Imagine waking up tomorrow to headlines announcing that churches have been closed.

Owning a Bible is now illegal. Bible apps have disappeared. Christian websites are gone. Sermons and podcasts have been banned.

Would your faith survive?

More importantly, would you know God’s Word well enough to encourage your family, teach your children, or strengthen another believer without opening a Bible?

That may sound extreme, but throughout history many believers have lived under those very conditions. Ezra certainly understood what it meant to know and treasure God’s Word while living in a pagan culture.

Today’s readings challenge us with an uncomfortable but necessary question:

Are we faithfully feeding ourselves on God’s Word—or have we become content to be spoon-fed once a week?

We’ll discover why Ezra became such a powerful servant of God and what his life teaches us about preparing our hearts to know, obey, and teach God’s truth in an increasingly hostile culture.