When my boys were younger, they would bicker with each other, which would always turn into a knock out brawl. When we reached the fight, we would see the last hit, but not the 

Now whether you are a believer and follower of Jesus or you just live by a moral code handed to you by your family. There are actions that we would all agree are wrong, but sin is a much deeper issue than the standard don’t steal, kill, and cheat. We all have a sin problem. 

Reminder from our time together yesterday- Sin is not being perfect. We all have sin, but we love to compare our sins to others. We all think that it isn’t lying or envy that matter, because we rank our sins by our own standards. Obviously Murder is bad, but a speeding ticket? Cheating on your taxes? Snapping at a co-worker in anger? These are not such a big deal. We can justify speeding, lying or being short-tempered because we were tired, stressed, in a hurry. Surely these are not on the same level as murder!

Jesus knew we would measure our own sins against the sins of others. He knew we would try to make ourselves out to be better, somehow. 

In science a Litmus test is taking a small strip of paper and dipping it into a liquid. When that paper is pulled up from the liquid, it will change colors to let the tester know if it was an acid or base. This is meant to be an easy test, quick, and show results immediately. 

Our litmus test for sin is to test everything against murder, but His litmus test is perfection, because he is more concerned about the true state of our hearts than we are, he explained that all sin makes us guilty, not just the big sins.

Jesus knows we would rank ourselves, trying to make ourselves seem better, but the truth is we all have a sin problem. Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t leave us there. Knowing our imperfection and still wanting us in Heaven, God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross a horrid death to take on our sins. Jesus lived a perfect life so that all who ask Jesus to be their savior can have eternal life.

We all have a sin problem, but Jesus loves us enough to rescue us from it.

Lord we know we have a sin problem, and that you are the only solution to it. We thank you for the love for us despite our heart always second guessing your purpose and goodness for us. Help us to remember that you are the solution, and that you are always standing with arms open wide, ready to hold us.

Sin is a term in archery, meaning that you didn’t hit the mark of perfection, or the mark in the middle. This would have been a term that people in Jesus’ time period would have been very familiar with. 

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” - Psalms 51:10 NIV

David failed, but God redeemed him. David had to face the consequences of his decisions, but God met David where he was. He will do the same with you, if only you ask.

God forgive me when I sin and mess up. Create in me a clean heart and pure mind. I want to run into Your open arms instead of towards sin. Thank you for the gift of Jesus and for being faithful to forgive. Help me to seek You daily.

Scripture: Romans 8:31–39; John 10:10
Theme: When you begin questioning God's goodness, remember what He has already given you through Jesus.

How do you know someone really loves you?
Words matter, but actions often reveal the depth of someone's love. It's one thing for someone to say they care about you. It's another thing for them to sacrifice something valuable for your good.

Throughout this week, we've been looking at one of the oldest lies in human history:
God is holding out on you. The enemy wants us to believe that God is keeping something good from us, that His boundaries are unreasonable, and that we'd be happier doing things our own way. But Romans 8:32 gives us a powerful answer to that lie.
Paul reminds us that God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all.
Think about that. When humanity rebelled against God, He didn't simply abandon us to the consequences of our sin.

He made a way for us to be forgiven and restored to a relationship with Him.
Jesus willingly gave His life on the cross and rose again so that we could experience the life God created us to have. And that changes how we understand God's goodness.
We may not always understand why God allows certain circumstances.
We may not always understand why He tells us to wait. And we may not always understand why His answer to something we want is no. But we can look at the cross and know that God has demonstrated His love for us. Jesus said in John 10:10 that the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but He came so that we might have life to the full.

The enemy wants us to believe that following God means missing out on life.
Jesus tells us that true life is found in Him. When you're tempted to question God's goodness, don't just look at what you don't have. Look at what He has already given.

Look at the garden. Look at His faithfulness. And most importantly, look at the cross.

Because the cross reminds us that God's love isn't something we have to guess about.
He has already demonstrated it.

1. How does the sacrifice of Jesus challenge the lie that God is holding out on you?
2. What is one area of your life where you need to choose to trust God's goodness today?

Spend a few minutes reflecting on Romans 8:32. Write down one situation where you've been struggling to trust God, then pray specifically about surrendering that situation to Him.

Father, thank You for demonstrating Your love through Jesus. When circumstances cause me to question Your goodness, remind me of the cross. Help me trust Your heart even when I don't understand Your plan. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:6–13; James 1:14–16
Theme: Temptation shows us what sin promises, but rarely what it will cost.

Have you ever made a decision that seemed like a great idea at the time, only to regret it later?

Maybe it was something you said in frustration. Maybe it was a purchase you couldn't afford. Maybe it was a decision you knew wasn't wise, but it seemed harmless in the moment.

