Resolute Podcast

Welcome to The Daily. We are 3 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 14:7 They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow;     they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine;     their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. — Hosea 14:7 Everyone wants a flourishing life. A life of peace. Purpose. Joy. Security. But most people spend their lives chasing those things instead of planting themselves where those things actually grow. Hosea says: "They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow." Notice where flourishing begins. Not with success. Not with achievement. Not with finally getting everything you want. It begins with returning to God and residing in his shadow. The image is simple. A person resting beneath God's shadow is protected and sustained and by proximty is close to God. From that place, life begins to grow. "They shall flourish like the grain." "They shall blossom like the vine." That's important because flourishing is not something we generate. It's something God generates. Our culture teaches the opposite. It tells us to build ourselves, promote ourselves, and pursue ourselves. But many people spend years climbing ladders only to discover they leaned them against the wrong wall. Fullness in life is not found by chasing more. It's found by staying close to God. And that's the promise of this chapter! After all the wandering, compromise, and failure, God doesn't merely forgive His people. As we get ready to begin our next book, 1 Peter, we'll discover that believers can flourish even in difficult places, hostile cultures, and seasons of suffering. Because flourishing isn't determined by what you do. It's determined by who you're walking with. So walk with God, sit under his shadow, and discover the life he has for you. DO THIS: Identify one area where you've been chasing flourishing apart from God, and surrender it to Him today. ASK THIS: Where have I been looking for life apart from God? What does "living beneath His shadow" look like in my daily life? Am I pursuing success more than I am pursuing God? PRAY THIS: Father, teach me to stop chasing life in places where it cannot be found. Help me remain close to you and trust that true flourishing comes from walking faithfully with you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Remain"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 4 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 14:5-6 I will be like the dew to Israel;     he shall blossom like the lily;     he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out;     his beauty shall be like the olive,     and his fragrance like Lebanon. — Hosea 14:5-6 Most people want transformation. Few people want the process that goes with it. Because we want instant everything. Instant results, maturity, freedom, and growth. But God rarely works that way. Just notice the images in the text. Dew. Roots. Branches. Blossoms. None of those happen overnight. The dew appears quietly. Roots grow unseen. Branches spread slowly. Yet over time, life emerges where there was nothing. That's how God works in us. A lot of people get discouraged because they don't see dramatic results. They assume growth isn't happening because it isn't instant. But healthy growth is usually steady growth. You may not notice it day-to-day. But over months and years, God is growing something beautiful beneath the surface. And notice one more detail: the growth doesn't begin with human effort. It begins with God. "I will be like the dew to Israel." God supplies what is necessary for the production of life. Our role is not to manufacture growth. Our role is to stay connected to the One who yields it. That means we must stay in His Word, stay in prayer, stay in fellowship, stay surrendered, and stay faithful. Then trust Him with the timing and the fruit. Faithful believers have always discovered this. God does some of his best and deepest work where nobody can see it—in the roots under the earth, into the branches. So don't despise small amounts of progress. And as we prepare to begin 1 Peter, we're going to discover that this kind of steady, rooted growth is exactly what believers need when living in a culture that constantly pressures them to compromise. DO THIS: Take a moment today to thank God for one area where you can see growth compared to a year ago. ASK THIS: Where have I become impatient with God's process? Am I focused more on visible results or faithful obedience? What small signs of growth can I thank God for today? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for patiently growing me. Help me trust your process, remain rooted in you, and stay faithful even when growth feels slow. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Christ In Me"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 5 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 14:4 I will heal their apostasy;     I will love them freely,     for my anger has turned from them. — Hosea 14:4 One of the greatest misconceptions people have about God is that He is reluctant to forgive. Many imagine God as stoic, disappointed, standing before humanity with crossed arms, waiting for us to prove we've changed before He offers grace. But Hosea declares: "I will heal their apostasy." Notice who does the healing. God does. Israel spent thirteen chapters of this book wandering, rebelling, compromising, and running from Him. Yet when they finally return, God doesn't say, "Fix yourselves." He says, "I will heal you." Apostasy means turning away. And God doesn't merely forgive it. He heals it, too. Then he says, "I will love them freely." Many people, and even believers, spend their lives trying to earn what God freely gives. They work for approval, perform for acceptance, and strive for God's love. I learned this lesson the hard way. For years, I thought spiritual growth was mostly about trying harder and proving myself useful to God. Eventually, that exhausted me. What changed me wasn't trying harder. It was finally receiving the love of God that I had spent years trying to earn. Maybe that's where you are today. You believe God forgives other people. You're just not sure He forgives you. You believe God restores other people. You're just not sure He wants to restore you. Hosea 14 answers that question. God is more willing to forgive than you think. More willing to restore than you think. More willing to heal than you think. Jesus died so wandering people, like you and me, could come home. So stop contending with God's grace. Receive it. And let the healing begin. Let's work-based salvation go, and abide in him, and discover freedom in the Spirit. DO THIS: Write down one failure, regret, sin, or area of shame you continue carrying and surrender it completely to God's forgiveness today. ASK THIS: Do I believe God forgives me as freely as He says He does? What wound, failure, or shame still needs healing? Am I trying to earn what God already offers through grace? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for loving me freely. Help me stop striving for what Christ has already secured and teach me to receive your forgiveness, healing, and restoration with humility and gratitude. Amen. PLAY THIS: "His Mercy Is More"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 6 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 14:2-3 Take with you words     and return to the Lord; say to him,     "Take away all iniquity; accept what is good,     and we will pay with bulls     the vows of our lips. Assyria shall not save us;     we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, 'Our God,'     to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." — Hosea 14:2-3 Most people are sorry about consequences. Far fewer are sorry about sin. That is the difference between regret and repentance. God tells his people exactly what to bring when they return: "Take with you words and return to the LORD." Notice what God doesn't ask for. He doesn't ask for excuses, explanations, or a defense. He asks for honesty and integrity of word and deed. That is where real repentance begins. It begins when we finally confess, "I was wrong." Repentance owns what we have done. That is exactly what Israel does here. They confess their sin. Then they identify their false saviors, mainly Assyria. They finally admit what Hosea has been exposing for fourteen chapters. They were trusting the wrong things. And then they say something important that is also a component of repentance: "We will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands." That is repentance. Not merely confessing sin. Turning from the things you thought would save you. And that may be the harder part. Because many people are willing to admit failure. Even publicly confess it. Fewer are willing to admit their saviors failed them and that they need to fully trust God. Real repentance happens when you stop trusting things (like success) to do what only God can do. And notice, God tells them to "bring" or "take with you words." In other words, bring an honest confession, prayer, and return. Which means you do not need to have everything figured out today. You simply need to stop pretending. And maybe that is your next step. Stop pretending.  Not a dramatic change. Not a perfect plan. Just an honest conversation with God. The kind you've been avoiding for a long time. Do you need to repent? DO THIS: Take ten minutes today and pray an honest prayer of confession. Name your sin, your false saviors, and your need for God specifically. ASK THIS: What excuse am I still using to avoid repentance? What false savior have I been trusting lately? What honest conversation with God have I been avoiding? PRAY THIS: Father, give me the courage to be completely honest with you. Help me stop making excuses, stop trusting false saviors, and return to you with a humble and repentant heart. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Returning"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 7 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 14:1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,     for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. — Hosea 14:1 Some of you need to hear four simple words today: It's not too late. Brother. Sister. It's not too late. To return, repent, start over, and come home. That is how Hosea ends. Thank God. After thirteen chapters of warnings, confrontations, judgment, and exposure, God does not close the book with the last chapter of condemnation. He closes it with an invitation. "Return." Think about it. Israel had chased idols. Ignored prophets. Rejected truth. Compromised with the culture. Trusted false gods. Forgot the God who rescued them. Yet God's final word is not, "Good riddance." His final word is, "Return." That tells us something remarkable about God. He is more interested in your return than your ruin. Some people assume God is looking for reasons to push them away. Hosea reveals the opposite. Throughout this entire book, God has been pursuing people who keep running from him. And we all stumble in our run from God. You may have stumbled into: pride, addiction, compromise, bitterness, greed, spiritual apathy, sexual sin, self-reliance, or years of drifting. But your stumble does not have to become your future. That is why this verse is so hopeful.  God is not asking Israel to pretend that nothing happened. He is asking them to stop running. And to turn around and return. And maybe that is exactly what some of you need to do today. The same God who confronted your sin is the God who welcomes your return. And here is what I love most: God does not say, "Return when you've cleaned your life up." He simply says, "Return," Because he is the one who will clean up your life. He is the one who will wash you clean. What you need to do is return. And you can do that right now. Today. Because God's grace always makes an opening for a person who repents. And if you can still hear God's voice calling you, then he is not done with you yet. So if you have drifted, compromised, wandered, or grown cold, hear the first words of Hosea's final chapter as if God is speaking directly to you: Return. DO THIS: Take five quiet minutes today and tell God honestly where you have stumbled, drifted, or resisted Him. ASK THIS: Where have I been running instead of returning? What is keeping me from coming home to God today? Do I believe God's grace is greater than my failure? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you that it is not too late. Give me the humility to stop running, the courage to return, and the faith to trust that your grace is greater than my failures. Amen. PLAY THIS: "We Repent"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 8 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 13:14-16 I shall ransom them from the power of Sheol;     I shall redeem them from Death. O Death, where are your plagues?     O Sheol, where is your sting?     Compassion is hidden from my eyes. Though he may flourish among his brothers,     the east wind, the wind of the Lord, shall come,     rising from the wilderness, and his fountain shall dry up;     his spring shall be parched; it shall strip his treasury     of every precious thing. Samaria shall bear her guilt,     because she has rebelled against her God; they shall fall by the sword;     their little ones shall be dashed in pieces,     and their pregnant women ripped open. — Hosea 13:14-16 Every person is looking for something to save them. But eventually life confronts every one of us with a reality no earthly solution can overcome: Death. Not just physical death. Spiritual death. The separation from God that sin creates inside every human soul. And this chapter presents the biggest question underneath all the smaller ones: What can actually rescue you? But into all the warnings, God speaks hope: "I shall ransom them… I shall redeem them…" Those two words are important. The word ransom carries the idea of paying a price to free someone from bondage or captivity. The word redeem means to reclaim, rescue, or buy back what was lost. That is the story of the Bible. Humanity wandered into sin, bondage, death, and separation from God. But God was not content to leave His people there. From Exodus to Hosea to the cross itself, God keeps moving toward enslaved people to bring them home again. And Hosea points us forward to Jesus. Because Jesus is the ransom. Jesus is the redeemer. Jesus paid the price and bought us back. That is why Paul later quotes this verse in 1 Corinthians 15 when talking about the resurrection: "O death, where is your victory?" Because through Christ, death no longer gets the final word. It means: Your failures are not final. Your shame is not final. Your suffering is not final. Your grief is not final. And even death itself is not final for those who belong to Christ. But this truth is not meant to stay theoretical and philosophical. It demands a response. From you and me. So stop looking for salvation in temporary things. Bring your fears, shame, exhaustion, sins, and even your future to Jesus. Because the Savior we truly need is not another earthly solution. It is Christ. And unlike every false savior, He actually rescues, redeems, and defeats death itself. DO THIS: Write down one thing you have been depending on too heavily for peace, identity, or security—and intentionally surrender it to Jesus in prayer today. ASK THIS: What am I trusting to save me besides Christ? What controls my peace most right now? Do I actually live like Jesus is enough? PRAY THIS: Jesus, forgive me for looking to temporary things to rescue me. Thank you for ransoming and redeeming me through your death and resurrection. Teach me to trust you fully and build my life completely on you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Living Hope"

