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.
Would you still do what is right if it cost you something important?
A friendship?
Your reputation?
Your job?
Your platform?
Your comfort?
Most of us like to think we would stand firm if our faith were tested. But what if the pressure didn’t come from persecution in some distant country? What if it came from coworkers, family members, social media, friends, or people who simply don’t want to hear the truth?
In today’s readings, we’ll meet two men who faced that very challenge.
One paid with his life because he refused to compromise.
The other was imprisoned because he refused to tell a king what he wanted to hear.
Their stories raise a question every believer eventually faces:
Are we willing to pay the cost of doing what is right?
And perhaps just as importantly, are we willing to be the kind of friend who loves others enough to tell them the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable?
Have you ever wondered why discouragement often comes right after a spiritual victory?
You finally see God answer a prayer. You experience a breakthrough. You make progress in an area where you’ve struggled. You have a wonderful time with the Lord.
And then, unexpectedly, discouragement comes crashing in.
Why does that happen?
That’s exactly what happened to Elijah.
One moment, he was standing on Mount Carmel watching God send fire from heaven. The next, he was hiding in the wilderness, convinced he was alone, that nothing was changing, and that his ministry had failed.
What happened?
How could a man who had just witnessed one of the greatest miracles in Scripture become so discouraged that he asked God to take his life?
And perhaps more importantly, what did God do for Elijah—and what does that teach us about our own seasons of discouragement, disappointment, exhaustion, and spiritual fatigue?
Today’s reading provides hope for anyone who feels weary, overwhelmed, or ready to give up.
Ask ten people, and you’ll probably get ten different answers.
Some blame politicians. Others blame the media, the education system, illegal immigration, racism, corporate greed, government overreach, moral decline, or the breakdown of the family.
And depending on who you ask, the solution is usually to defeat the people on the other side.
But what if we’re arguing about symptoms while ignoring the real disease?
That’s exactly what was happening in Elijah’s day.
Israel was in crisis. Corrupt leadership. Moral confusion. Spiritual decline. Deep division. Sound familiar?
And when things started falling apart, everyone wanted someone to blame.
But Elijah pointed to a problem much deeper than politics, personalities, or public policy.
A problem that still exists today.
And until we understand that problem, we’ll never understand the solution.
For many parents, it’s not the sleepless nights, the busy schedules, or even the toddler tantrums. It’s watching our children make choices we know will hurt them.
We see the warning signs. We see where the road leads. We want to protect them from pain, disappointment, failure, and regret. And sometimes we can.
But sometimes helping can actually make things worse. How do we know the difference?
When should parents step in? When should they step back? And could our attempts to rescue our children actually prevent God from doing something important in their lives?
In today’s reading from Proverbs, we’re reminded of a painful reality every parent eventually faces. Foolish choices bring consequences. But those consequences may be one of the very tools God uses to bring wisdom, maturity, and even repentance.
The challenge is knowing when to help—and when to get out of the way.
Have you ever watched someone make a terrible decision and thought:
“What were they thinking?”
Maybe it was a friend. A family member. A politician. A pastor. Or perhaps, if we’re honest, it was ourselves.
What’s surprising is that foolish decisions aren’t limited to foolish people. In fact, some of the worst decisions in history were made by people who knew better.
Which raises an uncomfortable question:
If wisdom alone were enough, why did Solomon fall?
God gave him extraordinary wisdom. People traveled from around the world to hear him speak. Yet despite all he knew, Solomon eventually ignored God’s clear instructions and suffered the consequences.
How does that happen?
And why do we often listen to bad advice, follow our feelings, or believe what we want to believe—even when God’s Word says otherwise?
Today’s readings reveal a dangerous trap that catches far more people than we realize.
Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to ruin their spiritual life.
Drift is almost never dramatic. It’s usually subtle. A compromise here. A distraction there. A small step away from God that doesn’t seem dangerous at the time.
That’s what makes it so dangerous.
After all, if anyone should have been immune to spiritual failure, wouldn’t it have been Solomon? He was the wisest man who ever lived. God had blessed him beyond measure with wisdom, wealth, influence, and opportunity.
So how did he end up drifting into idolatry?
And in today’s New Testament reading, another question emerges. How could the same crowd that welcomed Jesus with praise and palm branches be shouting, “Crucify Him!” just a few days later?
Was it really the same people? What changed? And is there a warning here for those who seem excited about spiritual things one moment and disappear the next?
Today’s readings force us to ask a sobering question:
Are we growing closer to God—or drifting farther away than we realize?
What if some of the goals Christian parents have pursued for generations need to be reconsidered?
Most parents want the same things for their children: a good education, a successful career, financial stability, and opportunities they may never have had themselves.
Those all sound like worthy goals.
But what if, in pursuing those goals, we unintentionally neglect something far more important?
Today, Christian parents face challenges that previous generations could hardly have imagined. The battle for our children’s hearts, minds, beliefs, and worldview is being fought on multiple fronts—and many young people are arriving at adulthood unprepared for what awaits them.
So what should our highest goal be as parents?
Should success, scholarships, prestigious universities, and career opportunities remain at the top of the list? Or does Scripture point us toward something else entirely?
Today’s reading raises some uncomfortable questions—and may challenge the way we think about Christian parenting, education, success, and what it really means to prepare the next generation.
You prayed. You asked Him to intervene. You begged Him to change a situation, heal a relationship, provide a solution, or remove a painful circumstance.
And nothing happened.
At least, nothing that you could see.
If we’re honest, those are the moments when doubts begin to creep in. Does God really care? Has He forgotten me? Why isn’t He doing something?
Mary and Martha may have asked similar questions.
They knew Jesus loved them. They sent word that Lazarus was sick. Surely He would come immediately.
But He didn’t.
And what happened next reveals something important about God’s love, His timing, and what He may be doing when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we expect.
If you’ve ever wondered where God is in the middle of your pain, today’s reading has an answer you won’t want to miss.
That question has troubled many people—even faithful churchgoers.
Some people fear they could lose their salvation through sin, failure, or spiritual neglect. Others assume they are secure simply because they prayed a prayer, walked an aisle, were baptized, grew up in church, or consider themselves “good people.”
But what if both groups are asking the wrong question?
In today’s reading from John 10, Jesus gives one of the strongest promises of assurance in all of Scripture. He says His sheep are secure in His hands and that no one can snatch them away.
That sounds comforting… until another question enters the picture:
What if someone only thinks they belong to Him?
How can we know whether our faith is genuine? What gives true assurance of salvation? And what role do obedience, repentance, and spiritual fruit play in the life of a real believer?
Would you recognize it if He were speaking truth into your life? Or could you confuse your emotions… your desires… or even the voice of the enemy for His?
Jesus said His sheep know His voice.
That’s a wonderful promise—but how does that actually work? How do believers grow in spiritual discernment? And why do some people seem to recognize truth while others are easily deceived?
Today, we’re going to look at Jesus as the Good Shepherd and discover a surprising connection between knowing God’s voice, following Him, and learning to recognize voices that are not His.
