Daily Holy Habits + Radical Shifts to Rediscover God after Disappointment, Disillusionment, and Despair.
Introduction
I've always thought it was interesting how we associate the color "blue" with feelings of melancholy or sadness. One could argue blue is not sad per se — but rather calming and pretty, like the ocean. On some of my favorite spring days, "blue" feels like happiness personified. Airy, familiar, peaceful. Full of energy.
Except when it doesn't.
The expression of "blue" in regard to my countenance can represent both peace and sadness. Blue holds duality. The same exquisite feeling of joy I feel in the tenderness of soft blues — associated with still water and peacefulness — can easily turn into an emotional storm of deep blue sadness: hardship, longing, loss, and heartbreak. Blue like jazz.
And I think my innermost experience of God is like this. Blue and dual in its nature. Light and peaceful. Cold and lonely. Because the context of my life — the things that shape my emotions — matters enormously.
"Have you ever experienced times when you wanted to set everything on fire?"
Maybe you can't remember the last time you felt peace or contentment. A smile seems elusive. Disappointment takes hold, and over time, you start to notice a deep hopelessness settling in. Discouragement, gloom, and sadness are the shades of blue you dwell in. The grip of despondency is relentless, gradually turning any spark of encouragement into spirals of shame.
To Him Who Is Able is a space in-between two truths — honesty about what you are experiencing now and freedom to heal and grow. A chance for you to surrender, respond, and allow God to move.
Does your faith feel like you're just swapping punctuation marks at the end of the same sentence? Once, the truth of God's love for you was filled with excitement and certainty — period. Now it feels more like a question. Or even worse, an unfinished thought. When did trusting God become so confusing, overwhelming, and burdensome?
But what if you are exactly where you need to be? Maybe you're not as lost as you think. Even though you're feeling blue or miserable or lost or sad — God is present. Maybe you don't need a spiritual jumpstart. Just a re-communion of you (exactly as you are) and God.
I'm using this freedom language because it's easy to picture. You can readily recall, can't you, how at one time the more you did just what you felt like doing — not caring about others, not caring about God — the worse your life became and the less freedom you had? And how much different is it now as you live in God's freedom, your lives healed and expansive in holiness?
Romans 6:19 (The Message)No matter how disillusioned you might feel about God and life, I understand. It wasn't too long ago that I found myself facing my own ominous and neglectful relationship with God. I was simply at the end of my rope. My life felt flat, meaningless, and weighted down by confusion and shame.
After a few multi-state transitions coupled with personal and professional setbacks, my relationship with God had dwindled down to a stale and suffocating predicament. How could I let this happen? When did it get so out of whack? Me — a wife, a mom, and a pastor. When did I become a shell of the woman I once knew?
I didn't need another intense study or a stereotypical God quote posted on Instagram. I wanted present, real-time results. I longed to marvel at God's grace again — not from a platform, but in the personal space of my everyday life.
Exhausted and undone, I called my therapist. Slowly, we started to work together — figuring out how to love my messy self and find peace with God once again. I started implementing more authentic and helpful spaces to practice acceptance and surrender. This is where I adopted Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts.
And one thing kept coming up over and over: You shall be holy.
So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy."
1 Peter 1:15–16 (The Message)Thanks be to God that He is kind and gracious enough to meet you and me where we are — but not leave us the way we've been. Holiness isn't linear. It's relational. That's why it expands. God doesn't call us to do holy; He instructs us to be holy. Over the next 12 weeks, let's find out what that looks like for you.
The Experimental Guide
This guide is customizable — designed to flex around your personality, your story, and your season of life. Over the next 12 weeks (84 days), your plan will be your roadmap to daily holy habits and a closer walk with God. Think of it like a good family recipe: years in the making, with ingredients that make it uniquely yours.
Best practices: Be prepared (Bible, journal, this devotional). Be creative (pray and piece together habits that fit you). Be wholehearted (notice what you're noticing — and don't beat yourself up).
Morning and evening. Your own words, the Lord's Prayer, or guided liturgy. Start once a day if twice feels like too much — just start.
Write out three to six things you're grateful to God for each day. This simple act shifts your heart and reorients your mind toward what's real.
Follow the weekly reading plan. Make notes, underline, highlight. Then close with a worship song — or bring it into your commute, your walk, your kitchen.
Two good habits to grow toward. Two unhelpful patterns to release. You choose — guided by prayer, honesty, and Scripture. This is the core of the whole journey.
