Thursday, May 14, 2026

Bible in a Year: Isaiah 7-11 | Matthew 26

As I grow older, I am realizing that our time here on earth is very short, so I want to fully live the life Jesus came to give me.

John 10:10 
“The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Through his Holy Spirit, Jesus equips us to have a rich and satisfying life. We receive the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus as the Savior and Lord of our lives. The Spirit dwells in us, empowers us, guides us in truth, produces spiritual fruit in us, and transforms us into the image of Christ.

We have a choice to make, sometimes minute by minute. Are we going to let the Holy Spirit lead us, or are we going to follow our feelings? 

The Holy Spirit in us is so powerful. With his help, we can accomplish so much more than we could on our own. It’s so easy to say that God has a perfect plan for our lives and is using the Holy Spirit to guide us, but it can be difficult to live out.

The Holy Spirit has a way of showing us that if we’re overwhelmed with fear, anxiety, and discontentment to the point that we feel like we’re bashing our heads up against the wall, then our pride, impatience, and need for control are leading our own desires. 

These are indicators that we need to stop and take a deep breath, step back, and pray. And then we need to surrender it to God, knowing he is more than capable of handling it. Our God can work through us to do amazing things if we let him. 

Philippians 2:13
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

As we see God work through us, our trust and faith in him grows, and we learn to surrender everything to him. We ask him to guide us, giving us the words to say and actions to take. We get quiet and listen. We ask him questions like: “Do you want me to get involved?” “Is this my business?” 

This is the way God desires for us to live. And we can praise him for it, because the results are amazing! 

Questions: 
How are you letting your feelings guide your life?

What would be the benefits of letting the Holy Spirit guide your life?

What do you need to surrender to God?

Next Steps: 
Pray. Ask God to help you surrender to him any areas of your life where you are letting your feelings guide you. Praise him that he has given you his Holy Spirit to help you. Listen. Ask a trusted follower of Jesus to pray for you, come alongside you, and help you realize when your feelings are controlling your life.

Prayer: 
Heavenly Father, I worship and praise you for giving me the Holy Spirit to lead and guide me. Please help me to follow his lead instead of my feelings. Lord, I know you have a perfect plan for me and want me to live a rich and satisfying life. I am so filled with gratitude. You are such an amazing and loving God. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:
Ephesians 1:5
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

This post was written by Marsha Raymond, an Oregon attendee, and a regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.