Bible Truth for Everyday Life
Bible study tools, devotions, and free resources to help you encounter God in your quiet time and apply Biblical truth to your everyday life.
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What Happens When We Pray: 8 Benefits of Heartfelt Prayer
Twilight finds me in a stand of hardwoods, and I watch the canopy flourish in the evening’s marigold glow. I’ve come to the woods to talk to God. As I sit beneath a towering oak, I remind myself of what happens when we pray. What Happens When We Pray I spent the first part of my life believing that prayer was a way of getting God to do things for me. As I grew in my spiritual life, I learned that prayer is about cultivating a relationship more than making requests. Perhaps you need this reminder today as well. Let’s take a closer look at what actually happens when we…
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7 Kingdom Prayers for Our Nation and the World
A few years ago, a friend challenged me to change how I prayed. She shared her journey of learning to pray kingdom prayers in addition to praying for her personal needs. This way of praying has radically shifted my focus. The need for God’s people to rise in a global prayer movement has seldom been more apparent. Today, I’m sharing seven kingdom prayers to pray over our nation and our spheres of influence. 7 Kingdom Prayers for the World Matthew 6:10 reads: “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus’ words lead us to consider: Just what does it look like to pray for his kingdom to…
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How to Cultivate Contentment When You’re Tempted to Grumble
A grey sky hovered over the mountains as we climbed out of the valley. Cloaked in wildflowers and the viridescent glow of summer growth, the hillsides held us in welcoming arms. The scene felt like a gentle invitation to cultivate contentment and peace. As we traveled up the mountainside, the tender growth of flora was gradually replaced by tall stands of conifers—lodgepole and jack pine surrounding us like protective guardians. We spotted elk grazing in meadows and moose meandering through willows. The shift came slowly at first. The trees began to thin and give way to more expansive meadows. Before long, the scant trees all clung to the mountainside below…
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10 Bible Verses About God’s Timing and Faithfulness
It’s a cloudy Monday morning when I open my Bible in search of Bible verses about God’s timing. Beside me, the amaryllis has burst into full bloom. It bows low under the weight of its heavy blossom. It seems ironic that after waiting for it to bloom for so long, the weight of the blossom might crush it. I watch the amaryllis become its fullest self, and I wonder about my own growth. I’ve been waiting on God this year. Reflecting on my waiting season, I wonder if waiting on God has been more purposeful than I’ve imagined. Maybe God knows that if I bloom before I’m ready, the weight…
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I Have Called You By Name: Let This Change Your Life Forever
“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1, ESV). We’re sitting in the fading light of a late-summer evening when Aiden, our youngest son, runs to me and nuzzles his cheek against mine. As if he just can’t get enough, he plops onto my lap, wraps both arms around my waist, and buries his face in my T-shirt. “I’m glad you’re my mom,” he declares. “And I’m so glad you’re my son,” I answer. From the deck, his older brother notices us,…
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11 Ways to Get Closer to God This Year
Not long ago, as I hustled from one task to the next, I slipped on the wet floor and fell with a thud. I had no way of knowing that the moment was about to be a lesson on how to get closer to God. As I grabbed my knee and writhed in pain, I suddenly felt two tiny arms holding me. Five-year-old Aiden had witnessed the scene from the living room and rushed to my side to comfort me. My heart melted. My little boy did more than merely call out to ask if I was okay. He didn’t come to my side and stand beside me looking concerned. …
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A Free 2025 New Year Devotional to Help You Connect With God
Do you want to start 2025 by renewing your commitment to spend time with God? Today, I have a free 2025 New Year devotional for you. Mornings With Jesus will help you connect with Jesus every morning for the next 31 days! I originally wrote this devotional several years ago, but I have updated it once again. If you are looking for a devotional to help you start the new year with God, this is a powerful tool to lead you into his presence. Why I Wrote This 2025 New Year Devotional I spent years reading my Bible and practicing a morning devotional routine without regularly encountering God in the…
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4 Prayers for Joy and Peace This Christmas and Beyond
A white veil rises and falls outside the window like a clean linen bedsheet flogging in the wind. I watch the scene as our children haul their Christmas presents to their bedrooms. My husband sits at the dining room table assembling the little one’s train set. God has answered my prayers for joy and peace this Christmas, and I am grateful. Your Christmas might be full of noise and excitement, or this might be a difficult day for you. It might be a quiet day filled with memories or regrets. Wherever you find yourself on this day, I invite you to join me as we ask God to fill our…
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10 Life-Giving Bible Verses About Light and Truth
As we prepare our hearts to celebrate the coming of the Light of the World, I’ve been soaking in Bible verses about light and truth. I invite you to join me as I watch the morning dawn, and we’ll savor these Truths together. 10 Life-Giving Bible Verses About Light and Truth This morning the sky greeted us with a color I’d never named. Like a tree-ripened peach, it smiled down from above—ready to offer the gift of its entire self. Thunder groaned a foreboding warning to the south, and I pulled the blanket over my head, resistant to surrender to the light. Meanwhile, I’ve learned that the light finds me…
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10 Encouraging Christmas Verses About Hope
As I sit in the forest, my bones throb with the cold ache of winter. The creek flows soundlessly—waiting for freeze-up. I’ve come to the woods to connect with my Creator, and I pull out my Bible in search of Christmas verses about hope to prepare my heart for the month ahead. Christmas Verses About Hope Over the years, I’ve learned that when I fail to keep my eyes on the reason for celebrating, I get pulled into the flurry of stress and overactivity. I’m searching for verses about hope because, at the heart of the matter, Christmas is about hope. At Christmas, we celebrate the hope we find in…
