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Written by Ray Pritchard, a contemporary pastor, author, and president of Keep Believing Ministries.

There are many days where I feel an overwhelming sense of discouragement, exhaustion, or frustration. It might be little things that bring about these feelings in me, or it might be major life events that have left me weary and hurting, but either way, I know I don’t have the strength on my own to make it through. It’s days like those where I find prayer comforting. When we feel those feelings creeping in, may we instead choose to kneel before our Father in heaven and ask him for the strength and courage we need to carry on.  We often don’t think about the connection to prayer and courage. But prayer is how we remind ourselves of what God has done in the past and who he is. He is infinitely good, wise, strong, loving, and perfect. And that infinite wisdom, goodness, love and perfection is what he uses to care for us every day. When we look back on our lives, we can see how all God has promised is true – he has never left us alone in our problems. He is always with us, always providing for our needs, always loving, carrying and strengthening us each day for the challenges ahead. When we take time to pray a prayer of gratitude for what God has done, it will encourage us to pray boldly, for the help we need in the present and future moments to come.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7]

Today’s prayer is written by David Mathis, a contemporary pastor and blogger.

Lord, thank you for your abundant, abounding grace. Thank you that we don’t have to earn a drop of the mighty river of grace that flows freely for us today. Thank you for the unexpected, unmerited favor you’ve showered on my life. Help me put myself in the path of your love and grace. Help me not neglect the disciplines I need to meet with you regularly and to drink from the water of life. Thank you for your rich love. Amen.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. [2 Corinthians 12:8-9]

Today’s devotion is based on Ephesians 4 and is from the Pray.com team.

Love isn’t just a feeling—it’s a choice to bear with one another’s imperfections. Paul paints a picture of a Christian community marked by humility, gentleness, and incredible patience. “Forbearing” means we carry each other’s weaknesses rather than exposing them. It’s choosing to see past the irritation to the image of God in that difficult person. This isn’t doormat Christianity but strength under control. When we’re humble enough to admit our own flaws, gentle enough to handle others’ hearts with care, and patient enough to let love do its slow work, we create space for transformation. This is how the body of Christ becomes beautiful.

With all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love.  [Ephesians 4:2]

Written by Jim Burns, a contemporary speaker and author.

I once heard it said, “I would rather attempt something great and fail than attempt nothing and succeed.” What dream is God placing in your heart? Don’t sit back and wait for someone else to make a difference when you can be that person. The world doesn’t need more armchair quarterbacks; the world needs people like you to get in the arena and give it everything you can! It was President Theodore Roosevelt who said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually try to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.” Our Lord plants a dream in everyone’s heart. Most often the dreams are mighty, life-changing dreams with long-term positive results. Take your dream  and make a difference in this world!

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. [Philippians 4:13]

Written by Dallas Willard(1935-2013), an American philosopher, speaker  and writer on spiritual formation. This is an excerpt from his book. This is an excerpt from his book “Life Without Lack.”

Faith—trust—is the key that unlocks our readiness to receive God’s sufficiency in our lives. Given how we commonly use these words today, it is helpful to replace all occurrences of faith in the Bible with trust…To have faith in God is simply to trust God, to rely upon him in the face of all fears. The best known definition in the Bible is this: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).  Substance means what stands under something (sub-stance or under-standing).  Faith is the substance of things hoped for in this way: when we have faith, we act in relationship with God to bring what we hope for into reality. Faith is also “the evidence of things not seen.” What are the things not seen? In the same passage a few lines later, we are told that “the worlds seen were not made of things which are visible. The phrase “things not seen” refers to the word, or the energy of God in action. When we have faith, that is sure evidence that the word of the unseen God is active in us. Faith is a gift; God creates it in our hearts.

For by grace you have been saved through faith [trust]. [Ephesians 2:8]

Written by Ken Boa, a contemporary author and founder of Reflections Ministry.

