10 Practical Prompts for Listening to Jesus in Bible Reading
Will Jesus speak to me? Do you long to develop confidence that Jesus will speak to you in a personal way as you read God’s Word? God speaks in many ways, but the Bible tells us that in these days He has spoken to us in His Son (Hebrews 11:1). In this post I’m sharing practical prompts that helped me learn to listen as I meditate on a Scripture passage. Don’t miss some of my best tips for cultivating a deeper relationship with Christ through my new Spiritual Growth Pack of tip sheets, truths, and prayers.
We All Face Struggles with Hearing God
Do you believe that Jesus will speak to you personally when you read the Bible? In theory, we know that the Bible is God’s Word, but on a practical level it can be confusing to learn how to hear God speaking as we reflect on Scripture. Unlike the conversations we have with people, spiritual listening is usually inaudible, coming to us through insight and revelation of the Holy Spirit.
Making time for God in a busy life challenges us in every season of our spiritual lives. Overcoming distraction and developing spiritual attention are two more challenges we encounter when listening to Jesus. Reading His Word, our eyes move across the page, but we may struggle to connect with God through the text. Can you relate?
Hearing Jesus is Not Just for the Spiritual Experts
When I began to pursue a deeper relationship with God, I wondered if there was a secret formula for hearing God. It felt like a special club for the spiritual elite—the ones who read the Bible every day, never struggled with worry, and hardly ever sinned. Was hearing Jesus only for the “perfect people”? Have you been wondering how to grow closer to God?
Learning to listen to Jesus ignites spiritual growth and deeps our relationship with God. Years ago, a mentor helped me understand that listening to Jesus is easier when we come with the faith and expectancy that He will speak to us through His Word.
Faith is a key ingredient for opening ourselves to the words of Jesus. #listeningtojesus #hearinggod Share on X
Remember when God spoke from the heavens, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5)? God was direct about the importance of listening to Jesus. Jesus spoke then and He still speaks now.
Listening to Jesus is More Than a Skill
More than a skill to develop, learning to hear from Jesus is a relationship to pursue. We know that good relationships are built over time. Somehow we forget this truth when it comes to our relationship with Jesus. A regular Quiet time or devotional practice helps us recognize when Jesus is bringing something to our awareness.
“The simplicity of a regular devotional time with God is a training ground where we listen, learn, and obey God” (Holy in the Moment). #listeningtogod #quiettime Share on X
With practice, we begin to notice the difference between God and other voices because of the truth, content, wisdom, and clarity of the thought as we reflect on the Word. When Jesus speaks it always is consistent with the Bible and with the character of God. Meditating on God’s Word is a form of listening that deepens our relationship with God.
In Holy in the Moment, I wrote a chapter called “Moments to Listen to God”. Here’s a snippet of what it means to meditate: “Meditating on God’s Word blends Bible reading, listening, and abiding together in a sacred conversation with God. Meditation simply means to attentively practice, be diligent in, to ponder or imagine. As we ponder the truth, the Spirit opens the Scriptures to our listening hearts”.
This sounds great in theory, but how do we get there?
‘“The sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts all his own sheep outside, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice” (John 14: 3-4).
It’s important to trust that the Holy Spirit will enable you to recognize Jesus’ voice in your heart. One of the roles of the Spirit is to reveal the words of Jesus:
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take from Mine and will disclose it to you” (John 16:13-14).
Practical Help for Listening to Jesus Speak Through Scripture
Is there practical help for hearing Jesus speak through Scripture? Here is a list of questions, or prompts that helped me begin to discern when I’m hearing from God. I’ve seen this list in various forms and places, so I don’t know the original source. A friend gave me this list thirty years ago. I still use it today.
At first, I read the list every time I asked God to speak through His Word. I’d open my Bible with the list in front of me.to prepare my mind. Over time, the concepts on this list have become an organic part of my Bible reading as I trust the Holy Spirit to open my ears to God’s voice.
Questions become listening tools to begin our conversation with God, helping us to focus and listen. Think of these prompts as conversation starters as you read and reflect on the Biblical passage you read each day.
10 Questions to Help Listen to Jesus When You Read the Bible
Is Jesus speaking to me about…
- A new thought about God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit?
- A promise to claim?
- A command to obey?
- A sin to forsake?
- An example to follow?
- An instruction to practice?
- An error to avoid?
- A choice to make?
- A question to explore?
- A topic to pray about?
Like this? Get twenty additional prompts in my new Spiritual Growth Pack (details at the end of this post).
How to Use the Prompts to Listen to Jesus
Try these simple steps to discern the voice of Jesus.
- Ask Jesus to speak to you as you read and reflect on a passage from the Bible.
- Review the questions quickly before or after reading a passage in the Bible.
- Read the passage a second time and pay attention to what stands out to you.
- Reflect on the prompt that applies to the content that resonates with you. “What do you want me to understand about this?” is a great question to pray.
- Write thoughts, questions, or observations come to mind as you talk with Jesus through praying about the passage.
- Share your response with Jesus in prayer or in your journal.
- Ask Jesus to show you how to apply what you’ve learned.
Do the Listening Prompts Apply to Different Parts of the Bible?
These simple questions help us listen and learn from the Bible’s many forms of writing. You can have God conversations about any book of the Bible. Not every prompt will apply to every verse in the Bible, but they can train us to notice important details and truths in the text. Here are a sample of types of content found in various books of the Bible (this list is not exhaustive).
- In historical accounts we discover examples, principles, and commands.
- The prophetic books demonstrate the sovereignty of God as His heart, plans, and purposes are revealed.
- The Psalms help us to connect with God as well as offer examples of prayer and praise.
- The Gospels fill our ears with the actual words of Jesus that include instruction, teaching, encouragement, invitation, as well as correction and rebuke.
- The Epistles offer instruction, promises, principles, and examples.
At the heart of it all, the Bible is a love story of God’s desire for relationship with His people. And my friend, that includes you. He is a God who speaks.
He is a God who speaks to you.
What helps you listen to Jesus? I’d love to know what practices are meaningful to you. Leave a comment and share your thoughts. Share this post on social media to share this practical resource!
Get More Practical Tips in the Spiritual Growth Pack
Want more practical ideas to go deeper with Jesus? I’ve just put together a Spiritual Growth Pack of tip sheets to help you cultivate a deeper life with God. This power pack is filled with ideas, prayers, and truths to help you thrive in your relationship with God, no fluff and no dilly-dallying around. Print the resource sheets to incorporate into your spiritual practices as you depend on the Holy Spirit to help you.
- Simple Ways to Cultivate a Deeper Life with God
- 30 Ways to Listen to Jesus (expanded list from this post)
- 15 Simple Ways to Overcome Distraction and Focus on God
- 10 Perspective Shifts to Free Your Heart from Fear
- Prayer to Put On the Armor of God
- Prayer for Making Decisions
- 4 Biblical Ways to Peace in Decision Making
Related Posts to Help You Listen to Jesus
- Six Short Devotions to Help You Listen to Jesus + printable version
- When You Long for God to Speak to You
- Simple Ways to Meditate on God’s Word
- 8 Powerful Ways to Connect with God When He Is Silent
- Ignite Your Faith with Simple Truths for Listening to God
- Do You Struggle with Listening to God?
