(Devotional from Wisdom Hunters )

The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. Exodus 14:14, NASB

Sometimes silence is the best strategy. We replace exhausting striving with energizing silence. Our flesh wants to engage in an emotional debate, but our spirit says wait. The outcome is much better when we pause for the Holy Spirit to calm our conflicted heart before we confront the issue. Our daily battles are best fought with faith in Jesus at the forefront. The proud and prestigious are no match for God’s power which empowers our quiet and humble prayers.
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​A person may agitate us, but by God’s grace, we can refrain from a rude reaction and pray for them. We won’t allow another’s bad day to ruin our day. We might even think empathetically, “They are under a lot of pressure, how can I help?” We can choose to see an antagonist as a needy human being with their own unresolved issues. Perhaps our silent response settles their soul into seeking an eternal solution to their angst. God can speak clearly when we are quiet.

“This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it” (Isaiah 30:15).

Our flesh screams for its way, but faith in the Lord’s faithfulness is foundational to our remaining silent. Our words may delay the work of God’s word. For example, if someone we know is seeking wisdom from their heavenly Father, better to pray with them than to assume we know what they need to do. Instead of prescribing a solution for them based on our own experience, we can refer them to Scripture references relevant to their situation. God speaks through His Word.

Our silence invites the Lord’s inner strength for our soul. Trusting resolve grows patience. In place of saying something we later regret, we wait on the Spirit to speak into the situation. He may impress humility upon our heart and forgiveness on the heart of one we let down. God can use another caring believer to bring clarity to the confusion or a solution to the problem. Surrender to Christ and invite Him to fight for you. Your silence releases His resources.

“This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15).


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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:1 Samuel 17:14
Psalm 24:8
Matthew 26:63
Acts 15:12

Questions to reflect on:

1. What situation or person am I facing that invites me to be still, silent and wait on the Lord to speak to all parties?
2. How do I see my pride get in the way of being silent and trusting God to fight my battles?
3. What have been the consequences when I didn't wait on God verses when I waited on God?

One year, for my birthday, a dear friend told me to get in her car and not ask any questions as she drove me to a surprise location.

It was hard to not ask questions but the anticipation was so exciting. However, nowhere in my mind did the thought that I didn’t trust her to take me cross my mind. I trusted that she knew where she was taking me. I simply enjoyed the ride with joy, thinking about the kind and thoughtful gesture by my friend.

Life is a lot like this experience, expect we have a harder time trusting the Lord. We desperately want to know every move and destination that God has for us and rather than enjoying the journey that He has us on, we spend more time asking questions:

“What’s next, Lord?”
“What’s my purpose, Lord?”
“Where are you taking me, Lord?”
“Why are you taking me here, Lord?”

And the list of question goes on. A list that most often chokes the joy and trust we should have in the Lord who faithfully leads us.

So much of our walk with God can be questions rather than living out the freedom of knowing the greatest Answer found in Christ. We don’t have to know everything about our next move, next destination, next season, etc. because the God who called us out of darkness into the Kingdom of His beloved Son (Colossians 1:13), the One who gave us life and calls us His own, knows the end from the beginning.

We find encouragement in His Word when we see how God engaged with fallen humanity. Every person He chose to lead His people had to deal with not knowing in totality what God was truly doing.

Consider Abraham, when God told him to pick up his belongings and his family and go to the land that He would show Him (Genesis 12).

Consider Jeremiah, whom God called and sent to be a prophet to the nation at a young age (Jeremiah 1).

Consider every disciple of Christ who followed Him without knowing the journey they would embark on? (the Gospels)

Consider Paul whose literal path on the road to Damascus was intervened when Christ revealed Himself to him and his life was forever changed (Acts 9).

All of these people, and so many more in the Bible, while still struggling with doubt, still believed and trusted the Lord. And they obeyed. They believed He was worthy to be followed. Their eyes were opened to see that it was His story they were a part of all along. They weren't dwelling on what was next. They were present to what God was doing in them and through them now.

And because it’s His story, we don’t have to waste time trying to figure life out. That burden is no longer ours. We can approach each day with a seeking heart to know the One who knows the story fully. The One who numbers our days (Psalm 139:6). The One whose purposes have been revealed since the foundation of the world.

May we detach our life from trying to find purpose by having those questions we want answered. In Christ, our purpose isn’t a destination. It isn’t an occupation. It isn’t a ministry. It isn’t our gifts. It isn’t our family or friends. Our purpose is first and foremost being His and being conformed to His image—because of what Christ has done for us—in all of the areas we find ourselves. It is the glorious responsibility to be His light of truth and grace and His witness, in whatever place. In whatever season. In whatever transition.