This list isn't exhaustive. Add giving, art, serving, meditating. Make it yours. God loves hanging out with you — even when you're baking bread or paying bills.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature ... rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language ... clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:5–14 (NIV)Your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts stay the same for all 12 weeks. Take your time choosing. Pray, journal, ask the people who know you well. This is not a shame list — it's a safe space to practice holy living.
| Week | Title | Book | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Supremacy of Christ | Colossians 1 | 1–7 |
| 2 | Hidden Treasure | Colossians 2 | 8–14 |
| 3 | Holiness Unveiled | Colossians 3 | 15–21 |
| 4 | Mature & Fully Assured | Colossians 4 | 22–28 |
| 5 | New Birth & Living Hope | 1 Peter 1 | 29–35 |
| 6 | Chosen by God | 1 Peter 2 | 36–42 |
| 7 | Set Apart | 1 Peter 3 | 43–49 |
| 8 | Living for God | 1 Peter 4 | 50–56 |
| 9 | God Cares for You | 1 Peter 5 | 57–63 |
| 10 | Participatory Faith | 2 Peter 1 | 64–70 |
| 11 | Beware! | 2 Peter 2 | 71–77 |
| 12 | Holy & Godly Lives | 2 Peter 3 | 78–84 |
Before You Begin
Take time to pray through this before you start Week 1. Your plan is uniquely yours — write it out, commit to it, and come back to it whenever you need a reset. It takes about 66 days to build a habit. You have 84. Let's go.
What is my prayer plan?
How will I practice prayer every day?
What is my plan of gratitude?
How will I practice this every day?
What is my Scripture and worship plan?
What are my practical steps to practice these throughout the week?
What is my plan?
How will I practice this?
“And those who are members of Christ realize their fulness in Him; they need not seek, and they cannot find, perfection anywhere else.”
— E.K. Simpson & F.F. BruceThen Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 5:29–32 (NIV)Tap any day to open its questions. Your notes save automatically on this device, so you can come back anytime and pick up where you left off.
Paul’s prayer for the church lives on through you in vs 9: “...asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
The good news is the gospel has come to you! There is a “hope that is stored up for you in heaven” (vs 5). As you dive into Colossians jot down thoughts the Holy Spirit is whispering in your heart and mind. What is the knowledge of God’s will for the church?
What does it look like to “bear fruit in every good work” in your own life? Look back at vs. 8 ... who did the early church express their love through? How do you rely on the Holy Spirit?
God is trinitarian in nature. Simply. God the Father initiates your rescue and redemption, God the Son paid for your sin on the cross, and God the Holy Spirit is your deposit. The Spirit of God indwells inside of you and actively participates, helping you to grow in the wisdom and knowledge of spiritual things so that you can do God’s will.
Look at verse 19. Who was pleased for Jesus to have all His fullness? What does this say about God’s nature?
If all things were created by Jesus and for him, what does that say about your own life?
What does this mean for the church and the world? Isn’t it wild that we have full confidence to be able to go to the Triune God of the Universe knowing that He loves us and that He holds all things together, asking Him anything that we might need or ails us? There is nothing He cannot do! How does this change the way you pray?
Take some time and think about your life separated from God. Give some time to journal and jot down gratitude and joy for your very own salvation. What does it mean to be a part of the kingdom of God?
Why is it so important to keep your own salvation story in mind? How do you remain steadfast and secure ... holding onto the hope found only in the gospel? Finally, do you consider yourself a servant of the gospel? Why or why not?
What is so powerfully at work in Paul? Remember where Paul is writing from. What are his struggles? What keeps Paul encouraged and motivated and full of joy?
Try and write out a few sentences that sum up Colossians chapter 1. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your spiritual rhythms of prayer, thanksgiving and worship?
How can Colossians directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“Live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way.”
Colossians 1:10Paul explains in verse 5 that even though he is “absent from you in body”, he is “present with you in spirit”. Have you ever thought about this? Who can you pray for today that you are present with in “spirit”?
Finally, Paul is delighted to see how “orderly” and “firm” the early church is in their commitment to God. It’s one of the reasons we implemented a good spiritual plan here. Take a moment and review your guide. Is it working? Are you able to implement and spend time with God?
Think about the power of God for a minute. Go back to verse 12. Whose same power is your faith established in?
Why does this matter?
Now, go back to verses 6 & 7. If God’s power was at work in Christ in raising Him from the dead, how can we go to God and ask Him to help us?