- 10 Benefits of Reviewing What We Learn from God
- Simple Ways Silence Can Deepen Your Faith
- Discover Six Important Truths About Listening to Go
Enjoy More Help for Listening to God in Holy in the Moment
A deeper, healthier life in Christ happens in the choices we make in the moment. Learn practical ways to live with freedom and joy to overcome perfectionism, anxiety, insecurity, self-righteousness, and negative attitudes. Chapter 8 is filled with more help for listening to God. Are you ready to discover the difference your choices can make? 
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The Easter Collection: Best Devotions to Celebrate Lent and Easter
A curated collection of top Easter inspiration from award-winning author, Ginger Harrington. These popular devotions for women provide fresh inspiration to focus on the power of what Christ has done for us by dying on the cross. Gain new insights on power of the resurrection and what it means for us. Enjoy a variety of free printable resources in several of the posts.
40 Days of Holy Moments for Lent
A Social Media Series to encourage you to focus on what Christ has to say to you through Scripture with a daily series throughout Lent. Each day features a graphic or personal photo as well as a Scripture, short devotion, and prompt for listening to Jesus. The entire series is available on both Instagram and Facebook. I’d love for you to follow and engage with me in these places! 
Catch the series on Instagram: #40daysofholymomentsforlent.
The Facebook series is here: #40daysofholymomentsforlent
Best Easter Devotions on the Blog
I’ve been blogging since 2009. Wow, time flies! Over the years I’ve written a lot of Easter related content. Enjoy this curated collection of my most popular Easter devotions for Christian women. This is a great post to save and to share with a friend! Click the title or the image of each post to read more.
4 Worshipful Ways to Remember the Resurrection Every Day
In a busy life, Easter sneaks in, quietly overlooked in the blare of traffic, the push of work, and the constant motion of home and family. Preparing our hearts for Easter is easily nudged aside. For this moment, stop the scurry and take a breath. Still your thoughts and discover the refreshing power of remembering. In this Easter devotion be inspired to embrace the power of the resurrection of Jesus every day with biblical wisdom to celebrate Easter throughout the year. Hearts heavy with grief pressed down hard, women approached the tomb to find the stone is rolled away. Far beyond the ability of a single man to move, the stone no longer seals the grave where Jesus was placed. Thoughts and emotions tangled and fought to make sense of the inexplicable. They entered into the tomb to discover His body was gone as two men appeared. . . .
Six Powerful Lessons on Love and Humility from the Last Supper
As we prepare for Easter, reflect on these lessons about love and humility from Jesus’ teachings at the Last Supper. Last moments are for the heart and Christ leaves his disciples with powerful lessons on love and humility. What can we learn from Christ’s words and example in his last meal with his disciples? Jesus demonstrated the power of love and humility in serving others as he washed the disciples’ feet. There are so many important lessons woven into Jesus’ example and teaching during the Last Supper. Lessons on love and humility that have the power to transform our hearts and impact the world around us. Are we willing to love and serve like Jesus?
Listen to Jesus: 4 Truths Every Believer Needs to Hear
During this Lenten season we’ve been leaning in close to listen to Jesus.Experience deeper faith when you realize that Jesus is speaking through His Word. As you prepare for Easter, join us in these holy moments for truths every believer needs to hear:
- You don’t have to bear your burdens alone. Jesus still bears our burdens and still delivers. Every single day.
- You are holy and whole in Christ. Over time, God brings healing and wholeness to every area of our lives so that we begin to live like who we are in Christ. Our lives change because we are holy, not to become holy.
- Holiness is your new normal, your new nature, your natural state of being. Holiness is God’s gift to bring you back where you belong, safe and secure in His family—holy and whole in Christ. Sanctification is the daily process of discovering the reality of our righteousness in Christ.
- God will finish what He started in you. On the days you forget, default to opinions, or fall short of his best, you can rest in the belief that he is still doing a good work in you.
Six Short Devotions to Help You Listen to Jesus
The Bible tells us that in these days, God speaks through his son (Hebrews 1:2). Listening to Jesus takes time, faith, and practice as we cultivate a listening life. As we prepare our hearts for Easter during this Lenten season, be intentional about making time to hear God’s voice. Ponder a short insight to help you listen to Jesus and open holy moments throughout your day. You will find tips ways to use the printable version of the devotions and the graphics at the end of the post. Create space in your day for holy moments to listen to Jesus as you ponder these simple meditations on God’s Word. Use these short meditations as part of your quiet time or as a way to connect with God in a short break in your day.
Easter Will Not Be Cancelled: The Unstoppable Joy of the Resurrection
Did you know that the Hebrew word for “grief” in this passage extends beyond the hard things that grieve our hearts? The unstoppable joy of Easter is because Jesus bore our malady, anxiety, calamity, disease, grief, and sickness. Even as the entire earth groans under the weight of fear and sickness, Easter still comes. Nothing and no one can hold back the good news of Easter, the victory over sin, death, and disease that the resurrection of Jesus accomplished. It is finished. And Easter will never be cancelled, postponed, or rescheduled.
The Good in Good Friday
17 Powerful Verses on the Resurrection Life of Christ + Printable List. What in the world was good about Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified on the cross? The message of Good Friday leads us to Easter as we embrace the power of the resurrection of Christ. The term Good Friday juxtaposes the suffering of our sinless Savior bearing our punishment. What happened on Good Friday is the death of Christ. There is so much that is not good about this day thousands of years ago when the sky turned black and Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” How can such pain be good? Don’t miss the free printable list of verses on the true life Jesus gives us in the post (no email needed). My Easter gift to you! Print this resource to reflect on what truly is good about Good Friday.
Inspire Your Heart to Hope + Printable Easter Poem
Be inspired by this short Easter poem to focus your heart on the power of hope. This Easter let your hope rise as you embrace the resurrection of Jesus. Today and every day, Christ in us is our hope of Glory. Enjoy the printable version of the poem to share with a friend.
Family Traditions Create Special Memories
Family traditions bring generations together, creating strong bonds and family stories. When I was a little girl, Easter was all about the bunny. And the basket. And the dress. Oh yes, the dress! 
Whether it is Easter dresses, decorating and hunting for eggs, playing games, making crafts, or baking special recipes, take time to create family traditions. It’s never too late to start! Through the years traditions will change with the ages and interests of the children, but always the best tradition is to celebrate life and love together as a family!
Love is the glue of family traditions that brings generations together and creates love for a lifetime.
*This post contains personal pictures of Easter that span 1970-2007.
Have a blessed Easter my friend. I hope you enjoy the variety of Easter content and the printable resources to deepen your faith this Easter! 
Discover the Practical Power of Your Choices
A deeper, healthier life in Christ happens in the choices we make in the moment. Learn practical ways to live with freedom and joy to overcome perfectionism, anxiety, insecurity, self-righteousness, and negative attitudes. Are you ready to discover the difference your choices can make?
Read the book and join the FB Holy in the Moment Community to make the most of your one holy life!Learn more about the award-winning book from Ginger Harrington. Intentional choices to trust God in the moment will change the way you live. *Contains an affiliate link at no cost to you.
