Monthly Archives: May 2025

My Favorite Bible Studies to Do This Summer

Devotionals from Manney Resources

Of course, you can check out any of our devotionals. There are so many to choose from, but You Are Not Alone and God is for You are two of my favs.

If you want to do your own Bible study, be sure to check out our Faithfully Stepping Journals. They are blank and can be used with any Bible study or your own personal study. This one is the journal I’m currently using and loving.

Immerse Bible

We are in our second year of using the Immerse Bible during the summer at our church. Immerse takes books of the Bible and removes the chapter headings, verses, and other additives and leaves you with a read-through of those books of the Bible that’s clean and has tons of room to write on the sides. It really opens your eyes when you read books of the Bible as a whole without verses and chapters; it makes the whole picture come together. I really enjoy doing the Immerse Bibles.

Last year, we did Messiah, which is the entire New Testament. This year, we are doing Poets, which is Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Lamentations.

Bible Studies from Daily Grace Co

I absolutely love the Bible studies from Daily Grace Co. These studies are full color and are absolutely beautiful and really well-written. They have tons of great ones. I have personally done Habakkuk, Psalm 23, Ecclesiastes, and Colossians. I received two more for Mother’s Day that I’ve been waiting for summer to do.

Extras

Don’t forget the coffee, a great candle, and good pens. They help make morning time so much better!

I hope these suggestions help you find a great Bible study for the summer! Let me know if you try and of them!!

Never Give Up Praying

The Unjust Judge

Jesus understood that desire to give up and stop praying and told a parable about how we’re not supposed to ever give up on prayer. He tells the story of the unjust judge in Luke 18. A widow comes to this unjust judge and asks for justice in a dispute she’s having. We don’t know what the dispute was; we just know she was determined. She kept coming to the judge over and over and over again. The judge finally gives in to her request–not because he wants to. No, he gives in because she’s driving him crazy with her constant asking.

There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people,but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

Luke 18:2-5

Keep Praying

Jesus tells this story as an example of how we are supposed to pray. We’re supposed to keep praying and never give up.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7,8

Jesus knew that we struggle with consistency in prayer. Sometimes it’s hard to keep praying for something, to keep believing. And yet, so many of the miracles and work Jesus did were based on faith. Everything He taught and did came back to faith. Jesus did or didn’t do miracles according to people’s faith.

Don’t Give Up

When it comes to prayer, it’s so easy to give up, to feel like it’s not making a difference. But just as in the story of the unjust judge, it matters. If the woman had given up, she wouldn’t have gotten her answer.

We get so busy and rush from one thing to the next. We get discouraged and frustrated with our day and feel like the pressure of the world is coming at us. The best thing we can do, is take the time to pray. Take the time to tell God what’s on our heart and ask for his strength to make it through the day.

No Time to Pray

I got up early one morning

And rushed right into the day;

I had so much to accomplish

That I didn’t take time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,

And heavier came each task,

“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.

He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,

But the day toiled on gray and bleak;

I wondered why God didn’t show me;

He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;

I used all my keys at the lock;

God gently and lovingly chided,

“My child you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,

And paused before entering the day;

I had so much to accomplish

That I had to take time to pray.

– Anonymous

Whatever your burdens are today, don’t stop praying. Don’t give up on asking. God hears. I don’t know when the answer will come, but I know it’s too soon to give up. You don’t know when the breakthrough will come. It may be just around the corner, but you’ll never see it if you give up now.

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out Matt’s book, Breakthrough; or read my post, What LJ Taught Me about Praying.

New Kids’ Devotional and Giveaway!

Heroes and Villains Kids’ Devotional

Matt has created our first kids’ journal, the first of many. Heroes and Villains is an interactive devotional designed for kids ages 8-12 who love puzzles, games, drawing, and big adventures. Each of the 31 devotionals features:

A Bible story that brings Scripture to life. A lesson from a hero or villain to follow or avoid
A Scripture passage with questions to explore
A challenge to apply the lesson to everyday life
A puzzle, word search, decoder, sketch, or coloring page

This devotional is perfect for kids to do on their own or as a family devotional. It makes learning about God and His Word fun, exciting, and unforgettable.

A Great Place to Start

Our girls (ages 9 and 11) worked through the journal and finished it before we started promoting it, and they loved it. My nine-year-old came to me the morning after she finished it and was sad because she didn’t have any more devotional pages to do.

If you have a child or a grandchild that you want to get into reading God’s Word each day but don’t know where to start, Heroes and Villains is a great way to get them started. They won’t get bored with it as each day has a different activity to do as part of the lesson.

Giveaway

To make this even more exciting, Matt is doing a giveaway with this new devotional. The giveaway includes everything your child needs for an awesome morning time basket.

Heroes and Villains Devotional
Fun Multi-colored Pen
A Kids’ Bible
Colored Pencils
Lucky Charms Cereal Bars

The great thing is that you can create this same basket for your child at home. I can guarantee they will love it and be excited to do their morning time each morning! Enter to win the GIVEAWAY!

Hope in the Midst of Suffering

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I was talking with a friend recently who’s going through a difficult time. And then, this week during my morning time, I read this verse and found the words to be able to share hope with her.

He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer. He does not ignore the cries of those who suffer.

Psalm 9:12 NLT

It is such an incredible relief to know that God doesn’t ignore the cries of those who suffer. God hears our cries and won’t ignore us when we are suffering.

Suffering brings about two responses in people.

1. Doubt

When we are pushed to our limits, many of us choose to doubt. We go from believing God to doubting Him and turning away from him. Our belief in his goodness and faithfulness turns to no longer trusting Him and questioning His goodness. Our belief becomes unbelief. The things we always held to no longer work for us.

We find ourselves on a path away from God for a time. That time may be for just a few days or a few weeks. But if we’re not careful, that could turn into months and even years. And then one day, we wake up and find ourselves so far away from God and church and anything to do with Christianity and we wonder how in the world we got there. It all started with doubt when we found ourselves in a time of testing or suffering.

2. Trust

The second response takes a lot more faith, and that is to trust. When the suffering comes, we choose to trust God. We trust in His goodness and refuse to believe He’s not who He said He is. We choose to let our belief in Him grow deeper, and we grow in our relationship with God during that time.

This trust leads to stronger belief and a surety of our faith in God. It’s the roots that grow deep like Paul talks about in Colossians.

And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him.Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.

Colossians 2:6,7 NLT

Time of Suffering

Do you find yourself in a place of suffering today? Are you in pain, and you don’t know what to do or if you can make it through? Let these words from the Psalms encourage your heart. God does hear you; He doesn’t ignore your suffering. That can bring us immense comfort.

If you find yourself in a place of suffering, ask God for the faith to endure and to keep believing. Keep believing that God is good, that He is who He says He is. Remember His faithfulness.

I will never forget this awful time,
    as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
    when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!^[b]
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:20-23

More Encouragement

For more encouragement, check out my book, The Hidden Pain: When You Fear God is No Longer Blessing Your Life, or check out my post, Don’t Run When the Pruning Starts.