https://www1.cbn.com/old-rss-cbn-articles-spiritual-life.xml en https://www1.cbn.com/The-Power-of-a-Grace-Filled-Heart Some of the greatest expressions of love come in ways we never expect. I’ll never forget when my best friend from childhood surprised me with what I assumed would be a girls’ spa day—but transformed into something far more meaningful. As my friend knelt before me and gently washed my feet, I was beyond touched by her humble heart. While reflecting on that tender moment, I find myself wondering: Can such a selfless act of love ever exist between two enemies? One of my favorite television shows... Tuesday, June 2, 2026 - 12:00am Kellin Gibson /The-Power-of-a-Grace-Filled-Heart https://www1.cbn.com/our-divine-inheritance Have you ever received an inheritance? Perhaps it was money, or a family home, or a treasured possession. That bequeathed gift belongs to you. It is yours to possess, use, and enjoy. Now what would you do if someone tried to take that inheritance from you? You would fight them, right? Because you are the rightful heir. It belongs to you and no one has the right to take it from you. Consider our divine inheritance. When Jesus left this earth, did He leave anything for us? In John 14:27 Jesus... Thursday, June 4, 2026 - 12:00am Linda Vulcano /our-divine-inheritance https://www1.cbn.com/what-is-truth-when-reason-falls-short Is that video real or artificial intelligence? Is this report “fake news” or maybe something in between? Yes, these questions make our individual and societal heads spin and sadly sometimes explode. As the robot in the classic 1960s TV show Lost in Space often said, so much of what we see “does not compute.” This sad reality is one of the most destructive consequences of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden—finding truth without God. Since then, humankind lives and dies, spiritually and... Tuesday, June 9, 2026 - 12:00am Gary E. Roberts /what-is-truth-when-reason-falls-short https://www1.cbn.com/the-promised-ruler-from-judah When approaching Bible study, my first step is to pray for understanding of narratives set in Old Testament times. In our present-day world, it can be hard to relate to some values of a culture thousands of years before us, such as the significance of the rights of the firstborn. First Chronicles records the descendants of the tribes of Israel—the sons of Jacob, where they settled, who they married, who they begat. The long lists of unpronounceable names are occasionally broken up by some... Monday, May 18, 2026 - 12:00am Helen R. Smith /the-promised-ruler-from-judah https://www1.cbn.com/theres-no-i-in-team-the-power-of-unity Team sports cultivate wonderful values that carry over into other areas of life. My wife and I encourage our children in their athletic pursuits. Our son plays soccer. One of our girls runs track, and the other is a gymnast. Not only is the physical activity good for a growing kid, but sports are a terrific opportunity to gain experience in teamwork. While runners may strive for their PBR (personal best running time), and gymnasts participate in individual competitions, both sports celebrate... Sunday, June 7, 2026 - 12:00am Dr. Paul J. Palma /theres-no-i-in-team-the-power-of-unity https://www1.cbn.com/staying-on-track-for-greater-joy I was never a toy-train kid, but my son sure was! I got him his first wooden train tracks when he was two-and-a-half years old. It was so adorable watching him say, “Here we go! Choo-choo!” as he raced his engine over (and sometimes above) the tracks. Even though I never had playsets like that as a kid, I immediately understood the appeal. I had so much fun coming up with new routes, which of course led me to look for even more sets to buy. I loved finding new bridges or buildings or unique... Wednesday, May 13, 2026 - 12:00am Ben Ledger /staying-on-track-for-greater-joy https://www1.cbn.com/lost-in-the-wilderness-how-god-makes-a-way When I first moved in, I got lost in my husband’s backyard. Let me explain. Our backyard is a 30-acre mix of flat Texas ranchland, rolling hills dotted with prickly pear cacti, woods where mesquite and blackbrush grow so thick that they practically form thorny walls, and a winding trail through a dry creek bed. While strolling along that path during my lunch break, I was listening to a sermon about how God caused the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for 40 years when the journey should... Saturday, May 9, 2026 - 12:00am Kim Nanney /lost-in-the-wilderness-how-god-makes-a-way https://www1.cbn.com/Gods-Strength-When-Your-Plans-Fall-Apart The deadline had passed to turn in writing this devotional. With one day late already, I cleared my calendar and mapped out an entire afternoon to finish it. Then a close friend of mine called. Her voice cracked on the phone as she said, “I really need help.” I sympathized with her, as I knew she had spent years taking care of her husband who had suffered several strokes. As you might imagine, I had a tough choice to make because of my writing commitment; plus I was exhausted from other... Sunday, May 3, 2026 - 12:00am Paula L. Stansbury /Gods-Strength-When-Your-Plans-Fall-Apart https://www1.cbn.com/From-Crushing-Anxiety-to-Powerful-Peace The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” (Luke 10:17, NIV)  When I was born again, the