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4 Powerful Ways to Peace in Decision Making
Making life-changing decisions is stressful. Decisions about schools, jobs, relationships, family, moves, or major purchases bring big changes that take us into the unknown. Fear of making the wrong decision stirs up what if’s that take us...
Listen to Jesus: 4 Truths Every Believer Needs to Hear
During this Lenten season we’ve been leaning in close to listen to Jesus.Experience deeper faith when you realize that Jesus is speaking through His Word. As you prepare for Easter, join us in these holy moments for truths every believer needs to hear.
I’ve been posting daily short devotions on Facebook and Instagram to open our hearts to what the Spirit has to say as we meditate on a daily verse. It is my prayer that this regular practice during Lent becomes a holy habit we continue through out the year.
For this post, I’ve selected four of the most popular posts in my social media series 40 Days of Holy Moments for Lent. You can find a printable version of the text and graphics of the first week of the series in last week’s blog. Print the devotions to use as your Quiet Time to help you listen to God.
As I looked through the devotions that garnered the most response, I realized these are truths that every believer needs to hear again and again. I selected four that work together well and resonated with readers. There are many truths that deepen our faith, but these four are important to understand at the heart level for sure!
Cultivating a regular practice of meditating on His word is the most effective way to recognize the often subtle ways Jesus gives understanding and revelation. As you read the truths below, try one of the simple ways to meditate from this post or follow the prompt at the end of each reflection.
Read and reflect on the entire post, or focus on one truth a day.
Pay attention to the thoughts that come to mind about the passage. What words or phrases stand out to you? Is there a fresh thought or an encouraging insight about the truth? You are hearing from Jesus! You will find it helpful to write down what comes to mind as you pray the listening prompt.
Follow me on Facebook or Instagram for the entire series with all the graphics. Spend some holy moments with Jesus as you listen to what He has to say about these beautiful truths that will lift your spirit.
1. You Don’t Have to Bear Your Burdens Alone
“Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,The God who is our salvation. God is to us a God of deliverances” (Psalm 68:19-20a).
On our worst days, the ones that feel too heavy to carry, hold fast to this truth about God. These are the moments when choosing holy in the hard includes entrusting our burdens to Jesus who daily is with us, bearing our burdens.
Daily.
Every single day.
[tweetthis]There hasn’t been and never will be a day when Jesus is not our burden-carrying Savior.[/tweetthis]
During Lent we set out attention on the burden Jesus has borne for us on the cross. He Himself, with His completely sinless life, carried the weight of our sin, our wrong actions, and offenses against a holy God.
Salvation and deliverance come to us through what Jesus suffered on our behalf, the punishment that he endured in our place.
“However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore, And our pains that He carried; Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted, Struck down by God, and humiliated. But He was pierced for our offenses, He was crushed for our wrongdoings; The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5 NASB).
There is something deeply personal about the phrase “He Himself.” How easy it is to distance ourselves from the intensity of what Jesus suffered on our behalf. For us. Instead of us.
In the quiet of this holy moment, worship Jesus with a grateful heart.
- Those sinful words you wish you could take back. . . He’s already paid for them.
- The diagnosis that breaks your heart. . . He’s already carried the weight of it.
- The worst thing you’ve ever done. . . He’s already been punished for it.
And He still bears our burdens and still delivers. Every single day.
What is Jesus saying to you as you reflect on these passages?
2. You Are Holy and Whole in Christ
“May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it” (1 Thess. 5:23-24 MSG).
This side of heaven we yearn for the wholeness of a fully integrated self—body, soul, and spirit. We interact with our world through our physical body and our five senses. We relate to others and ourselves through our soul, which includes our mind, will, and emotions.
Longing for healing, our lives are fragmented with the pathologies sin. But the good. news is that in Christ we are holy and whole.
A dwelling place for God, our spirit is created to live in communion with God. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, our spirit receives the life of God. Sin’s penalty has been paid and our sins have been forgiven.
The process of growing into our full identity in Christ is the beautiful work of God making us holy and whole. The word holy includes the ideas of wholeness, health, happiness, wellness, as well as the concept of being sacred and set apart for God.
God is transforming our mind, will, and emotions, the ways that we think and choose, as well as what we believe about God, ourselves, and others.
Over time, God brings healing and wholeness to every area of our lives so that we begin to live like who we are in Christ. Our lives change because we are holy, not to become holy.
The theological word for this process is sanctification, which you will find in some translations of this verse.
You may not feel holy at this moment, but you are completely holy in Christ.
What is spiritually true of you is the truest thing about you! Share on X
On the days when you feel like you’ll never measure up to the person God created you to be, remember He is the one who makes you holy. You can trust Him to keep His word.
Breathe a sigh of relief as you let go of the stress of trying to make yourself holy and whole.
Ask Jesus to bring your spirit, soul, and body into harmony with His sanctifying work in you today. As you reflect on this promise, what stands out to you as a fresh or empowering insight?
3. Holiness is Your New Normal
“Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Ephesians 4:23-24 NASB).
Our thoughts and feelings can never accurately define or measure our righteousness. Share on X
Holiness is your new normal, your new nature, your natural state of being.
4. God Will Finish What He Started in You
“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Confidence is often a bumpy ride on uneven ground.
Paul was confident of God’s maturing work in the Philippines. I struggle with confidence, inspecting, and evaluating myself. Calculating the distance between where I am today and where I think I should be, my assurance wavers.
When the source of my confidence is myself and my performance, it’s easy to trip over the rocks in road.
Paul was completely confident because he understood God’s faithfulness and purpose to make us holy and whole. True confidence comes as we listen and respond to God’s voice in our lives. Trust in God takes the pressure off ourselves to obey, mature, grow, and serve from our limited resources of self.
Believing God will complete his sacred work in our hearts frees us to respond and follow him fully.
Here is the truth to listen to today: God is doing a good work in you and he will not stop until you are complete in Christ. On the days you forget, default to opinions, or fall short of his best, you can rest in the belief that he is still doing a good work in you.
When you struggle with confidence, whose voice do you hear? What is Jesus saying about the good work he is doing in you?
More Holy Moments to Deepen Your Faith
Give the gift of holy this Easter. Discover the practical power of intentional choices to trust God in the moment. This is your moment to deepen your faith and freedom in Christ. Learn more. This is an Amazon affiliate link at no cost to you
More Posts to Help You Listen to God
- When You Long for God to Speak to You
- Simple Ways to Meditate on God’s Word
- 8 Powerful Ways to Connect with God When He Is Silent
- Ignite Your Faith with Simple Truths for Listening to God
- Do You Struggle with Listening to God?
- Moments to Pray, Listen, and Think Bring Us Closer to God
- 15 Simple Ways to Overcome Distraction to Focus Your Attention on God (with printable)
- 10 Benefits of Reviewing What We Learn from God
- Simple Ways Silence Can Deepen Your Faith
- Discover Six Important Truths About Listening to Go
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Six Short Devotions to Help You Listen to Jesus
The Bible tells us that in these days, God speaks through his son (Hebrews 1:2). Listening to Jesus takes time, faith, and practice as we cultivate a listening life. As we prepare our hearts for Easter during this Lenten season, be intentional about making time to hear God’s voice. Ponder a short insight to help you listen to Jesus and open holy moments throughout your day. You will find tips ways to use the printable version of the devotions and the graphics at the end of the post.