The greatest danger in your life may not be failure—it may be success that slowly causes you to forget God. Summary Hosea 13 exposes the hidden root behind Israel's spiritual collapse: they prospered, became self-sufficient, and gradually forgot God. What appeared to be problems like idolatry, rebellion, and national decline were only symptoms of a deeper issue—spiritual amnesia. The chapter warns that success, comfort, and abundance can quietly disciple people away from dependence on God if they are not careful. Yet in the middle of judgment comes a stunning promise of redemption, pointing forward to Jesus Christ, who would ransom and redeem those who have wandered far from God. Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Why can success sometimes be more spiritually dangerous than failure? 2. What does Hosea 13:6 teach about the progression from blessing to forgetting God? 3. How can comfort and convenience slowly weaken dependence on God? 4. What are some modern examples of becoming "full, fat, and forgetful"? 5. Why is spiritual amnesia the root problem behind so many other sins? 6. How does forgetting God relationally differ from simply doubting his existence? 7. What symptoms in your life might reveal a deeper spiritual issue beneath the surface? 8. How can churches become self-sufficient instead of God-dependent? 9. What do the words ransom and redeem teach us about the work of Jesus (Hosea 13:14)? 10. What practical step can you take this week to remember God and deepen your dependence on him?

Welcome to The Daily. We are 9 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 13:12-13 The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up;     his sin is kept in store. The pangs of childbirth come for him,     but he is an unwise son, for at the right time he does not present himself     at the opening of the womb. — Hosea 13:12-13 Pain can either change you or harden you. God uses a great image here: childbirth. Israel was experiencing pain that was supposed to lead somewhere. New life. But instead of responding correctly, they resisted the process. "He does not present himself at the opening of the womb." So now the image gets a little bizarre. In other words, the pain was trying to produce something new, but they refused to eject from the womb. Nice image, right? But we all do this. When pain comes into our lives: conflict, failure, heartbreak, loss, disappointment, exhaustion, consequences, correction, suffering. And our first instinct is almost always to try to escape the pain. But sometimes the better response is to consider a reflective question: "What is this trying to change in me?" This is because pain has a way of exposing things that comfort never reveals. Pain exposes pride. Pain exposes idols. Pain exposes unhealthy dependence. Pain exposes false identities. Pain exposes where we have been pretending to be stronger than we really are. And if we are willing to surrender during painful seasons, God often uses them to birth something new from us. New levels of humility, wisdom, dependence, courage, and spiritual maturity. But I have watched as many people waste their pain. They stay bitter instead of becoming softer. They become defensive instead of teachable. They get angry instead of surrendering. They grow numb instead of transforming. And eventually they repeat the same cycles because the pain changed nothing. Do not waste what God may be trying to produce in you right now. Instead of only asking God to remove the pain why not learn the lesson God wants to teach you through the pain? Here are some practical ways to stop wasting your painful seasons: Stop numbing yourself with endless distraction. Stop blaming everyone else immediately. Stop pretending you are unaffected. Talk honestly with God about what hurts. Invite trusted believers into your struggle. Ask what patterns, sins, fears, or idols are being exposed. Stay teachable instead of defensive. Let suffering deepen your dependence on God rather than push you away from Him. Faithful believers have always learned that God often does His deepest work in painful seasons—not comfortable ones. So stop wasting your pain. Let it birth something better in you. DO THIS: Write down one painful situation you are facing right now and ask God specifically what He may be trying to teach, expose, or change through it. ASK THIS: How have I been responding to pain lately? Am I becoming softer or harder through suffering? What might God be trying to produce in me right now? PRAY THIS: Father, help me stop wasting painful seasons. Teach me through suffering, soften my heart through difficulty, and use every hardship to draw me closer to you instead of farther away. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Refiner"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 10 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 13:9-11 He destroys you, O Israel,     for you are against me, against your helper. Where now is your king, to save you in all your cities?     Where are all your rulers— those of whom you said,     "Give me a king and princes"? I gave you a king in my anger,     and I took him away in my wrath. — Hosea 13:9-11 Every election cycle reveals the same thing: people are looking for saviors. We look to politicians, parties, movements, leaders, and governments, hoping someone will finally fix what is broken in the world. And listen, leadership matters. Policies matter. Elections matter. Christians should absolutely care about truth, morality, justice, and the direction of a nation. But Hosea reminds us, over and over, that politics makes a terrible savior. Israel demanded kings because they preferred visible human solutions to dependence on God. They believed the right leader, the right system, and the right power structure would secure their future. But eventually God interrogates them and us: "Where now is your king, to save you?" Remember, no politician can heal the human heart. No party, left or right, can remove sin. No movement can resurrect spiritually dead people. No government can become the kingdom of God. People today are emotionally discipled more by political outrage than by Scripture. They wake up consumed with headlines, fear, anger, tribalism, and constant cultural panic. Some believers know legacy news better than they know the Word of God. That should concern us. Because when politics becomes ultimate, it slowly replaces trust in God with fear-driven dependence on earthly power. Christians should engage politically. We should vote. Speak truth. Defend righteousness. Stand against evil. Faithful believers have always lived in difficult and morally confused cultures. What we are experiencing is not new. But we must never confuse political engagement with spiritual salvation. One changes policies. Only Jesus changes people. And maybe this is especially important during the constant noise surrounding another midterm season. Every side promises rescue. Every campaign claims urgency. Every movement declares: "This is the most consequential election of our time." Stay grounded, brothers and sisters. Hope in God—not panic. Conviction—not hysteria. Courage—not outrage addiction. Faithfulness—not political idolatry. Kingdoms rise and fall. Even ours. But Jesus remains King and cannot be jerrymandered away. So care deeply about truth in your nation. But never place the weight of your soul on earthly saviors; they cannot carry it. DO THIS: Evaluate whether political fear, outrage, or tribalism has started shaping your emotions more than your trust in God. ASK THIS: Have I placed too much hope in political outcomes? Am I more emotionally shaped by media than by Scripture? Do I trust Jesus more than earthly leaders? PRAY THIS: Father, help me engage my culture with wisdom and conviction without placing my hope in earthly saviors. Keep my trust rooted in Christ alone, who remains King above every nation and generation. Amen. PLAY THIS: "King of Kings"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 11 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 13:7-8 So I am to them like a lion;     like a leopard I will lurk beside the way. I will fall upon them like a bear robbed of her cubs;     I will tear open their breast, and there I will devour them like a lion,     as a wild beast would rip them open. — Hosea 13:7-8 People love the idea of God being loving. Fewer people are comfortable with the idea of God opposing them. But that is because people misunderstand God's love. It is not soft indifference. God is holy. And when people persistently resist Him, reject Him, harden themselves against Him, and refuse every warning He gives, eventually they experience not only