New Lebanon Assembly of God

09/06/2026

09/04/2026

Day 5: The Courage to Run
Reading: Genesis 39:11-12; 2 Timothy 2:22

Devotional: Joseph did not linger. He did not attempt to prove his strength by standing close to what could destroy him. He ran. Paul's instruction in 2 Timothy 2:22 does not call believers to fight certain temptations or to study them -- it calls them to flee. There is a false notion that spiritual maturity means being able to remain near dangerous ground without falling. True wisdom creates distance from what could cause destruction. Identify today what you need to flee. It may be a conversation, a habit, a relationship without proper boundaries, or an environment that consistently pulls you away from who God has called you to be. Running is not weakness. It is wisdom.

09/03/2026

Day 4: Honoring God When No One Is Watching
Reading: Psalm 139:1-12; Colossians 3:23-24

Devotional: Psalm 139 declares that there is no place beyond the reach of God's knowledge and presence. He perceives our thoughts, our paths, and our words before they are even formed. Colossians 3:23-24 calls believers to work wholeheartedly as though serving God rather than people. Together, these passages build the foundation of genuine integrity: not performance for an audience, but faithfulness before an audience of One. The question integrity asks is not whether anyone is watching, but whether your choices reflect who you claim to belong to. The life lived consistently before God, whether in public or in private, is the life that builds something that cannot be taken away.

09/02/2026

Day 3: Sin Is Never as Private as It Promises
Reading: Genesis 39:8-9; Galatians 6:7-8

Devotional: Joseph's integrity was not rooted in fear of being caught. It was rooted in the awareness that God was already present. He understood that sinning against Potiphar and sinning against God were not separate categories -- they were the same act viewed from two different angles. Galatians 6:7-8 affirms that what a person plants, they will eventually harvest. Temptation lies when it promises privacy. Every compromise touches something beyond the moment. It touches trust, character, relationships, and one's relationship with God. Living with an awareness of God's presence is not a burden. It is the very thing that keeps a person anchored when pressure comes.

09/01/2026

Day 2: Deciding Before the Moment Arrives
Reading: Genesis 39:7-10

Devotional: Potiphar's wife did not approach Joseph during a moment of failure. She approached him during a season of success and influence. Temptation is strategic. It often arrives when we feel most capable of handling it, which is precisely when we are most vulnerable to overestimating ourselves. Joseph's refusal was not the result of in-the-moment reasoning. He had already decided who he was going to be. Proverbs 4:23 teaches that guarding the heart is the source of everything that flows from a person's life. The decisions you make before temptation arrives are the ones that will protect you when it does.

08/31/2026

Day 1: Integrity That Does Not Bend
Reading: Genesis 39:1-6

Devotional: Joseph arrived in Egypt having lost nearly everything -- his home, his family, his freedom. Yet the text records that God was with him, and his character remained unchanged. Circumstances have a way of pressuring us to become someone we were not designed to be. Suffering whispers that compromise is justified. Disappointment argues that faithfulness is no longer worth the effort. Joseph refused to listen. His integrity was not a product of favorable conditions; it was a settled conviction that traveled with him into the worst season of his life. Ask yourself today: does your character change when your circumstances do?

08/28/2026

Day 5: From One Degree of Glory to Another
Reading: 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 — Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. All believers, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed from one degree of glory to another by the Spirit.

Devotional: Transformation is rarely dramatic. Most of the time it is quiet, incremental, and easy to overlook. One degree. Then another. Then another. This is how the Spirit works in people's lives, including yours. The Engel Scale reminds us that discipleship is not an event. It is a journey that begins long before a person prays a prayer of salvation and continues long after. Your role is not to force a conclusion. Your role is to be faithful in the relationship, to keep showing up, to keep reflecting the glory of Jesus in ordinary moments. Crock pots, not microwaves. Gardens, not vending machines. Trust the process. Trust the Spirit. The transformation is already underway.

Reflection Questions: Think of someone you are tempted to give up on because change seems too slow. How does 2 Corinthians 3:18 encourage you to keep investing in that relationship?
Reflect on your own journey of faith. Who were the people who stayed patient with you through your own slow transformation? How can you offer that same patience to someone else?

Practical Application: Reach back out to the person you identified on Day 1. Do not go with an agenda to convert them. Simply go with the goal of being present, listening well, and reflecting the love of Jesus. One degree at a time is enough. Be faithful with today and trust the Spirit with the rest.

08/27/2026

Day 4: Honest Faith in the Middle of Doubt
Reading: Mark 9:20-24 — A desperate father brings his suffering son to Jesus and cries out that he believes, while honestly admitting that he also struggles with unbelief. Jesus responds with compassion and power.

Devotional: The father in Mark 9 did not have it all together. He had watched his son suffer for years. He had seen the disciples fail. And yet he came to Jesus anyway, not with polished faith, but with raw and honest desperation. His prayer is one of the most human prayers in all of Scripture: I believe, but help me overcome my unbelief. This is not a prayer of failure. It is a prayer of courage. The world does not need to see a church that pretends to have every answer. It needs to see a church that is honest about the struggle and keeps following Jesus anyway. Your doubts do not disqualify you. They can become a bridge to someone who is not yet sure they are welcome.

Reflection Questions: Is there an area of your faith where you have been pretending to have more certainty than you actually feel? What would it look like to bring that honestly before God?
How might your own unanswered prayers and honest struggles actually make you more effective in reaching people who feel far from God?

Practical Application: Write out your own version of the father's prayer from Mark 9. Be specific and honest about what you believe and where you still struggle. Bring that prayer before God today without editing it into something more acceptable. Then trust him with what you have written.

08/26/2026

Day 3: Quick to Listen, Slow to Speak
Reading: James 1:19-20 — The author urges every believer to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger, because human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.

Devotional: One of the most countercultural things a follower of Jesus can do in today's world is to simply listen. The world rewards the loudest voice, the sharpest rebuttal, and the quickest judgment. But James calls the church to a different way. Every person who walks through your door, sits across from you at a table, or crosses your path in a parking lot carries a story you have not yet heard. That story deserves your attention before it receives your opinion. Listening without judgment is not weakness. It is one of the most powerful expressions of the love of Jesus. People do not need to earn your compassion. They need to receive it freely, just as you once did.

Reflection Questions: Think of a person in your life whose story you have judged before fully hearing. How might listening more carefully change your relationship with them?
What sources of information or media are making your heart harder toward people who are different from you? What would it look like to limit or remove those influences?
Practical Application: The next time you are in a conversation with someone who is struggling, set a personal goal to ask two thoughtful questions before offering any advice or response. Practice the discipline of hearing someone fully before speaking.