last thing I wanted to discuss was demons. Not only was I finishing a degree and considered myself something of an intellectual, but I’d just fled New Age spirituality, which had failed to cure 17 years of anxiety and depression. So, I’d had my fill of the supernatural smorgasbord. I was hungry for something that would sit well in collegiate conversations... Thursday, April 9, 2026 - 12:00am Kim Nanney /From-Crushing-Anxiety-to-Powerful-Peace https://www1.cbn.com/The-Truth-About-Giving-God-the-Glory Right out of college I landed my dream gig. Through a friend-of-a-friend I was introduced to a ministry in California who needed a ghostwriter for an upcoming project. Somehow, I scored the contract. I had just overcome the challenges of college and my first year of marriage—and now I was making good money doing what I loved. Honestly, I started to get a pretty big head. I just assumed it was my own skills, strength, and abilities that had gotten me right where I wanted to be in life. Someone... Saturday, April 25, 2026 - 12:00am Griff Melton /The-Truth-About-Giving-God-the-Glory https://www1.cbn.com/The-Prayer-God-Responds-To Making judgments based on what we witness, and quietly balancing the scales of justice in our minds, is something many of us do without even realizing it. We observe the actions of others and instinctively categorize their behavior. Often, this internal evaluation helps us navigate daily life and, in some situations, even keeps us safe. But what happens when we bring that same instinctual practice into our faith? Do we begin to measure our spiritual lives the same way, keeping a mental tally of... Friday, April 24, 2026 - 12:00am Maria Schleicher /The-Prayer-God-Responds-To https://www1.cbn.com/remarkable-grace-for-the-lost-and-broken Have you ever experienced grace so great that you knew you didn’t deserve it? The truth is, we all have, if we have found ourselves alive through salvation in Jesus Christ. A few years back, I watched my family extend this kind of great grace to someone I love who had become estranged from our family. Watching this loved one walk down a path of destruction and pride was hard to endure. I vividly remember praying for them to surrender their life to Jesus. There came a specific moment where they... Monday, April 20, 2026 - 12:00am Marissa Nordlum /remarkable-grace-for-the-lost-and-broken https://www1.cbn.com/When-God-Created-a-Powerful-Testimony-through-Pain-and-Faith “Go back to your home, and tell all that God has done for you.” –Luke 8:39 CSB During one quiet morning with the Lord, I read a passage of Scripture that sent me on a journey of remembering all the ways He had healed me in the past. As I read Luke 8:26-56, I was captivated by Jesus healing a man possessed by demons, a woman who had bled for 12 years, and a 12-year-old girl who was dying. These accounts filled me with awe and caused me to reflect on the countless times He had healed me too. I... Sunday, April 5, 2026 - 12:00am Dayna Lovelady /When-God-Created-a-Powerful-Testimony-through-Pain-and-Faith https://www1.cbn.com/How-Risky-Faith-Unlocks-Gods-Better-Plan “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.” –Exodus 33:15 NIV The Unconventional Choice After my husband and I married, we faced a difficult decision. He had lost his job during our engagement and couldn’t find work nearby. We both wanted to relocate—eventually. Quitting my job, the one income between us, felt absurd. It made no financial sense. But that’s exactly what I felt God calling us to do. Ruth faced a similar decision. After her husband died, Ruth was left with... Saturday, April 4, 2026 - 12:00am Carolyn Fraiser /How-Risky-Faith-Unlocks-Gods-Better-Plan https://www1.cbn.com/Daring-Worship-Reclaim-Peace-With-Jesus It was after midnight when I arrived at church, unlocked the doors, and locked myself in. I didn’t have peace, and I couldn’t sleep, so I went to the place I needed to be the most. I went to seek Jesus because I needed Him and His presence more than anything else. I needed to worship, surrender, and pour everything out before Him. My cheeks were flushed and wet with tears. For the next two hours, I lay on the carpet of the church sanctuary, endlessly crying under the weight of the season I was... Friday, April 3, 2026 - 12:00am Jessica Teed /Daring-Worship-Reclaim-Peace-With-Jesus https://www1.cbn.com/Your-Identity-Is-in-Christ-Alone When I became engaged, I was so excited to start a new life with my husband. One day, while scrolling through social media, I saw a girl talking about how she was sad to change her last name because she didn’t want to lose that part of herself. Immediately, the thought “Can’t relate” came into my mind. Changing my last name was one of the things I looked forward to most about getting married. To me, it meant a fresh start—a clean slate, a new identity. For much of my life, I felt defined by... Tuesday, March 31, 2026 - 12:00am Joy Brunson /Your-Identity-Is-in-Christ-Alone https://www1.cbn.com/Called-to-Surrender-Everything “It's time to leave the house,” I said to my toddler as he was playing with his toys scattered across the playroom floor. As I instructed him to go towards the garage door and get his shoes on, he waddled slowly with toys spilling out of his hands. He had a mountain full of “things” he planned on taking with him