First15 Devotional

In the middle of our week looking at how God is after our hearts, in today’s devotional we’re going to focus on what it means to live with an open heart. Every day, every moment is an opportunity to live with an open heart, or to live with walls up around our hearts. And God’s pursuit of us, his steadfast love, affords us a pathway to open ourselves with confidence and security. May he fills us wi...

  In our third devotional discovering the reality that God is after our hearts, today we’re going to look at how our hearts reveal our identity. May God call out from within us who he’s truly made us to be as we draw near to him in his presence.   Our Scripture for today comes from Isaiah 43:1 , and today's worship is Beloved by Jordan Feliz . --   Thank you for listening to today’s podcast.  ...

In our second devotional seeking to discover God’s pursuit of our hearts, today we’re going to spend time looking at our true purpose, why you and I were created. Every day, every moment, is an opportunity to choose the purpose for which we’re living. But only living in line with our true purpose has the power the produce an abundant life. May God reveal his purpose behind our creation today, and...

In today’s devotional we’re beginning a brand new series, focusing on the fact that God is first and foremost after our hearts. In a world that defines us by what we do, God looks at who we are. May we openly accept his gaze today, with faith in our hearts that he always looks at us with grace. And may his pursuit of our hearts stir up a pursuit within us of his heart, setting out every morning to...

As we wrap up our week looking at what it means to turn away from sin and toward God, today we’re going to look at the depth of God’s love and mercy. Few stories of sin and failure are more dramatic than David’s. Yet David also understood the cleansing power of the grace of God. I pray that you too will experience the depth of his love and grace today as we spend time in his presence.  Our Scriptu...

As we near the end of our week looking at the good news of grace, today we’re going to explore how repentance enables us to see ourselves as we really are. It’s often easy to downplay our own sins and shortcomings, yet when we see ourselves in light of God’s holiness, the true picture comes into view. Let’s ask God to reveal his holiness and truth today as we receive his grace through repentance....

  Saying “I’m sorry” isn’t very difficult, yet true repentance always costs us something. As we continue our week looking at what it means to turn from our wicked ways, today we’re going to look at the story of Zacchaeus and how he demonstrates the beauty found in a repentant heart. May God stir our hearts toward repentance today as we spend time in his presence. Our Scripture for today comes from...

One of the most famous stories in the Bible is Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. And though most of us have heard the story many times, I believe that God has new truths waiting for us each time we connect with him in Scripture. Allow God to speak to your heart and your mind today as we explore this incredible story together. Our Scripture for today comes from Luke 15:20 , and today's worshi...

Topics like sin or failure can often be associated with guilt or shame. None of us enjoy coming to terms with our mistakes. Yet the reality is that all of us have fallen short, and that even includes some of our greatest heroes of the faith. Today, let’s look at how God desires to restore and redeem every failure for his glory and our greatest good.   Our Scripture for today comes from John 21:15...

As we continue our week looking at the call in 2 Chronicles to turn from wicked ways, today we’re going to look at what we turn to. The reason that sin is so damaging is that it pulls us away from intimacy with our Father. Yet today, God is inviting us to turn back to him and receive his incredible grace and love. Our Scripture for today comes from Matthew 9:9 , and today's worship is Your Wil...

Over the last few weeks we’ve been exploring the necessary ingredients for experiencing the spiritual awakening we desperately need in our culture. When we look at Scripture, we see God call his people to “humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.” Today we’ll look at what it means to turn from wicked ways and how this directive from God is really good news for...

In this last devotional of our weeklong focus on seeking God’s face, we’re going to look at what it means to live righteously. The grace that God gives us not only brings forgiveness but also makes us completely clean. So as we respond to his invitation to receive his grace, may we experience the cleansing of his love and presence today. Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 11:7 , and today&#3...

God is a gentleman. He doesn’t barge into our lives uninvited but instead waits patiently for us to open up our hearts to him. As we begin to wrap up our week on seeking the face of God, today let’s explore how we can invite him into our lives and experience the intimate relationship we all long for.  Our Scripture for today comes from Revelation 3:20 , and today's worship is Know (Be Still) b...

