Welcome friends! Today’s devotional is from guest writer Amanda Signor and it speaks to times in our lives when we don’t quite feel like ourselves, downtrodden and burdened by unrealistic expectations. The lies of the enemy can hit us hard, but our God is faithful to show up time and again. You can catch up on all the previous devotionals here.

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Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. — Psalm 42:5 (NIV)

Happy Birthday to me. 🙂 Yours truly is 42 today.

Every year on my birthday, I take the time to reflect pretty deeply.

Three years ago, my mama was battling cancer and my mind seemed to be in a million places, but I set my heart and mind on the Lord to be grateful for all that He had done and was doing in my life and that I got to see my mama on my day.

Two years ago I turned 40 and was very pregnant. My heart was grieving and yet I was very eager to meet our baby boy who would come 5 days later.

Last year, my focus was on baby turning one and less on myself.

This year, I turned to scripture.

Sometimes when writing birthday cards, I will look up a matching scripture verse for the person’s age as a declaration, blessing or prayer over their life. Do you or anyone you know do that?

When I knew I’d be writing a post on my birthday (I chose the date), I decided to do a little digging for a verse to fit me- 42.

When I read Psalm 42, it seemed to be the perfect fit for where I am in my walk today. Many parts just resonated within me.

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God. Psalm 42:5

It seems my soul has been downcast for so long. My soul disturbed within me just as the Psalm said.

It is hard to admit that.

Sometimes I feel a shell of my former self, but I choose to keep pressing in, even when I don’t feel it.

I’m also learning that I often feel downtrodden due to unrealistic expectations. Has anyone else ever been there?

Many times I have said this out loud but need to get it through my mind and routines that following Jesus while being a mom of littles looks different than it did before I became a mom.

Understanding that being pretty sleep deprived, there are going to be times when I don’t wake up early to spend time in the word in this season and that’s okay as long as I STILL OPEN up the word.

Maybe my time with the Lord may be at night after everyone else goes to sleep and that is okay. It doesn’t look the same for everyone.

Five minutes counts. Focusing on one verse counts. Reading while kids are running around and interrupting counts. Praying while doing dishes, sweeping, cutting the grass and doing laundry counts.

Why does it often feel like it doesn’t though?

Maybe it’s the writer in me but if I don’t have a pen in my hand and can’t take notes or underline, it often doesn’t feel like it’s enough. Maybe that’s just another lie of the enemy.

Psalm 42: 4 says, These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God…with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng.

It’s funny because I remember going to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night as a children’s ministry leader and on Thursday nights for Young Adults.

I learned to play the keyboard and served on the worship team. I gave the Lord everything I had for a very long time. My life has changed so much since 20+ years ago.

I still love the Lord with everything in me, but as a working mama of littles it just looks different and that is okay!

For the latter part of this summer, I have been taking a stand against these “feelings” of being downtrodden and declaring to my soul that I will put my hope in God, that yet I will praise Him.

Everything doesn’t have to be perfect for my soul to praise the Lord.

He is so faithful and He shows up time and again in such beautiful, sweet ways. There is just so much grace!

Psalm 42:7 says, Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls, all your waves and breakers have swept over me.

He is calling us to go deeper in whatever season we are in, whether that be a season of deep sorrow, suffering, confusion, frustration, deep aches and pains or heartache. Deep calls to deep.

Even if it is five complete quiet minutes or if it’s 20 messy, loud minutes.

It is enough because He is enough.

He is worth it. His love just washes over us if we let Him. If we make time for Him.

He meets us where we’re at.

At the kitchen sink, when we’re changing diapers, in the laundry room, in the car, in the five minutes of bible reading, listening to the audio bible or your favorite worship songs.

As for me, I know I need to try to find a few minutes to write down that scripture I read to keep it with me and meditate on it or to write down about that sweet moment of worship so it lingers with me just a bit longer.

Do whatever it is you need, so that you know that your time with the Lord counts and although it may look different from your early season of walking with the Lord, it’s okay!

His grace is sufficient for us!

So why, my soul, are you downcast? It’s because you’ve been listening to the lies of the enemy saying what you give isn’t enough. You aren’t enough. You don’t do enough.

Not today, Satan. No more! I choose to put my hope in the Lord and praise Him! Won’t you do the same today?

