Weekly Encouragement from Sunday's Sermon
Here's a 5-day Bible reading plan and devotional guide based on Sunday's Sermon.
5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide
Based on the Series: "Ouch! How to Survive the Things That Hurt Us" -- Fear and Faith
Day 1: When Fear Feels Bigger Than Faith
Reading: Numbers 13:25-33
Devotional:
Ten spies looked at the same land as Joshua and Caleb and came back defeated before the battle even began. The land was real. The fruit was real. The giants were real. But so was God. Fear has a way of making our obstacles appear larger than our God. When the ten spies said "we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes," they revealed the true danger of fear -- it distorts identity before it distorts circumstance. You are not a grasshopper. You are a child of the living God. What giant in your life have you been measuring yourself against instead of measuring against God's power?
Day 2: The Courage to Believe What God Has Already Said
Reading: Deuteronomy 1:19-33
Devotional:
God had already told Israel the land was theirs. The promise was spoken before the spies were ever sent. Yet doubt crept in, and what God had declared became something they felt they needed to verify. We do the same thing. We read his promises and then quietly wonder if they apply to us personally. The sermon reminds us that Satan does not mind if we believe God is good -- he simply does not want us to believe God is personal. Today, choose one promise from Scripture and receive it not as a general statement, but as a word spoken directly to you.
Day 3: Feeding Faith in the Presence of Fear
Reading: Isaiah 40:28-31
Devotional:
Isaiah reminds us that God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. This is not a promise reserved for the spiritually strong or the emotionally stable. It is a promise aimed precisely at those who feel they have nothing left. Fear drains us. It exhausts the mind, the body, and the spirit. But God's supply does not depend on our capacity. He is not waiting for you to feel strong before he moves. He is waiting for you to stop relying on your own strength so his can take over. Where are you trying to carry something today that was never meant for you to carry alone?
Day 4: Do Not Stop at the Border
Reading: Joshua 1:1-9
Devotional:
Joshua, whose very name means "God is salvation," was commanded three times in this passage not to be afraid. God did not say this because fear was absent. He said it because the temptation to stop at the border was very real. Every promise God has spoken over your life has a border -- a moment where moving forward requires trusting what you cannot yet see. The sermon warns us plainly: do not let the giants determine your future. The allotments of land, the miracles at the Jordan River, the walls of Jericho -- none of it would have happened if Israel had stopped short. What border are you standing at today?
Day 5: Trusting the One Who Holds the Storm
Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6 and Matthew 28:18-20
Devotional:
The sermon closes with a striking image from D-Day -- a storm that appeared to be a threat was actually the very thing that created an opening for victory. What looks like your worst circumstance may be exactly what God is using to position you for something greater. Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to trust him completely, to stop leaning on our own interpretation of events, and to submit our way to him so he can make the path straight. And Jesus himself declared in Matthew 28 that he is with us always. Not occasionally. Not when conditions improve. Always. The storm does not change that. Commit your way to him today and take the next step forward.
Based on the Series: "Ouch! How to Survive the Things That Hurt Us" -- Fear and Faith
Day 1: When Fear Feels Bigger Than Faith
Reading: Numbers 13:25-33
Devotional:
Ten spies looked at the same land as Joshua and Caleb and came back defeated before the battle even began. The land was real. The fruit was real. The giants were real. But so was God. Fear has a way of making our obstacles appear larger than our God. When the ten spies said "we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes," they revealed the true danger of fear -- it distorts identity before it distorts circumstance. You are not a grasshopper. You are a child of the living God. What giant in your life have you been measuring yourself against instead of measuring against God's power?
Day 2: The Courage to Believe What God Has Already Said
Reading: Deuteronomy 1:19-33
Devotional:
God had already told Israel the land was theirs. The promise was spoken before the spies were ever sent. Yet doubt crept in, and what God had declared became something they felt they needed to verify. We do the same thing. We read his promises and then quietly wonder if they apply to us personally. The sermon reminds us that Satan does not mind if we believe God is good -- he simply does not want us to believe God is personal. Today, choose one promise from Scripture and receive it not as a general statement, but as a word spoken directly to you.
Day 3: Feeding Faith in the Presence of Fear
Reading: Isaiah 40:28-31
Devotional:
Isaiah reminds us that God gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. This is not a promise reserved for the spiritually strong or the emotionally stable. It is a promise aimed precisely at those who feel they have nothing left. Fear drains us. It exhausts the mind, the body, and the spirit. But God's supply does not depend on our capacity. He is not waiting for you to feel strong before he moves. He is waiting for you to stop relying on your own strength so his can take over. Where are you trying to carry something today that was never meant for you to carry alone?
Day 4: Do Not Stop at the Border
Reading: Joshua 1:1-9
Devotional:
Joshua, whose very name means "God is salvation," was commanded three times in this passage not to be afraid. God did not say this because fear was absent. He said it because the temptation to stop at the border was very real. Every promise God has spoken over your life has a border -- a moment where moving forward requires trusting what you cannot yet see. The sermon warns us plainly: do not let the giants determine your future. The allotments of land, the miracles at the Jordan River, the walls of Jericho -- none of it would have happened if Israel had stopped short. What border are you standing at today?
Day 5: Trusting the One Who Holds the Storm
Reading: Proverbs 3:5-6 and Matthew 28:18-20
Devotional:
The sermon closes with a striking image from D-Day -- a storm that appeared to be a threat was actually the very thing that created an opening for victory. What looks like your worst circumstance may be exactly what God is using to position you for something greater. Proverbs 3:5-6 calls us to trust him completely, to stop leaning on our own interpretation of events, and to submit our way to him so he can make the path straight. And Jesus himself declared in Matthew 28 that he is with us always. Not occasionally. Not when conditions improve. Always. The storm does not change that. Commit your way to him today and take the next step forward.