That's part of what makes temptation so effective. It rarely shows us the consequences up front. In Genesis 3:6, Eve looked at the forbidden fruit and saw that it was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom. Everything about it seemed appealing. But what Eve could see was only part of the story. She saw the fruit. God knew where disobedience would lead. The very next verses describe shame, fear, hiding, and broken relationships. The promise of something better led to something far worse.

James 1 explains that temptation often begins when we're drawn away by our own desires. Those desires can eventually lead to sin, and sin brings destruction.
The enemy wants us focused on what temptation offers right now.
God wants us to understand where it leads.

That doesn't mean every enjoyable thing is sinful. God created many good things for us to enjoy. But something isn't good simply because it feels good. And something isn't right simply because it looks appealing. Sin shows you the invitation, but it hides the consequences. That's why we need more than our feelings to guide our decisions.
We need God's Word. We need wisdom. And we need people in our lives who will help us recognize the truth when our desires begin clouding our judgment.

1. Is there a temptation in your life that you've been minimizing because it seems harmless?
2. What consequences might you be overlooking by focusing only on what that temptation promises?

 Before making an important decision today, ask yourself: "Am I choosing this because it's right or simply because it's what I want?"

Lord, give me wisdom to recognize temptation for what it is. Help me look beyond what seems appealing in the moment and consider where my decisions will lead. Strengthen me to choose what honors You. Amen.

Scripture: Psalm 84:11; Proverbs 3:5–6
Theme: God's boundaries aren't designed to steal our freedom but to guide us toward what is good.

Imagine driving along a winding mountain road.

As you approach a sharp curve, you notice a guardrail separating the road from a steep drop.

Would you consider that guardrail unfair?

Would you complain that someone was limiting your freedom to drive wherever you wanted?

Probably not.

You recognize that the guardrail is there for your protection.

But sometimes we look at God's instructions very differently.

We see His boundaries as restrictions keeping us from something enjoyable. We begin wondering why God would tell us no when something seems so appealing.
That's exactly what the serpent wanted Eve to believe. He suggested that God was withholding something valuable from her. He made God's instruction seem less like wisdom and more like selfishness. But God wasn't trying to deprive Adam and Eve of something they needed. He knew the consequences of disobedience. And God still knows what we cannot see. His instructions about relationships, integrity, forgiveness, sexuality, generosity, and obedience aren't arbitrary rules designed to make life difficult.

They reflect His wisdom and His desire for us to live according to His good purposes.
Psalm 84:11 reminds us that God does not withhold what is truly good from those who walk with Him. That doesn't mean He promises to give us everything we want. Sometimes the very thing we want would lead us away from what is best. God's boundaries are not evidence that He is holding out on us. They are an invitation to trust His wisdom.
The question is whether we will trust Him enough to follow, even when we don't understand.

1. Have you ever viewed one of God's instructions as an unnecessary restriction?
2. How might your perspective change if you viewed that boundary as an expression of God's wisdom and care?

Think about a boundary God has established in Scripture. Instead of focusing on what it prohibits, consider what it protects or promotes.

Father, thank You for loving me enough to guide me. Help me see Your instructions through the lens of Your goodness rather than my own desires. Give me the courage to trust You, even when I don't understand. Amen.

Scripture: Genesis 3:1–5
Theme: The enemy often begins by getting us to question what God has said.
One of the most dangerous things about deception is that it doesn't always begin with an obvious lie.
Sometimes it begins with a question.
In Genesis 3, the serpent approaches Eve with a seemingly innocent question: "Did God really say...?"
But this wasn't an honest attempt to understand God's instructions. The serpent was twisting God's words to create doubt.
God had clearly told Adam and Eve they could eat from the trees in the garden, except for one. The serpent made it sound as though God was restricting everything.
And once he introduced doubt about God's words, he began attacking God's character.
The same thing happens today.
We read something in Scripture that challenges the way we want to live, and suddenly questions begin forming.
Does God really care about that?
Is that command still relevant?
Is that actually wrong?
Wouldn't God want me to be happy?
Questions aren't necessarily bad. Asking questions can help us grow in our faith and understand Scripture more deeply.
But there's a difference between asking questions because we want to understand God's truth and questioning God's truth because we want permission to ignore it.
The enemy wants us to believe that God's Word is unreliable or that His instructions are unreasonable.
But God's Word isn't meant to rob us of life. It teaches us how to live in relationship with the One who created us.
Proverbs 3:5 reminds us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts rather than relying entirely on our own understanding.
We won't always understand everything God asks of us.
But we can learn to trust the One who is asking.

1. Is there an area of your life where you've been questioning something God has clearly said?
2. Are your questions leading you toward a better understanding of God's Word or away from obedience?