His kindness but His opposition. In our text, God is pictured as: Lion. Leopard. Bear. These are not random animals. They are kings of the jungle. Hunters. Protectors. Violent. Protective. They describe the seriousness of what happens when people continue resisting the God who loves them. And this is difficult for many modern believers because we have created a version of God that only affirms, comforts, and accommodates. But the God of Scripture also confronts, disciplines, restrains, and judges because He knows where rebellion ultimately leads. A loving Father does not stand by while destruction consumes His children. That is why this passage should not merely scare us. It should wake us up. And yet, even here, the warning itself is mercy. Because God is still speaking. If He truly wanted to abandon His people completely, He would stop warning them altogether. But Hosea exists because God keeps confronting people He still wants to rescue. And maybe that is what this moment is for you. Maybe God has been pressing on something in your life for a long time: a compromise, an addiction, bitterness, pride, a relationship, a hidden sin, or an area of stubborn resistance. Do not keep hardening yourself. The longer the compromise is defended, the harder surrender becomes. But hear this absolutely: God's confrontation is not proof He hates you. It is proof that He still loves you enough to stop you from destroying yourself. So stop resisting Him. Respond while your heart is still soft enough to surrender. DO THIS: Stop defending one area of compromise or resistance today and honestly bring it before God. ASK THIS: What conviction have I been resisting repeatedly? Where has my heart started growing numb? Am I treating God's warnings as mercy or annoyance? PRAY THIS: Father, do not let my heart grow hard toward you. Help me respond quickly to your conviction, surrender honestly, and trust that your correction comes from your love for me. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Nothing Else"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 12 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 13:4-6 But I am the Lord your God     from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me,     and besides me there is no savior. It was I who knew you in the wilderness,     in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full,     they were filled, and their heart was lifted up;     therefore they forgot me.— Hosea 13:4-6 Most people think success will strengthen their faith. But sometimes success does the exact opposite. Israel loved God in the wilderness. When life was uncertain, when they were desperate, when they needed daily provision, they leaned on Him constantly. They depended. They knew they could not survive without Him. But then life improved. They became "full." And strangely, "fullness" became more spiritually dangerous than emptiness. "...their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me." This is one of the saddest lines in Hosea. The very blessings God provided slowly convinced them they no longer needed Him. This same cycle happens all the time. People cry out to God during sickness, heartbreak, uncertainty, financial pressure, addiction, loneliness, or desperation. But once life stabilizes, once the career grows, once the money comes, once the family settles down, once comfort increases, prayer slowly fades and dependence quietly weakens. That is why prosperity can become spiritually dangerous. Comfort has a way of numbing urgency. We stop seeking God desperately because life starts functioning smoothly enough without obvious desperation. And eventually, people begin trusting systems, routines, income, investments, productivity, influence, and self-sufficiency more than God Himself. This kind of forgetting rarely feels rebellious. But underneath it all, the heart slowly drifts from dependence to self-reliance. Some of the most spiritually "alive" people are often those who remember what it felt like to need God desperately. They never fully lose the wilderness. And that is the invitation hidden inside this warning today. Don't let suffering alone remind you that you need God. Remember Him now. While life is good. While business is growing. While your family is stable. While your body is healthy. While provision is flowing. Every good thing you have was meant to deepen your gratitude and dependence—not replace it. So return and revere the God who gives all good things in times of suffering and in times of success. DO THIS: Spend time today thanking God specifically for the blessings you may have started taking for granted. ASK THIS: Has comfort slowly reduced my dependence on God? Do I seek God as desperately in success as I did in struggle? What blessings have I started treating as self-produced instead of God-given? PRAY THIS: Father, protect me from the kind of success that slowly makes me forget you. Keep my heart humble, grateful, dependent, and fully aware that every good thing comes from your hand. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Gratitude"

Welcome to The Daily. We are 13 days away from beginning our next book of the Bible. We are moving to the New Testament, 1 Peter. We are going to discover how to live holy in a hostile world. Go ahead and pick up your 1 Peter Scripture Journal now. And if you are a Project23 donor giving $35 or more per month, this has already been shipped to you. So become a donor and partner with us in Project23. Our text today is Hosea 13:2-3 And now they sin more and more,     and make for themselves metal images, idols skillfully made of their silver,     all of them the work of craftsmen. It is said of them,     "Those who offer human sacrifice kiss calves!" Therefore they shall be like the morning mist     or like the dew that goes early away, like the chaff that swirls from the threshing floor     or like smoke from a window. — Hosea 13:2-3 Israel kept building idols they believed would secure them, satisfy them, protect them, and give them meaning. They invested silver, skill, energy, and devotion into things they thought would save them. But God says all of it would disappear: like mist, like dew, like chaff, like smoke. In other words, it's all temporary. And our modern idols are no different. So I realize most people today do not bow before carved statues, but we still build gods with our time, attention, emotions, money, and devotion. Some people worship success. Others worship their ideal image. Some worship pleasure. Other worship politics. Some worship relationships. Still others worship comfort, control, entertainment, sexuality, or endless digital distraction. What makes idolatry dangerous is that it feels powerful in the moment. That is why people keep coming back to them. They promise relief. Validation. Escape. Security. Identity. But eventually, every false god we worship reveals the same truth: It cannot bear the weight of sustaining your soul, as tempting as it is to the flesh. That is why God compares idols to smoke. It's a total smokeshow. Every one of them looks substantial until life's deeper realities hit, and we go through suffering, loss, face death, loneliness, experience anxiety, guilt, and encounter the reality of eternity. And suddenly, the things we trusted start to evaporate before our eyes. The alarming part is not merely that idols fail. It is how long people keep pursuing them and worshipping them before admitting they cannot save them. Faithful believers must live differently in every generation. The culture will always normalize "new" idols. But God's people are called to recognize what is temporary and anchor themselves to what is eternal. Because only God remains when everything else fades. Here are some questions to consider today: What do I run to for comfort faster than I run to God? What absorbs my attention more than God? What feels devastating to lose because it has become too central in my life? Those answers will reveal our real gods. And the loving warning of Hosea is: don't build your life on things that disappear like smoke. This was the truth we discovered in Ecclesiastes, too. It's all smoke! Build your life today on the God who remains forever. DO THIS: Identify one thing in your life that may be competing for the place only God should hold in your heart. ASK THIS: What temporary thing have I been depending on too heavily? What do I fear losing most? Am I building my life on what fades or on what lasts? PRAY THIS: Father, expose every false god competing for my heart. Help me stop chasing temporary things and teach me to build my life fully on you alone. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Christ Be All Around Me"