Remember, God doesn’t just give us forgiveness from sins through the blood of Christ on the cross, but He longs to fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit!
Think about your life. Past, present, and future. Because of the work Jesus accomplished on the cross, our sins are forgiven. We have complete access to God and have victory over Satan and sin and shame! But do we live in such a way?
Read Galatians 5:13–23. You are free in Christ! And living a thriving life by the power of the Holy Spirit is what God desires for us. Spend some time asking God to help cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
This section of Scripture is SO important, especially in regard to what we are trying to do in this very study. Knowledge and religion can puff up, there can be false teachers and legalism and a whole set of other things that can trip us up. But Jesus. Let’s not confuse the means to the end. God causes us to grow in faith through belief in Christ. Period. How can we make sure we stay connected to Jesus and not allow ourselves to get disconnected or self-righteous?
When reading through this set of verses, it’s really easy to think, “that would never happen to me”. But we have increasingly been witness to various fallen leaders in the church that became separated from Christ, believing their own false-humility and unable to refrain from certain indulgences. In fact, I believe we’ve seen it so much that Paul is looking down from Heaven hoping our churches would take this a bit more seriously. Take some time in prayer allowing the Holy Spirit to cultivate a passion and love for Christ that is rooted and strengthened in Him alone.
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past two weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up Colossians chapter 1, 2 and our passage in Galatians. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your spiritual rhythms of prayer, thanksgiving and worship?
How does the passage in Galatians directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“Continue to live in him, rooted & built up, strengthened in faith.”
Colossians 2:6–7Take some time reflecting on your holy habits along with your Scripture reading. How has it helped put your mind and heart on Jesus?
What other things/times/activities throughout the day could you maybe pause, and give to Jesus to help give you an eternal attitude?
Colossians 3:11 is such a special verse. No matter who you are, where you come from, what your background is, whether you are male or female ... you are free in Christ.
This should remind us that we are all on the same level playing field. Not one of us is better than the other. Christ paid the penalty for all and Christ is in all! How does this expand your vision of the Kingdom of God?
How should this change the way you look at your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?
How should this change the way you look at the world?
Do you find that the peace of Christ rules in your own heart? Why or why not?
What does Paul ask us in verse 16?
How do we get to the place in our lives that no matter what we are doing, we do it ALL in the name of Jesus?
This is a weighty statement. Write your thoughts and pray and ask God to illuminate this text for appropriate application in your life.
There has been a lot of damage done when we take a verse out of context and use it to support our own agenda, power, or advantage. Holy living is about keeping Christ central, and how we regard each other in our family unit is important. There will always be slight variances of applications given cultures and settings, but what should stand out is in the dynamic of Christian family dynamics ... love should be the tie that binds.
How are you loving your spouse or children? How are you loving your parents?
Continuing on in our conversation about context, what was the reality for certain slaves/servants in the early church? How would Paul’s teaching have have revolutionized their work ethic?
Now think about your own work ... how does this set of passages help change the way you work or study?
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past three weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up Colossians chapter 1–3 and our passage in Galatians. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your spiritual rhythms of prayer, thanksgiving and worship?
How does the passage in Galatians directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:3How has your time gone these past three weeks devoted in prayer? Have you experienced a deeper prayer life? Why or why not?
Paul’s vulnerability in asking the church to pray very specifically for him has been very convicting for me personally. I know I clam up and don’t like to put my personal prayer requests on others but why is this important? How can you take a step to ask someone to pray for you?
Who is a fellow minister of the gospel that encourages your heart? We are not meant to do this alone. God calls us into community.
Are you a part of a church?
Maybe a small group? If not, think about joining a group of believers to pray and study with. If you are, reach out and thank someone today that has encouraged your own heart.
As you work to “stand firm in the will of God” in your faith, who could you pray for as well? Having a heart for others, like Epaphras did for Colosse helps expand our love for others. It gives us a wider vision for God’s Kingdom. Pray for someone/church today the same kind of prayer Epaphras did for Colosse back then.
What is clear from the last couple of days’ readings is that the early church talked and shared with one another. They were clued in and kept up with what each other were doing! They were connected.
How can we keep a global connection for the church in our modern context? What are some things we might do to encourage churches in our cities, country, and world?
The early church did not have access to Scripture like we do today. Think about how hard it would have been for them to keep Paul’s words at the top of their minds?!
Think about how happy the church would have been to hear from Paul, but also sad as the letter ended. What kind of passion do we have to share Paul’s words with our family and friends? Who could we even reach out to and encourage with the truth found in the book of Colossians?