The night before Lent began, my husband caught me by surprise when he made this statement: “I’ve decided to give up a few things for Lent this year. Sugar, gluten, caffeine and all processed foods.”
Umm…what happened to giving up one item for Lent?! Isn’t this a little overkill?
This isn’t the kind of Lenten observance you spring on a girl at bedtime the night before. It takes mental preparation and a serious trip to the grocery store to turn your diet upside down for 40 days. I’m thinking two things:
- I don’t want to be around when you go cold turkey on all this.
- I don’t want to join you on this zealous approach to giving up things for Lent.
Is that bad? I did keep my thoughts to myself.
Two weeks later, he is realizing that he was overly ambitious. Enough said.
Holy Moments for Listening to Jesus
There are many ways to prepare your heart for Easter. Like my husband, many deny themselves a pleasure to help focus on Christ during Lent. Others commit to spiritual practices that draw our hearts closer to Jesus. However you observe Lent, you can find daily mini-devotions on my Facebook Page and my Instagram. (If you join me in these places, please leave a comment and share posts).
Some of the reflections are adapted from Holy in the Moment, but many are meditations are from my journal. I’ll be sharing some of these short reflections each week on my website as well. Don’t miss the downloadable PDF with the six day devotional including graphics to print and share.
Create space in your day for holy moments to listen to Jesus as you ponder these simple meditations on God’s Word. Use these short meditations as part of your quiet time or as a way to connect with God in a short break in your day. If you aren’t sure how to listen to Jesus or meditate on God’s Word you will find these posts helpful.
- When You Long for God to Speak to You
- Simple Ways to Meditate on God’s Word
- Discover Six Important Truths About Listening to God
- 7 Helpful Ways to Listen to God
Day One: Holy Moments for a Living Sacrifice
Today is your day to choose holiness. During this Lenten season, let’s walk together, as we commit to offer our hearts to Jesus on a deeper level. Discover the wonder of holy and whole moments through short insights to help you live a listening life with Jesus.
Ask Jesus to open your heart to this truth about holiness:
“Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1).
Isn’t it a relief to recognize we don’t have to make ourselves faultless and acceptable to God? Rather than requiring our perfection, God simply asks us to offer ourselves, to place our lives in His hands.
We offer our time, effort, gifts, skills, and obedience, but we trust God for the results. Depending on God to work through our efforts brings God into our present awareness. On our part, holiness also begins with a choice—the choice to offer our everyday moments to God.
Don’t let the phrase “holy sacrifice” intimidate you. We don’t make ourselves holy and acceptable. Jesus has done the work that makes us holy and whole. Shift your perspective from the pressure of doing to the simplicity of offering.
As you reflect on the truth that your holy life is acceptable to God, what is Jesus saying to your heart?
*adapted from Holy in the Moment,
Day Two: Holy Moments to Come as You Are
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG).
I’ve read this passage more times than I can count. It never gets old, never feels stale. I think that’s because I never outgrow my need for help carrying my burdens. As you come to Jesus, release the sense of overwhelm that creeps in when life’s challenges outpace stamina.
What could happen if you pull back the throttle that keeps you running on continual over-drive, offering Jesus your heart and your trust one day at a time? This is the choice that makes all the difference.
Come as you are in this moment right now. As you hear Him whisper, “Come to me” consider how you can keep company with Jesus today. Let Jesus show you how to live in rest and rest in life.
What is Jesus saying to you about living in His unforced rhythms of grace?
Day Three: Holy Moments on Hard Days
This reflection features the most popular quote from my book, Holy in the Moment. I share this because Jesus strengthened me of this truth during the darkest moments of my sister’s battle with ALS.
“Not every moment is good but God is good in every moment.” —Holy in the Moment.
We don’t always feel holy in our hard moments when God’s goodness seems elusive.
“For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting and His faithfulness is to all generations” (Psalm 86:4-6). What does it look like to trust in God’s goodness in your life today?
It’s on our hard days that we need to practice the holy habit of remembering that God is good. Always good. Forever good.
Not every situation is good. Some situations are downright awful, the kind that threaten to unravel you to the core. I’ve had more than a few of these moments this past year. Maybe you have too.
I’m not talking about glossing over the gut-wrenching problems of life with shallow and trite religious clichés. Even when life’s tragedies cut across the grain of our hopes and dreams, God’s goodness prevails.
I can trust His heart even when I don’t understand why certain things happen. And when emotions rant and faith flounders, I can trust his faithfulness. The good news is that you can too.
Offer Jesus your honest feelings about a situation in your life that isn’t good. What is Jesus saying to you about the reality of God’s goodness in this very moment as it is?
Day Four: Holy Moments to Be Blessed
On days when consecration feels more like a cold code of conduct or a test to pass, consider the profound love expressed in these words: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Ephesians 1:3-4).
“One of our spiritual blessings, holiness doesn’t depend on our ability to be perfect, although we often try. Holiness begins with a choice, a choice God made when He chose you.”—Holy in the Moment
In this world of comparison and competition, it’s easy to strive for what we already have in Christ: significance, love, acceptance, security, worth, and value. These are few of our precious spiritual benefits as well as our deepest, God-given needs.
Will you stop and savor the truth that God has chosen you? He loves you. He accepts you, not on the basis of your best days, but on the fact that you belong to Him. Tell yourself this truth: there is nothing you have to do to earn God’s approval when you are in Christ. He sees you as holy and blameless, clothed in the righteousness of Jesus.
On the days when this feels too good to be true, refuse to bow under the burden of perceived “not enough-ness.” Let your spiritual blessings lighten your load and strengthen your step. Don’t let the big or small issues of life rob you of precious gifts God has given you.
What is Jesus saying to you about the reality of your spiritual blessings today?
Day Five: Holy Moments to Pour Out Your Heart in Prayer
Prayer is a reverent offering, especially on our worst days and deepest heartbreaks. To offer up our prayer includes the meaning of presenting a gift or bringing with purpose. Pray with confidence in Christ, intentionally bringing your concerns to Him.
This act of offering is the same idea in which friends brought beggars and lame men to Jesus, people desperate for his healing touch. They brought the need to the source of help—a visible picture of prayer.
Pray passionately.
Pray hard.
Pray anywhere and everywhere.
Jesus prayed on hillsides, in lonely places, in the temple, and in the wilderness of temptation. He prayed in the early stillness of morning, and He prayed throughout many nights. Luke tells us Jesus regularly prayed in the garden of Gethsemane; just as He did on the night He was betrayed (Luke 22:39).
When the storms of life crash into your dreams, pray for commitment to obey, strength to put God’s will before your preferences. Christ learned obedience through suffering, submitting His desires to God’s perfect will. Christ’s obedient sacrifice was ushered in with prayer, “Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
When we trust God in our suffering, choosing to pray and accept His will, we express our deepest worship.
What thoughts rise to the surface when you reflect on how Jesus prayed? What is Jesus saying to you about prayer today?
Day Six: Holy Moments for Commitment
“Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it” (Psalm 37: 5 NASB).
