The Holy Shift Devotionals Podcast

Day 6: When Staying Neutral Is Choosing a Side — Why Pilate Couldn't Wash His Hands Clean | The Activated Disciple Have you ever known exactly what was right — and stayed quiet anyway? On Day 6 of The Activated Disciple, we walk out of the Garden of Gethsemane and into the most famous courtroom in history. Jesus stands before Pontius Pilate, and Pilate is stuck. He knows Jesus is innocent. He...

Day 5: When You're Too Tired to Show Up for God — The Sleeping Disciples and How to Stay Spiritually Awake | The Activated Disciple Have you ever wanted to show up for God — and just could not find the energy? On Day 5 of The Activated Disciple, we step into the Garden of Gethsemane with Peter, James, and John — three disciples who loved Jesus, meant every word of their devotion, and still fel...

Day 4: When Trying to Help God Hurts People — The Peter with the Sword Moment | The Activated Disciple Have you ever tried to help God and ended up hurting the very people He sent you to love? On Day 4 of The Activated Disciple, we walk out of the Upper Room and into the Garden of Gethsemane — and we watch one of Jesus' most passionate disciples absolutely blow it. Peter pulls out his sword an...

Day 3: How to Lean Into Jesus — The Beloved Disciple's Secret to Intimacy with God | The Activated Disciple How do you find real intimacy with Jesus when you feel distant from God? On Day 3 of The Activated Disciple, we step into the Last Supper and watch one man — John, the disciple Jesus loved — do something none of the others at that table did. He leaned in. While the other disciples argued...

Day 2: The Setting the Table Heart Have you ever served faithfully — cleaned up the mess, prepared the room, done the invisible work — and watched someone else get the credit? Today on Day 2 of The Activated Disciple, we walk into the Upper Room, but not for the meal itself. Not yet. Today we're looking at the people who made the meal possible. The unnamed man carrying the water jar. The homeo...

The Activated Disciple (16 Days):  What if the people standing around Jesus during His final days weren't just historical figures — but mirrors of who you are right now? The Activated Disciple is a 16-day journey from the Upper Room to the Beach, exploring the demeanor of every person in the crowd — the ones who served quietly, the one who grabbed a sword, the one who washed his hands, the one...

DAY 28: The Ten Truths (SERIES FINALE) Some truths can only be learned the hard way. Ryan Hunter paid for these with years of struggle, health consequences, and broken relationships. But today, he's handing them to you for free — and one of them might be the most important thing you hear all month. In our series finale of "The Day I Decided Not to Die," Ryan shares ten truths from hi...

DAY 27: Your Body Wants to Heal What if your body has been waiting for you this whole time? What if it's been fighting for you even while you were fighting against it? In Day 27 of "The Day I Decided Not to Die," we're discovering the partnership that makes transformation possible — the one between you and your own body. Because your body wants to heal. It just needs you to stop...

DAY 26: The Freedom Most People Never Think About What does freedom actually look like? For most people, it's something they never think about — because they've never lost it. But when you've lived without basic freedoms, their return feels like a miracle. In Day 26 of "The Day I Decided Not to Die," we're pausing to celebrate the small victories that prove the work was w...

DAY 25: Stumbling Without Collapsing We love stories about people who "never gave up." But we rarely tell the full truth: they failed constantly. Edison. Rowling. Disney. Jordan. The difference isn't that they never fell — it's that they fell without deciding it meant something permanent about who they were. In Day 25 of "The Day I Decided Not to Die," we're learnin...

DAY 24: When the Scale Lies What if the number you've been obsessing over is lying to you? What if that sudden jump has nothing to do with fat and everything to do with water, stress, or digestion? In Day 24 of "The Day I Decided Not to Die," we're dismantling the tyranny of the scale — and every other metric we've used to condemn ourselves. Because fear thrives in ignorance,...

DAY 23: The Next Moment Rule What if recovery wasn't about never falling — but about how quickly you get back up? What if the difference between people who transform and people who quit isn't strength — it's response? In Day 23 of "The Day I Decided Not to Die," we're learning the simplest rule that changes everything: correct the next moment. Not Monday. Not next month....

DAY 22: Staying Human What if the reason you keep failing isn't weakness — it's perfectionism? What if expecting flawless performance from a nervous system that's been under siege for decades is the cruelest thing you could do to yourself? In Day 22 of "The Day I Decided Not to Die," we're tackling one of the most important lessons of transformation: the difference betwee...