What do you do when following Jesus starts costing you something? In this new verse-by-verse study through 1 Peter, Vince Miller walks you through one of the most timely books in the New Testament. Peter wrote to believers facing pressure, opposition, suffering, and hostility because of their faith in Jesus Christ. His message was simple: stand firm. In this study, you'll learn how to: Stand firm by remembering who you are Stand firm by living differently Stand firm by doing good when opposed Stand firm when suffering for Christ Stand firm until the end Every day, you'll receive a Daily devotional through 1 Peter. Every week, you'll receive a chapter-by-chapter Weekly teaching that helps you understand the text and apply it to real life. Subscribe today, grab your 1 Peter Scripture Journal, and join us as we learn how to live holy in a hostile world. #1Peter #BibleStudy #VinceMiller Sign up by email

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 12:14 Ephraim has given bitter provocation;     so his Lord will leave his bloodguilt on him     and will repay him for his disgraceful deeds. — Hosea 12:14 Persistent defiance is dangerous with the Lord. Persistent defiance hears the truth repeatedly and keeps resisting it anyway. That is where Israel had arrived. God had warned them. Pursued them. Corrected them. Sent prophets to them. Called them to return. Yet they kept hardening themselves against Him. Eventually, wealth became resistance, which became rebellion. This still hardens believers today Very few people wake up one day and suddenly reject God completely. Most people slowly harden themselves over time. They ignore conviction long enough that their conscience grows quieter. They resist the truth long enough that compromise begins feeling normal. You can become so committed to your way of life that you stop recognizing God's warnings and mistake God's patience for God's approval. But God's patience is meant to lead us to repentance. That is why Hosea ends this chapter so strongly. God is loving enough to warn people before consequences fully arrive. He confronts defiance because He knows where defiance eventually leads. But even here, there is an invitation. Because the very fact that you are listening to this today means God is still speaking to you. So do not keep resisting Him. Lay down your pride. Stop defending your compromise. Stop ignoring God. Return while your heart is still just soft enough to respond. Because persistent defiance slowly hardens the soul. Bur surrender today, restore it. DO THIS: Respond immediately to one area of conviction God has been pressing on your heart instead of delaying or defending it. ASK THIS: Where have I been resisting God repeatedly? Have I mistaken God's patience for approval? What conviction do I need to respond to honestly today? PRAY THIS: Father, do not let my heart grow hard toward you. Help me respond quickly to your conviction, surrender fully to your truth, and remain soft and teachable before you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "I Surrender All"

Most people don't ruin their lives because they lack truth—they ruin them because they ignore what God already taught them. Summary Hosea 12 is a direct and corrective chapter calling God's people to remember, return, and respond before destruction deepens. By pointing back to Jacob, God reminds Israel that transformation comes through wrestling honestly with him—not through manipulation, resistance, or self-reliance. The chapter exposes how people repeatedly hear the truth yet slowly stop responding to it, eventually suffering the consequences of persistent disobedience. Hosea 12 warns that God is patient and merciful, but that truth and obedience still matter, and that the harvest of rebellion will eventually come. Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Why do people often repeat destructive cycles even after God has already taught them important lessons? 2. What does Jacob's wrestling with God teach us about spiritual transformation? 3. Why do many believers want relief or quick fixes instead of true surrender? 4. How can manipulation and striving quietly replace trust in God? 5. What are some signs that a person is spiritually exhausted from trying to control outcomes? 6. Why is familiarity with truth not the same as obedience to truth? 7. How does repeated exposure to Scripture sometimes harden people instead of changing them? 8. What does Hosea 12 teach about God's patience and eventual consequences? 9. What "warnings" or "lessons" from God do you need to remember right now? 10. What is one area where God may be calling you to stop resisting and finally surrender?

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 12:12-13 Jacob fled to the land of Aram;     there Israel served for a wife,     and for a wife he guarded sheep. By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,     and by a prophet he was guarded. — Hosea 12:12-13 Today, Hosea brings Israel back to Jacob. Jacob was not impressive at first. He was running. Vulnerable. Uncertain. Working long days guarding sheep and trying to survive. In the same way, Israel's story did not begin with strength. It began with dependence. That is how most of us begin. Unpolished. Tired. Broken. Searching. Wandering people. People who realize they can no longer carry themselves. Remember, your spiritual beginnings matter. It reminds you who you were before God changed you. It keeps gratitude alive. It keeps pride from taking over. It reminds you that your life today was built on grace, not self-sufficiency. I think about this often in my own life. Some of my earliest spiritual memories take me back to sitting with my grandfather in his old '58 Chevy truck. Simple moments. Conversations about God. Quiet beginnings that did not seem monumental at the time, yet God was planting seeds that would shape the rest of my life. And those humble beginnings are still important to me. Because remembering where God first met me softens me. It reminds me that everything meaningful God has done in my life started with His grace long before I understood what He was doing. Believers become spiritually dangerous when they forget their beginnings. They start acting self-made. Self-righteous. Independent. Self-important. And this weakens your dependence on God. So remember your story. Remember the prayers prayed over you. Remember the people God used. Remember the moments you were desperate for Him. Remember the season when faith was simple and honest and dependent. Go back there for a moment. Back to the moment you first realized you needed God. Back to the grace that found you and dependent on the God who carried you this far. And if you feel so convicted, share that moment in the comments below. DO THIS: Spend time today remembering and thanking God for the people, moments, and humble beginnings He used to draw you toward Him. ASK THIS: Have I forgotten where God first found me? What early moments or people helped shape my faith? How can remembering my beginnings deepen my humility today? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for meeting me in my weakness and drawing me to yourself. Help me never forget the humble beginnings of my faith or lose sight of the grace that carried me here. Amen. PLAY THIS: "God of All My Days"