Are you a morning person or a night owl? Is your personality extroverted or introverted, or somewhere in between? Maybe you are a list maker or do you prefer to go where the wind takes you? Do you struggle to curb your tongue, complete tasks, or get to work on time? Have you committed your ways to Jesus?
Whether your path is smooth or filled with bumps and unexpected turns, commit your way to the Lord. Make the holy choice to trust Him with the entire journey. Right in the middle of who you are and what you’re doing, this is where Jesus wants to be—with you in this holy moment.
What would it feel like to go all in with Jesus? Don’t hold back. Commit your way to the Lord and trust Him with the results.
Begin a conversation with Jesus with this simple prayer: “Lord, my way, my journey, and my life belong to You. I commit my way to You and I trust You with my life.”
Which area of life do you find the greatest challenge to commit to Jesus? What does Jesus want to say to you about that?
Six short devotions to help you listen to Jesus with free download and graphics to print and share. #printabledevotions #freeprintablegraphics Share on X
How to Make the Most of These Devotions
Here are a few ideas for incorporating these short reflections to inspire moments for listening to Jesus.
- Join me on Instagram or Facebook each day as part of your daily devotions.
- Use a journal to record what you sense Jesus is saying to you each day.
- Print out this post to use as a six day devotional for listening to Jesus.
- Download and print the graphics to post as reminders, give to a friend, or paste into your journal.
Download and Print
Click here to download a PDF of the text and graphics. Let me know if you like having this kind of resource as part of the post! I’m trying something new and your feedback is really helpful.
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you.
Holy in the Moment
Give the gift of holy this Easter. Discover the practical power of intentional choices to trust God in the moment. This is your moment to deepen your faith and freedom in Christ. Learn more.
More Posts to Help You Listen to God
- When You Long for God to Speak to You
- Simple Ways to Meditate on God’s Word
- 8 Powerful Ways to Connect with God When He Is Silent
- Ignite Your Faith with Simple Truths for Listening to God
- Do You Struggle with Listening to God?
- Moments to Pray, Listen, and Think Bring Us Closer to God
- 15 Simple Ways to Overcome Distraction to Focus Your Attention on God (with printable)
- 10 Benefits of Reviewing What We Learn from God
- Simple Ways Silence Can Deepen Your Faith
- Discover Six Important Truths About Listening to Go
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Armor of God Prayer (Free Printable PDF + Daily Prayer Guide)
If you’re looking for an Armor of God prayer you can actually use each day, this simple prayer based on Ephesians 6 will guide you step by step.
Download the Armor of God Prayer PDF (Free Printable)
Want a simple way to pray this each day?
Download the printable version of this Armor of God prayer based on Ephesians 6 and keep it in your Bible, journal, or prayer space as a daily reminder to stand firm in God’s strength.
What’s included in the Armor of God Prayer PDF:
- A beautifully designed, easy-to-read Armor of God prayer
- A printable format you can keep in your Bible or prayer journal
- A simple journaling page to help you return to this prayer and reflect each day
- A simple way to stay grounded in truth during spiritual battles
Armor of God Prayer (Pray This Daily)
Praying God’s Word is one of the ways we take up the sword of the Spirit. These are words I’ve prayed again and again in the spiritual battles my family has experienced.
Would you join me as we stand firm in the armor of God today?
Lord, by faith I put on the full armor you have given me. Your provision and power are my protection. Thank you for this extraordinary gift.
By faith, I put on the belt that is truth of your Word and the truth that is the Lord Jesus Himself. Jesus, you are my way, my truth, and my life. Hold me together with your truth. Fortify me to the core, the center of my strength, with your belt of truth. Hold every part of me in alignment with truth.
By faith I put on the breastplate of your righteousness. Cover my heart, my source of life, and all my desires with your way of doing and being right. Guard my heart and my emotions from every dart and arrow of the Enemy. Remind me you of your nearness when I feel alone in the fight. You cover my vulnerability with your presence. Thank you that you for the gift of your righteousness.
By faith I put on my shoes of the preparation of the gospel, the good news of salvation that gives me peace. Empower me to stand and to walk in your powerful peace. May your peace prepare my motivation, words, and actions for all I will encounter today.
By faith in the power of your name, I lift my shield. Cover me with your faithfulness. Shelter my family with the shield of faith. Deflect every fiery arrow that comes against us today. We depend on you as we raise our faith over our vulnerability and need.
By faith, I put on the helmet of salvation. Guard my every thought with your saving grace. Protect my mind and don’t let me forget that you have saved me and are making me holy and whole. Let my salvation deliver me from faulty thinking that leads to doubt and defeat. Help me to remember that the battle is yours and you have already defeated the Enemy.
By faith, I take up the powerful sword of your Spirit. Open my ears to your “rhema” words “uttered by the living voice.” Guide my hand to the specific truth of your Living Word that will best defend against Satan’s schemes. Your Word is a two-edged sword, powerful to defend and to advance. Move me to wield the sword of the Spirit, for you know what will best meet the need of the moment.
In all these things, I pray in the Spirit with every kind of prayer you put in my heart. I depend on you to help me to pray. I depend on your protection and help to stand firm and resist the Enemy.
In the name of Jesus, amen.
And in the shelter of My Savior, let it be so.
You can return to this prayer each day as a way to put on the full armor of God and stand firm in His strength.
Free Armor of God Prayer Printable
In this post, you’ll learn how to put on the armor of God through prayer—and download a free printable to help you pray it daily. From small skirmishes to all-out spiritual battles, prayer is a vital part of putting on the whole armor of God.
Prayer is how we receive God’s strength to stand firm. Ephesians 6:18 reminds us to pray at all times with all kinds of prayers as part of our spiritual battle plan.
In this post, you’ll discover:
• What the armor of God means
• How to pray each piece of the armor
• A guided Armor of God prayer
• A free printable PDF to use daily
How Do You Pray the Armor of God?
Do you think bicep curls can be a form of prayer?
Interesting question, isn’t it?
Spiritual battles are a part of daily living. Last week I wrote about the importance of putting on the armor of God. To recap, we covered the concept that the God’s armor is a way of living rather than merely a checklist of good gear to have. You can read the post here. if you missed it.
Why Prayer Is Essential to Putting On the Armor of God
Prayer is the key to standing firm in spiritual battles.
Responding to the Spirit, we pray in many ways—alone, with others, in quiet moments, or in the middle of a busy day. However you pray, the important thing is to pray.
Pray as you can and as the Spirit leads.
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…” —Ephesians 6:18
Spiritual battles come in lots of shapes and sizes.
From small skirmishes to all-out war, prayer is a vital part of putting on the armor of God.
So how do we armor up to stand firm against the schemes of the devil? How do we put Ephesians 6 into action?
This is how the workout prayer became a thing for me.
Responding to the Spirit, we pray in lots of ways.
- We can pray alone, with a partner, or alongside a group.
- Prayer can be spoken, sung, or shouted. Sometimes we pray on the go with short prayers, quick as a breath. T
- Some days we pray deep, pray long, and pray hard.
- Conversational prayer or journaling prayer are also different types of prayer.
- I often pray in the car or while walking.
These are just a few of the many ways we can pray.