DAY 21: The Complete Toolbox No single tool saved Ryan — the toolbox saved him. Faith without action stalls. Action without faith burns out. Medicine without discipline becomes another quick fix. You need all of it working together. Today we put it all together: prayer, food, movement, medicine, structure, and grace. God gave us every tool in the box. 📖 FREE Chapter 1: holyshiftmedia.com ✉️ Weekl...

DAY 20: Predictability as Recovery For addicts, choice is risk. Ryan simplified everything — same breakfast, same approach to meals. Not because he lacked creativity, but because he needed protection. When food becomes predictable, it loses its power. Structure creates freedom. Today we learn that boring might be exactly what saves you. 📖 FREE Chapter 1: holyshiftmedia.com ✉️ Weekly devotionals:...

DAY 19: Moving in Private Ryan dreaded exercise more than anything. At 360+ pounds, the gym felt like exposure. So he made a radical decision: work out at home. In private. YouTube videos for obese and elderly people. Chair exercises. Wall push-ups. Movements that met his body where it actually was. Today: you don’t need a gym. You need permission to start badly. 📖 FREE Chapter 1: holyshiftmedia....

DAY 18: Single-Ingredient Truth These days, food doesn’t feel dramatic for Ryan. No negotiation. No guilt. Just eating in a way that doesn’t fight him. The secret? Single-ingredient food. When food has one ingredient, it doesn’t deceive you. No marketing spin. No hidden sugars. Just truth. Today we discover that simple food isn’t boring — it’s freedom. 📖 FREE Chapter 1: holyshiftmedia.com ✉️ Week...

DAY 17: A Clean Slate January 1, 2025. Ryan threw away every food that didn’t match his plan. No ceremony. No “one last time.” Just trash bags and finality. The medication quieted the noise, but he didn’t want to be “fixed” again — he wanted to be transformed. And transformation required his participation. Today: remove what’s harming you before adding what’s healing. 📖 FREE Chapter 1: holyshiftm...

DAY 16 When the Fight Becomes Fair Scripture: Luke 5:31 What if you've been losing a rigged fight? Ryan describes hunger that never stopped screaming — pressure that didn't respond to logic, shame, or prayer. When GLP-1 medication entered his life, it did one thing: made hunger honest. And honest hunger, he could manage. Today we dismantle the shame around medical tools. Sick people need d...

DAY 15: It Starts With a Step What if the first step toward transformation didn’t feel brave at all? Ryan was 15 when he first tried medication — and lost 150 pounds. But nothing underneath changed. When the pill disappeared, the weight returned like it knew where it belonged. That’s why this time had to be different. Today we learn: first steps don’t need to be heroic. They need to be honest. 📖...

E166: DAY 14 I Will Not Die Like This | The Day I Decided There’s a moment when everything shifts — not because circumstances changed, but because you made a decision. A declaration. A line in the sand. In Day 14 of “The Day I Decided Not to Die,” we close Week 2 with the spiritual decision that changes everything. “I will not die like this.” That sentence became the foundation of Ryan’s transform...

What if you don’t need more faith — just enough to take the next step? In Day 13 of “The Day I Decided Not to Die,” we celebrate small beginnings. Mustard seed faith moves mountains. Your tiny, fragile, barely-hanging-on faith? It’s enough. Ryan’s faith felt small when he started talking to God again. Desperate. Uncertain. But that mustard seed was the beginning of everything. Today we embrace sma...

What if faith was never meant to make things easy — just possible? In Day 12 of “The Day I Decided Not to Die,” we dismantle the myth that real faith means effortless change. God gives tools, not magic. He gives power, not shortcuts. Ryan’s transformation required work — daily choices, practical tools, real discipline. Faith didn’t remove the effort; it made the effort meaningful. Today we explore...

God rarely shouts. He whispers. And if your life is full of noise — cravings, shame, constant negotiation with yourself — you’ll miss it every time. In Day 11 of “The Day I Decided Not to Die,” we learn how to get quiet enough to hear the voice that changes everything. Ryan heard God’s whisper only when the noise finally stopped. Today we explore the discipline of silence and the reward of hearing...

What if your body has been fighting FOR you this whole time — and you’ve been fighting against it? In Day 10 of “The Day I Decided Not to Die,” we transform how you see yourself. Your body is not your enemy. It’s a temple waiting for you to become its ally. Ryan spent years punishing his body for “betraying” him. This episode reveals the truth: his body was trying to survive despite everything. St...