Our text today is 2 Peter 2:17-19: These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. — 2 Peter 2:17-19 Not every promise of freedom sets you free. Peter calls false teachers "waterless springs." They promise refreshment but deliver nothing. Their words sound liberating, but their lives reveal bondage. They offer people freedom while remaining "slaves of corruption" themselves. Their message is still popular today. It sounds like: Follow your desires. Reject every boundary. No one has the right to tell you what to do. Do whatever makes you happy. All this sounds like freedom. But Peter exposes the lie: "Whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved." Sin never advertises itself as slavery. It presents itself as much more enticing—as relief, pleasure, or personal preference. But once gratified, it begins making demands. What you once chose occasionally becomes something you cannot stop choosing. The desire becomes a habit. The habit becomes a master. The master makes you a slave. I have become very suspicious of any so-called freedom that requires me to hide, lie, compromise, or lose self-control. If I cannot say no to something, I am not free from it. It will have authority over me. That is the test Peter gives us. Can you say no? Can you walk away? You are not free just because you can do whatever you want. You are truly free when sin is no longer master over you. Jesus does not free us to obey every appetite. He frees us from being ruled by them. Under his lordship, we learn to say no to what destroys us and yes to what gives life. So examine the freedoms being offered to you. What do they promise? What do they demand? A freedom that removes Christ as Lord will always install another master. And a freedom that cannot say no is not freedom at all. DO THIS: Identify one desire, habit, or behavior that has become difficult for you to refuse. Remove one opportunity to feed it today, and tell a trusted believer: "I do not want this to master me anymore." ASK THIS: What behavior does the world call freedom that Scripture reveals as bondage? Is there anything in your life you defend as a choice but struggle to stop choosing? How does submission to Jesus produce greater freedom rather than less? PRAY THIS: Jesus, expose every false freedom in my life and teach me to live under your lordship instead of being mastered by my desires. Amen PLAY THIS: All I Have Is Christ

Have you ever hit rock bottom—and still returned to the same sin? Maybe your marriage almost ended. Your addiction was exposed. You lost something important. You cried, apologized, and promised you'd change. But nothing really changed. That's because being broken isn't the same as being repentant. Peter and Judas both betrayed Jesus. Both experienced deep sorrow. But their sorrow moved them in opposite directions. Judas moved away from Jesus. Peter eventually returned to Him. Second Corinthians 7:10 explains why: "Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." Worldly grief hates the consequences of sin. Godly grief hates the sin itself. One asks for relief. The other turns back to God. In this Brief, Vince Miller explains why pain alone cannot transform us, what biblical repentance actually looks like, and how James 4:6–10 calls us to submit, resist, draw near, cleanse, and humble ourselves before God. Don't waste your breaking. Let it drive you toward Christ—not away from Him. Subscribe for practical Bible teaching that helps you know God's Word, understand God's Word, and apply God's Word.  

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 12:9-11 I am the Lord your God     from the land of Egypt; I will again make you dwell in tents,     as in the days of the appointed feast. I spoke to the prophets;     it was I who multiplied visions,     and through the prophets gave parables. If there is iniquity in Gilead,     they shall surely come to nothing: in Gilgal they sacrifice bulls;     their altars also are like stone heaps     on the furrows of the field. — Hosea 12:9-11 Truth is a gift delivered by God's voice through his prophets of old. God had not been silent. He warned Israel. Corrected them. Called them back. Sent faithful messengers to confront their drift and lead them toward repentance. But Israel preferred comfort over correction. This is true for us all. Most people naturally look for voices that affirm them, validate them, entertain them, or tell them exactly what they want to hear. But faithful teachers are different. Faithful teachers tell people not merely what they want to hear, but what they need to hear. And that kind of truth and person can be uncomfortable because truth exposes pride. Truth confronts compromise. Truth challenges drift. Truth calls us to repentance, surrender, holiness, and change. But the discomfort we feel is actually mercy. Faithful teachers are not trying to control your life. Faithful teachers are trying to keep you from destroying it. That is why believers need to learn to listen willingly to the truth, even when it cuts deeply. But not every voice speaking about God is faithful to God—or a faithful teacher. Some teachers soften sin. Some reshape Scripture to match cultural trends. Some avoid the hard truth to retain approval. Some preach comfort without repentance, grace without holiness, or blessing without surrender. On the other hand, faithful teachers lovingly teach the whole truth because they know that truth is what produces real transformation. And we all need faithful voices in our lives. Not just voices that inspire us. Voices that sharpen us. Correct us. Challenge us. And lovingly call us back when we drift. Spiritual growth does not happen by accident. It happens when humble believers remain teachable before God. So do not resist the inconvenient truth simply because it makes you uncomfortable. Lean into it today. God wants to use it to change your life. DO THIS: Identify one faithful teacher, pastor, mentor, or biblical voice that consistently points you toward truth, repentance, and surrender—and intentionally lean into their teaching this week. ASK THIS: Do I seek truth or just affirmation? What biblical truth have I been resisting lately? Am I willing to let God change me through faithful correction? PRAY THIS: Father, give me humility to listen to faithful truth even when it challenges me. Protect me from voices that only comfort me, and lead me toward teachers who faithfully point me back to you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Faithful"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 12:7-8 A merchant, in whose hands are false balances,     he loves to oppress. Ephraim has said, "Ah, but I am rich;     I have found wealth for myself; in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin."— Hosea 12:7-8 Prosperity can convince you that you are spiritually healthy simply because life is going well. That was Israel's problem. They had wealth. Growth. Stability. Business success. Expanding influence. And because things looked prosperous outwardly, they assumed nothing was wrong inwardly. Prosperity had blinded them. And prosperity can do the same thing to us. When life is comfortable, we stop examining ourselves. Success can numb spiritual conviction. Wealth can create the illusion of security. Comfort can slowly blind us to pride, compromise, selfishness, greed, spiritual drift, and dependence on ourselves instead of God. That is the threat running underneath the entire book of Hosea. Israel became prosperous and slowly lost sight of God. Blindness is the perfect metaphor for this condition because blind people often do not realize they are blind. That is what deception does. It convinces you everything is fine while your soul quietly drifts farther from God. We see this all the time today. People assume that a good income means God's approval, that career growth means spiritual maturity, that comfort means blessing, and that outward success means inward health. Meanwhile, marriages quietly weaken, prayer disappears, surrender fades, hearts grow hard, and souls slowly starve underneath polished lives. Prosperity is not the problem. Blind prosperity is the problem. When prosperity convinces you that you no longer desperately need God, your prosperity has already blinded you. And maybe that is why some of the most spiritually eye-opening moments in life happen during loss, weakness, failure, or desperation. Pain has a way of restoring vision. It reminds us how dependent we actually are. So has comfort slowly blinded you? Has success reduced your dependence on God? Don't let prosperity blind you. Let it humble you and deepen your dependence on God. DO THIS: Take inventory today of where comfort, success, or stability may have reduced your dependence on God. ASK THIS: Where has prosperity made me spiritually passive? What success or comfort am I trusting more than God? How can I intentionally deepen my dependence on Him again? PRAY THIS: Father, do not let comfort or success blind me spiritually. Keep my heart humble, dependent, and fully aware of how deeply I need you every day. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Give Me Jesus"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 12:5-6 the Lord, the God of hosts,     the Lord is his memorial name: "So you, by the help of your God, return,     hold fast to love and justice,     and wait continually for your God." — Hosea 12:5-6 Drifting from God happens quietly. You stop praying like you used to. You stop listening closely. You get distracted, tired, disappointed, busy, or numb. And eventually, you realize you still know about God while feeling distant from Him at the same time. That is why Hosea says: "Return." I love that word because it means God still wants wandering people back. And notice that we get help for the return. The text says: "By the help of your God, return…" God is not standing far away waiting for you to figure it all out first. He is helping you come home. Maybe that is what He is doing right now. Maybe you have been exhausted pretending. Maybe you have drifted slowly. Maybe you feel distant, cold, compromised, or spiritually numb. You do not have to remain that way or there. Return to the Lord. You don't have to clean yourself up first. He knows you are not perfect. The Father wants you to come back to him. Some of you already feel the Lord tugging on your heart right now. Do not ignore that. Stop drifting and come home. If you are ready to return to God today, write this in the comments below: "I'm coming home." DO THIS: Spend five quiet minutes today talking honestly with God about where you have drifted from Him. ASK THIS: Where have I slowly drifted from God? What is keeping me from returning honestly today? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for still wanting me even after I have drifted. Help me return to you with honesty, surrender, and trust today. Amen. PLAY THIS: "O Come to the Altar"

The church doesn't just need men who attend—it needs men who lead. Summary In this companion study for Chapter 3 of The Armory of Leadership, Vince Miller challenges men to move from passive attendance to active leadership within the church. True leadership is not limited to pastors or elders but is expressed through faithful service, discipleship, sound doctrine, humble shepherding, and spiritual maturity. Rather than disqualifying themselves because of past failures, men are called to pursue Christlike character and embrace their role in building the body of Christ. The church is not a place to consume spiritual resources—it is a brotherhood where forged men carry burdens, strengthen others, and advance God's kingdom together. Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Why do so many Christian men see themselves as church attenders instead of church leaders? 2. What does it mean to view the church as a brotherhood rather than a weekly event? 3. How does the phrase "Christ qualifies, and character quantifies" reshape your understanding of leadership? 4. Why are the biblical qualifications for leaders meant to inspire growth rather than produce self-disqualification? 5. Which of the five leadership aspirations (character, relationships, doctrine, shepherding, accountability) most challenges you today? 6. How can a man lead faithfully in the church even without holding a formal leadership position? 7. Why is leadership at home essential preparation for leadership in the church? 8. How does accountability protect both leaders and the people they serve? 9. What are some practical ways a man can move from consuming ministry to contributing to it? 10. What is one specific step you can take this week to strengthen the brotherhood in your local church?