The pressure, from others, to know the next step can be overwhelming but we can allow the beauty of knowing the One who does, overshadow it.

God leads His children. God orders our steps. God directs our thoughts and our decisions. God ordains His purposes. God knows us. I pray that we would root ourselves deeply in these truths as we live this life of grace in Christ Jesus.

May our eyes be fixed on Him through prayer, His Word and His church.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:Genesis 12
Psalm 139:6
Job 14:5
Jeremiah 1
Colossians 1:13
Acts 9

Questions to reflect on:

1.  How has the questions you have for God regarding your life kept you from seeing what God was doing in you and through you?
2. Instead of asking What’s next, God? Ask What’s now? How can I live for you now, Lord?
3. When someone asks you, “What’s next?” Confidently respond, “I don’t know. But the One who knows will show me.”

I went to the dentist a couple of weeks ago after an awfully long time.
Too embarrassed to admit. *hides face*

I justified my reasons for not going for so long by saying that my teeth don’t look bad. I don’t have cavities. I don’t have pain. I brush. I could do better flossing but does that really matter anyway? Plus, after a while, the shame of having not gone for so long kept me away. That is until my husband made the appointment without my permission. So, I was stuck. Had to go. Had to confront my shame.

Weeks prior to the appointment, I would look at the date on the calendar and feel a knot in my stomach. I was so anxious about the appointment. I would think to myself that since it had been so long, what would they find? Would they be appalled? I forgot to mention that I had two root canals done years ago that I never went back to get the crowns in because it was so expensive. So, I basically have two wholes in my mouth. What would the dentist say about that?

Finally, the day came for my appointment. And you know what? I am glad I went.

I found out things I would never have found out had I let pride in the form of fear and shame keep me away. Though I thought my teeth looked fine from the outside, I found out that because of years of plaque build-up, I would need two installments of cleaning. I found out I needed fillings. I found that I had some decay because I wasn’t brushing my teeth correctly.  I found out that my teeth could get shorter (for those who know me, you know how short my teeth already are so I didn’t think this was possible) because of subconscious grinding I do when I am asleep. I found out that flossing really does matter.

But what did I find out mainly?

I found out that I didn’t need to be afraid to go. Going was for the good of my health.

What does this have to do with our walk with God?

Through this experience, God showed me that in the same way I thought I didn’t need to go to the dentist because of what I thought was good from the outside, we can have the same approach to how we live our lives.

You see, it’s easy for us to ignore what is really going on in the inside of us when we think we are good from the outside. Perhaps we have the job we want. The relationships we want. The kind of life we hoped for, but the reality is there is nothing on the outside that can heal the inside. And It’s easier to not want to share with others because of shame or fear. We’ve believed Satan’s lie that we can’t show our weaknesses to one another. We can’t confess our sins and our deepest pain with each other-especially if it doesn’t look like there is anything wrong from the outside. We would rather live in a façade than in freedom.

We buy into the lie that the Gospel isn’t strong enough to do what it does: rid of us from the temptation to run, hide and cover in fear of being known by others.

The Gospel empowers us to do that because it is Christ who first and foremost has taken the shame that our sins could bring so that we can live freely in the reality that though we are fallen, we are redeemed (Colossians 1:13-14). It empowers us to continually live in a state of confession, repentance and obedience to Him and to one another.

If we believe the lies of the enemy, then we will remain in shame for the things we keep to ourselves. And just like I found out how much plaque build up I had in my teeth from years of not doing things properly, we have a build up in our hearts of bitterness and resentment from the things we’ve not confessed to Him and others for years.

We may be smiling on the outside but our hearts could be hardened and rotting on the inside. That’s not how we are called to walk with God. Being conformed to Christ is not an easy process but it is a process that frees us rather than holds us in bondage. It is a process that softens the heart and not hardens it.

Hebrews 3:13 tells us that sin is deceitful. Sin can harden our hearts so we must do something. We must encourage each other daily. As long as it is called today.

Encouraging each other daily means we are in community to be encouraged and to encourage. One of the strategies of the enemy is to isolate us from others. Others who could tell us what we need to hear. Others who are willing to listen to the contents of our hearts and not judge us but help push us to Christ and help restore us.  Others who could remind us of the promises of God when we feel ashamed.