However you pray, the important thing is to pray.
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. . . (Ephesians 6:18).
Prayer and Exercise
Praying when we exercise can help us focus in prayer. During my running days, I loved to pray while jogging. Over the years, I’ve transitioned to prayer walking.
I didn’t pray much during weight workouts until one morning last fall.
My sister was heavy on my heart as she had recently been diagnosed with ALS, a terminal motor neuron disease that causes loss of strength and muscular function.
With each lift, I asked God to infuse her with every kind of strength she needed—physical, mental, and spiritual.
“Lord, let the movement of my body… be a prayer.”
I had made a natural shift from praying while exercising to exercise as a form of prayer. Both work together.
What Is the Armor of God in Ephesians 6?
Maybe it sounds strange to think of bicep curls as a form of prayer, but that is how the Spirit led me to pray.
As we seek to deepen our prayer life, the Holy Spirit can be very creative in prompting us to pray.
God has given us spiritual protection and instruction to face the spiritual battles that are part of life. We activate God’s armor through praying in the Spirit.
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.–Ephesians 6:11-12
Armor of God Prayer (Based on Ephesians 6)
The time to pray is now.
May we develop a deeper understanding of how to put on the full armor of our God who fights for us and will not be defeated.
Mind. Heart. Truth. Action. Peace. Spirit. Word. These are key concepts to attend to in the care and keeping of Christ.
Let’s ask God to heal our hearts from the distractions that deflect our attention from prayerful living.
Now more than ever may God teach us to pray in the Spirit, training us to be alert and faithful intercessors.
Now more than ever.
Download your free Armor of God Prayer PDF and keep it nearby as a daily reminder to stand firm in God’s strength each day.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Armor of God Prayer
Can I download the Armor of God Prayer as a PDF?
Yes, you can download a free printable PDF version of this prayer above to use daily in your quiet time or prayer routine. PDF includes printer friendly and decorative prayer,
What is the armor of God prayer?
The armor of God prayer is a guided way to pray through Ephesians 6:10–18, helping you put on each piece of God’s armor as part of your daily spiritual life.
How do you pray the armor of God daily?
You can pray through each piece of the armor—truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Word—asking God to help you live in each one.
Why is the armor of God important?
The armor of God equips us to stand firm in spiritual battles, reminding us that our strength comes from the Lord.
Where is the armor of God found in the Bible?
Ephesians 6:10–18 describes the full armor of God and how believers are called to stand firm.
Previous Post: How to Stand Firm in the Armor of God
About the Author
Ginger Harrington is a Christian author, speaker, and host of the Habits of Hope Podcast, where she helps women build daily rhythms that strengthen faith and cultivate lasting hope. With over 15 years of blogging and ministry experience, Ginger writes to encourage spiritual growth, resilience, and a deeper walk with God in everyday life.
You can explore more resources in the Deeper Life Collection or listen to the Habits of Hope Podcast for biblical encouragement and practical next steps.
More Posts to Deepen Prayer in Your Life
- When Bad News Becomes a Call to Intercession
- How to Stay Focused in Prayer
- Powerful Prayers for God’s Direction for our Children
- 8 Powerful Ways to Connect with God When He Is Silent
- 4 Powerful Ways to Peace in Decision Making
- Powerful Prayers for God’s Direction for Our Children
- Powerful Truth Gives Direction for Our Children
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Posts with Free Printable Lists
How to Stand Firm in the Armor of God Right Now
God equips us with spiritual armor to stand firm in the spiritual battles we face. Explore the meaning of the armor of God in this meditation on Ephesians 6:10-18 that shows why we need to put on the armor of God and how to do it.
As I scroll social media feeds, I am burdened to learn of deep losses of many friends. I know I am not the only one facing hard things, grieved by loss in my life and darkening days around the globe. In the shadow of loss, I feel small, weary, and vulnerable. Maybe you do too.
In my quiet time, I sense the Spirit speak to my soul, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10).
Today I declare God’s Word rather than give into fear or get lost in grief.
I choose to look beyond appearances. God has both promised and commanded us to trust in his strength and might. I could use more strength and might right now. How about you?
The word might stops me in my tracks. I feel powerless to fix broken lives around me and uncertainty of the future feels scary. Might is God’s ability to do, to manifest his full power and strength. Because he has the power and might to defeat evil, we don’t have to have all the answers or battle it out alone. Our best response is to grab hold of God’s strength by faith and not let go.
God’s strength becomes ours through receiving and trusting.
How counter-intuitive this is to our human instinct to depend on ourselves. We want rush in and do big things that lead to amazing victories. And wrap it all up by dinner time.
When our strategies fail, we say, “Well, there’s nothing left to do now but pray.”
To fight first and resort to prayer if nothing else works is not God’s way. This is not how we experience victory in our spiritual battles and it certainly doesn’t help us put on the armor of God.
The Armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18.
As I meditate on Ephesians 6:10-18, the passage the Lord brought to mind, the words seem to come to life.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having belted your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.With every prayer and request, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be alert with all perseverance and every request for all the saints. . . (Ephesians 6:10-18 NASB).
What is the armor of God?
Spiritual warfare is part of every-day living this side of heaven.
At times, spiritual warfare comes in ordinary thoughts, misperceptions, irritations, conflicts, and disappointments. But there are times when spiritual attack blasts in hard and heavy. Unexpected trauma knocks us off our feet, leaving us dazed and disoriented. Our souls want to buckle beneath the burdens we bear. How we respond to the darts and arrows of the Enemy makes a powerful difference.
The armor of God is a lifestyle rather than a checklist. #armorofgod #standfirminfaith Share on X
In the book The Invisible War, Chip Ingram reminds us “the armor is a description of how we are to live out a dynamic relationship with Jesus. This is a lifestyle, not a checklist. These pieces of protection aren’t things that we can mechanically pray onto ourselves each morning in a step-by-step routine. It is a visual aid to help us understand how to live out a relationship with the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is, of course, important to understand what these things are and how to apply them, but there’s nothing ritualistic about them. Putting them on doesn’t happen merely through a brief morning prayer time. It’s a lifestyle issue – the product of weeks, months, and years of practice and cultivation. This is something we do, not a formula we recite” (84).
Ho there, I’m busted. Um. . . I’ve prayed the armor of God that way. . .a lot.
How many times have I recited the armor of God like a mantra, a good luck charm against evil that might invade my day? There is faith in this kind of armoring up, but it is a quick and get on with it kind of thing.
Today is different. I’ve seen the Enemy march in to kill, steal, and destroy those I love. Repeated bad news has become a deep call to intercessory prayer. The battles are real and the stakes are high.
- Debilitating disease and death claimed my sister as well as two other family members in the past few months.
- Broken relationships have ripped apart two marriages of family members we love deeply.
- Families have fractured and the fall out grieves my soul.
- My heart already misses my daughter who packs her suitcase for her return to her home in Canada.
- Our world cringes in horror at this week’s headlines as war breaks out between Russian and the Ukraine.
Spiritual warfare is real. Really real.
Maybe you sense the spirit of heaviness in the onslaught of strife that rips through our nation. Maybe you are one of the many who have poured your hurt, grief, need, or loss into the echoing chambers of social media feeds. If this is you, friend, you are in my prayers.