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About the Author

Amanda Signor has been married for 20 years to her hard-working, handsome hubby. They have three beautiful babies (7, 4 and almost 2). She has been a public school teacher for 12 years. She loves Jesus. She serves on the worship team and is passionate about reading and writing and has 33 journals to prove it. :)

P.S. If today’s devotional met you right where you are, please support us by buying a coffee here to help keep these devotions online. You can also share it with someone who is running a hard race. They might need this reminder too. 🤗

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Reflection Questions:

1. Has your soul been downcast? Could it be that you are believing lies from the enemy?
   

2. Do you have unrealistic expectations for yourself and others around you? I encourage you to take some time to settle in and uproot those lies and unrealistic expectations to help you set your eyes on the Lord and put your hope in Him.
   

3. Do you have a life-verse or scripture for your age or year that you choose to stand on?
   

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Welcome, friend! Today’s devotional comes from our guest writer, Ellyn Reeder. Through Israel's inheritance, she reminds us that every blessing has a backstory and every promise fulfilled is a testimony to God's unfailing faithfulness. She invites us to slow down, remember where God has brought us, and find courage for whatever lies ahead. You can catch up on all the previous devotionals here.

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“So the Lord gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. The Lord gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” — Joshua 21:43-45 (NKJV)

There are parts of the Bible that just... make my eyes glaze over.

The last several chapters of Joshua used to be one of those places.

Cities. Borders. Territories. Which tribe received what inheritance. Which enemies they drove out. Which ones they did not. Names I cannot pronounce and places I cannot picture. (Joshua 13 - 21.)

Honestly, I want to skim over them. To hurry through. So I can get back to the “important” parts.

But then. I slowed down.

GOD is a GOD of order.

A GOD of details.

A GOD who remembers.

If GOD chose to include every single city, every boundary, every inheritance, those details must also be important.

Every city listed represented a promise fulfilled.

Every territory represented a battle fought.

Every inheritance represented generations who would have a place to call home.

They were not a geography lesson. They were reminders.

Long before Israel crossed the Jordan, GOD told Joshua, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you...” (Joshua 1:3).

And HE kept that promise.

But HE never promised they would not have to fight for it.

Israel still marched around Jericho (Joshua 6).

They still suffered defeat because of sin in the camp (Joshua 7).

They still had to return in repentance and obedience before seeing victory (Joshua 8).

They made mistakes by entering a treaty without first seeking the LORD (Joshua 9).

Even after years of fighting, some failed to drive out all the inhabitants of the land God had given them (Joshua 15:63; 16:10; 17:12 and 13).

Behind every city was a story of blood, sweat, tears, prayers, fear, courage, hope, victories, defeats, mistakes, and perseverance.

Some victories came through miracles only God could do: the walls of Jericho fell, the sun stood still, hailstones rained from heaven. (Joshua 6:20; 10:11 through 14.)

Others required getting up one more day. Trusting HIM one more time. Taking one more step forward.

GOD fought for them.

But they still had to fight.

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Then, after all the battles had been fought and all the land had been divided, Scripture records this amazing summary:

“And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which HE sware to give unto their fathers... There failed not one of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:43-45)

Those final chapters of Joshua were not written just so future generations would know who owned which piece of land.

They were written so Israel would never forget what God had already brought them through.

Every city was proof that not one promise failed.

Every border marked another place where GOD’s faithfulness was visible.

Joshua understood the importance of remembering.

Before his death, he gathered the people one final time and rehearsed GOD’s faithfulness from Abraham to Egypt, from the wilderness to the Promised Land, before challenging them, “Choose you this day whom ye will serve...” (Joshua 24:1-15.)

Because remembering fuels faith.

When you remember what GOD has already done, it becomes easier to trust HIM with what HE has not done yet.

As I write this it’s the beginning of August and I find myself apprehensive of what the month will hold. It makes me want to pull out my calendar from last year.

Because I need the reminder.

August has become a marker in our family’s story.

Four years ago, in August, GOD gave us our second “bonus” child, my half-sister. That August we entered a season of fighting. Fighting for stability. Fighting for healing. Fighting for what was right.

Two years ago, in August, my husband put in notice that he would be leaving his job to work with his father.