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 12:2-4 The Lord has an indictment against Judah     and will punish Jacob according to his ways;     he will repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he took his brother by the heel,     and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with the angel and prevailed;     he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel,     and there God spoke with us— Hosea 12:2-4 People do not change when they are informed. They change when they are broken. That is the story of Jacob. From the very beginning, Jacob was a fighter. A manipulator. A controller. Even in the womb, he was "grabbing at the heel" of his brother. His whole life became a picture of striving, scheming, and trying to force outcomes through his own strength. And many of us live the same way. We wrestle for control, approval, success, identity, security, recognition, and outcomes we are terrified of losing. We think everything depends on us. But eventually, self-reliance exhausts the soul. That is why Jacob's turning point did not happen when he became successful. It happened when he finally broke. Hosea says: "He wept and sought his favor." That is a very different Jacob. In a moment, the self-sufficient manipulator is gone. Gone is the man who pretended he could control everything. Now Jacob is desperate, humbled, limping, and finally honest enough to stop wrestling against God and start surrendering to Him. That is where real transformation begins for us, too. Most people do not surrender while life is working. They surrender when: The marriage becomes unbearable, The addiction becomes undeniable, The exhaustion becomes overwhelming, The striving stops working, or The false version of themselves finally collapses. I know that feeling personally. There have been seasons in my life where I kept trying harder, leading harder, serving harder, pushing harder—thinking a breakthrough would come through effort alone. But eventually, I reached moments where I realized the real issue was not my circumstances. It was my unwillingness to surrender. And that breaking felt painful at the time. But looking back now, I can see it differently. God was not destroying me. He was dismantling the false self I kept trying to save. That is what God often does in breaking seasons. He strips away self-reliance so we finally discover dependence on Him. And maybe that is where you are today. Maybe you are exhausted. But hear this clearly. Breaking is not always the end of you. Sometimes when we are broken down, God breaks open the real you. The version surrendered to God instead of striving against Him. So stop fighting in your breaking. Let the breaking humble you. Let your brokenness soften you. Let the breaking teach you dependence. Stop wrestling God and surrender to Him. DO THIS: Stop pretending to be strong today. Bring one area of exhaustion, failure, fear, or striving honestly before God and surrender it to Him. ASK THIS: What am I still trying to control? Where is God trying to break my self-reliance? What would surrender look like instead of striving? PRAY THIS: Father, I am tired of striving in my own strength. Break down the pride and self-reliance in me, and teach me to surrender fully to you instead of wrestling against you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Broken Vessels"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 12:1 Ephraim feeds on the wind     and pursues the east wind all day long; they multiply falsehood and violence;     they make a covenant with Assyria,     and oil is carried to Egypt. — Hosea 12:1 Some people are exhausted because they are spending their lives chasing things that can never satisfy them. "Ephraim feeds on the wind." What an image. They were trying to fill themselves with something that had no substance. Chasing things they thought would finally satisfy them, secure them, validate them, or give them peace. But in the end, they were consuming emptiness. And honestly, that sounds like modern life. People chase: more money, more success, more followers, more comfort, more experiences, more possessions, more attention, more productivity, more control. And the frightening part is this: some people actually achieve the "more" they were chasing, only to discover they are still empty when they get there. Because the soul, your soul, was never designed to feed on temporary things. That is why so many people today are emotionally exhausted. We live in a culture addicted to striving. We are constantly told: achieve more, earn more, optimize more, improve more, consume more, become more. But eventually, the human soul starts to collapse under the weight of endless pursuit. And underneath all that exhaustion is often a deeper spiritual problem. We are trying to get created things to give us what only God can give us. Peace. Identity. Worth. Rest. Security. Meaning. But "feeding on the wind" never works. Wind will not nourish you. And neither can all the striving. I have learned that exhaustion is sometimes a warning light on the dashboard of the soul. It reveals that we are trying to sustain ourselves on things that were never meant to carry the weight of our lives. That is why Jesus speaks so differently than the world. The world says: chase more. Jesus says: come to me. The world says: prove yourself. Jesus says: abide in me. The world says: work harder. Jesus says: rest in me. So if your soul feels exhausted today, stop trying to get more from the wind you are chasing. The first step toward peace is finally admitting that the life you are chasing is not actually sustaining you. So slow down. Turn toward God again. Open His Word. Pray honestly. Sit quietly. Surrender control. Rest instead of striving. Because the soul that feeds on God no longer has to live feeding on the wind. DO THIS: Identify one exhausting pursuit in your life that is not truly feeding your soul, and intentionally surrender it to God today. ASK THIS: What am I chasing that still leaves me empty? Where am I feeding on "wind" instead of God? What practical step would help me slow down and reconnect with God today? PRAY THIS: Father, I am tired of feeding my soul with things that cannot sustain me. Teach me to stop striving for what leaves me empty and help me find true rest, peace, and purpose in you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Run To The Father"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 11:12: Ephraim has surrounded me with lies,     and the house of Israel with deceit, but Judah still walks with God     and is faithful to the Holy One. — Hosea 11:12 One of the most dangerous things about performative faith is that it can look spiritual on the outside while your heart quietly drifts from God underneath. That is Hosea's warning in this last verse. "Ephraim has surrounded me with lies." This is not atheism. These are still religious people. They still carried the identity of God's people. They still maintained appearances. But underneath it all was deceit. They were close outwardly but distant inwardly. And honestly, modern Christianity struggles with this greatly. We call ourselves Christians, but often do not live surrendered lives. We celebrate Christmas and Easter without stopping to consider the weight and wonder of what those days actually mean. We avoid hard biblical truths when culture drags them into politics. We stay passive about sin, passive about truth, passive about surrender, while still wanting the comfort of religious identity. That is performative religion. It looks faithful without needing surrender. And the unnerving part is that you can do spiritual things for years without actually walking closely with God. Folks, there is a massive difference between serving God and surrendering to God. Serving can sometimes be done out of obligation, duty, routine, or even image management. But surrender happens when you finally realize there is nowhere else to go. Surrender is dependence. Surrender is honesty. Surrender is living open-handed before God, rather than merely performing spiritual activities around Him. And, honestly, this is something I constantly guard against in my own life and ministry. Even these devotionals could become performative if I am not careful. Ministry can become another way to build identity, seek approval, or maintain appearances if surrender quietly disappears underneath it all. That is why I have learned that I must surrender a little more in my service every day. Because God does not merely want my service. He wants me. And He wants you too. Not the polished version. Not the religious version. Not the image-managed version. The real you. The surrendered you. So after all the compassion, pursuit, mercy, and restoration in this chapter, God is still after something deeper than outward religion. He wants hearts that truly belong to Him. Stop settling for performative faith. Do not just serve around God while staying emotionally distant from Him. Surrender to Him. Right now. Because the Father we keep running from is still inviting us closer. DO THIS: Ask God today to expose any place where your faith has become routine, performative, or image-driven instead of deeply surrendered. ASK THIS: Am I serving God while resisting surrender to God? Where has my faith become more performative than personal? What would deeper surrender look like for me right now? PRAY THIS: Father, protect me from performative faith. Teach me to live surrendered instead of merely religious, and help my outward life flow from a heart that truly belongs to you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Nothing Else"

