Trying to control everything is exhausting…but why is it so tempting to control or manage life? 

Isaiah 26 says, “God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in Him.”

Peace doesn’t come from controlling more. It actually comes from giving that control back to God. That’s what trust is. Giving the right to control to God. 

So, the next time your mind starts racing, or your heart gets worried — Trust the One who is safe. The One who is reliable. The One who’s faithful. Gently bring your heart back to trusting God. Because on the other side of trusting Him, there’s peace. 

You can take this ONE step further and pray this with us…

Have you noticed how much time you spend trying to change certain unwanted behaviors? There’s probably something you’re trying to work on yourself right now. Maybe you’ve been working at starting or stopping something for a long time. Our strategies typically sound something like, “try harder, do better, just break the bad habits and start new ones.” 

God’s strategy, though, is not any of these things. It goes deeper. God says in Ezekiel 36 that He will “give His people a new heart and a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:26). Meaning, before any actions can change, your heart has to change. Before new habits start, your spirit needs to be made new. 

Thank goodness spiritual growth isn’t about self-improvement. It’s about letting God transform you starting with what’s most important. If you let Him, He will reshape what you love, what you want, and who you’re becoming. 

Here’s your one takeaway today: God works from the inside out. If you want to invite God into this deeper, heart-level change, we have a prayer for you:

Are you a fan of “new?” New things can be exciting and unsettling at the same time. Is there anything new in your life? New school, new job, new relationship, new responsibilities, new challenges? Everything new brings a certain… uncertainty. Sometimes the hardest thing about anything new is the fear of facing it alone.

In Exodus 33, God invited Moses to do something new and wildly outside of his comfort zone. Moses is unsure and anxious. He goes back and forth with God a couple times but each time, God assures Moses, “I will be with you.” (v.12) 

God may be sending you somewhere new but He’s not giving these instructions from a distance. He goes with you. 

So, if you’re stepping into something new today like a conversation or decision, God walks with you. Not standing behind you, pushing you forward or yelling from a distance. God goes with you. 

If you want to pray before stepping into something new, we have a guided prayer for you below:

You’re not crazy for being worried about tomorrow or the future. In Exodus 16, after God saved and delivered the people of Israel from Egypt, the Israelites became anxious. They’re free from slavery, but now what? They feel so unsure of the future. Big questions like: Is God going to keep us free? Will He provide? Even down to the question of “what are we going to eat tomorrow?” 

We read that God does keep them safe, He does provide, and He does so one day at a time. God gave them enough manna for each day. When they tried to gather more out of fear of running out the next day, it spoiled overnight.

God is teaching His people dependence. He wants us to depend on Him one day at a time instead of living in fear of tomorrow. And Jesus echoes this when He teaches us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread.”

Consider this one thought today: trusting God today might help you not worry about tomorrow. If you want to pray about this, we have a guided prayer for you at…

The people of Israel spent many years feeling lost in the wilderness, and when the time finally came to enter God’s promised land for them, Moses said, The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Thankfully, God goes before us. Your future isn’t empty or as uncertain as it may seem. God is there preparing the way. Whatever lies ahead of you this week, God isn’t surprised by it. We hope you’re comforted by today’s one thought: God is already ahead of you. 

If you want to trust God with what lies ahead, pray with us through the prayer below:

Faith isn’t easy. Sometimes the hardest part of this journey is waiting. Waiting for change. Waiting for answers. Waiting for God. 

But Scripture reminds us that God isn’t idle. “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” Romans 8:28. 

Even when His work is invisible, He is still active. God might be working things together that you can’t yet understand. Here’s today’s one thought: God is working even when you can’t see it. If you want to trust God with what you can’t quite see, pray with us through the prayer below:

Growth rarely feels comfortable. Growing pains are called growing pains for a reason! Either literally or figuratively, growth is stretching and sometimes slow or frustrating. When growth happens in a difficult season, you can wonder, “is anything good actually coming from this?” 

James, one of the authors in the Bible, tells us that followers of Jesus can have joy whenever you face trials because these tests can strengthen your faith and actually produce perseverance. God doesn’t waste a single moment in a difficult season. (James 1:2-4)

When we avoid difficult things in life, we might be avoiding something God is leading us towards. He uses these things to form you into who He’s calling you to become. When you go there with Him, be confident He’ll create in you resilience, character and faith. Take this one thought with you: God uses challenges to shape something good in you. 

If you’re feeling these growing pains with God, we’ve created a prayer for you below:

One day you can feel strong, hopeful, somewhat in control. Other days, everything seems fragile. Maybe for you it’s not that emotions change day to day… it’s hour by hour, or even minute to minute. Emotions rise and fall, sometimes without warning. Is God this unsteady? 

Psalm 112:7-8 says it’s possible to have hearts that are steadfast and secure. It reads, “They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear…”

A steadfast and secure heart comes from trusting the one who is safe, secure, and solid. Yes, our emotions shift, but God doesn’t. He’s reliable and steady, even when you feel anything but. 

So rest in this truth today, God remains steady even when you feel unsteady. If you need help grounding your heart today, we have a prayer waiting for you below:

There are times when life can seem incomplete. Like a chapter abruptly ending without resolution or a movie with a terrible cliff hanger. When life hits like that, you’re left wondering, “is this it?” “is this how the rest of my life is going to be?” 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “God has made everything beautiful in its time” and …”no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”

Beautiful in its time. Meaning not everything is going to be beautiful right now. But beautiful in its time. What might be complicated or unfinished will become complete and beautiful in God’s timing. 

God sees the whole story, not just the page you’re on. Instead of getting stuck on your current page, or current circumstances, take this one truth with you: God is not finished with you. He’s still writing your story. 

If you want help trusting God with your story, we have a prayer for you:

Sometimes questions feel off limits. Like “good Christians” shouldn’t have these kinds of questions or doubts. But here’s the truth: you’re not crazy for having questions.

You see this all over Scripture– people asking why, how long, where are you God, what are you doing, do you hear me? God never dismisses these questions. He leans in. 

Psalm 62:8 says, “Pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.” That means all of your “can I ask that?” questions, confusion, frustrations are welcome. Real faith has room for honest questions because these questions don’t weaken your faith…they deepen it. Your questions may not always be met with an answer, but Jesus will meet you there every time.

If you’re wrestling with something, will you pray this with us?

It’s easy to think God is disappointed with you. Especially when (not if) you’ve fallen short again, said you would change and haven’t, or feel stuck in old habits you can’t break. Shame might be what you’re feeling. Shame has a way of convincing you that God’s posture towards you is crossed arms and angry eyes. 

But Romans 8:1 says, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” No condemnation means no guilt. So please don’t think that God is standing over you shaking His head. He’s with you and offers You his grace. Grace means forgiveness of your shortcomings: past, present, and future. And speaking of future, grace means a future full of hope. Be reminded of this one truth today: God has grace for you.