One year later, to the day, his father had a stroke that changed our lives. Without warning, survival became the new assignment. We couldn’t have known that one decision would allow him to spend an entire year caring for his dad.

Looking back, I realize something.

Every one of those Augusts has prayers, fears, conversations, tears, and moments when I wondered what GOD was doing.

And every one also has unmistakable evidence of HIS faithfulness.

Just like Israel could have looked across their inheritance and forgotten the cost of every city, I can look at today’s blessings and forget yesterday’s battles.

The same GOD who fulfilled every promise to Israel is the same GOD who has faithfully walked beside my family.

Maybe that’s why Joshua includes page after page of cities instead of simply saying, “GOD kept His promises.”

Because we forget.

We remember crises better than we remember faithfulness.

We remember fear more easily than provision.

But GOD remembers every step.

Maybe those long, repetitive chapters are not there to slow us down.

They are there to make us slow down.

To remember.

To give thanks.

To recognize that every place we now stand was once a prayer we prayed.

Maybe we all need our own version of Joshua 13 through 21.

Not a list of conquered cities, but a list of doctor’s appointments & court dates.

Unexpected phone calls.

Financial struggles.

Hard conversations.

Answered prayers.

Quiet mercies.

Moments where GOD carried us when we were too weary to walk on our own. Moments where HE still carries us and gives us hope.

Perhaps we do need to pull out an old calendar from August.

Not simply because it is a month on the calendar, but because it has become august (inspiring awe, reverence, or deep respect; grand, majestic, and of the highest social standing) in the truest sense of the word.

Worthy of reverence. Worthy of remembering.

A testimony to the GOD who has never failed.

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P.S. If this devotional met you right where you are, please consider buying me a coffee to help keep these devotions online. You can also share it with someone who is running a hard race. They might need this reminder too. 🤗

About the Author

Christian. Wife. Mom. Creative. Nerd. Ginger (usually). Ellyn loves good food, fun people, and meaningful work, and is trying to use the gifts God gave her to serve Him and encourage others along the way.

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Reflection Questions:

1. Do you have an “August”? A time that was so full of hardships you still don’t know how you made it through?
   

2. How does remembering God’s past faithfulness shape the decisions, fears, or opportunities you are facing today?
   

3. If you were to write your own version of Joshua's "list of cities," what would be on it? Make a list of moments, seasons, prayers, or hardships that now serve as reminders of God's provision and care.

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Welcome! Chances are, you understand how much pain and devastation comparison can bring to your mind and heart. It is definitely not a friend. In today’s devotional, Linda Reinhardt shares two lessons she’s learned along the way to keep comparison at bay. You can catch up on all the previous devotionals here. Enjoy, and be sure to subscribe below to not miss what’s coming next!

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“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You.

Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.”

Psalm 139: 13 -16, NKJV

Have you ever run late to meet a friend?

Not only are you late, and feel like a complete thrown together mess, but there is a messy trail behind you. At home - dishes stacked high in the sink, piles of laundry, unmade beds.

You arrive, and there she is, your friend looking fresh as can be, and her hair, even though thrown in a ponytail, looks as though it was done by the Kardashian’s hair stylist.

You stop for a moment and sigh. Oh...to be able to be like…her.

When you part ways the comparison game starts.

And you end up back at; Oh, to be like her.

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You then volunteer and bump into the crafty mom. The mom who can make something out of a paper clip and win an award.

Oh! to be like - her!

I struggled with false images of other hers.

Yes, they are wonderful, beautiful, talented, women, I could learn from.

However, I am not to be like them, but I can learn from them.

I’ve learned two particularly important things from the Bible.

One – Why do I spend time trying to be like someone else, when I need to spend time to be like Jesus, to follow Him?

Jesus repeatedly said to follow Him in the Bible. John 21:22

Two – Who is going to be “me” in the body of Christ if I’m busy trying to be like someone else?

The Bible says we all have a part to play in the body of Christ. 1Corinthians 12:27-31

The truth is, we are all fearfully and wonderfully made.

When I focus on following Jesus, it then frees me up to love others and enjoy them.

So today, focus on following Jesus and embrace the freedom to be yourself for the glory of God.