Even after years of rebellion, there is still a Father who has not stopped calling you home. Summary Hosea 11 reveals one of the most emotional portraits of God in the entire Old Testament—a Father teaching, correcting, grieving, and still loving children who continually walk away. God describes himself not as distant or cold, but as patient and compassionate, repeatedly teaching his people to "walk" in obedience and dependence. Yet the chapter also exposes the heartbreak of rebellion as Israel continually resists truth and pursues its own way. In the end, Hosea 11 reminds us that judgment is not God's delight; his heart is still to pursue, restore, and bring wandering children back home. Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions 1. Why do many people struggle to see God as a loving Father? 2. What does it mean that God "teaches us to walk" (Hosea 11:3)? 3. How does pride make people spiritually "hard of hearing"? 4. Why does God continue pursuing people even after repeated disobedience? 5. What does Hosea 11 teach about the emotional heart of God toward rebellious people? 6. How can past wounds from earthly fathers distort our understanding of God? 7. Why do people often seek justification instead of truth when confronting sin? 8. What does God's question, "How can I give you up?" reveal about his compassion? 9. How can judgment and compassion coexist in the character of God? 10. What area of your life might God be calling you to stop running from and finally surrender?

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 11:10-11: They shall go after the Lord; he will roar like a lion; when he roars, his children shall come trembling from the west; they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria, and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord. — Hosea 11:10-11 Every person is searching for a place to belong. A home. An identity. A place of security, purpose, rest, and acceptance. The problem is that many people spend their lives trying to build that identity for themselves instead of receiving it from the Father. And in this chapter, the Father is calling his children home. Listen: "They shall go after the LORD… his children shall come trembling…" They are returning, but trembling. And why? Because returning to God often requires leaving behind the false identities we built to survive without Him. And that can feel terrifying. I remember a moment like that in my own life. When I finally left my mother's home for good as a teenager, I knew I could not continue living under the same dysfunction anymore. But at the same time, I also knew I was not fully prepared to survive on my own. Leaving meant uncertainty. It meant leaving behind whatever comfort and security I thought I had, even though much of it was unstable and unhealthy. It meant stepping into a world that felt much bigger than me. New responsibilities. New fears. New realities. But looking back now, I can see something deeper happening underneath it all. God was teaching me that true security would never be found in unstable people, self-reliance, or the false identities I was trying to build for myself. And many people are still trapped there today. Some people build an identity through achievement. Some through success. Some through relationships. Some through appearance, control, performance, politics, pleasure, or approval. But eventually those identities start collapsing under the weight of expectations they were never designed to carry. Because identity is not something we ultimately earn, achieve, or accomplish. It is something we receive from the Father. That is why this text feels so much like the prodigal sons. Returning home means laying down both self-reliance (the younger son) and self-righteousness (the older son). It means finally admitting that life apart from the Father cannot give us what we were searching for. God is still calling people home. Not to shame them. Not to humiliate them. Not to reject them. But to restore them. You were never made to carry your own identity alone. You were made to receive it from the God who calls you His child. So stop trying to build a false version of yourself strong enough to save you. Come home to the Father. Because that is where your real identity has been waiting all along. DO THIS: Identify one false identity you have been trying to build your life on, and surrender it honestly to God today. ASK THIS: What identity have I been trying to earn instead of receive? Where have I confused achievement with worth? What would it look like for me to come home to the Father again? PRAY THIS: Father, I am tired of trying to build my identity apart from you. Help me surrender false versions of myself and teach me to receive the identity, love, and purpose only you can give. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Homecoming"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 11:8-9: How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. — Hosea 11:8-9 One of the greatest lies people believe is this: "God is done with me." Maybe because of failure, shame, repeated sin, exhaustion, compromise, or disappointment. At some point, many people quietly assume they have wandered too far, failed too much, or disappointed God beyond repair. But these verses say otherwise. "How can I give you up?" Feel the emotion in that statement. God is speaking to rebellious people who deserve judgment, yet His compassion wells up within Him. This is not a weakness in God. This is the heart of a holy Father whose mercy is deeper than we realize. He even adds: "My compassion grows warm and tender." There was a season in ministry when I felt completely crushed. I was exhausted, discouraged, and slowly losing passion for the very work I thought God had called me to do. But looking back, the issue was not the ministry itself. The issue was me. For years, I think I had done ministry mostly out of education, preparation, skill, ability, and talent—but not fully out of the deeper calling God actually designed for me. I was trying to fulfill purpose through my own strength instead of surrendering to His purpose. It felt so distant from God. And honestly, it nearly broke me. I had become a people-pleaser, pretending to be someone I was not. I was doing work I could do, but not fully living in the calling God was reshaping me for. But here is what I discovered in that painful season: God was not done with me. He was rebirthing something in me. He was remaking me. The crushing was not abandonment. The exhaustion was not rejection. God was lovingly stripping away the false version of myself I had built through performance, pressure, and self-reliance. And maybe some of you need to hear this today, too. Just because you feel exhausted does not mean God has left you. Just because you failed does not mean God has abandoned you. Just because you are struggling does not mean your story is over. Sometimes God allows us to come to the end of ourselves so we finally discover the freedom of surrender. That is what all of Hosea 11 reveals. God is holy enough to confront us and compassionate enough to restore us. So stop believing the lie that God is finished with you. If He were done with you, you would not still feel His conviction. You would not still long for restoration. The Father is still calling. Return to him today, tell God honestly where you feel exhausted, ashamed, disappointed, or afraid that He is done with you—and surrender that lie to Him today. Make today the day you finally stop running from the mercy that has been pursuing you all along. DO THIS: Tell God honestly where you feel exhausted, ashamed, disappointed, or afraid that He is done with you—and surrender that lie to Him today. ASK THIS: Where have I believed God is finished with me? Am I living from performance or from surrender? What false version of myself might God be asking me to lay down? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for not giving up on me. Help me surrender the false identities, fears, and lies I keep carrying, and teach me to trust your mercy more than my failures. Amen. PLAY THIS: "More Than Able"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 11:5-7: They shall not return to the land of Egypt, but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me. The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates, and devour them because of their own counsels. My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. — Hosea 11:5-7 Some people are exhausted not because life is hard, but because they are trying to carry themselves through it alone. That is what we discover in this chapter. God keeps calling His people back, but they "refused to return." He wanted to help, lead, protect, and restore them. Yet they were too stubborn to accept the help they needed. And honestly, many of us do the same thing. We know how to perform. We know how to stay productive, stay busy, stay guarded, and keep moving forward. But we do not know how to surrender. So we carry everything ourselves—pressure, fear, shame, expectations, anxiety, disappointment, and pain. Over time, that weight becomes too much for us. We are crushed by it. But instead of opening up, we tighten up. We resist vulnerability and become more secluded. That is what pride looks like in real life. It's not always loud arrogance. Sometimes it's quiet self-preservation. The belief that we must try alone because others won't understand or won't help. Hosea says: "My people are bent on turning away from me." That word "bent" means inclined toward resistance. Some people become so used to handling everything on their own that they instinctively resist help—even from God. But the more we do this, the more we manage our image than heal our soul. I have watched pride do this to people for years. Men and women slowly isolating themselves emotionally, spiritually, and relationally because they do not know how to admit weakness. They would rather silently suffer than honestly surrender. But God is not standing at a distance, eager to shame you. In this chapter, God is calling you home. Not to expose you—but to remove the weight of isolation and pride that is crushing you. Maybe the exhaustion you feel today is not just physical or emotional. Maybe it is the exhaustion of trying to carry alone what God never asked you to carry. Surrender matters. The moment you finally tell the truth, something begins to break. The moment you ask for help, something begins to open. The moment you stop pretending, healing begins. And this is especially true in your relationship with God. Humility is not weakness in a believer's life. Humility is the beginning of letting the Father be your strength. So stop carrying everything on your own. Give it to God and return to his divine strength. Start by telling God honestly today where you are exhausted, overwhelmed, or pretending to be stronger than you really are. DO THIS: Tell God honestly today where you are exhausted, overwhelmed, or pretending to be stronger than you really are. ASK THIS: What am I trying to carry alone right now? Where has pride kept me guarded or isolated? What would surrender look like for me today? PRAY THIS: Father, I am tired of trying to carry everything alone. Help me stop resisting your care, surrender my pride, and trust you enough to let you help me. