I Believe in God the Father…who knows me!
This week’s devotions are based on Week 1 of Confessing Christ in a Confused World (WATCH HERE)
Psalm 139:1 O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
One of the deepest longings of the human heart is to be known. We want someone to understand our struggles, fears, dreams, and disappointments. Yet many people spend their lives feeling unseen. They may be surrounded by people and still feel alone. They may share parts of themselves with others while keeping their deepest thoughts hidden.
Psalm 139 begins with a remarkable truth. David says, “O LORD, you have searched me and you know me.” God does not merely know facts about us. He knows us completely. He knows our thoughts before we think them. He knows our words before we speak them. He knows where we have been and where we are going.
For some people, that truth feels intimidating. We know our failures and shortcomings. We know the parts of ourselves we would rather keep hidden. Yet David does not describe God’s knowledge as threatening. Instead, he sees it as comforting. The God who knows everything about him remains committed to him.
This is one of the unique truths about the God revealed in Scripture. He is not a distant force or an impersonal power. He is a Father who knows His children. Even the hairs of our heads are numbered! Nothing about your life escapes His attention.
When life feels lonely or misunderstood, remember that God never has to be informed about what is happening in your life. He already knows. He sees the burden you carry. He understands the grief you cannot explain. He knows the prayer you have prayed a hundred times without seeing an answer yet.
The good news of the gospel is not that God finally gets to know us after we clean ourselves up. The good news is that He knows us fully and still chooses to love us completely through Jesus Christ.
Today, take comfort in the fact that you do not have to prove yourself to God or convince Him to pay attention to you. Your Father already knows you better than anyone else ever could.
Reflect: In what area of your life do you most need the comfort of knowing God sees and understands you? How would your worries change if you truly believed your Father knows every detail of your situation?
Prayer: Father, thank You for knowing me completely. You see my joys, struggles, fears, and failures. Help me rest in the truth that I am never hidden from Your sight. When I feel alone or misunderstood, remind me that You are near and that You care deeply for me. Through Jesus, help me trust Your loving attention each day. Amen.
The Spirit’s Work Continues
This week’s devotions are based on the message, ‘The Spirit’s Still Working!” (WATCH HERE)
Acts 2:17 “I will pour out my Spirit on all people.”
Pentecost was not the end of God’s work. It was the beginning of a new chapter in His mission.
The Spirit was poured out not just for one day, but for every generation that would follow. Peter quotes the prophet Joel to show that God’s promise extends far beyond that moment in Jerusalem.
The Spirit continues to work today.
He calls people through the Gospel.
He creates faith through the Word.
He strengthens believers in their struggles.
He comforts the hurting.
He equips God’s people for service.
Most importantly, He continually points us to Jesus.
Sometimes we imagine Pentecost as a dramatic event from long ago that has little connection to our daily lives. Yet the same Spirit who filled the disciples is actively at work in the church today.
Every baptism is evidence of His work.
Every person who comes to faith is evidence of His work.
Every believer who grows in Christ is evidence of His work.
The Spirit often works through ordinary means. Through a sermon. Through a Bible reading. Through a conversation with a friend. Through a prayer spoken in faith.
We may not hear rushing wind or see tongues of fire, but God’s Spirit is no less powerful today.
As believers, we are invited to participate in His mission. The Spirit who fills us also sends us. He calls us to share the hope we have found in Christ with others.
Pentecost reminds us that Christianity was never meant to be kept private. The Gospel is good news meant to be shared.
Ask God today to open your eyes to opportunities around you. Someone in your family, workplace, neighborhood, or circle of friends may need encouragement, hope, or truth. The Holy Spirit delights in using ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things.
The story that began in Acts 2 is still being written. By God’s grace, you are part of it.
Reflect: Where have you seen evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in your life recently? Who in your life may need to hear the hope of the Gospel this week?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for continuing Your work in the world and in my life. Help me remain attentive to Your leading and willing to serve wherever You call me. Use me to share the hope of Christ with others and keep me growing in faith each day. Amen.
The Promise Is for Everyone
This week’s devotions are based on the message, ‘The Spirit’s Still Working!” (WATCH HERE)
Acts 2:21 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
This verse is the heart of Peter’s Pentecost sermon.
The wind, the fire, the languages, and the crowd all lead to this promise. God’s ultimate purpose was not to impress people with miracles. His purpose was to bring people to salvation through Jesus Christ.
Notice the word “everyone”.
That single word carries enormous hope. It means the promise is open. It means no one is excluded because of their background, failures, nationality, age, or past mistakes.
Everyone.
The world often divides people into categories. Successful and unsuccessful. Important and unimportant. Deserving and undeserving. But God’s grace is given freely to all who call on the name of Jesus.
This promise points directly to the Gospel. We are not saved by our efforts, morality, or accomplishments. We are saved because Jesus died and rose again for us.