We often carry deep areas of brokenness within us—hidden motivations, unexamined pride, and secret sins beneath the surface. Like an iceberg, most of our internal life lies below the waterline. As we walk in the light of Christ, that hidden part begins to melt and rise to the surface. The Holy Spirit gently brings things to light—not all at once, or we would be overwhelmed, but little by little. God, as the perfect Teacher, gives us just enough light to grow. If we respond to the light we have, He gives more. If we resist, He waits and tests us until we learn the lesson… But the hope of the gospel is this: our struggle with the flesh will one day end. The day will come when we will be fully known and fully transformed. We will look upon God without fear or shame, and with joy. We will reflect His purity perfectly, face to face.

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. [Psalm 34:18]

Today’s prayer is from the Pray.com website.

Holy God, You are my shield and protector. My heart can trend towards restlessness and anxiety, but I have nothing to fear when You are near. Tonight, I pray that You would replace my worry with worship. I want to coast comfortably into Your quiet presence and recharge my soul. Joyfully, I will be confident in Your protection and provision. I refuse to let fear have a voice in my life. I will drown out the noise of doubt and worry with songs of praise. Receive them all tonight, Lord Jesus. Amen.

For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth.  [Psalm 47:2]

Today’s devotion is from the Transforming Mission website, launched by contemporary pastor Tim Bias and Sara Thomas, a regional missional specialist.

It’s easy to talk about love — loving neighbors, strangers, even enemies. But what about putting that love into action when someone has wounded you? Ruby Bridges, at just 6 years old, lived this out. Escorted by federal marshals through angry crowds on her way to school, she paused one morning to pray — for the very people yelling at her. When asked why, she said, “My mama taught me that when people speak mean of you, you pray for them just like Jesus prayed for the people who spoke mean of him. You see, when Jesus lives in your heart, you just can’t hate anybody.” Loving those who hurt us isn’t about excusing wrong. It’s about allowing God’s love to transform our hearts so bitterness doesn’t take root. It’s about reflecting Christ’s love even in the most difficult situations.

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. [Matthew 7:43-44]

Written by Kirstyn Mayden, a contemporary author, ministry coach, and speaker.

Finding joy each day is not an emotion, but a decision. When you wake up each day, you may be faced with many situations and circumstances that attempt to steal your joy. For instance, a misunderstanding, a rude driver, an aggressive co-worker, an unruly child, or an abrupt change of your plans. I often find myself letting a minor occurrence rub me so much the wrong way that I remain upset about it for the rest of the day.  Thankfully, God has shown me it’s not healthy and fruitful to allow my emotions to dictate my state of mind and outlook. He desires for me to seek the joy of the Lord. When your emotions consume you, you are allowing yourself to remain frustrated, exhausted, and generally not at peace. That’s why finding your joyful place is a daily commitment, where you make a conscious decision to let God be your peace and anchor every day.

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. [Psalm 16:11]

Written by Kyle Norman, a contemporary pastor, writer, speaker, and retreat leader.

Silence is a way to quiet the clamor of the frenetic world so that we can inwardly turn to that which is most important, most life giving. In silence, we meet the presence of the Lord who surrounds us each day, but for whom the frenzy of the world too often distracts us.  Cultivating this silent fellowship with the Lord is vitally important for a healthy spiritual life. Even Jesus himself cultivated this practice…Jesus was never driven by the list of tasks or demands before him; he followed not societal pressures of fame or prestige; Jesus walked with the heavenly Father, and he walked with the Spirit. And even though he was God incarnate, he still needed to step away from the noise of the world to listen to the voice of the Father, and to breathe in the Spirit deeply. Ultimately, silence is more an internal quality than an outward reality. It is defined by what we are invited into, what we receive from the Lord, not about what we abstain from. Turning off the television, putting down the phone, and sitting in the absence of noise isn’t enough. We must actively open ourselves to the presence of Jesus in our midst.  We seek him more than anything else. See, the purpose of silence is not to get anything out of the Lord; we seek not the answers to our questions, although that may come. We do not seek a particular mystical experience, although we may find ourselves enwrapped in one. The direction of our heart and our soul is simply to be with the one who is the lover of our soul, and our heart’s delight. Silence is about being with Jesus. 

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. [Luke 5:16]