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As we wrap up this week looking at the desires of every heart, we’re going to look today at the desire to live a life of significance. God has a plan to use you in ways far beyond what you could ask or imagine, a plan for you to make an eternal impact in the world. As we make space for God to speak and lead today, may he give us a deeper sense of purpose and calling in him.   Our Scripture for today comes from Matthew 25:21. Today's worship is Renew My Mind by Allen Froese. – Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast, the longing for greatness.  As you go about the rest of your day, try and recognize when your longing for greatness gets stirred up. And take just a moment to follow it to its source. Is that specific desire a fruit of God, or a fruit of pride or fear? Is it the Spirit leading you to fulfill his purpose for you today, or an opportunity to gain more traction in the pursuit of the world?    And if it’s God, take courage and boldly go forth. If it’s not, simply notice the desire and le

In today’s devotional, we’re going to explore the desire we all share to be passionate. Everyone of us desires to give our lives to something, our passion to something that truly matters. And God has given us all that desire with a perfect plan to satisfy it in a unique way, a way he’s perfectly wired each of us for. May each of us get a greater sense of how we can live more wholeheartedly in him today.   The main concept for this week is derived from The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle and Deborah Hiebert. Our Scripture for today comes from Mark 12:30, and today's worship is Love You More by Harvest Bashta.   -- We are so excited to announce our very first First15 Kids Advent Devotional book, Jesus, the Light of the World.  And you can get a copy for your children or grandchildren today! Jesus, the Light of the World is a 25 day devotional written for young readers, ages 6-12. Intended to be started on December 1st, each day of this 25 day devotional includes scriptures, activities, an

In today’s devotional we’re going to look at the desire we all share to be fully known and fully loved. You and I were made for this. And pursuing that sense of knowledge and love from the world has left so many of us wounded. But the good news is that God has a path for healing, relationship, and love that’s void of shame, and wants to guide us down that path today as we create space and follow him together.   The main concept for this week is derived from The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle and Deborah Hiebert. Our Scripture for today comes from Ephesians 2:4-5, and today's worship is  Hide and Seek by First15 Worship feat. Nikki Moltz. -- Thank you for listening to today’s podcast, the longing for intimacy without shame.  As you go about your day today, try and notice whenever you get a sense of shame. And if you’re able, take a moment to simply hand that shame over to God. Shame is so destructive, and in union with the Spirit we have available to us a constant healer who wants to de

Today as we continue our series looking at the desires of every heart, we’re going to take time to recognize and satisfy our desire to be great. The desire to be great within the heart of man has produced tremendous and terrible things. It’s produced peace and war, advancement and destruction. And as we look at this desire today, I pray that God reveals the purity and power of it as well as his plans to satisfy it moment by moment, day by day. The main concept for this week is derived from The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle and Deborah Hiebert.   Our Scripture for today comes from 1 Corinthians 2:9, and today's worship is Firelight by Brother Isaiah. -- We are so excited to announce our very first First15 Kids Advent Devotional book, Jesus, the Light of the World.  And you can get a copy for your children or grandchildren today! Jesus, the Light of the World is a 25 day devotional written for young readers, ages 6-12. Intended to be started on December 1st, each day of this 25 day devoti

As we continue our week-long focus on the desires of every heart, today we’re going to look at the desire we all share to behold beauty. God has created beauty all around us, beauty we can see and beauty we can feel. And in a world so inundated with false notions of beauty, today my prayer is that God reveals the purity within this longing that resides within each of our hearts, and his perfect plans to satisfy it.   The main concept for this week is derived from The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle and Deborah Hiebert. Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 149:4, and today's worship is Beauty by David Funk.    -   Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast, the longing for beauty.  As you go about your day today, try and recognize the beauty God has placed all around. Try and be more present in the world you live in, and allow God’s creation in all it’s forms to stir up your heart to find more enjoyment in him.    Tomorrow we’ll look at the longing for greatness. If you’re f

In today’s devotional, we’re going to look at the desire we all share for wonder. We serve an absolutely fascinating God – a God who has created a whole world to marvel us. May we set our eyes on him today by the power of the Holy Spirit, that our desire for wonder would be satisfied in relationship with our powerful and good God.   Our Scripture for today comes from Romans 1:22-23, and today's worship is Wonder by Hillsong UNITED. -- Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast, the longing for fascination. As you go about your day today, look for opportunities to have your longing for fascination satisfied in God. Allow yourself to take in the world around you, the grandeur of it as well as its fascinating details.    And tomorrow we’ll take a look at our longing for beauty, and how God desires to satisfy it in meaningful ways every day.    Have a wonderful rest of your day, and may God bless you as you seek him.  