Romans 10:13 repeats this same promise: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Calling on the Lord is an act of faith. It is trusting Christ alone to rescue us.
Many people carry hidden burdens of guilt and shame. They wonder if God could really forgive them. Acts 2:21 answers with a resounding yes. God’s grace is greater than our failures. Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for every sin.
The cross stands as proof that God’s love reaches farther than we can imagine. Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save it. Through faith in Him, forgiveness, peace, and eternal life become ours.
Today, rest in that promise. Your salvation does not depend on how strong your faith feels. It depends on the strength of the Savior in whom your faith rests.
Reflect: Are there areas of guilt or shame that you need to surrender to Christ today? How does God’s promise of salvation give you hope and confidence?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the promise that everyone who calls on Your name will be saved. Thank You for Your forgiveness, mercy, and grace. Help me trust fully in Your finished work and live each day in the joy of salvation. Amen.
Courage Beyond Yourself!
This week’s devotions are based on the message, ‘The Spirit’s Still Working!” (WATCH HERE)
Acts 2:14 “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd.”
The Peter who stands before the crowd in Acts 2 looks very different from the Peter we encounter during Jesus’ trial.
Only weeks earlier, Peter denied even knowing Jesus. Fear controlled him. He worried about what others might think or do. Yet on Pentecost he stands before thousands and boldly proclaims Christ.
What changed?
The Holy Spirit.
Peter did not suddenly become naturally brave. His circumstances had not become safer. Opposition still existed. Risk still remained. What changed was that the Spirit strengthened him.
Many people think courage means having no fear. The Bible presents courage differently. Courage is moving forward in faith even when fear is present because God is with you.
This is why Joshua could enter the Promised Land. God told him, “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
God’s presence changes everything.
The same Spirit who strengthened Peter lives in every believer today. He strengthens us to stand firm in our faith, to speak truth with love, to endure hardships, and to trust God in uncertain situations.
Perhaps your challenge is not preaching to a crowd. Maybe it is having a difficult conversation, standing for biblical truth, facing a health concern, or navigating a season of uncertainty. Whatever the challenge, God’s promise remains the same.
You do not walk alone.
When we focus on our weaknesses, fear often grows larger. When we focus on God’s presence, faith grows stronger.
Remember that Peter’s confidence was not in himself. It was in Christ. The Holy Spirit does not point us toward greater self confidence. He points us toward greater confidence in God.
Today, ask yourself where fear has been holding you back. Then remember the promise of Pentecost. The Spirit who empowered Peter has not changed. He is still strengthening believers to live faithfully and courageously.
Reflect: What situation in your life currently requires courage and trust in God? How does remembering God’s presence help you face your fears differently?
Prayer: Father, thank You that I never face life’s challenges alone. Strengthen me through Your Spirit and help me trust Your presence more than my fears. Give me courage to follow You faithfully wherever You lead. Amen.
The Spirit Speaks!
This week’s devotions are based on the message, ‘The Spirit’s Still Working!” (WATCH HERE)
Acts 2:5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”
One of the most remarkable details of Pentecost is not simply that the disciples spoke in different languages. The greater miracle is that people heard and understood the message of God!
The crowd gathered from many nations. They spoke different languages and came from different cultures. Yet every person heard the wonders of God declared in a way they could understand.
This reveals something important about God’s heart. He is a God who speaks so people can know Him.
Throughout history, God has revealed Himself through His Word. He spoke through the prophets. He spoke through His Son. He continues to speak through the Scriptures today. The Holy Spirit’s mission is always connected to God’s Word.
Jesus said in John 15:26, “When the Counselor comes… he will testify about me.” The Spirit’s primary work is not to draw attention to Himself. He points people to Jesus.
Many people today wish God would speak audibly from heaven. Yet they fail to realize every day we have access to His living Word. The Bible is not merely a collection of ancient writings. Hebrews 4:12 describes it as living and active. Every day through Scripture, the Holy Spirit speaks comfort to the anxious, truth to the confused, conviction to the wandering, and hope to the weary.
Think about how personal God’s communication is. At Pentecost, people heard in their own language. Today, God still meets people where they are. He speaks into our circumstances, struggles, fears, and questions through His Word.
When we neglect Scripture, we often feel spiritually dry and disconnected. We try to navigate life like trying to navigate a dark road without headlights. Go back and turn on the light of God’s Word! God’s Word illuminates the path before us. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
The Spirit who spoke at Pentecost is still speaking today. Every time you open God’s Word, you have an opportunity to hear His voice. The question is not whether God is speaking. The question is whether we are listening.
Make time today to sit quietly with Scripture. Read slowly. Pray thoughtfully. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Christ more clearly to you. He delights in answering that prayer.
Reflect: How regularly are you creating space to listen to God through His Word? What is God teaching or reminding you of through Scripture right now?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for speaking through Your Word. Open my ears to hear Your truth and my heart to receive it. Help me grow in my understanding of Jesus and trust more fully in His promises each day. Amen.