 Identify one area where your desires conflict with what Scripture teaches. Spend time reading what God's Word says about it and ask Him for the faith to trust His wisdom

God, help me recognize when my own desires are influencing how I understand Your Word. Give me a heart that seeks truth, even when the truth challenges me. Teach me to trust what You have said. Amen.

Theme: Don't become so focused on what you don't have that you forget what God has already given you.

Have you ever noticed how one thing can change your perspective on everything?
You might be having a great day until one frustrating conversation ruins your mood. You might be perfectly content with what you have until you see something someone else owns. Suddenly, what was enough yesterday doesn't seem like enough today.
That's exactly where the enemy began in the Garden of Eden.
Before God ever told Adam and Eve what they couldn't have, He showed them everything they could enjoy. God placed them in a beautiful garden filled with provision, purpose, and freedom. In Genesis 2:16, God told Adam, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden."
God began with generosity.

But when the serpent entered the picture, he shifted Eve's attention away from everything God had provided and toward the one thing God had forbidden.
The garden hadn't changed. God's goodness hadn't changed. Only the focus had changed.
And sometimes we do the same thing.

We become so consumed with the opportunity we didn't get, the prayer that hasn't been answered, or the thing someone else has that we overlook the countless ways God has already been faithful.

Don't let one tree make you forget the whole garden.
Gratitude helps us recognize what deception wants us to overlook. When we intentionally remember God's goodness, we begin seeing our circumstances differently.

Reflection Questions:
1. What is one thing you've been focusing on that you don't have?
2. What are three ways God has already provided for you that you may have overlooked?
Today's Challenge: Write down five things you're thankful for. Be specific. Take a moment to thank God for each one.

 Father, forgive me for the times I've focused more on what I lack than on what You've provided. Open my eyes to Your goodness and help me live with a grateful heart. Amen.

I have a great group of people who I love, great church family and friends, but if I could choose my most favorite day, it would be sitting at my house with my family of 5. Sitting on the couch, watching a baking competition, listening to the kids comment on food, the stories or comments of life in the middle of the living room.. These are the people I would choose over and over again. These are the people I love and would choose without hesitation over and over.

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve[a] that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark 3: 13-15)

In the verses that immediately precede this section of Scripture, we see that the crowds swelled to large numbers. They all wanted  to be near Jesus. They wanted to hear him talk; they wanted to get close to him. But these verses say Jesus “called to him those he wanted.” He called his Disciples. Jesus was establishing an apprenticeship based on relationship. Equally important to note is that he didn’t give in to the attention and the clamoring of the crowd; instead he started with and focused on the few.
Verse 14 says the first reason why Jesus selected the Twelve, was so that “they might be with him.” Jesus was prioritizing relationship. This was truly an apprenticeship that prioritized spending time together, in which the Twelve could observe, learn, and do what Jesus was doing. Apprenticeship is true to the intent and expression of how Jesus did discipleship. Much of our discipleship efforts today focus on content and curriculum, but Jesus prioritized the relationship.

The goal of the apprenticeship was that “he might send them out” and they would do with others what he had done with them. Jesus wanted his apprentices to get to the place where they could do what he was doing. Once they could “preach and … have authority to drive out demons,” the apprenticeship was complete.
As always, our relationships and life should mimic Christs. You don’t want the people you are doing life with to never leave, life is full of seasons. The goal is that we should have someone who is a wiser Christian able to disciple us, and that we can have a baby Christian under us. We are all called to go out and make disciples.  Pray about who God might have for you to disciple? Who might God have for you to be discipled by?
To move forward, sometimes we have to get help.

Father, bring someone to our mind that you would have us do life with. God we ask that someone also have our name brought to their hearts. Help us to be intentional about creating relationships and multiplying your kingdom. Help us to not focus on large numbers, but one relationship at a time, in the model you have created for us.  

Our boys are always extremely busy, their individual interests are different, but both of them require lack of sleep. Their early mornings for their extracurriculars often alternate from each other, but someone in our house is always having to get up by 5 to be on time. Jonathan has said a multitude of times in the first 6 weeks of school, that being good takes time, but being great takes sacrifice. 

In Luke 9:23, Jesus gave a pretty good summary statement about the meaning of discipleship. 

"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me .”

He noted that being His disciple meant dying to our desires and sacrificing everything to follow Him. In other words, He is the focus of discipleship in the Bible—and in our lives and doing it correctly requires sacrifice. This means turning away from self-reliance, personal ambition, and sin. Instead of letting worldly success or failures define your worth, you define your identity through Christ. 

This means setting up spiritual disciplines in our lives. Daily bible study, sitting with Christ daily, prayers, and redefining our lives by Kingdom mindedness. My success doesn’t come from work, my marriage, or even how successful my children are, my true success. The only one that actually matters, is how well I followed Christ, daily taking up my cross in every day tasks.

Moving forward sometimes requires restoring spiritual discipline.

