Abiding Word Ministries

09/08/2026

Here’s What Humility Looks Like…

When you think of humility, what comes to mind?

In our world, humility is often seen as a self-degrading concept that reveals our insecurities and keeps us from becoming our best selves.

But true humility never leads to insecurity, because insecurity is a form of pride. Pride either puffs us up or tears us down. Pride is self-sufficient, but also self-destructive. If we’re doing great, pride makes our confidence soar. But if we’re going through a rough season, pride makes us sensitive to our failures. Pride links our worth to our accomplishments, and it prevents us from seeing who we truly are.

Pride makes us think that if we try hard enough, we can become good enough. Humility helps us realize that we are not enough—but God is enough for us.

Humility will often ask us to risk something. It might mean laying down our social standing, our reputation, our financial security, our sense of authority, or our expertise.

But surrendering our self-sufficiency lets us embrace God’s authority. And our God did miracles through Moses, established David as king of Israel, worked through Isaiah in the midst of chaos, publicly honored Mary, abundantly provided for Peter, and glorified Jesus by raising Him from the dead.

When we surrender ourselves to God, we allow Him to be glorified through us. Humility might cost us something—but it leads to abundant life.

So today, how can you humble yourself before God? Take a few moments and process what you need to lay down in order to draw closer to God within the upcoming weeks.

09/07/2026

The Truth of God

What is truth? Various generations have had different ways of answering that question. It's a popular belief in today’s culture that truth can be whatever you want it to be. This is the idea that truth is relative and unique to every individual person.

But if everyone lives their own truth, then nobody can truly know which one is right. And if one person’s truth contradicts another person’s truth, one of them must be wrong.

Scripture tells us that there is an objective truth available; a truth that we can live by. Rather than truth being grounded in the individual, it is grounded in something much bigger than ourselves.

Truth is sourced from God.

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and everything that exists, and the one from whom truth and beauty come. God’s Word contains the truths that He has spoken to us—so that we might live according to His truth and His ways.

Jesus says that His teachings are true because they come from God. He goes on to say that anyone who knows the truth of God will be set free in their life.

When we know the truth, we are no longer living according to a lie. God’s Word tells us the truth and leads us to life. This is why Jesus says that the truth will set us free. That's when we become truly free to live according to how God designed us to live.

An important part of learning what's true and what isn’t is reading God’s Word. He has spoken to us through His Word, and all that He has spoken is true. When we read and memorize God’s Word, we learn more and more about God.

Take some time today to thank God for revealing Himself to us through His Word, and for illuminating our lives with His truth.

09/06/2026

09/05/2026

The Place to Start

There are many places we can go to learn about something new, or to grow in wisdom and knowledge. Books are full of access to insightful information. The internet is overloaded with both helpful and unhelpful content about any subject imaginable.

While those are great places to start, Scripture tells us that the foundation of all knowledge is a healthy fear of the Lord. This means that while we can learn things from anyone, the beginning of true wisdom always begins with God.

The fear of the Lord doesn’t necessarily mean that you should be afraid of God. It means that we should live our lives in awe of Him. We do this by recognizing who He is—the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He is all-powerful and all-knowledgeable. God’s Word says He holds the power of life and death in His hands. These attributes should cause us to live in awe of God.

Scripture also tells us that God is loving, gracious, and merciful. Even though we—His own creation—previously rebelled against Him, God graciously gave us access back to Himself through His Son, Jesus. The God who created the universe loves each and every one of us. He loves you.

Living in awe of who God is and what He has done is the beginning of all wisdom and knowledge. We would be foolish to turn away from such a powerful and gracious God.

While we can learn a lot about many different things through books, people, and the internet, the most essential and important piece of knowledge about God comes from His Word.

Today, spend some time with God in His Word and in prayer—thanking Him for who He is and what He has done for you. Begin a habit of reading Scripture regularly so that you can know, respect, and trust Him in a deeper way.