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P.S. If you are enjoying the devotionals here, would you consider buying me a coffee to keep these daily devotionals possible? Thank you, I can’t do this without your support. 🤗

Reflection Questions:

1. Do you find yourself caught up in comparing yourself to others?
   
   

2. What verses in the Bible can help you to be all you are to be in the body of Christ?
   
   

3. When you read Psalm 139 how does it sit with you that God knows you so personally and loves you?

Welcome! Knowing what needs to change in your life and actually surrendering it are two very different things. I think that’s why Jesus gives us a picture that makes the path to true transformation impossible to miss: a seed has to fall, be buried, and die before it can become what it was created to be. Today, we’re going to talk about what it means to let go. You can catch up on all the previous devotionals in this series here. And be sure to subscribe below to not miss what’s coming next!

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“Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” — John 12:24

Jesus was not being poetic in John 12:24.

He was describing the actual mechanism of transformation.

A seed in your hand, as long as it stays in your hand, stays a seed.

It never becomes more than it is.

But a seed let go, buried in the ground, covered in darkness, seemingly lost… well that seed does something remarkable.

It dies. And in dying, it becomes a harvest.

This is not a metaphor. This is the design God created.

The reason we often live so small is that we won’t let go of what we’re gripping.

We hold on to comfort. We hold on to our reputation.

We hold on to our right to be understood, our right to be right, our right to be comfortable.

We hold on to our ambitions, our dreams, our pet passions, our plans, our timelines.

And we wonder why we live and feel so small.

Because it’s impossible to hold a seed in your fist and expect a harvest.

The harvest requires burial.

The fullness of God requires emptying of self.

The magnificent life requires the death of the small one.

This is the upside-down logic of the Kingdom.

The last shall be first.

The servant shall be greatest.

Whoever loses his life shall find it.

Notice how every category is inverted.

Because God’s economy is not our economy.

What looks like loss is gain.

What looks like death is the beginning of life.

What looks like burial is preparation for harvest.

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And I know the fear.

I live it too.

What if I lose XYZ? What if God calls me to something I can’t handle? What if people don’t understand?

These fears are real.

Don’t minimize them.

But bring them to the One who walked through His own burial.

He knows the way through.

He didn’t skip the cross to get to the resurrection. And neither will you or I.

But we can be sure…the seed buried in darkness is not lost.

It is becoming.

What God buries, He raises to life.

That is not wishful thinking, nor is it positive self talk. It’s the testimony of an empty tomb.

Trust the process.

Trust the Gardener.

P.S. If you are enjoying the devotionals here, would you consider buying me a coffee to keep these daily devotionals possible? Thank you, I can’t do this without your support. 🤗

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Reflection Questions:

1. What are you currently holding in your fist that needs to be buried, released, surrendered, or let go?
   
   

2. Where have you seen the “death to life” principle work in your past, a loss that became a gain, a burial that became a harvest?
   
   

3. What is the specific fear attached to the thing you’re holding? Name it out loud. Emotions lose their hold when we name them. See Philippians 4:6-7.

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Welcome! If the thought of stepping outside your comfort zone makes your heart pound and your palms sweat, you are in good company. Today, Jean Lauzier takes us into the story of Esther — a woman who…

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Welcome, friend! Today’s devotional is from our guest writer, Michelle Lepitre. Our words have the power to build up or tear down—even behind a screen. As you read today, may you be encouraged to ref…

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Welcome! Today’s devotional is from guest writer Sherrhonda Denice, and she shares a deeply personal reminder that even in the places we would never have chosen, God can draw us closer to Himself, us…

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Welcome, friend! Today’s devotional is adapted from my brand new devotional, The Life You Almost Lived. If you enjoy it, you can grab the devotional on Amazon right here. Enjoy!

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“And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.” — Luke 12:29–31 (NIV)

Most of us have never questioned the scaffolding our lives are built on.

It comes from culture, from neighbors, from well-meaning family members, from church culture, from the unspoken rules of the community, from the media we constantly consume.

And because everyone around us is living the same way, it never occurs to us to ask whether any of it is actually best or whether it is simply what we inherited.

Many of us have slid into lifestyles not because we intentionally set out to redeem the time of our lives, but because we accepted one reasonable assumption at a time.

Jesus names this pattern plainly in Luke 12. It’s natural, not spiritual. The nations — the world, the culture, the entire mold — are consumed with seeking after these things.