In today’s devotional we’re going to look at what it means to call on God with humility. Each day contains an invitation to lean on his wisdom and love, but we can only experience it when we accept his invitation. May we gain a deeper connection with God today as we call on him in humility. Our Scripture for today comes from Jeremiah 33:3 , and today's worship is Lord You Have My Heart by Elle...

Many of us are familiar with calling God our father or savior, but we’re often less comfortable with calling him our king. This concept of king isn’t as common as it once was, but it’s important that we understand what it means when it comes to our relationship with God. So as we continue our week looking at what it means to seek God’s face, today we’re going to explore what it means to come befor...

Nothing is more life-giving than walking in the presence of God. Today we’ll be exploring how to walk with God, not simply in occasional moments but continually. God is with us everywhere we go, yet it’s so easy to forget about him in the busyness of our daily lives. May your heart be reconnected with him today as we spend time in his presence.   Our Scripture for today comes from Jeremiah 29:13 ,...

  As we continue our week looking at what it means to seek God’s face, today we’re going to explore how to have an unconditional relationship with him. It’s so easy to let God into some areas of our lives while keeping other areas separate. But God has given us all of himself and asks us to do the same in return. Let’s surrender to him today as we spend time in his presence.  Our Scripture for tod...

  This week we’ll be looking at the third necessary ingredient for experiencing a spiritual awakening: In 2 Chronicles 7:14, God calls his people to “humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways.” So today, let’s explore what it means to seek God’s face. What does this invitation mean for us in this time and place in history? Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm...

On the last day of our weeklong focus on prayer, we’re going to look at what it means to pray according to God’s will. Many of us have heard this phrase used hundreds, even thousands of times, but what does it really mean to pray in the will of God? May God guide us as we seek to understand and walk in his will today.  Our Scripture for today comes from I John 5:14 , and today's worship is Hid...

It’s easy to think that God is somehow more pleased with us when we’re consistently praying, reading Scripture, and following his commands. But as great as those things are, God’s love and favor aren’t dependent on our performance or achievements. And as we wrap up our week on prayer, today we’re going to look at what it means to pray in Jesus’ name and to rest in what he accomplished on our behal...

As we continue our weeklong focus on prayer, today we’ll discuss one of the most misunderstood parables in the Bible. Some people view God as stingy or irritable, but the truth is that God is generous and gracious. Let’s explore the loving heart of our Father as we dive into today’s passage.  Our Scripture for today comes from Luke 11:13 , and today's worship is Wait Upon The Lord by Leeland....

This week we’ve been looking at how God moves in response to our prayer. But did you know that there are things that can block our prayers? In today’s devotional, we’re going to explore how to keep our connection to God free from obstructions and how to walk in his forgiving grace. Our Scripture for today comes from Paslm 66:18 , and today's worship is Cry of the Broken by Hillsong Worship.  -...

Prayer can sometimes feel daunting. How do you pray? What do you pray for? Did God hear my prayer? Is he going to answer my prayer? Today we’re going to look at God’s invitation to pray vulnerably and honestly. We don’t have to earn the right for God to hear us. And we don’t have to pray the perfect prayer for him to answer us. Let’s come before God boldly today as we learn to pray in faith.   Our...

As we continue our week on prayer, we’re going to explore how prayer positions us to experience the presence and grace of God. So often we think of prayer as a way to get our needs met, but it’s so much more than that. So today, let’s ask God to teach us how to become people of prayer so we can experience his best as we move throughout each day.  Our Scripture for today comes from Mark 1:35 , and...

One of the incredible things about our God is that we can come before him in prayer. He doesn’t just give us permission to talk to him but actually invites us into a deep relationship where we can share our needs. In today’s devotional, we’re going to look at how we can pray intentionally and specifically with the confident expectation that God will hear us and respond.  Our Scripture for today co...