's difficult for us to admit our shortcomings or even to recognize the ways that our hearts sometimes steer us in the wrong direction. During prayer time, however, we have a beautiful opportunity to examine ourselves and bring any and all of our shortcomings to the Lord. We can acknowledge our wrongdoings with him and move on.

While you pray, perhaps God will bring to mind a conversation or a friendship that you had not yet realized you handled poorly. Prayer is the perfect time to bring all of your concerns to God.

Reflect

Examine your heart during your prayer time today and ask for forgiveness in any area that needs it.

Lord, I thank you for loving me and always lighting my path. We pray you make me aware of the many ways that I can do better for your glory. Amen.

JANUARY 8

Blessings

Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

1 CHRONICLES 4:10 NIV

Jabez asks God to bless him in our verse for the day. It's good to ask God for our heart's desires. We want God to bestow upon us the blessings that he designed for us. Jabez asked for God to enlarge his territory, keep him from harm, bless him, and free him from pain.

What are your hopes and dreams? Have you submitted them to Jesus and laid them at God's throne?

Reflect

Spend time with Jesus today. Make your heart's desire known to him and ask him to bless you.

Lord, thank you for my passions, talents, and gifts. You have already blessed me so much with this beautiful life. I pray you would bless me with the desires in my heart. If they are not your will, then I pray you would direct my path for the plan you have for my life. I submit to you, Lord. Amen.

JANUARY 9

Freedom

The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:17 NIV

Jesus did not come to simply eliminate our fear of death but to also give us a life of freedom in this world. We can be saved by Christ, believe in him, and go to church on Sundays but still live in bondage. My pastor shared how "secondhand Christianity" kills people much like secondhand smoke. Too many of us live off the smoke of someone else's faith, someone else's fire, or someone else's encounter with Jesus.

Secondhand Christianity cannot and will not satisfy your faith. God is calling you. He has specific plans and a specific purpose for you according to how he created you. He came to set you free!

Reflect

Try...