Food, drink, security, comfort, the next thing that will finally make life feel stable and sufficient.

And Jesus is not saying those things don’t matter. He is saying something more uncomfortable than that: everybody is chasing them.

In other words: We too have simply absorbed it.

We all have inherited norms. Inherited expectations. Inherited lifestyles. Inherited assumptions.

And today, friend, we need to question all of it.

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Do the kids really need to be in year-round activities because that is what good parents do?

Does the house need to be a certain size in a certain neighborhood because that is what success looks like and besides the schools are better there?

Do the incomes really need to be what they are, the calendar what it is?

The whole world is organized around the pursuit of security and sufficiency and keeping up.

And if you are not actively, deliberately, prayerfully questioning that pursuit, you, my friend, are simply one more person in the line.

Instead, Jesus says to FIRST seek his kingdom.

Not in addition to everything else. Not after you’ve worked enough to pay the mortgage and the kids are through their activities and the career has plateaued and you finally have margin.

Instead, he says do it as the first thing. As the organizing principle around which everything else gets arranged.

That is a different kind of life.

It looks different from the outside.

It makes different decisions about houses and cars and income and schedules and what the kids are doing on Saturday mornings.

It asks questions that the culture finds slightly baffling — like, do we actually need this? Have we prayed about this? What would we gain if we had less of this and more of God?

Does it align deeply with my most precious values?

These are not easy questions. They will cost you something just to ask them honestly. And once you ask them you cannot unknow what the answers reveal.

But this is exactly what it means to seek his kingdom first.

This is exactly the kind of work I explore in Almost Lived.

It’s a book with daily activities to refuse sleepwalking through the life God has given you, questioning the assumptions that keep you stuck, and intentionally choosing a life that reflects what matters most.

It’s time to stop, take a hard look at what’s shaping your choices, and start living with greater intention.

Because I believe God is prompting something deep within us: a willingness to hold every assumption up to the light and ask: did I choose this intentionally, with my deepest values in mind, or did it choose me? Did I pray over this or did I just absorb it? Does this reflect the life God is inviting me into — or just the life everyone else is living?

And when we answer those questions with Him, a whole new vibrant and abundant life opens up.

P.S. If this devotional encouraged you today, you can grab the complete 40-day devotional here or buy me a coffee to help keep these devotions online. You can also share it with someone who is running a hard race. They might need this reminder too. 🤗

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Reflection Questions:

1. What assumptions about success, security, family, work, or lifestyle have you accepted without intentionally questioning them?
   
   

2. What is one area of your life where you need to ask, “Did I choose this intentionally, or did it choose me?”
   
   

3. What would it look like for you to seek God’s kingdom first in your schedule this week?
   
   
   

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Welcome back, friend. You are here. That matters. Today I’d like us to revisit a very familiar and favorite verse — Romans 12:1 — but this time, I hope the way we talk about it will land differently. You can catch up on all the previous devotionals on the body here.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” — Romans 12:1 (ESV)

There’s a tension in the phrase “living sacrifice” that I think we tend to gloss over.

In the Old Testament, a sacrifice was dead. You brought your best animal, you placed it on the altar, and it died.

That was the transaction.

But Paul uses this phrase — living sacrifice — and it flips everything.

A living sacrifice doesn’t always stay on the altar.

It can walk off. It can second-guess. It can be distracted, tempted, busy, afraid.

It breathes.

It may have a bad Thursday.

It sometimes decides the altar looks less appealing than the couch.

That’s us.

That’s me.

Climbing back on the altar, climbing off, climbing back on.

And it’s easy to feel enormous shame about that.

Like the fact that we keep getting off the altar means we are fundamentally failing at our walk with Christ, at surrender.

But I’ve come to understand something: the invitation to be a living sacrifice is not a one-time transaction.

It’s a daily practice.

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“Therefore I appeal to you.” There’s the present tense, the ongoing appeal.

Paul is writing to people who already know God, who have already given their lives to Jesus, and he’s saying: now present your bodies too.

Daily.

As an act of worship.

The word “present” in the original Greek is parastesai — to place beside, to offer, to put at someone’s disposal.

It’s the posture of a servant who shows up and says: here I am. I’m ready.

What do you need?

Use me.