All of us have insatiable desires that can only be satisfied in communion with our heavenly Father. The desire to be delighted in, for wonder, to behold glory, and to be someone great are driving forces within each of us. The desire to be fully know and fully loved, to be passionate, and to live a life of significance resound within each of us at the foundation of who we are. God created these desires knowing that they can only be fully satisfied in him—that they would be avenues to deeper relationship with him. As we look at each of these desires individually, I pray your heart would find its fulfillment in the loving nearness of your heavenly Father. The main concept for this week is derived from The Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Mike Bickle and Deborah Hiebert. Our Scripture for today comes from Isaiah 62:5, and today's worship is Touch The Sky by Hillsong UNITED. – Thanks so much for listening to today’s podcast, the longing to be enjoyed.  If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe to the

As we wrap up this week focusing on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the role of hearing God’s voice in living open and responsive to God. I know for a lot of us the idea of hearing God speak can be a confusing, sometimes too far out there subject. But as God’s children, he wants us to live in communication with him. And through the Holy Spirit, you and I have the ability to hear God speak to our hearts.   May we discover today that we serve a communicative God who loves to talk to his people. And may his voice soften our hearts to receive all that he longs to give us.   Our Scripture for today comes from John 16:13. Today's worship is Here Now (Madness) by Hillsong UNITED. – Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast, the last in our week-long series on tilling the soil of our hearts. Tomorrow we begin a brand new series taking a deeper look at our topic for today. Every day in the next series we’ll look at a new way God speaks, inviting him to deepen our understanding

In today’s devotional, we’re going to continue our week long focus on tilling the soil of the heart by looking at the power of prayer. There is no better way to soften our hearts towards God than making space to have a real conversation with him. His voice breaks down our walls. His answers give us the peace and direction we need. And his presence, simply resting in him, builds the solid foundation of connection we need to live open and responsive to him throughout our day.    May God do a mighty work in us today as we discover the power of prayer.   Our Scripture for today comes from Philippians 4:6-7, and today's worship is Whisper by Jason Upton.   -- We are so excited to announce our very first First15 Kid’s Advent Devotional book, Jesus, the Light of the World.  And you can get a copy for your children or grandchildren today! Jesus, the Light of the World is a 25 day devotional written for young readers, ages 6-12. Intended to be started on December 1st, each day of this 25 day devotional includes sc

As we near the end of our week focusing on tilling the soil of the heart, today we’re going to look at the role of community in positioning ourselves to receive all that God longs to give. God is calling us into a deeper commitment to love others, and be loved by others. He wants to use us and those he’s placed around us to guide us deeper into fullness of life. So as we set our eyes on him, may he fill our hearts with compassion and love, and desire to be fully known and fully loved by our communities. Our Scripture for today comes from Romans 12:4-5, and today's worship is  If We Are The Body by Casting Crowns. -- Thank you for listening to today’s podcast.   If listening to this podcast today stirred up painful emotions for you, maybe because you’ve been harmed by those in your community before, I want you to know that there is space for you to focus on healing your heart and finding a group of people that are lifegiving for you. In any community there are problems, but some communities can be especial

As we reach the middle of our week-long focus on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the power of Scripture in receiving all that God longs to give us. Within the pages of Scripture there is a wealth of stories all conveying how God has met with and restored his people from the beginning of civilization. And these stories are powerful resources in softening our hearts towards God, inviting him to meet with us and mold us into his likeness. As we look at the power of Scripture today, may God stir our hearts to spend time every day in the pages of this transformative book. And may Scripture guide us deeper into true relationship with its author. Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 1:1-2, and today's worship is Heal our Land by Kari Jobe. -- We are so excited to announce our very first First15 Kid’s Advent Devotional book, Jesus, the Light of the World.  And you can get a copy for your children or grandchildren today! Jesus, the Light of the World is a 25 day devotional written

As we continue this week-long focus on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the power of worship in opening our hearts to receive all that God longs to give. For most of us, worship is something we engage in in a corporate setting. It’s a collective expression of adoration and relationship. But worship can be so much more than the songs we sing together. It’s a powerful avenue to softening our hearts towards God that we can, and should journey down every day.    As we make space to focus on the power of worship today, may God stir up each of our hearts to worship him with all we are and all we have. Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 29:2, and today's worship is Praise (feat. Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore) by Elevation Worship.    -   Thanks for listening to today’s podcast.   Every day in the podcast episode description there is a link to the worship for the day. So if you’re interested in adding worship to your daily rhythm of meeting with God, every day

As we continue this week focusing on tilling the soil of our hearts, today we’re going to look at the role of thankfulness in opening our hearts to receive all that God longs to give. While Scripture is filled with encouragements to be thankful, I think our own lived experience tells us that being thankful is essential in the pursuit of an abundant life. So may God remind us of all we have to be thankful for today as we make space to meet with him. And may our days be better as the result of taking just a few moments to be thankful for who we are, what we have, and all God has done for us as his beloved children.   Our Scripture for today comes from Psalm 107:1, and today's worship is Gratitude by Brandon Lake. -- Thanks for listening to today’s podcast.    As you go about your day today, look for opportunities to express your thankfulness to yourself, others, and your heavenly Father. If you start to feel like negativity is taking over, your heart is hard towards someone, or that life is simply dragging

This week we’ll look at a vital spiritual practice to all those seeking to grow in God: tilling the soil of the heart. Jesus spoke in Matthew 13 of two different types of soil—hard and soft. God longs for us to till the soil of our hearts that we might be receptive to the seed of his word and bear fruit. May your heart become more responsive to the presence, will, and love of God this week as you cultivate good soil with the help of the Holy Spirit. Our Scripture for today comes from Matthew 13:23, and today's worship is House of Miracles by Brandon Lake. – Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast.    As we begin this week-long focus on tilling the soil of our hearts, take time today to simply assess how receptive you are to the things of God throughout your day today. Don’t focus on changing anything, but simply noticing whether you are receptive or closed off, whether your heart feels hard or open.    And bring that sense of awareness with you back to this rhythm of meeting with God tomorrow. 