for our simple trip to the store. As toys dropped one by one to the floor, I looked at him, smiled, and told him, “Son, put those toys back, you don’t need to bring them in the car for... Monday, March 30, 2026 - 12:00am Marissa Nordlum /Called-to-Surrender-Everything https://www1.cbn.com/Called-to%2520Be-Peacemakers A common Sunday morning practice in churches is to turn to the person next to you and wish them “peace.” In the more liturgical churches, the practice is visible in the regular flow of worship when the pastor extends an intentional moment for everyone to turn to their neighbor to bid them the “peace of the Lord.” Other churches convey the same sentiment in a different way. In the nondenominational church my family is a part of, the worship leader pauses and invites congregants to turn and “... Saturday, March 28, 2026 - 12:00am Dr. Paul J. Palma /Called-to%20Be-Peacemakers https://www1.cbn.com/Your-Victory-Is-Already-Promised At the age of 40, I went back to college to finish my bachelor’s degree. I chose Regent University and loved the combination of enriching my faith and learning as an adult, something I cannot say I appreciated when I was younger. I chose to attend classes online as it gave me the flexibility to study and work a full-time job. The online classes were intense—a full semester condensed to eight-week sessions. Each class I undertook had gone relatively well for me, but at the start of a new... Sunday, March 22, 2026 - 12:00am Bernadette Canepa /Your-Victory-Is-Already-Promised https://www1.cbn.com/Picking-Up-Our-Cross One of my favorite films, Forrest Gump, tells the fictional story of a kind-hearted, honest, developmentally challenged man. The film is chock-full of folksy wisdom, such as life being as unpredictable as choosing one yummy piece of chocolate candy from a large sampler box. Like Forrest Gump’s, my own life has been filled with many tasty life experience treats, such as meeting my wife for the first time in a local park. Those pleasant moments stand in contrast with painful challenges, such as... Tuesday, March 17, 2026 - 12:00am Gary E. Roberts /Picking-Up-Our-Cross https://www1.cbn.com/God-Is-Sovereign-Over-Everything About a month into my marriage, I woke early one morning, made coffee, and settled into my study of Deuteronomy. Partway through chapter 32, the passage right before God’s people enter the Promised Land, I paused and turned toward the window. The sun was just beginning to rise. I lifted my mug—chicory coffee sweetened with vanilla cream—the warmth seeping into my palms as I watched the light creep over the cedar trees and spill into the wide golden plain of our Texas farmland. It felt like the... Wednesday, March 18, 2026 - 12:00am Kim Nanney /God-Is-Sovereign-Over-Everything https://www1.cbn.com/From-Bitter-Weeping-to-Restoration And he went out and wept bitterly. (Matthew 26:75) Peter wept. Here, we meet Peter at his lowest, all-is-lost moment. That night, he had just denied knowing Jesus—not once, not twice, but three times. His accusers weren’t even Roman officials. Two were servant girls—invisibles who held no voice in society—and the third was a simple bystander. None had even threatened to arrest Peter for being a committed follower. They simply asked, “Did you know Him?” Yet, Peter swore he didn’t and even cursed... Friday, February 13, 2026 - 12:00am Carolyn Fraiser /From-Bitter-Weeping-to-Restoration https://www1.cbn.com/Jesus-Our-Ultimate-Scapegoat I remember it like it was yesterday. Bases loaded. Two outs. Final inning of our softball playoff game. With a full count, I checked my swing on a ball in the dirt—or so I thought. The umpire decided otherwise and called strike three. Just like that, our season was over, and I blamed myself. Any other mistake, error, or missed opportunity that may have occurred during that game didn’t matter. I was sure that the only thing that would be remembered was my check swing on a clear ball four. I’d be... Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 12:00am Tori Troncone /Jesus-Our-Ultimate-Scapegoat https://www1.cbn.com/Grace-for-When-You-Fall-Short A well-known adage proclaims that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. We convince ourselves we’ll rise to the occasion—praying faithfully, loving boldly, standing strong when it matters most. That vision feels inspiring, even redemptive. Yet in the quiet hours, when resolve is tested, our best-laid plans often unravel. Each January, my church launches a 21-day corporate fast, a heartfelt call to set our spirits ablaze for God’s purpose—to intentionally deny the flesh, sharpen our... Thursday, February 12, 2026 - 12:00am Aaron M. Little /Grace-for-When-You-Fall-Short https://www1.cbn.com/Ears-to-Hear-Heart-to-Obey My dog is pretty clever. He remembers every person who has ever given him a treat. He knows the names of all our favorite people—and his favorite people, too. We’ve learned to spell certain words around him to keep him from getting too worked up. He even gets extra excited in the car when he figures out where we’re going based on the route we take. Yet, for all he understands, there are still moments when he simply doesn’t listen. I’ll call him to come inside, and he doesn’t even glance my way... Sunday, January 19, 2025 - 12:00am Tori Troncone /Ears-to-Hear-Heart-to-Obey