I’m at your disposal.

All of me, including this body.

What has kept you from making this kind of wild offering to God?

For many women, it’s shame.

The body feels too fat, too broken, too inconsistent, too far from what they think God deserves.

But the verse says holy and acceptable, and those are words of reception, not requirement.

God is calling what you bring holy.

God is receiving it as acceptable.

The standard is not your perfection.

The standard is His mercy. It’s His decree over your offering.

Your body — the one you’ve been hard on, the one you’ve hidden, the one you’ve apologized for — is the one He is asking for.

Not after you’ve fixed it.

Now.

As it is.

As your act of worship.

So today, I want to invite you to lay it down. Give Him your body and hear His acceptance.

Right here, right now — not perfectly, not permanently, just today — offer your body to the One who prepared it, who declared it good, who inhabits it as His temple.

And call it what it is.

Worship.

P.S. If this devotional helped you today, please consider buying me a coffee to help keep these devotions online. Thank you. 🤗

Reflection Questions:

1. What does “living sacrifice” mean to you now compared to when you first read Romans 12:1? See if the phrase changes at all this week as you ponder this verse.

2. What has most often caused you to “get off the altar” when it comes to your body? What triggers your retreat from surrender?

3. What would it look like to present your body as an act of worship today — practically, in the next 24 hours?

Welcome! Today’s devo is from guest writer Mary Boswell, and it begins at a well in Guatemala and leads straight to the woman at the well in John 4. If you’re running on empty — spiritually, emotiona…

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Welcome back, warrior. Many people get “stuck” in their wilderness season, just like the Israelites did. It isn’t because God is not speaking, but because moving forward requires a faith we’re not sure we have. Today’s word is simple but it is everything: be strong, be courageous, and go. You can catch up on all the previous devotionals here or subscribe below to receive the daily devos.

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“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Joshua had just lost Moses.

His mentor. His leader.

The man who had parted the sea, who had stood in God’s presence, who had carried the people through forty years of wilderness.

And now Moses was gone.

And God looked at Joshua and said: Now YOU lead.

Joshua was not being asked to step into a small assignment.

He was being asked to lead an entire nation into the most significant conquest in Israel’s history.

He could have had every reason to be afraid.

So God did not say, “Do not feel afraid.”

He said, “Do not be afraid.”

There is a difference.

One dismisses the emotion.

The other calls you to a choice that supersedes it.

Fear is not a character flaw.

Rather, courage is when we choose to act in spite of it.

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“Have I not commanded you?” God says this almost as a reminder.

As if Joshua needed to be called back to what he already knew.

This assignment came from God. Which means God will be with me in it.

That is the foundation of courageous obedience.

We do not obey because we are fearless.

We obey because the One who commands us is faithful.

The wilderness is where God teaches us this.

In the wilderness, we have learned the limits of our own understanding.

We have been in places where the path made no sense.

Where the resources did not add up.

Where we had nothing to go on except the word God spoke over us.

And we moved anyway.

That is faith that walks in obedience.

It does not wait for perfect conditions.

It does not wait until the feeling of confidence arrives.

It does not lean on it’s own understand, it simply hears God say “go” and it goes.

Is there an obedience you have been delaying?

Because the task is large and you know you’re limitation? You are not sure you are ready?

Here is the truth:

Readiness is not the requirement. Obedience is.

God does not call the equipped. He equips the called.

He does not promise a fear-free journey.

He promises a with-Him journey.

And a journey taken with God, even trembling, even unsure, is better than the safest path taken without Him.

“The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Wherever you go.

Into the uncertain. Into the impossible.

Into the places that make your heart race and your hands shake.

He will be there.

Step out, warrior.

Not because you are sure of yourself.

But because you are sure of Him.

P.S. If this devotional encouraged you today, please consider buying me a coffee to help keep these devotions online. You can also share it with someone who is running a hard race. They might need this reminder too. 🤗

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Reflection Questions:

1. Is there a step of obedience you have been delaying out of fear or uncertainty? What specifically is holding you back?
   
   

2. How has the wilderness shaped your willingness to trust God even when you cannot see the full picture? What has changed in you?
   
   

3. What would it look like to take one concrete step of obedience this week, even if you do not feel fully ready, trusting that God will be with you?
   
   
   

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