Day 327 Bible Readings – Proverbs 18:17 (ESV)

Ezekiel 43-44, 1 Peter 2, Proverbs 18:17-24

Proverbs 18:17 (ESV)

“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.”

In Proverbs 18:17, Solomon advises believers on how to treat information that comes to us initially. In a dispute or debate, the first person to present their case often seems right—at least until the other side is heard and all parties are cross-examined. Hearing multiple perspectives and testing each claim leads to a fair and accurate judgment.

These verses feel especially important in our age of social media. Information spreads quickly, and as Solomon reminds us, believers need discernment. We cannot accept everything we read online as true. Instead, we must gather all the information before reaching a conclusion. We need to understand the context of what we read and consider other perspectives before accepting something as truth. And if the information involves moral or spiritual claims, believers must run it through a biblical lens to determine whether it aligns with the Lord’s teachings.

I love watching live debates and then listening to the different opinions afterward. People often have wildly different takeaways, and it makes me wonder if we even watched the same event. One of the most important lessons I learned in college was never to rely on secondhand information—always read the original source. Verifying what you hear or read is exactly what Solomon instructs us to do in this verse. When believers follow the Lord’s principles of fairness and careful judgment, they grow in discernment and gain the ability to recognize truth in all things.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel compelled to place your faith in Jesus Christ, who gives wisdom and discernment to judge all things with fairness and justice—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 326 Bible Readings - 1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)

Ezekiel 41 & 42, 1 Peter 1, Proverbs 18:7-16

1 Peter 1:14-16 (ESV)

“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

In 1 Peter 1:14–16, Peter, the apostle of Jesus Christ, writes to believers in modern-day Turkey about how to live faithfully in a pagan culture. He reminds them that they are children of the Lord and are in a covenant relationship with Him. As children of Father-God, they are called to obey Him because the grace of Jesus Christ has saved them. Peter urges believers to reject their former passions—the desires that shaped their lives before they met Christ. Father-God commands believers to reflect His holiness in how they live. When Christ saved them, He transformed both their character and their conduct. To be “holy” means the Lord has set believers apart for His purposes. Holiness is choosing to align one’s behavior with the character of Christ so that His love is reflected to the world.

I sometimes struggle with the idea of living in holiness, but over the years I’ve realized that holiness often looks like treating others the way I want to be treated. I don’t steal because I wouldn’t want someone to steal from me. I abstain from alcohol so I don’t lose control of myself—a lack of control that once led me to poor decisions. I know what I said and did when I drank in excess, and I don’t want to return to the consequences of that former life, where my sharp tongue hurt both myself and others. Living in holiness requires me to live differently than society, but I know I am happier when my life aligns with the Lord’s will than when I resist it. Father-God has a plan for my life that fits exactly how He created me. I no longer feel like a “square trying to fit into a round hole.” Instead, following the Lord’s plan makes me feel like a puzzle piece placed perfectly in His design for the world.

If these verses resonate with you—if you feel prompted to place your faith in Jesus Christ, who created you perfectly for the role He designed you to fulfill—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 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.