As we conclude our week on living for heaven, today we’ll explore the return of Christ and what that means for us. How can you be best prepared for the return of Jesus? What does God expect of you as his child? May your heart only grow in anticipation and joy at the thought of his return after today. Our Scripture for today comes from Matthew 24:36. Today's worship is You Are My One Thing by Bethel Music. – Thanks so much for listening to the last podcast in our week long focus on living for heaven.  Before we go, I want to ask you to take just a moment and assess your emotions. Does the idea of Jesus returning bring you peace or fear? Does it bring you hope or despair? There’s no wrong answer. God wants to meet you wherever you are today, and guide you to abundant life. With an honest answer in your heart, ask God to reveal more of his goodness in coming back, and to fill your heart with the assurance you need to celebrate what is to come.    And make sure to come back tomorrow, where we’ll begin a

As we begin to wrap up our week on living for heaven, today we’re going to explore what it means to have our perspectives shift toward the things of God rather than the things of earth. We are so easily bogged down by the weight of the world, and today God wants to lift our chin and point our eyes upward to things unseen, the things of heaven. Our Scripture for today comes from 2 Corinthians 4:18, and today's worship is Throne Room by Jesus Culture.   -- Jesus’ invitation in Matthew 11 to find real rest is for YOU.    First15’s brand-new devotional book called Rhythms was written with you in mind.    Each day of this 28-day devotional invites you to break away from your normal rhythm of waking, eating, working, and sleeping to discover a spiritual rhythm that, when practiced, will lead you into a more vibrant, abundant life in every way that matters.   Jesus wasn’t kidding when he said you can find rest in the midst of the craziness of life. He can give it to you, and Rhythms will guide you in that dir

As we continue in our week on living for heaven, today we’ll explore what it means to see Jesus’s prayer that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven fulfilled. God desires his kingdom to invade the earth, and he wants to do it through us, his people. Open your heart and mind to God’s will for your life, and allow him to fill you with excitement and joy today. Our Scripture for today comes from Matthew 6:9-10, and today's worship is  Heaven on Earth by Saddleback Worship. -- Thanks for listening to today’s podcast on bringing heaven to earth.    As a practical to go out on today, take a few moments to think about one way you could allow God to bring heaven to earth through you today. Take what the Spirit showed you in prayer, and think about how you can apply it. Who needs love today? Who needs healing or financial provision? Who simply needs someone to listen?    Have a wonderful rest of your day today, and may God bless you as you seek him.  

What would it be like to have unhindered, abundant joy in the midst of all circumstances? The beauty of the joy God longs to give is that it’s not fleeting or temporary. It is sustaining, strong and true. As we continue to discover what it means to live for heaven, today we look at what it means for us to be marked by joy. Our Scripture for today comes from Proverbs 10:28, and today's worship is You Are My Joy by United Pursuit   -   Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast on being marked by joy.    If life is especially hard for you right now, where joy feels especially elusive. Take some time today to ask God where his joy is in the midst of your circumstances. When you face a trial or challenge, stop and invite God into that moment, and open your heart to receive his wisdom.    The good news of the gospel is that God meets us where we are, and leads us to abundant life in the midst of anything life throws at us.    Have a wonderful rest of your day, and may God bless you as you seek him.

As we continue our week on living for heaven, today we look at the concept of hope. Hope is a necessity on this day, and God wants to restore your sense of hope and give you a fresh dose today. May the hope of eternal life be an anchor for you all of your days. Our Scripture for today comes from Romans 15:13, and today's worship is City of Hope by Amanda Cook.  -- Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast, our second in our series of living for heaven.    Whenever you’re tempted towards despair today, I want to encourage you to take a moment to stop, and ask God to illuminate his path of hope. The Holy Spirit wants to fill your day with hope built around trusting that he has every moment of every day covered in his love. And if you’ll allow him to open your eyes to see where he’s leading you, I know your day will be filled with a greater measure of hope.    Have a wonderful rest of your day, and may God bless you as you seek him.  

As children of God, we have been given a new home and a new hope. This week we’re going to take time every day to look at what it means to live for heaven. May your heart be set aflame by the joy and purpose of living out God’s command to live for heaven. Our Scripture for today comes from Hebrews 12:1-2, and today's worship is Dancing by Elevation Worship. – Thank you so much for listening to today’s podcast, Jesus is the Best Thing, the first podcast in our week long focus on living for heaven.    For our US listeners, I want to take a moment to thank everyone in the working class for their hard work. Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” We were created for good works, and the effort you put in every day makes such a difference in the quality of life we all have. May we take time today on this labor day to re-center the focus of our work around loving God and his people, that our work would bear even more fruit.    Have a wonderful rest of your day, a