Next Post: A Prayer to Put on the Armor of God + Free Printable
It’s time to stand firm in the armor of God.
I pray through the next phrase in this passage, listening for anything God wants to say.
The call to pray in faith resounds as Father draws my attention to words “Put on the FULL armor OF GOD.”
1. Put on the armor of God.
It’s time to put on the armor of God. Right now. Today. Not tomorrow or some other day when it is more convenient or we feel more spiritual.
The FULL armor- this means that there is nothing lacking, nothing that falls short. In this complete protection, we are fully covered…. when we put it on.
Isn’t it easy to leave these spiritual weapons dusty and unused in the pages of our Bibles?
2. Who’s armor is it?
OF GOD.
This is His armor, this protection and equipping God provides. As I mull over this passage, the Spirit reveals that this armor is a gift of grace that protects and empowers. I don’t think I have thought much about what a gift from God this armor is. These days, I need God’s covering like my lungs need air.
3. The action of taking up God’s armor.
God reminds me to armor up in the protection He has provided. To “take up” the full armor of God is translated in the KJV as “take unto you” which means to raise, to take up a thing, to use it, to receive, and to take up, in, or unto. There’s something intensely personal about putting on the armor of God.
We take up our gear with faithful intention through prayer and perseverance.
Prayer is the sacred space where the spiritual meets our reality. Prayer transforms experience, truth becomes knowing, as the power of God is released.
Stand firm in the battle.
Easy to say, right? On our good days when all is right with the world, the deception of the Enemy seems a distant rumble. Standing firm seems a given for the believer. No big deal.
And yet, Ephesians 6 calls us to the priority of standing firm in our daily battles big and small. Putting on the complete armor of God coupled with consistent prayer in the Spirit empowers us to stand firm in the strength of Christ.
Using our armor for defense and offense is the Spirit-empowered condition where spiritual battles are waged and won. In these days, taking up the full armor of God empowers us to stand firm against the “the schemes of the devil”.
When battles for souls rage, living in the full armor of God is the path to victory. #armorofgod #spiritualwarfare Share on X
As I reflect on this power-packed passage, strength rises in my soul. I feel faith increase with a renewed energy and resolve.
Conviction pulses through my veins with the power of God.
- Stand on the truth of God’s Word no matter where the winds of culture blow.
- Stand in the power of the Gospel when faced with the reality of sin.
- Stand with the grit and tenacity of a bulldog with a bone in his mouth.
- Stand with a soul-deep refusal to doubt the sovereignty of God or the presence of Christ in the fray.
- Stand firm and don’t relinquish ground to the Enemy.
Standing firm in the full armor of God is our anthem, our deep desire, and our fervent prayer.
Today and every day, “stand firm.” Don’t give an inch of territory to the Devil.
Not today.
What helps you to stand firm in the armor of God? Leave a comment and let me know!
Many spiritual battles begin with our thoughts.
Get this free ebook with 50 strategies and verses to combat negative thoughts. Sign up here or below.
Related posts to deepen your faith.
- When Bad News Becomes a Call to Intercession
- Is Your Soul Talk Strengthening Your Faith?
- Be Still to Discover Your Strong
- How to Find the Strength You Need to Overcome Your Challenge
Posts with Free Printable Lists
- 5 Simple Ways Silence Can Deepen Your Faith
- 10 Perspective Shifts to Free Your Heart From Fear
- How to Stay Focused in Prayer
- 10 Bible Verses to Encourage Moms When They Need It Most
- 15 Simple Ways to Overcome Distraction to Focus Your Attention on God
*This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link on this blog. I would never recommend a product I don’t use or love myself!
10 Perspective Shifts to Free Your Heart from Fear of Failure
Do you need help to trust God more fully when fear of failure drags you down? We are tempted to put time with God aside when we feel stressed to succeed in all the tasks before us. When fear of failure presses in, listening to God can change our perspective.
Meditation on God’s Word and prayerful journaling are a powerful combination. They are spiritual disciplines that open space for us to meet with God. Rather than a formula to follow or a skill to practice, listening to God develops as we bring our concerns and questions to Him. In today’s post, I share from a journal entry I’ve come back to again and again. Be encouraged with valuable perspective shifts that can strengthen you to trust God more fully and overcome fear of failure.
Is Fear of Failure Pulling You Down?
I sat in my favorite chair, taking that first sip of coffee that tastes so good. In the middle of writing my first book, the weight of deadlines and expectations felt heavy. Intimidating. And more than a bit overwhelming.
My work called out for my time and attention, but I knew I needed time with God before rushing into the day. In my quiet time, I began to talk with God about the worries that were pulling me down.
Recognizing when fear is at the root of our concerns enables us to have an honest conversation with God. Share on X
- Do I have enough words to finish this manuscript?
- Is my work good enough?
- What if nobody reads my book?
These were a few of the fears that replayed in my thoughts. The pressures that Christian authors face are very real. I’ve faced these same questions too many times to count.
Prayer Creates Space to Share Our Fears with God
Maybe for some, confidence comes easy. For me, confidence is a winding path on uneven terrain. Coming to God with my fears and frustrations, I longed to receive encouragement as I picked up with my daily Bible reading plan. With an exhale of breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, I prayed.
Lord, You know my concerns and that all too familiar fear of not being enough. As I read, open my ears to receive what You want to talk about today. Draw my attention to the words You want to ensure I don’t gloss over. Help me to know what You want me to understand about my fear.
Meditating on God’s Word Helps Us Listen to God
Bible meditation is a spiritual discipline that helps me to hear God more clearly.
Here is my highlight of what I read in 2 Corinthians 2:
But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. . . For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ, in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
I realized that my concerns of finishing the book and the many tasks that go along with publishing triggered the old patterns of my flesh.
The old fear-of-failure flesh pattern had surfaced again.
The patterns that elevate good performance as the definer of worth and value were alive and flourishing. Maybe you have struggled with the pressure of a performance mentality a time or two as well–I’m pretty sure this issue shows up in all of our lives at some point. If not daily. . .
Slowing down to reflect on what a passage actually says is a powerful way of listening to God, giving attention for the Spirit to speak.
Slowly I mulled over these truths:
- God leads us in His triumph in Christ.
- God manifests through us the knowledge of Christ.
- Our goal is to respond to what God manifests in us with sincerity.
- Relying of Christ, we share what God has taught us.
Sensing God had more to show me, I wrote the thoughts that came to mind. Prayer and meditating on Scripture create a sacred space for listening to God. I share these insights as they have encouraged me many times. I hope these thoughts will prove helpful in your own struggles to let go of the fear of failure.
Listening to God Expands Our Understanding
Shift your perspective.
These are three simple but powerful words.
To shift perspective is to look at something differently.
To think differently.
To respond differently.
It is to see a fuller picture than the flat-sided, one dimensional view of our current position. Perspective is also “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.” When the fear of failure gets in the way of answering God’s call, we need to shift our perspective.
10 Perspective Shifts to Free Your Heart from Fear of Failure
- Replace worry with gratitude. Be thankful for what God is doing rather than be anxious about how you well are doing.