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past four weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up Colossians chapter 1–4 and our passage in Galatians. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship? How does the passage in Galatians directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“Devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Colossians 4:2“Those who read 1 Peter are encouraged to lift their eyes from present problems and trials and behold the vistas provided by an eternal perspective. For though believers may for a while suffer grief in trials, they wait for an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade.”
— The Bible Knowledge Commentary: New Testament Edition — Walvoord & Zuck“The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day raised to life.”
Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”
Luke 9:22–26 (NIV)Just as Peter was writing these words directly to the early Christians scattered throughout Roman provinces in Asia Minor, he writes them for you.
You, “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood.”
Pray and thank God for his work in your life and to continue to sanctify your heart and mind so that you may obey Jesus in your life!
Why do you think the “even angels long to look into these things.”?
Knowing that grace has come to you, and you have a living hope through Jesus Christ how does that change the way you live through the day?
How have some of the trials in your own life refined you?
Spend some time in quiet reflection today. Give God praise and glory for the eternal inheritance you have and the knowledge that you are shielded by His power!
How are your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts going? Are your Spiritual practices helping you experience God?
How does today’s Scripture reading encourage and help you go deeper in your faith?
Are there some areas in your life that you need to repent of? Are you able to fully set your hope on the grace of Jesus?
Since it is “through” Jesus that we believe in God ... why does this matter? How can we better depend on Jesus and live through him? What does that look like practically?
How can you abide in God’s Word more throughout the day? Why are meditating and studying Scripture so important?
How is your reading plan going? Can you see a difference in your thoughts, perspectives, and attitude as you set your mind on God’s Word? Why or why not?
Now put it all together. Review what we have read this past week. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 1 Peter 1. There is a ton of goodness and truth this week. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship?
How does the passage in 1 Peter 1 directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“You are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
1 Peter 1:9How have you seen and tasted that the Lord is good?
Spend time writing down and thanking God for His miraculous work in your life.
Posture your heart in worship today. Ask God to help you crave Him so that you can continue to grow.
What causes people to stumble?
What does it mean for you to be chosen?
What does it mean for you to be holy and a royal priesthood?
What are you supposed to declare?
Take some time to think about all that you have received in Christ. What was your life before your faith in God? What does your spiritual house look like? For those who trust in Jesus, they will never be put to shame! What does this truth mean to you?
Peter uses kind language in calling the early Christians, “friends”. How does this help you to interpret 1 Peter?
Think about people in your own life. Does anyone notice anything different about you because of the kind of life you live? Is it hard or easy for you to be a Christian in the city or context in which you live? Why or why not?
How can we better live as aliens and strangers in this world? Are there certain things in your own life that you need to abstain from?
This passage can be a difficult one for us for many reasons. Take some time to reflect:
Do you live as a servant to God?
Do you show proper respect to everyone? Even those you disagree with?
Do you love your brothers and sisters in Christ? How do you do this?
Do you use your own freedom to cover up sin in your life?
Be honest. Reflect, repent and pray.
Who was the ultimate sufferer? What did Christ endure? How did he respond in the face of punishment, insults, and death?
Why is Christ our ultimate example? While we are called to a higher standard of submission we are also beckoned to stand up for justice, righteousness, truth, and defend those who are innocent. How do we live in the tension of both of these truths?
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past two weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 1 Peter chapter 1&2. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship?
What specific passage in 1 Peter directly applies to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness.”
1 Peter 2:24Peter says this inner beauty is “of great worth in God’s sight.” Personality aside, what does a gentle and quiet spirit look like for you? Where do you tend to place your worth: on the outside or the inside?
How might your everyday life speak louder than your words to the people closest to you?
Notice that Peter connects how we treat each other to our prayer life. How do your relationships at home affect your time with God? Where are you giving way to fear right now? What would it look like to put your hope in God instead? Who in your life can you honor this week as a fellow heir of grace?
Which of the qualities in verse 8 comes easily for you?
Which one is hard? Think of someone who has hurt or insulted you. What would it look like to “repay evil with blessing”? Write it down and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. How might this connect to your Radical Shifts?
This is your Sabbath verse for the week! What does it look like for Christ to be Lord of your heart, not just your head? If someone asked you today, “Why do you have hope?”, what would you say?
Take some time to write out the reason for the hope you have. Then read it back with gentleness and respect in mind.