Father, you alone know what each of us individually need to restore in our lives, and you alone are able to restore these disciplines. We ask that you open our eyes, and help us to create these disciplines, setting our eyes back on you, so that we can complete the task of going out to create more disciples.

When our boys were young, we would have to plan an extra 30 minutes to every trip, because they would reach a point where they would say “No, no, I can do it. Let me do it.” We could have done the same task quicker, but we only were able to do this faster from our own parents allowing us to go through our own “Let me” phase. From us watching our parents do the task, to us wanting to learn the task, to us showing our children how to do that same task. 

Being a disciple in its most basic form is someone who believes in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, intentionally learns from Him, and strives to live more like Him. It is following in the example of Christ, and mimicking your daily life and decisions after His. Discipleship is a widely-used word to describe a journey of spiritual growth. However, this growth happens as a person comes alongside another to witness to them, pray with them, study the Bible with them, and fellowship with them. 

The first time we see Disciples in the bible is in the new testament. We see this relationship with Jesus and the 12 who do daily life with him. This group had a diverse background, but for all intents and purposes, they were NOT qualified to hang out daily with the Savior of the world, but Jesus still told them to “Come Follow Me.” 

We see this group learning and growing daily with Jesus. They were not perfect by any means, but this unqualified group took the gospel of Jesus to the ends of the world. This was not a pleasant task, they were mocked, beaten, and killed for what they believed in.  They did this task because of the time they spent with Jesus, because of the miracles they witnessed and because they knew that the Savior of the world tasked them to go and make disciples.

After His resurrection, Jesus gathered His followers and gave them some final instructions. The primary charge He offered was for them to make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’”
Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV).

This involved both becoming stronger disciples themselves and sharing Him with others so they would become disciples too. But the Greek wording is clear that discipleship is a command that Jesus expected His people to follow and obey.
Jesus told us to go and make disciples as he knew that was how the Good News would be spread to all the nations. And discipleship is how it would be shared from one person to another through relationships. 

Sometimes moving forward requires us to slow down to bring others with us.

God,
 help us to remember that the charge for your 11 remaining disciples does not just end with them, this charge is for all of us. Help to open our eyes to those that you have put in our path daily, that we can take the gospel. Help our daily tasks disrupt us from your divine meetings.

As we start thinking about biblical discipleship, we need to know what it means to be a disciple. Simply put, a disciple is a student or follower of someone else. This past week, our oldest son has had an extremely busy week. He has been up early, stayed out later, but has also made sure to include time to get himself to the gym. When he came in sweaty and tired, I complimented his commitment to working out, even while I knew he was exhausted from school and his extracurriculars.  He told me, very nonshalantly, “The goal is to be just like dad.”

As disciples of Jesus, we allow Him to be our Teacher, our Mentor. We take His teachings seriously and try to build our lives on His principles.
But before we can embrace the definition of discipleship in the Bible, we have to take the first step—accepting God’s offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. We can’t make disciples until we become disciples. And no one becomes a disciple without first surrendering their lives to Jesus.

So, before you dig into the meaning of discipleship, examine your personal relationship with Jesus. Acknowledge that you have sinned (disobeyed God) and that you cannot save yourself from that sin. Embrace Jesus’s death as the substitute for the punishment for your sin and accept that gift by confessing Him as your Lord and Savior.
If you’ve already made that decision in your life, that’s great. You’re ready to move forward as a disciple of Jesus. If not, talk more about that decision and what it means with a close friend or pastor. Becoming a Christ follower is the first step in becoming His disciple.

'But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.   '

Romans 5:8 NIV

'If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. '

Romans 10:9 NIV

"Father, I come to You knowing that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for my sins, and that You raised Him from the dead. Right now, I turn from my sins and open my heart for the gift of Jesus. Thank You for forgiving me and giving me eternal life. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Theme: God promises to meet our needs, not every desire we may have. Seasons of insufficiency can be difficult, but they can also become some of the most meaningful seasons of learning, growth, and deeper trust in Him.
By the end of 2 Kings 4:1–7, the widow’s situation has changed completely. She began with debt, fear, and only a small jar of oil. But after she obeyed the word given through Elisha, God provided enough oil to fill every jar she had gathered. Then Elisha told her, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” God met the immediate need, but He also provided a way forward.
That is important for us to see. God did not give the widow everything she may have wanted, but He gave her exactly what she needed. He paid the debt that threatened her family, preserved her sons from slavery, and gave them enough to live on. In a season that looked like lack, God revealed Himself as faithful, present, and able to provide.
Seasons of insufficiency can expose where our trust really rests. They can reveal whether we are depending on what we can see, control, or calculate. But they can also become holy places of learning, where God teaches us to rely on Him more deeply. When we bring Him what we have, obey what He says, and trust His timing, even a season of lack can become a testimony of His care.

