Donna is a wife, mother, grandmother, writer, and Biblical counselor. She has been blogging through the Bible each year since 2012. She loves God's Word and sharing how freeing and practical it is. She is certified through the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors.
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.
You work hard. You pay the bills. You try to be responsible. Yet it sometimes feels like your paycheck disappears almost as quickly as it arrives—as though you’re carrying around a purse with holes in it.
Could there be more going on than inflation, unexpected expenses, or bad luck?
In Haggai’s day, God told His people to “consider your ways.” They had become so focused on their own lives that they had neglected what mattered most to Him. As a result, everything they worked for seemed to slip through their fingers.
Could God sometimes use our finances—or other difficult circumstances—to get our attention and lovingly call us back to Him?
We’ll also consider where every blessing truly comes from and why remembering that truth is one of the greatest antidotes to pride.
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to stand for biblical truth.
Values that were once widely respected are now often mocked. Things God calls sin are celebrated, while those who uphold biblical convictions are frequently labeled intolerant, hateful, or out of touch.
Perhaps you’ve wondered…
Should I say something—or stay quiet?
Should I stand firm—or avoid the conflict?
Should I risk being misunderstood, rejected, or even losing opportunities because of my faith?
God’s people have wrestled with those same questions before.
Today’s readings remind us that following God has never depended on living in a friendly culture. The returned exiles faced fear, intimidation, and opposition, yet they chose to worship and obey God anyway.
We’ll discover what it means to fear God instead of man, why that battle begins in our own hearts, and how believers can remain faithful—even when the culture moves in the opposite direction.
Abuse is one of the most painful realities of life in a fallen world.
Maybe you have experienced it yourself. Maybe someone you love is living through it right now.
But when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, what does that actually mean?
Does it mean we quietly endure abuse? Should we remain in dangerous situations? Does forgiveness require us to ignore evil or refuse to seek help?
These are difficult questions, but God’s Word doesn’t leave us without hope or direction.
In today’s readings, we’ll watch Paul respond to brutal mistreatment in a remarkable way. His example teaches us something profound about forgiveness, justice, and the eternal perspective every believer is called to have. We’ll also look at what Scripture says about protecting victims, involving civil authorities, and where those who have suffered abuse can find real help and lasting hope.
Imagine waking up tomorrow morning to complete chaos.
Phones ringing unanswered. Cars abandoned. News anchors struggling to explain what has happened. Friends, neighbors, and family members suddenly gone.
Would you know exactly what had happened?
More importantly…
Would you be among those who disappeared—or would you still be here?
Whether you believe Christ’s return is near or many years away, Scripture repeatedly calls us to be ready. Today’s readings remind us that God’s judgment does not come without warning. Just as Judah experienced a season of mercy before judgment finally fell, our world is living under God’s patience today.
But His patience will not last forever.
We’ll look at Josiah’s remarkable response when he rediscovered God’s Word, why God delayed judgment for a time, and what the Bible says about the coming return of Christ. Most importantly, we’ll answer one of life’s greatest questions:
How can you know with certainty that you belong to Christ and are ready whenever He returns?
Finishing well … it’s probably something we all desire. No one wants to fall flat on his or her face or bring shame to the name of Christ after serving Him well. And yet, if we read through the history of God’s children, we see numerous people who started out well but didn’t end so well. And it’s not just people we read about in the Bible. Hardly a month goes by that we don’t learn about someone who once followed Christ faithfully, led others to Christ, even pastors, sometimes well-known pastors, who have had a moral failure of some kind or who have walked away from Christ. It’s heartbreaking. What allows one person to finish well while another fails miserably? Find out what can make the difference.
Do you ever find yourself arguing… even when the issue really isn’t that important?
Do you feel compelled to point out the other side of every discussion? Do you have a hard time letting someone else have the last word? Or do you quietly replay conversations in your mind, thinking of all the things you wish you had said?
Most of us wouldn’t describe ourselves as argumentative. Yet today’s proverb gives us reason to stop and examine our hearts.
The Bible describes a contentious woman—not simply someone who occasionally disagrees, but someone whose words and attitudes regularly create conflict rather than peace.
The uncomfortable truth is that because of our sinful nature, every one of us has at least a little of that tendency. The good news is that God doesn’t simply expose our sin—He also shows us how to change.
Today we’ll discover where a contentious spirit comes from, why it’s often rooted in pride and selfishness, and how the gospel enables us to become women (and men) who speak with wisdom, kindness, and grace.
The question isn’t whether we worship—it’s what or whom we worship.
When people reject the one true God, they don’t stop worshiping. Instead, they create substitutes. Those substitutes may look religious, political, philosophical, or even deeply personal. They promise freedom, fulfillment, or purpose, but they ultimately lead us farther from the God who made us.
Today’s Old Testament reading gives us one of Scripture’s darkest examples. King Ahaz became so devoted to false worship that he sacrificed his own children. And even after God allowed severe consequences, he refused to repent. Instead, he doubled down on the very false religion that was destroying him.
As shocking as that sounds, false worship didn’t end in the Old Testament. It simply wears different clothes today.
So how do we recognize the modern idols competing for our hearts? And how can we be sure we’re worshiping the true God rather than a more comfortable substitute we’ve created for ourselves?
What is the one sin every believer struggles with?
You might immediately think of anger, lust, worry, fear, or greed. But Scripture points to something even deeper—a sin so subtle that we often fail to recognize it in ourselves, even while we see it clearly in others.
It can disguise itself as perfectionism, defensiveness, impatience, self-pity, self-reliance, or even a desire to appear humble. It quietly poisons relationships, hinders our prayers, blinds us to our own faults, and keeps us from growing into the people God has called us to be.
Today’s readings expose that hidden enemy.
We’ll also watch the tragic story of a king who began well but allowed success to feed his pride until it ultimately brought about his downfall. His life reminds us that no one is beyond temptation and that spiritual victories in the past don’t guarantee faithfulness today.
As we work through today’s passages, let’s ask God to search our hearts, reveal those areas where pride has quietly taken root, and replace it with the humility that delights Him and leads to genuine spiritual growth.
If someone examined your bank statement, what would they conclude you value most?
It’s easy to recognize idolatry in the lives of people like Athaliah or the pagans of the Old Testament. But Scripture repeatedly warns that idolatry isn’t just carved images or false gods—it can quietly settle into our own hearts.
One of the clearest ways it reveals itself may surprise us.
Our spending often tells the truth about what we treasure, what excites us, and ultimately what we worship.
Today’s readings also show us God’s remarkable protection of the promised Messiah, the life-changing influence of wise counsel, and the humility of a gifted teacher who was willing to be taught.