Christ suffered “to bring you to God.” Sit with that for a minute. How does knowing Jesus has already won change the way you face your own suffering? Think back to your own story of coming to faith.
Spend time thanking God that no angel, authority, or power is outside of Jesus’ reign.
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past three weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 1 Peter chapters 1–3. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship?
How does 1 Peter directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts? Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“In your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.”
1 Peter 3:15How did you live life differently before following Jesus?
When thinking about how Christ suffered, how does this help you change your own attitude? Does suffering really help you follow the will of God?
We know that the last earthly effect of sin is physical death, but for the Christian it will result in eternal life. How should this shape your attitude when facing difficult situations?
Take some time to reflect on having more of an eternal perspective today.
What does Peter say we need to do in order to pray?
Why do you think it takes those specific attributes to be able to come to God in prayer?
What gifts do you think you have to serve the body of Christ? When you find yourself serving, do you do it in such a way for God to be praised?
One of the parts of your spiritual plan is incorporating worship. How is that going?
What does praising God through suffering produce?
Spend some time in worship today. Think about the sufferings that Christ experienced. Praise God for his grace and mercy.
Why do you think Peter says it is hard for the righteous to be saved?
Do you think about the outcome of others who do not believe in the Gospel of Christ?
Spend some time thinking about and praying for family, friends, or people to come and know God.
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past four weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 1 Peter 1–4. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship? How does the passage in 1 Peter directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“Live according to God in regard to the Spirit.”
1 Peter 4:6Paint a picture of what church leadership should look like and act like. Why is this important?
Think about the position of leadership you hold in your own circle of influence. How does this particular passage shape your intentions?
Verses 6 and 7 give us specific instructions and promises. Who will lift you up?
Who cares for you?
Take some time today to write down anything that is worrying you. Spend time giving your anxieties to the Lord and humbling yourself in prayer.
Part of your own spiritual plan’s purpose is to help you stand firm in your faith. This takes time and practice. How are your spiritual habits coming along? What fruit have you been able to experience thus far?
Are you becoming more self-controlled and alert? Spend some time reflecting on your progress.
When we read through Colossians, we learned that it was IN Christ all things are fulfilled. Now, 1 Peter is giving us a picture of who it is that is working to empower us, making us strong and steadfast.
Think about the power of God today. In creation, in redemption, in the time and space of eternal ramifications. Be in awe at the power of God and rely on Him to give you what you need!
Peter ends his letter with three words: “Stand fast in it,” meaning the true grace of God. After five weeks in 1 Peter, what does standing fast in grace look like in your life right now? Peter’s letter is surrounded by people: Silas, Mark, and the church.
Who are the faithful brothers and sisters standing with you? Reach out to one of them today with a word of encouragement and peace.
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past five weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 1 Peter 1–5. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship? How does 1 Peter directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“Cast your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7“To Him be glory is Peter’s praise and prayer. The glory of redemption, the glory of spiritual growth, the glory of manifesting the symphony of grace, the glory of escape from the false teachers, and the glory of His ultimate return — all glory belongs to Jesus.”
— John F. Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck“There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
Luke 21:25–28 (NIV)Do you trust that God has indeed given you everything you need for life and godliness?
How do we grow in these promises?
What does it look like for you to participate in the “divine nature” of God?
Peter writes a lengthy list for the people of God to continue to add to their faith. Take a good, honest look and compare this list to your own life. Journal and reflect on ways that you can work on goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love.
Why is it so important to remember the work of God in our lives?
Are you eager to make your calling and faith in Christ secure? If so, what do you have to look forward to?
Have you ever been so passionate about something that you wanted to ensure your family and friends knew that absolute truth about God?
Peter is passionate about making sure the early church knows the truth about God, the Gospel, and how they know they can be confident in their salvation. Take some time to pray and ask God for His divine grace to grow in your own faith.
Peter explains how he was an eye-witness to the majesty of God. Can you imagine?
Why do you think this story in particular is the one Peter is stating to the church? Read Luke 9:28–36 for context.
There were lots of “false teachers” that were spreading stories that the incarnation, resurrection, and the return of Christ were false. What is Peter trying to prove here?
Why should this matter to you personally?
Review and think about all the Biblical prophecy that has come to fruition. Why is Peter including this in his argument to know truth?
Why is having actual knowledge and truth about the history of Jesus valid and important? What is Peter trying to keep the early church from?
Now put it all together. Review what we have read this past week. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 2 Peter 1. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship? How does 2 Peter directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.”