Lord, help me trust You in seasons when I feel like I do not have enough. Teach me to bring You what I have, obey what You say, and believe that You know exactly what I need. When lack exposes fear, doubt, or uncertainty in me, use it to deepen my faith and remind me of Your faithfulness. Thank You for being present, providing a way forward, and caring for me in ways I may not always see right away. In Jesus’ name, amen.

As this week ends, take a moment to look back over the journey of the widow in 2 Kings 4:1–7. Her story reminds us that God meets us in uncomfortable places, uses what we already have, works through community, invites us to make room for His provision, and teaches us to trust Him in seasons of insufficiency. The uncomfortable place is not the end of the story; it can become the place where faith grows and God’s provision is revealed.

Theme: Making room for God often requires faith that stretches beyond what feels safe. When we are willing to ask, prepare, and believe for more than “just enough,” we create space to witness the fullness of His provision.
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.”
When the woman in 2 Kings 4 came to Elisha, she was asking for help with a debt that threatened to take her two sons away. Her request was urgent, personal, and painful. But God had more in mind than simply meeting the immediate need. Through Elisha, He instructed her to gather empty jars—not just a few, but as many as she could. Every empty jar became space for God to fill.
That detail matters. The amount of oil did not stop because God ran out of power; it stopped when there were no more jars to fill. The miracle was connected to the room she made through obedience and expectation. God not only covered the debt but also provided enough for her and her sons to live on afterward.
So often, our prayers ask God for “just enough” to survive the moment. But God invites us to trust Him according to His abundance, not our limitations. Philippians 4:19 reminds us that God is able to “meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Making room for God means surrendering small expectations, preparing our hearts in faith, and believing that His provision can reach beyond what we can imagine.

Lord, help me make room for what You want to do in my life. Forgive me for the times I have limited my prayers to what feels safe or manageable. Teach me to trust Your abundance, obey Your instructions, and prepare my heart with expectation. Give me faith to believe that You are not only able to meet my immediate needs, but also to provide in ways that reveal Your goodness and glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Theme: Moving outside our comfort zone often means trusting God enough to reach beyond ourselves and receive the support He provides through the family of God.

3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.”

In the passage we are studying this week, Elisha instructs the woman to go to her neighbors and ask for empty jars. Then he adds, “Don’t ask for just a few.” For many of us, asking for help can feel deeply uncomfortable. Our first instinct is often to fix life’s problems ourselves. But what happens when we cannot fix them on our own?
God is clearly the provider of the miracle in this woman’s situation, but He also works through her neighbors. Asking them for help may have felt uncomfortable, but Elisha was not asking them to solve her problem. He was inviting her to make her need known to the people around her. As they brought jars, they became part of the story. Then, when God provided the miracle, the woman and her sons were not the only ones who could see His hand at work.

So often, we keep our problems to ourselves, hoping we can quietly find a solution. Letting others know what we are facing can feel vulnerable and uncomfortable. Yet 1 Corinthians 12 describes believers as the body of Christ, where every part matters and every part is needed. Galatians 6:2 also reminds us, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” God remains the provider, but when we share our lives with one another, others get to witness His work in our lives—and sometimes become part of His provision.

Lord, help me trust You enough to move beyond my comfort zone. When I am tempted to hide my needs or carry my burdens alone, remind me that You often work through the people You have placed around me. Give me humility to ask for help, wisdom to receive support, and faith to believe that You can use my vulnerability to reveal Your goodness. Let others see Your hand at work in my life and help me be willing to help carry the burdens of others as well. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Theme: When life gets uncomfortable, we often assume that what we have is not enough. But God’s Word reminds us that “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life...” (2 Peter 1:3).
In 2 Kings 4, Elisha asks the widow what she has in her house. Her response is honest and revealing: “nothing at all...except a small jar of olive oil.” From her perspective, what she had seemed like nothing. But anything placed in God’s hands is never insignificant. God took what she dismissed as too small and used it to provide more than enough to meet her need.
        Sometimes we are just like the woman in this story. We become uncomfortable with what we already have because it does not seem like enough. We may minimize our gifts, overlook our resources, or believe our current capacity is too small to matter. But God wants us to become comfortable with what He has already placed in our hands. In His hands, who we are and what we have can become more than enough.