09/04/2026

The Fruit of the Spirit and the Power of a Biblical Blessing (Galatians 5:22–23)

When Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit, he begins with love. That matters. Love is not one fruit among many in the sense that it is just another nice quality to add to our character. Love is the soil where the rest of the fruit grows. Joy without love becomes shallow. Peace without love becomes self-protection. Patience without love becomes tolerance without tenderness. But when love is present, everything else has a place to grow.

Biblical love is not simply affection. It is not just liking someone, being sentimental, or feeling warm in the moment. Biblical love is a decision to seek another person's good because God first loved us. It is a love that sees people through the lens of redemption, not through the lens of their worst moment. That is why blessing matters so much. A biblical blessing is love put into words. It is love that refuses to stay silent.

Many children, grandchildren, athletes, students, and adults are starving for words that tell them they are seen, known, valued, and called. Correction has its place. Discipline has its place. But if correction is louder than blessing, people can begin to believe they are only noticed when they fail. That is not the heart of the Father.

When you bless someone with love, you are not flattering them. You are speaking truth over them. You are saying, “You are not an accident. You are not a burden. You are not defined by your behavior alone. You are deeply loved by God, and I want you to know that love through the way I speak to you.”

Love is often remembered through words. Someone may forget the exact gift you gave them, but they may never forget the moment you looked them in the eyes and said, “I love you, I believe in you, and I see God at work in your life.” Those words can settle deep into the soul. They can become a refuge when the world gets loud.

Today, ask God to make your love more than assumed. Make it spoken. Make it intentional. Make it a blessing.

Spoken Blessing

May you know that you are deeply loved by God. May His love shape your identity, steady your heart, and overflow through your words and actions.

09/03/2026

God Our Rock

There are hundreds of different names and titles for God throughout Scripture. And since the Psalms are written from various seasons of life, there are many different perspectives of how God acts within those seasons.

Psalm 18 is written at a time when the author, King David, was delivered from his enemies by God. In this Psalm, David almost immediately calls God his rock, because God was dependable and stable. There was nothing that could overtake God or move Him. And this truth wasn't just for David, but for anyone who relies on God.

When we belong to God, He is a rock and a fortress for us as well. Everything in the world is constantly shifting, but we belong to a God who never changes. He is our protection from things that might seek to harm us.

We belong to a God who can protect us throughout our lives. Even if we don’t have physical enemies, we can run to God when life gets difficult. That’s why, like David, our response to God should be filled with praise. We need to remember what God has done—so we can praise Him for who He is.

Take some time today to thank God for how He has led and protected you so far in your life. And if you’re currently in a difficult season, run to God and ask Him for help. He is able and willing to be your rock.

08/30/2026

God Guides Our Life

Have you ever faced something unexpected? Maybe it was a surprise that brought you joy, or a tragedy that greatly affected your life. All of us experience moments in life that we don’t anticipate.

Even though unexpected things will happen, we still plan and dream for how our lives will go. We may have plans for our future education, or plans for specific relationships in our lives. But we can't fully plan for the unexpected—since we cannot know the future. We don’t even know what might happen in the next few minutes.

We learn in Scripture that God is all-knowing, which means He knows everything that will happen everywhere in the world. He has complete knowledge of every event and action that happens. More than that, He is also sovereign, which means He has ultimate control over everything that happens in the world.

That means that even though we make our plans, God is ultimately the one who directs our steps. He has the power to change the direction of our lives, as well to as guide us into what’s best for us.

Take some time to think about the dreams and plans that you have for your life. Have you ever submitted those plans to God in prayer? This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make plans for your life, but rather, whatever you plan should not come before God’s plans for your life.

Take a moment to ask God to direct your steps. Ask Him to reveal any desires or plans that are not from Him. Submit your plans to God so that you’ll be open to follow Him wherever He leads you. Thank Him for His goodness and grace in guiding your life.