The Morning Focus Daily Devotional with Rick and McKenna

What does anxiety feel like for you? However it shows up for you, anxiety can be such a beast to deal with. In the face of such a real and hard struggle, some verses can feel like platitudes. If you're having a hard time this morning, finding peace in the truth, join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. Cast your cares on the  Lord  and he will sustain you;   he will never le...

Isn't it nice when things work out how they are supposed to? You do all the things you are supposed to, and you get the desired effect. It's just nice and simple. Why can't life be that way? Why doesn't doing all the right things lead to a perfect, pain free life? If you're struggling with feeling stuck, join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. To this end we always pray for...

You know how pain acts as an indicator that there is something going wrong in or on your body? That same idea doesn't necessarily translate over to life and our relationships with God. The enemy wants you to believe that if life is hard, if you are struggling, if things aren't comfortable, then you probably aren't serving God well enough. You probably just don't have enough faith. It's his reverse...

Does it ever feel like God is asking you to do something so hard, that He must not understand what He is asking? Like, surely, if He was living here on earth and had to make the sacrifices He is asking you to make He would get why this is so hard- or even too hard. If you're wrestling through thoughts like these this morning, join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. "Greater...

Are you just about ready to give up? Holding onto faith is a daring and difficult task. If you're struggling to keep believing the promises God has made, join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.   Numbers 14: 24   

What makes you, you? What titles and labels describe you best? While that can be a fun get to know you question, the enemy likes to jump in and say the less desirable of those descriptors- the more painful ones- those are the ones who define who you are and what your value is. Are you struggling today to know who you are? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. So you are n...

Have you ever stood on something only to have it buckle and fall out from underneath you? It's a scary feeling! And it might just make you more wary to put your weight or trust on something again. If life, or people, or your health, or all of the above has failed you before, don't let the enemy convince yo that God will do the same. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. S...

Do you practice saying affirmations? It's a really great concept to build confidence and help with setting your mind. But where do your affirmations come from? What happens when life isn't happy enough for "happy thoughts"? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;        your works are wonderful,        I know that fu...

What's the difference between guilt and shame? If you get that throat in your stomach feeling when you think about asking God for forgiveness, if you are more confident than not that God is barely forgiving you if at all, or if you struggle to understand how God can just simply forgive you in the first place, then join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. Who is a God like yo...

Feels a bit rude, huh? Being told "You aren't the point!" Makes you feel a bit insignificant. But notice the difference between "You aren't the point" and "You don't matter." We are incredibly valuable to God, but that can be such a hard thing to believe when we are trying to point out worthy qualities within ourselves. If you're wondering who IS the point, then join Rick and McKenna for todays ep...

Okay, be honest. How often do you skip out on God? Sometimes it's because you just got busy, others it's because there was something more interesting or tempting that you chose. My hand is up here too, I do this all the time. Being faithful is so hard when there are more "tangible" opportunities calling us 24/7. But then the guilt sets in and the enemy twists that guilt into the sneaking suspicion...

When trouble hits what do you do first? Where do your mind and heart go? David was a man who pursued God's heart but who also suffered greatly. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. I will praise the Lord at all times.        I will constantly speak his praises.   Psalm 34:1  

Relationships are just hard. People can be be generous and kind-hearted. They can also be fickle and selfish. Have you been hurt by a relationship before? The enemy would love to convince you that God poses the same threat to you. He might fail you in the same ways you've been failed before. If you feel this way, join Rick and McKenna on today's episode of The Morning Focus. My flesh and my heart...

What does the word striving mean to you? Having a good work ethic and a standard or excellence is so important! But what is your heart's motivation behind all that? Are you working so hard so that you'll be noticed or praised for what you do? (Don't worry, I have to actively keep myself accountable on this! - McKenna) If this sounds like you, join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Mornin...

Do what you're told, follow the rules, and don't act up. Obedience for the sake of obedience doesn't sit quite right. And to make matters worse, the enemy loves coming in to tell you that God has given us instruction just because He can. But what if that's not the case? What if that's not why Jesus tells us to follow His commands? Curious? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning F...

Are you easily distracted? Everybody loses their focus at some point or another. The real trouble is when the enemy gets you distracted so that you are focused away from what God wants you to see. For a reminder of what God sees, join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man,  "Son, your sins are forgiven."   Mark 2: 5  

What are you willing to do for it? Have you ever been asked that question? It's a good test of how badly you truly want something, and when that thing is of high value, you'll do a lot for it! Do you know how much Jesus was willing to do to have a relationship with you? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. Jesus replied, "Now the time has come for the Son of Man   to ent...

Have you ever lost your patience with someone? Do you ever fear that God may lose his patience and give up with you? That's a lie from the enemy, and in today's episode of The Morning Focus, Rick digs into what the Bible Says about it. But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and  gracious, slow  to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15  

Ever had one of those days where the weight of past mistakes seems unbearable? It's easy to feel like you're trapped in guilt and shame. But there's a powerful truth waiting for you in today's Morning Focus Daily Devotional. Don't let the enemy's lies keep you down—listen now to find freedom. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,    because through Christ Jesus...

Have you ever not been able to attend an event because ot was just too far away? Or maybe the tickets were too expensive? Those obstacles can be jsut so frustrating! The enemy likes to tell us that there are similar obstacles to getting to God, but Jesus says otherwise. Join McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus as she digs into what Jesus says about our connection with Him.  "God is sp...

Do you ever feel like a train on a track, going full speed in one direction? When things are going well, that feels great, but when things are hard it really feels like a collision course. This morning, join McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus as she dives into what stopping the "train" can look like. If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silen...

Some days are just harder and that's the truth. What's not the truth is all the little things the enemy says to you when you are worn down and weary. How he tells you you're alone, and a lost cause. Feeling like you might be having a hard day made harder by our enemy? Join McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.  Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God,  the...

Then Jesus declared,  "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

Have you ever had to do something really hard, all alone? Not having support as you work through a difficult challenge makes the challenge all the more impossible. Life is not easy. In fact, Jesus promises us that we will have troubles. If you've been wondering lately how God expects you to live out the calling He has for you then join Rick and McKenna for The Morning Focus as they dig into the su...

Do you ever get paralyzed by questions and decision making? None of us want to waste our life, so we try to make the best decisions we can. But sometimes that decision making turns into trying to decipher what God's plan is. Good news! You don't have to become a super sleuth to live a life honoring to God. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. Whatever you do, work at it...