2 Peter 1:3Peter reminds the church like the past there were false prophets, so in the present there will be false teachers. Have you personally experienced this reality?
What happened?
Why is this so devastating?
Satan has been doing the same thing from the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden with Eve ... manipulating God’s truth ever so slightly to get us off track. What can you do to stand firm and guard against this? Why is knowing and understanding God’s Word correctly a huge defense against Peter’s warning?
Ultimately, the Holy Spirit will help guide and protect us in knowing the truth about God. Spend time asking for wisdom that only God can provide.
According to verse 9 what does the Lord know how to do? How does this bring comfort and hope to you?
How do these set of verses convict you?
Have you ever personally thought about the Day of Judgment? Spend some time praying and thinking about the eternal ramifications of Christ returning. Let this be a sobering reality for you. Let it also be of great comfort and hope that Jesus will return, and we are in the hands of a good and righteous God.
Peter describes these evil teachers as “brute beasts”, full of pride, ignorant, and operating purely from their sinful nature. Ultimately, their actions harm other people.
Whereas, Scripture calls God’s people to be holy. Full of goodness, kindness, self-control ... patient and loving of one another. Think of the stark difference in the picture Peter paints. There should be a clear difference people see in the lives of those who belong to Jesus and those who belong only to please themselves.
Verse 19 is one of the most sobering verses in this chapter. “...for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him”.
Take some time in reflection of our Scripture reading and Romans 6. Remember, that God knows how to rescue righteous people. Examine anything that might have control or be an idol in your own life. Give it to God. Repent, ask for help. Allow God to cleanse and bring you freedom today.
Offer yourself to God as an instrument of righteousness.
Have you yourself experienced turning back to a sin pattern you had left behind? How should this convict our own hearts and minds as we think about Peter’s warning to the early church?
I know this chapter might seem a bit heavy, my friends, but do not be discouraged ... good news is coming! But Peter’s stark warning should bring us great pause and concern to guard our own hearts and pray for God’s people against false teachers and the destruction they bring.
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past two weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 2 Peter 1–2. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship? How does 2 Peter directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.”
2 Peter 2:19*Spoiler Alert: Dear “friends” or better translated “beloved” repeated in verses 8, will be 14, & 17. You can see how much Peter cares for the people of the early church! He longs for his beloved friends to spend time in wholesome thinking.
What does this look like in your own life? How have your Spiritual Habits helped you accomplish this? When we engage in wholesome thinking what is the direct outcome in our lives ... what does it change?
Why is the act of remembrance so important?
Think about it, what happens when we don’t spend time thinking about the act of God creating the world? Or our own stories of redemption?
We doubt.
Spend some time in prayer and reflection over all the mighty works God has done since the beginning of time.
Throughout Scripture we are told that Jesus’ return will be sudden. While most people get caught up in when or how or what will happen when Jesus returns, how does Peter instruct us to live in light of the knowledge of Jesus’ return?
With all that you have learned up to this point, what does it look like to live godly and holy lives?
In verse 15 Peter reminds us that God’s patience means salvation. Who does Peter also say wrote this?
Isn’t it awesome to think about the Apostle Peter reading what the Apostle Paul wrote and perhaps vice versa? Both of them having served alongside each other, witnessing the early church’s birth and growth, and witnessing the gospel’s advancement ... its problems.
Both Paul and Peter long for the church to be found spotless, holy and blameless. Making every effort that we have to be in unity with Christ and at peace. Because why? There will be a new heaven and a new earth where we will finally be reunited with the Lord.
Meditate on the verse today and let this truth soak in, beloved friends!
As we are coming to the end of our 84 days of your Spiritual Plan, the Scripture Reading Plan, and your own Holy Habits + Radical Shifts ... I hope you can look back and witness the grace and knowledge of God in your own life. It’s up to us to surrender and try and learn, God takes it from there.
Spend some time in thanksgiving for all that God has shown you these past 12 weeks.
Now put it all together. Review what we have read the past three weeks. Try and write out a few sentences that sum up 2 Peter 1–3. With the spiritual knowledge you have gained, how will this help you with your holy habits of prayer, thanksgiving and worship? How does 2 Peter directly apply to your Holy Initiatives and Radical Shifts?
Spend time journaling and reflecting on what God has done in and through your obedience this week.
“You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God.”
2 Peter 3:11–1284 Days Later
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!
Ephesians 3:20–21 (NIV)You showed up. God was faithful. That's the whole story.