Lord, help me recognize and trust what You have already given me. When I am tempted to believe that my gifts, resources, or capacity are too small, remind me that nothing is insignificant in Your hands. Teach me to stop dismissing what You have provided and to offer it back to You in faith. Use what I have for Your purpose, and help me believe that with You, it is enough. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Theme: Trusting God can feel uncomfortable, especially when He asks us to step beyond what feels familiar or secure. Yet when we learn to meet that discomfort with faith, we open the door to deeper trust and greater dependence on what God wants to do in every situation.
In 2 Kings 4:1–7, we meet a woman whose life has become deeply uncomfortable. She is a widow with two sons, no visible means of support, and a debt hanging over her family. In that day, there were no charitable organizations to offer assistance, and the lawful way to settle the debt was for her sons to be taken as slaves. It was an uncomfortable situation, to say the least.
So, what do you do when life gets uncomfortable? This woman made the right move first: she cried out to the prophet Elisha. In reality, she was crying out to God. Elisha was God’s representative, and she turned to the one man she believed could help. Today, the Bible tells us that Jesus is our representative before God: “Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Not only does Jesus intercede for us, but He has also given us the Holy Spirit, who lives in every believer and intercedes on our behalf according to God’s will (Romans 8:27).
When life gets uncomfortable, where do you turn first? Many of us look everywhere else before we look to God. He often becomes our last resort instead of our first response. This week, let’s begin taking intentional steps to make God our first priority—not only when life becomes difficult, but before the discomfort ever comes.

 1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” 2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.” 3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.” 5 She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
 2 Kings 4:1–7 (NIV)

Lord, when life becomes uncomfortable, teach me to turn to You first. Help me remember that You see my situation, You hear my cry, and You are able to provide what I need. Strengthen my faith to trust You before I understand the answer and guide me to depend on You as my first response rather than my last resort. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Today we are seeing the Israelites enter into the promised land. To do this, they will have to cross the Jordan. But we see in Joshua 3:15 that this was not going to be an easy task. The waters were at flood stage. This was not anything that the Israelites could accomplish on their own, but God is once again showing who he is and who he is with. 

God uses these impossible tasks to show His power, but sometimes even the miracles require us to get our feet wet. This water would not be a peaceful stream; it would be powerful and scary, and God tells them to wade into it. Think about the faith required to trust that God can see you through the high waters. Can you imagine leading the way? Getting one foot in and wondering why the water had not split yet, but continuing to move forward?

Where is God calling you to get your feet wet today? It’s scary, it’s different than he has led you through in the past, but sometimes, moving forward requires us to get our feet wet.

God, give us big faith, that even when the instructions require us to get messy, we can trust that you are going with us as we move forward. Help us to not question as we follow you, but that we can always look backwards and see that each step forward, not only reminded us who you were, but reminded others that you were always with us.

When we talk about moving forward, the first thing that comes to mind is not being still; however, the truth is the majority of our lives we spend waiting. Waiting for our weekend, waiting for an easier season of life, for the promotion at work, or for the spouse and kids that we have prayed for, for so long. 

However, as the Egyptian Army approaches, the Israelites begin to get worried, but Moses reminds them that they don’t need to do anything, that God will do it all.

We then are given a front-row view of God’s incredible rescue of his people, but what is so interesting is that this rescue could have come faster. God could have instructed Moses to raise his staff sooner; they didn’t have to set up camp, but God was still working. Not just the rescue of his people, but showing the Egyptians who God is.  

Sometimes moving forward means we have to trust God enough to be still. We have to allow Him to fight for you in rooms you are in and rooms you're not. Trust Him when the battle is on the horizon. When the instruction is to wait. Sometimes, we are where we are so that God can show who He is to those around us. Sometimes it is to protect us from ourselves or a situation that we are not quite ready yet.

When we were moving to town, there was a home that our family really loved. We had seen the home once before and had a second walk-through scheduled for that Saturday evening. When we got a call that the home had a contract on it. We were so sad that our plan was not God’s plan. That evening when I explained our dismay over the home not being ours, a prayer warrior at the church responded with “Praise God”. I was visibly surprised by the response, as she explained further, “You have no idea what God saved you from… what was wrong with that house.” I exclaimed “what is wrong with the house?” She laughed and said she didn’t know either, but that was the point. “Praise God”.

Sometimes, moving forward requires us to take a different approach and sit still so God can fight our battles.

Thank you God, for who you are and how you protect us, even when it appears to us that the battle is on the horizon. Fight for us Lord in the battles we are aware of and those that we have no idea that we are in. Thank you for reminding us of who you are. Help us to look for you throughout our day.

Teaching our eldest son to drive has been an experience. Beyond the gas/brake pedal, road rules, and parallel parking, there has been the experience of having him take us to normal destinations. This has led to our determination that he has no clue how he has arrived at these locations for 16 years. We then have made it our goal to teach him not only the normal path, but the back roads. These roads are completely foreign to him, but they lead to the same location. It just seems sometimes like you are lost.

God, though I would not choose this route, I trust that you are working all things for my good, and that one day, I will be able to see your goodness through this. I don’t trust my situation, I don’t trust the different route, but I trust you.