Ladies, may we come before the Lord this week and ask Him to reveal the contents of our hearts so that anything that is festering in our hearts can be uprooted. May we find the courage, through the power of the Holy Spirit to confess to one another (James 5:16). May we cling to the truth that we don’t have to run, hide and cover from what the shame the Gospel frees us from.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:Isaiah 1:18
Mark 11:25
Colossians 1:13-14
Hebrews 12:1
Hebrews 3:13
James 5:16
1 John 1:19

Questions to reflect on:

1. What have you kept in because of shame?
2. What are you afraid to confess because of time?
3. What offenses do you harbor?
4. What forgiveness have you withheld?
5. How has this devotional and God’s Word encouraged you?

By Britnee Bradshaw
(WITHIN Devotional Writer)

One of my favorite parts about being a believer in Christ is that we have the ability to choose so many facets of our life. God, in His sovereignty, made mankind with the intellect to make our own decisions. We’re afforded the divine freedom to decide which paths we’re going to walk, and which paths we’re going to avoid.

This is a beautiful thing!

Now, God, in His goodness doesn’t make us do anything. He simply reveals to us what is available for us when we walk in alignment with his purpose for our lives. Jesus even said in John chapter 7 that anyone who chooses the will of God will find out whether his teaching comes from God, or from his own self (v.17).

The Lord has good plans for our lives and when we follow the teachings of Jesus, those plans are revealed to us! Now, these plans are going to look different for each of us, however, all of them are rooted in the beautiful story of the gospel of Christ. This ultimately means that we have been redeemed by the work of Christ and we are assured that we stand in His righteousness and not our works or our merits. So whatever decisions we face, we know that we can expect for God’s will to press us more closely toward the works of the Spirit and further from the works of the flesh.

So what does this look like practically? Well, on a big-picture level, this means we have the opportunity to make daily choices that draw us closer to God, to his heart, to his people, and to his ways. This could be something as straightforward as how we choose to honor and serve those around us, whether or not we take a job that’s been offered to us, whether we start the business that’s been on our hearts for a long time, or whether or not we link arms with certain individuals.

My friend, it's important to know that there’s always a cost to our decisions. And unfortunately, we can’t weigh whether a thing is bad, good, or God, based on how we personally feel, or what we personally think. The Holy Spirit, who lives on the inside of us, knows the mind of God. He’s able to lead us in discerning the paths of righteousness that God has laid out for us.

My favorite verse of the Bible, Romans 12:2, encourages us to renew our minds according to the Word so that we can be transformed. In doing this, we become more like Christ, and we strengthen in our ability to test and approve God’s will for us. We aren’t left to wander around in the dark about what choices please God! The Holy Spirit unlocks the scriptures to us, and gives us the wisdom we need to make the God-decisions for our lives! Decisions that produce godly fruit and most importantly pleases God and not our flesh.

I encourage you this week to count the cost of your choices. Who’s going to benefit most from your decisions? Who will suffer? Will your decisions draw you closer to God, or further away from him? There’s a lot of choices out there that really aren’t worth what we think they are. God is good and always routes us back to the center (Romans 8:28), but it’s wisdom that tells us to consider our choices and their consequences before we make them!

Prayer: My Father who is in Heaven, I thank you for your goodness, your grace, and your mercy over me! I want to be found pleasing you, and doing the things that make your heart smile. I ask that you would lead me by your Holy Spirit in the paths that produce Godly fruit in my life. Help me to make decisions that establish your will on this earth. Give me the ear to hear you speak, and the heart to obey you. Give me the wisdom I need to make the choices that are for my good, & that glorify you! I seal this prayer with the blood of Christ Jesus. Have your way in me. Amen.
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The weekly devotionals seek to encourage you to dig deeper into Scripture as you take the time to daily read, meditate, and internalize the verses in the devotional, along with the passages provided below to give greater context. Take the time to read them throughout the week (repetition is important) and ask the Holy Spirit to help you grasp what God is showing you about Himself, about you, and how to live in light of these truths. 

Passages to read/memorize/meditate:
Proverbs 10:22
Romans 8:5
Galatians 5:13-16
Romans 12:2
Proverbs 16:9

Questions to reflect on:

1. Am I being led by the Spirit in the decisions that I’m making, or am I being led more often by what I think and feel?

​2. What will I need to sacrifice in order to have what’s being presented in front of me? Is that thing worth the investment of my time, energy, money, and well-being?

​3. Who has God placed in my life that can give me sound wisdom about the important decisions I need to make? Do I go to these people to glean from them, or do I tend to make these decisions on my own?