- Focus on following God over fretting about failure. Trust God to lead you. You’re not in this alone and it doesn’t all depend on your ability.
- Don’t let the fear of failure ignite discouragement. Shift your heart from seeking personal success to rejoicing in the triumph of Christ as you bring every discouragement to Him.
- Don’t compare and compete. Culture is rife with temptation to measure yourself against others. These toxic sisters never lead us to God’s perspective.
- Keep your focus on God’s glory rather than bowing to the pressure to succeed. You have nothing to prove. In Christ you are deeply loved and valued; you are already worthy. Trusting God in the process is the path to success that carries eternal weight.
- Ask God to speak through you, “Lord, please manifest Your words through me today.”
- Shift your outlook from obsessing over outcomes to sharing God’s Word with sincerity as you follow Christ.
- Be confident in Christ. Be competent through Christ because your adequacy is from Him.
- Stop giving into the condemnation of your fears. Pressure to prove yourself drains life from your soul.
- Enjoy God’s presence and trust Him to lead you to the path of life rather than the quick route to momentary success.
*Click here to print list below.
In the sanctuary of my soul, God reminded me that it is His Spirit that gives life and liberty. His Words are the words that matter and His leadership is faithful and sure. Today as I come back to this journal entry, I am strengthened once again to let go of fear as I trust in God’s guidance and provision.
And just maybe, God is expressing Himself to you as I share what He has been teaching me. Would you let me know if these freeing perspective shifts are empowering for you?
Whether we succeed or fail, the real win comes when our perspective shifts to glorifying God over personal gain. Share on X
Which one of these perspective shifts helps free you from fear of failure today?
Need Help for Processing Fear and Worry With God?
Are you looking for a practical way to process vulnerable emotions like fear and worry in a way that draws you deeper with God? It’s so easy for fear to prompt us to pull in, to isolate ourselves. God can feel very distant as we struggle with emotions we’d rather not experience. If this is you, I have a couple of resources to help.
Flourish: An Emotional Health Workbook is a printable resource in my Subscriber Library. In this workbook, you’ll find tips and exercises to work through emotions with God. You can sign up here to get access to the Library.
Be sure to check out the thoughts and feelings chapters in my book, Holy in the Moment. These two chapters are packed with concepts from my own journey in healing from anxiety.
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- How to Silence the Not Enough Voices in Your Head
- Help for Moments When Worry and Anxiety Get the Best of You
- Five Powerful Choices to Free Your Heart from Fear
- 4 Ways to Make Time for God in a Busy Life
*This post may contain affiliate links at no cost to you.
10 Biblical Ways to Show Love
These 10 biblical ways to show love help us build good relationships and share the love of God. When we love others, we demonstrate what the love of God looks like. Bible verses on love teach us many practical ways to love one another well. This post features an excerpt on loving one another from my award-winning book, Holy in the Moment.
My daughter loved to draw when she was little. With fingers curled around chunky crayons, she drew pictures of houses, flowers, and sunshine. Her favorite thing to draw was the people in our family giving each one of us big eyes, wide smiles, and stick-drawn arms. At times, one person was as big as the house, with fingers touching the sun peeking out of the top of the page. Assuming the big person was Daddy, I asked, “Who’s this?”
With the candor of a four-year-old, she announced, “Me!”
A perfectly natural way to see the world for a child, but every now and then, I revert back to my child-self, loving others as if I’m the sky-reaching, cloud-catching person who fills the whole picture.
Understanding how easy it is to love from self rather than the nature of Christ within, the apostle Paul instructed the Philippians: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:3-5).
Our new identity loves others with patience, kindness, and forgiveness, but we must unlearn the old tendencies to react with the flesh—impatience, pride, selfishness, and resentment.
Learning to love with the fullness of agape is the un-selfing of our souls.
Love Is How Holiness Builds Relationships
Reach for holiness and express agape through your thoughts, words, and actions. Choose to love in the nitty-gritty minutes of your day. When your husband forgets to take out the trash, choose patience. Frustrated with the kids? Self-control can harness irritation. When a friend seems to have the perfect family, refuse to be envious. When love is difficult, hold on to hope and keep praying.
Sounds simple doesn’t it?
Simple doesn’t always equal easy.
Choose to receive this agape-love of Christ and let it flow out to those around you in the choices you make. Abiding and resting in Christ enables you to make the most of your life by sharing what you’ve been given.
Filling up with God’s love energizes the words you say and how you spend your time. What will happen when you take it one moment at a time, depending on Jesus to empower you to give your very best self in loving others? How will your relationships be different?
“Every moment is an opportunity to practice a gesture of love.”—John Ortberg, The Me I Want to Be
What can happen when we set aside our petty differences, the things that don’t matter but divide? Forgiving one another is one of the love-one-another ways God matures and completes (perfects) us.
Power ignites when we give what we have received—the needed blessing of acceptance healing to the soul—accept one another. When we overcome selfishness to serve one another, we demonstrate the love of God to a world that doesn’t know God.
10 Biblical Ways to Show Love
Here are a few of the many passages that teach us how to show Christian love. When we love others, we demonstrate what the love of God looks like. The Bible shows us many practical ways to love others. Which one of these actions of love do you most need to give in your relationships right now?
- Be devoted and give preference to one another (Romans 12:10).
- Build up one another (Romans 14:19).
- Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
- Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25).
- Serve one another (Galatians 5:13).
- Bear one another’s burden. (Galatians 6:2).
- Be kind, tender-hearted and forgiving with one another (Ephesians 4:32).
- Regard others as more important (Philippians 2:3).
- Bear with and forgive complaints against others (Colossians 3:13).
- Encourage and esteem one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11-14).
Don’t we love it when other people do these things for us? I can hear you thinking, I’d love to do these things, but I can’t keep up with my life as it is. How do I find time?
God will give many opportunities in the midst of our day to encourage others. So as you go, love one another in practical ways fitting the moment.
Love in one simple way at a time.
Small daily acts of intentionality turn bad days around, and as we express the love of Christ, loving one another is a powerful way God turns lives around. Share on X
Don’t miss the moment, for when we listen to Jesus, living out of our true identity—in Christ, holy hearts say yes to loving one another. And as we do, our view of others increases as our focus on self decreases in the light of love.
What is one simple way you can make a difference in someone’s life with a simple act of love?
Holy in the Moment
Holy in the Moment is a powerful encouragement for anyone who struggles to overcome anxiety, perfectionism, insecurity, or other mindsets that hold us back. Grow in holiness without the pressure to have everything “just right.” Through gentle encouragement, biblical insights, and applicable ideas you can experience a deeper life of freedom in Christ. Transparently sharing my own struggles, I want to help you live from the reality of hope, healing, and holiness. Learn more here or grab a copy here. (Affiliate link at no cost to you). Download a free Journal and Discussion Guide for the book here.
Printable Quotes on Love
Check out this free collection of printable quotes on love. Free with sign up for my newsletter, you can download this PDF from my Subscriber Library. Click here to sign up.
More Posts for Stronger Relationships
- Holy Moments Are for Loving One Another
- 25 Good Habits for the Art of Friendship
- Will I Love My Neighbor?
- Live Love This Valentine’s Day
- 16 Ways to Love People Better
*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.
