Monday, January 19, 2026

Bible in a Year: ❏ Psalms 21-23 | ❏ Acts 10

One of the things I love about writing for the LivingItOut is that God uses it as an opportunity to show me things about myself I’d rather not see. 

In last weekend’s message, we learned there are five warning signs we need to watch for to avoid drifting from God’s path for our lives: guilt, greed, jealousy, pride - and the one character defect God revealed to me last year - anger. 

No one in my relational world was surprised when I confessed to having an anger issue. I am not loud when I’m angry; I am very cold. I realized that I often tried to convince myself that someone owed me. And my response to that conviction resulted in people walking away from me with freezer burn! 

I was following my morning quiet time routine of prayer and Bible reading, and I was still serving and participating in group life. Never once did I realize the drift I was experiencing, or how it had hardened my heart. I wasn’t paying attention to what God was trying to tell me - until I was writing a devotion and it hit me right between the eyes! 

My drift was not a discipline problem. What I was experiencing was a discernment problem. 

As Jeremiah 17:9 says:
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?"

We go to great lengths to convince ourselves of things that are not true. Even if there is some truth in them, it’s still not our job to act in place of the Holy Spirit. This awareness can open the door to something deeper in our hearts. And the truth that God reveals is not meant to shame us, but to help us pay attention to what is happening beneath the surface. 

Whether the enemy of your heart is anger, guilt, greed, jealousy, pride, or a combination, they are all players in the debt/debtor scenario upon which no relationship can flourish.

God wants us to be free to love and be loved. That freedom can only be had when we acknowledge that which prevents us from having it, and do whatever it takes to rid ourselves of these things that cause our hearts to harden. 

We’ll all have to come back for Week 3 of The Drift to learn more about the solutions. I can’t wait!

Questions: 
Are you willing to pray Psalm 139:23-24? 

What is God saying to you?

Next Steps: 

Pray Psalm 139:23-24: 
Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts. 

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Sometimes journaling helps you listen. Consider writing these verses out in a journal, and then see what you write next. Share it with a trusted friend, and see what they think.

21 Days of Prayer and Fasting - Day 15

Today’s Prayer Focus: To Declare my Dependence on Him  

Prayer:
Dear Lord, when things become difficult, I know you walk beside me. You will cross the desert and weather any storm with me. When things become unbearable, I know you will carry me to the other side. Today, I declare my dependence on you. You give me my strength and are the only one who can truly replenish my weary soul. Amen. 

Series Theme Verse:
Hebrews 2:1
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it.

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