Theme: Courage is the willingness to serve faithfully in the background so God’s purpose can move forward.
1 Kings 19:21... Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.
When asked what the most difficult instrument in the orchestra is, Leonard Bernstein reportedly answered, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem; and if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.” His point was simple: not everyone can be first, but everyone matters to the music.
That picture helps us understand Elisha’s first step into God’s call. He was not asked to take the stage immediately. He was asked to follow Elijah and become his servant. After the dramatic moment in the field, after the cloak on his shoulders, after the oxen and plowing equipment were gone, Elisha entered a season of serving someone else. He did not immediately become the prophet everyone looked to. He began by walking behind Elijah, learning from him, helping him, and staying close.
That may not sound exciting, but it is often how God prepares a person for greater responsibility. Elisha had the courage to play second fiddle with enthusiasm. He accepted a place where someone else was more visible, someone else received the attention, and someone else carried the title. Instead of demanding recognition, Elisha chose faithfulness. He served in the background because he trusted that God knew the right time and the right way to use him.
We often want purpose to feel important right away. We want the first chair, the visible assignment, the platform, the affirmation, or the clear result. But following God sometimes means serving without applause, helping without being noticed, and learning before leading. Being second does not mean being forgotten. It means trusting that hidden obedience still contributes to the harmony God is creating.
Where is God asking you to serve faithfully without needing to be first? Who has He placed in your life for you to learn from, support, or encourage? Courage may look like stepping forward, but sometimes it looks like willingly taking the second place so that God’s work can continue through someone else. Elisha’s story reminds us that humble service is not a delay in God’s plan; it is often part of the preparation.

Lord, give me the courage to serve faithfully even when I am not seen or celebrated. Teach me to value obedience more than recognition and humility more than being first. Help me learn well, support others gladly, and trust that You are preparing me in every hidden place. Use my service to move Your purpose forward. Amen.

Theme: Courage is the willingness to step out of our comfort zone when obedience to God requires it.
1 Kings 19:21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate ... 
After Elisha runs after Elijah, he does something surprising. He goes back to the field, slaughters the oxen, burns the plowing equipment, cooks the meat, and feeds the people. At first, it may seem like an unusual way to say goodbye. But Elisha is doing more than ending a workday. He is making a clear break with the life he knew.
The oxen and plowing equipment represented security, routine, and familiarity. They represented what Elisha understood. He knew the rhythm of the field. He knew the work in front of him. He knew the people around him. But when God called, Elisha could not keep one hand on the plow and one hand on the prophet’s mantle. Following God meant stepping away from comfort and into uncertainty.
That kind of obedience is uncomfortable. It asks us to release what is familiar so we can receive what God is doing next. Sometimes God calls us to uncomfortable conversations, unfamiliar places, new responsibilities, or deeper trust. We may not know every step ahead, but courage says yes before comfort gives us permission. Elisha’s burned plow reminds us that there are moments when following God means we stop preserving a backup plan and start trusting Him with the future.
Where might God be asking you to step beyond what feels safe or predictable? What comfort might you be holding too tightly? The goal is not discomfort for its own sake. The goal is obedience. When God leads us beyond comfort, He does not abandon us there. He meets us, strengthens us, and teaches us that His presence is better than the ease we were afraid to leave behind.

Lord, give me the courage to follow You beyond what feels familiar and safe. Help me release anything I am holding too tightly when it keeps me from obeying You. Teach me to trust Your presence more than my comfort and to believe that where You lead, You will also provide. Amen.

Theme: Following Jesus does not mean loving family and friends less; it means having the courage to make our commitment to Him clear.
1 Kings 19:20 ... “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”
As Elisha prepares to follow Elijah, he makes one request of the older prophet: “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” Elijah’s response seems harsh at first glance: “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” But if we look carefully, Elijah is pressing Elisha to consider the weight of the call: Do you really understand what you are being asked to do?
That is a question every follower of Jesus must be able to answer. Do we really understand what it means to follow Him? In Luke 14:26, Jesus tells would-be followers a hard thing: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.” Does following Jesus mean we are supposed to hate our families, cut all ties, or stop loving the people closest to us? Thankfully, no. Jesus uses strong language to make a serious point: our first allegiance belongs to Him, no matter what it may cost. Even if it costs us comfort, approval, relationships, or our own plans, Jesus must have first place. That takes courage.
When we look again at Elisha, we see that he understands the call. He does not need to go home and say, “Mom, Dad, I hate you. I’m leaving.” Instead, he needs to make his priorities clear. He returns to his family and community not to negotiate God’s call, but to say goodbye and show that his life now belongs to God’s purpose. He still loves his family, but he cannot let even good relationships keep him from obedience.
That is where boundaries often become necessary. Boundaries are not a lack of love; they are a way of making love obedient to God. Sometimes following Jesus means saying no to expectations that pull us away from Him. Sometimes it means disappointing people we care about because we cannot make their approval our highest goal. Sometimes it means drawing a clear line and saying, “I love you, but I belong to Christ first.”
This kind of courage is not loud or arrogant. It does not use faith as an excuse to be harsh. It simply refuses to let any earthly relationship take the place that belongs to Jesus alone. Elisha’s goodbye reminds us that following God does not erase our love for others, but it does reorder our loves. When Christ is first, every other relationship finds its proper place beneath Him.

