Day 325 Bible Readings for November 22 - James 5:9 (ESV)

Ezekiel 40, James 5, Proverbs 17:15-28, Proverbs 18:1-6

James 5:9 (ESV)

“Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

In James 5:9, James wrote to the Jewish Christians about the importance of getting along with their church community. He warned them not to grumble or complain about one another, because doing so would create division. Believers are called to act like Christ and foster a spirit of unity and love. James also reminded them that Father-God is always listening, as if He is standing right outside the door. As children of the Lord, we are accountable to God the Father for our actions and our words. If we judge others and then complain about them to other people, the Lord will hold us accountable for that judgment.

When I read this verse this morning, it hit close to home because I have a friendship at church that drives me a little crazy. My church friend never seems satisfied with the seats I save for us. After the third complaint, I finally gave up trying to save seats altogether. At this point, I don’t even care if we sit together. I found myself grumbling inwardly, and eventually I complained about it to another church friend. The Holy Spirit corrected me for my complaining, and later the Lord allowed me to experience the same frustration. Someone saved seats for me during a service, but they never saved one in the middle—where I prefer to sit—and always put me on the side. In that moment, I realized I was feeling exactly what my friend must have felt.

The guidance I received from the Holy Spirit was not to judge my friends, but to treat them the way Christ would treat them. Christ would have accepted my two friends, forgiven their complaining, and moved on. He certainly wouldn’t have grumbled about them to others the way I did. So that is what I am trying to practice. I honor our friendships because we belong to the same church community, and I bring my resentment and irritation to the Lord instead of letting it fester. I no longer complain about their behavior to others, and—for my own peace—I have taken a short break from the friendships until my heart can return to a more loving posture. Trying to be more like Christ has brought peace back into my heart and helped preserve the friendships I value in my church community.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel prompted to place your faith in Jesus Christ, who offers peace that restores and heals—this could be your moment. Open your heart to Him, speak to Him through the following prayer, and express your trust in Him. Share your desire to walk with Him and welcome His presence into your life. God is faithful and ready to meet you wherever you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit-filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 324 Bible Readings – James 4:13-15 (ESV)

Ezekiel 38-39, James 4, Proverbs 17:15-24

James 4:13-15 (ESV)

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.””

In James 4:13–15, James addresses believers who make plans without considering the will of God the Father. He tells them that life is unpredictable and often short—like a mist. James reminds believers that the Lord is in control of every aspect of life, and therefore they need to seek His will in all their decisions.

These verses stood out to me this morning. For many years, I made plans for my life without consulting Father-God. Then something would happen, and my plans would fall apart. My life felt so unpredictable that I eventually stopped making New Year’s resolutions and long-term plans. However, when I began seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern whether the big plans for my life aligned with the Lord’s will, everything felt smoother. When I trust in Father-God’s plans, it doesn’t feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle. When I submit to the Lord’s direction, it feels like I’m finally taking the path of least resistance. Things just seem to work out—and often better than I imagined or planned. My life becomes blessed and filled with miracles.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel prompted to place your faith in Jesus Christ, who gives a life full of blessings and miracles—this could be your moment. Open your heart to Him, speak to Him through the following prayer, and express your trust in Him. Share your desire to walk with Him and welcome His presence into your life. God is faithful and ready to meet you wherever you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit-filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 323 Bible Readings – Ezekiel 37:1-6 (ESV)

Ezekiel 36-37, James 3, Proverbs 17:5-14

Ezekiel 37:1-6 (ESV)

“The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

In Ezekiel 37:1–6, we read about the well-known passage where the prophet walks through a valley of dry bones. In The Chosen series (Season 6, Episode 8), they portray Jesus walking through this same valley and encountering Ezekiel. 

I’ve heard many sermons on these verses over the years, but this morning, I found myself thinking about revival as I read them. Ezekiel spoke the word of the Lord over the dry bones, and they came back to life. These bones belonged to people who had once lived but were now dead. In a revival, the evangelist preaches the Word of God, and Father-God’s truth revives the Holy Spirit within the hearts of those listening. Revival is the Lord’s promise of restoration to His people when they feel dead inside.

Sometimes people feel spiritually dead because hopelessness or despair overwhelms them. They doubt the Lord’s promises—or even His existence. I once went through a season when I wondered whether the Lord even knew who I was. Where was God the Father, and why was He allowing painful things to happen to me? Then an “Ezekiel-type” person entered my life and reminded me of Father-God’s promises. Through his encouragement, the Lord breathed life back into me, and my faith came alive again.

If you don’t have an Ezekiel-type friend in your life, consider attending a revival near you. Listen to the evangelist’s message and allow the Word of the Lord to revive the Holy Spirit within you. Or read Bible verses out loud and let Father-God’s Word restore your faith. The Lord is faithful to His people and promises renewal and restoration in every situation, no matter how dead or hopeless it may seem.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel drawn to place your faith in Jesus Christ, who brings renewal and restoration to every lifeless place—this could be your moment. Open your heart to Him, speak to Him through the prayer below, and express your desire to walk with Him. God is faithful and ready to meet you exactly where you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit-filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.

Day 322 Bible Readings - Ezekiel 34:15-16 (ESV)

Ezekiel 34-35, James 2, Proverbs 16:28-33, Proverbs 17:1-4

Ezekiel 34:15-16 (ESV)

“I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.”

In Ezekiel 34:15–16, Ezekiel prophesied during the Babylonian exile that God the Father promises to be a good shepherd to His people. The Lord promises to provide security and rest for His people, even in times of turmoil and uncertainty. When Ezekiel gave this prophecy, Father-God was addressing the failure of Israel’s leaders to care for the people.

The Lord promised that He would pursue those who strayed from His ways and restore them. He desires reconciliation with His people because He loves them. Father-God wants to heal the broken, strengthen the weak, and restore them. When the Lord refers to the “fat and strong,” it means the people who are self-reliant and full of pride—those who do not depend on Him. Father-God will bring justice to those who exploit the weak. God the Father will care for His people with fairness and righteousness.

These verses assure me that when I go through times of uncertainty or become lost, Father-God will be a good shepherd to me even when human leaders fail. Father-God will step in to provide guidance, protection, and restoration. Before this year, I knew I often strayed from the Lord’s path, but He actively pursued me to reconcile me to Himself. The Holy Spirit led me to a Spirit- and faith-filled, full-gospel church where I began to deepen my relationship with God the Father. I wake up daily praising the Lord that He loves me, cares for me, and has brought blessings and miracles into my life.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel compelled to place your faith in Jesus Christ, who will pursue you when you become lost and reconcile you to Himself—this could be your moment. Open your heart to Him. Speak to Him through the following prayer, expressing your trust and desire to walk with Him. God is faithful and ready to meet you wherever you are.

Heavenly Father, I give You my life. Please forgive me for all my sins and wash me clean through the blood of Jesus. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead, and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. Right now, I receive Your forgiveness and the gift of salvation. Thank You, Lord—I am saved, I am forgiven, I am clean, and I am made new in Jesus’ name. Amen.

If you prayed this prayer, welcome to the family of Father-God! I encourage you to find and join a Holy Spirit-filled, full-Gospel, Bible-based church where you can grow in your faith and experience the Lord’s love, signs, wonders, and miracles in your life.