Lord, give me the courage to put You first in every relationship. Help me love my family and friends well without letting their approval become greater than my obedience to You. Teach me to set boundaries with humility, clarity, and grace. Reorder my loves so that everything in my life finds its proper place under Your leadership.

Theme: Courage is not always knowing the outcome; it is the willingness to pursue God anyway.
1 Kings 19:20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah.
When we first read about Elisha’s call to become the next prophet, we encounter a strange ritual performed by his soon-to-be mentor, Elijah. Elijah takes his mantle, or cloak, throws it over Elisha’s shoulders, and walks away. Elisha is one of twelve men plowing a field, yet he clearly understands what the gesture means. He leaves his oxen and runs after Elijah.
What did the cloak mean? A cloak was an outer garment that protected a person from the weather. It provided warmth in the winter and shade from the heat in the summer, but it could also identify a person’s position. A wealthy landowner might wear one kind of cloak, while a servant wore another. Elijah’s cloak was likely a rough animal hide made from camel or goat skin. We do not know for sure, but we do know it symbolized who he was. In 2 Kings 1:7–8, Elijah is identified by the description of his clothing.
This is the cloak Elijah places on Elisha’s shoulders. Then Elijah walks away. He does not beg, plead, explain the act, or ask whether Elisha is interested. He simply walks away. Yet Elisha stops plowing and runs after him. Why? Because Elijah is the prophet of God, the spokesman for the nation of Israel. For reasons Elisha may not fully understand, God has chosen him to be identified with Elijah. Did Elisha know everything that choice would require? Did he know what his daily routine would look like for the next several years? No. But when God chose him, Elisha did not miss the opportunity. He did not look around at the other men or say, “Wait, hold my oxen.” He ran after Elijah. And to run after Elijah was to run after the God Elijah represented. That is what Elisha wanted. As we continue to study Elisha’s life, we will see the amazing things God does through him. It all begins with a courageous pursuit.
God has done something similar for each of us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to live, die, and rise again so He could offer us abundant life. In a way that echoes Elijah’s call to Elisha, Jesus comes to each of us, taps us on the shoulder, and says, “Follow Me.” We do not always know what that will look like. We do not always know where He will lead us next. We do not always understand what He allows us to walk through. Following Him takes courage. But the promise is that He is always with us, He loves us more than we can imagine, and He wants to do amazing things through us. That is worth pursuing.

Lord, give me the courage to pursue You even when I do not know exactly where You are leading. Help me respond quickly when You call, trust You in the unknown, and follow You with a willing heart. Remind me that You are always with me, that Your love is steady, and that following You is always worth it

Theme: Courage is not only heard in what we say; it is seen in the life we live.
As we begin this week’s focus on courage, 1 Kings 19:14–21 introduces Elisha, the man God appoints to succeed Elijah as Israel’s next spiritual leader. God tells Elijah to appoint Elisha as prophet, and prophets spoke God’s message to the people. We often think of prophets as people who predicted the future. While they sometimes did foretell judgment, restoration, and the coming Messiah, most of their work was to call people back to God and confront the injustices of their day.
The names Elijah and Elisha sound very similar in English, which makes them easy to confuse. But in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, each name carried a powerful and distinct message for the Israelites. In their day, a name mattered. Parents did not simply choose something that sounded nice; a name said something meaningful about the person, the family, or the times.
Elijah’s name means “my God is Yahweh,” pointing to the one true God. Elisha’s name means “my God is salvation,” pointing to what the one true God provides. Together, even their names preached a message: when you follow the one true God, you find salvation, because that is the kind of God He is.
As we look at Elisha’s life this week, we begin to see what it takes to be a prophet: courage. Courage to speak to the people around you. Sometimes that speech comes through words, but often it comes through the way you live. Your name may not carry a message from God, but your life speaks volumes to the people watching you. What does your life say to those around you? Does it say compromise? Does it say you have to go along to get along? Does it say, “I want to fit in, so I’ll live like everyone else”? How might God begin to use your life to speak to the people you know?

Prayer
Lord, give me the courage to let my life speak clearly for You. Help me follow You with visible obedience, steady faith, and conviction that does not bend simply to fit in. May the people around me see, not just hear, that You are the one true God and the source of salvation.

1 Kings 19:14–18 (NIV) 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. 18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”
1 Kings 19:19–21 (NIV) 19 So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. 20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” “Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?” 21 So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.