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Come Ye Sinners"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 11:4: I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them. — Hosea 11:4 Many people see God as heavy-handed but rarely see Him as gentle. That's because most of us only notice God when life hurts. When prayers go unanswered. When correction comes. When consequences arrive. When things feel hard. And yes, God does discipline His children. Hosea has already shown us that clearly. God has a heavy hand when wandering children refuse to listen. But God also has a gentle hand. Listen again: "I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love." That is not the language of an angry tyrant dragging people behind Him. It is the language of a Father carefully leading children who need help walking. Some people only know harsh religion. Perform harder. Try harder. Carry more. Never fail. Never struggle. Never admit weakness. But God is not merely standing over His people demanding performance. Sometimes he bends down and carries what we cannot carry ourselves. "I bent down to them and fed them." That image is deeply intimate and personal. It is the picture of a Father kneeling beside a struggling child. Helping him take another step. Feeding him when he is too weak to feed himself. Supporting him when strength runs low. And honestly, many controlling people struggle to receive that kind of kindness from God. Because control feels safer than surrender. So we try to manage everything: our careers, our children, our future, our image, our ministry, our outcomes. We grip life tightly because we are afraid of what will happen if we loosen our hands. But sometimes the exhaustion we feel is not from working hard. It is from trying to carry what God never asked us to carry alone. I have experienced that personally. When this ministry first began, there were moments I felt crushed by it. Pressures, uncertainty, responsibilities, fear of failure. Yet in those same moments, God met me with kindness. He brought encouragement, support, gifts, prayers, and faithful believers alongside me at just the right time. Looking back now, I can see something clearly. This ministry was not built by my strength alone. It was built on the compassion and kindness of God. And maybe your life has more evidence of God's kindness than you realize too. The promotion you did not get. The relationship that ended. The closed door. The unexpected help. The person who showed up at the right moment. The strength you somehow had when you should have collapsed. God's gentle hand was there. In every one of these moments. But did you see it? So stop assuming God only wants to crush you into obedience. Sometimes, He wants to lovingly lead you into surrender. And maybe today, surrender simply means loosening your grip and letting the Father carry what you cannot anymore. DO THIS: Identify one area of your life you are trying to control too tightly, and intentionally surrender it to God in prayer today. ASK THIS: Where am I resisting God's gentle leadership? What am I trying to carry alone? How has God shown kindness to me that I may have overlooked? PRAY THIS: Father, forgive me for trying to control what should be surrendered to you. Help me trust your kindness, receive your leadership, and rest in your care instead of my own strength. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Jireh"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 11:2-3: The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. — Hosea 11:2-3 One of the strangest things about human nature is how quickly we forget who carried us. "The more they were called, the more they went away." God kept pursuing His people, and they kept running. He called them, protected them, provided for them, healed them, and sustained them. Yet instead of turning toward Him, they credited someone—or something—else. People pray desperately when life falls apart. But when success comes, they quietly credit their effort, strategy, intelligence, discipline, or luck. We often explain away the hand of God because self-explanation feels easier than surrender. This is what I would call functional atheism. Functional atheism is when someone says they believe in God but lives as though everything ultimately depends on themselves. We work hard and forget who gave us the ability. We build something meaningful and forget who opened the door. We survive a painful season and forget who carried us through it. Sometimes we even resent the very moments God used to save us from ourselves. I have experienced that personally. Some of the seasons I disliked most—moments of frustration, limitation, discipline, redirection, or pain—were actually moments where God was protecting me. At the time, I wanted God to remove the challenge. Looking back, I can see He was carrying me through something I could not yet understand. That is the image in this verse. A father teaching his child to walk. Holding him under the arms. Steadying shaky steps. Or even a wounded son learning to walk again after injury, leaning fully on the strength of his father. And Hosea says, "They did not know that I healed them." That may be one of the most heartbreaking lines in the chapter. The Father was healing while they went on, ignoring him. We have all done this. We are constantly too distracted, self-focused, hurried, or emotionally numb to notice the quiet grace of God holding our lives together. Then, when life goes wrong, we blame Him. But when life goes right, we take the credit. Yet God keeps taking us up by our arms. That is the compassion of God. So maybe today is not just about gratitude. Maybe it is about surrender. Slow down long enough to notice where God has carried you. Look back at the closed doors, the painful seasons, the frustrations, the discipline, and even the losses. You may discover that God was protecting you far more than punishing you. And instead of taking credit for surviving, succeeding, or enduring, surrender the glory back to Him. Because the God who carried you this far is still carrying you right now. DO THIS: Take ten quiet minutes today and write down three moments where you now realize God was protecting, guiding, or carrying you—even when you did not understand it at the time. ASK THIS: Where have I taken credit for what God sustained? How have I practiced functional atheism in my daily life? What difficult season might God have used to protect me from myself? PRAY THIS: Father, forgive me for the times I ignored your care while taking credit for what you sustained. Open my eyes to your grace, teach me to trust your leading, and help me surrender fully to you today. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Come Jesus Come"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 11:1: When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. — Hosea 11:1 One of the hardest things for people to believe is that God genuinely loves them. Even believers sometimes carry the wrong view of God and His love for them. God does not merely tolerate us. God does not reluctantly put up with us. God does not accept us unwillingly. God perfectly loves those who are His. "When Israel was a child, I loved him." Notice where this chapter starts. God looks back before Israel's rebellion, failure, and wandering. He begins with His love for them when they were barely more than a budding nation. Before their drifting, there was His affection. Before their rebellion, there was His pursuit. Before they even understood who He was, God had already set His covenant love on them. That's important because true love begins with God. His love initiates love. His love is steadfast. And in His mercy, He made a way to deal with our sin through the sacrifice of His Son so wandering people like us could be brought near again. And honestly, many people struggle to believe this because earthly love has often been inconsistent. Some grew up with distant fathers, absent fathers, harsh fathers, passive fathers, or conditional love. Others have spent years trying to prove themselves valuable enough to be loved at all. That pain shapes how people see their heavenly Father. So they run from Him. Hide from Him. Distrust Him. Keep Him at a distance. But Hosea 11 reminds us that God is not pulling away from His people. He is calling for them. "Out of Egypt I called my son." Matthew later points to this verse as ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. Jesus became the true Son who succeeded where Israel failed. And through Him, wandering people like us can be brought back into the Father's family. That means this chapter is not just about Israel. It's about you. You may have wandered. You may have resisted God. You may feel ashamed, distant, or spiritually exhausted. But none of that changes this truth: God still calls people He loves. So stop seeing God merely as someone waiting to punish you. See Him as the Father you keep running from. And maybe your exhaustion is not just physical. Maybe it is the exhaustion of trying to live loved without actually receiving the Father's love. You do not have to keep running. You can come home to the Father today. DO THIS: Stop striving for a few moments today. Sit quietly with God and honestly tell Him where you have been running, hiding, or trying to earn love He already offers through Christ. ASK THIS: What has shaped my view of God's love? Where have I been running from the Father? Am I trying to earn what God freely offers through Jesus? PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for loving me before I ever understood you fully. Help me stop running from your love and teach me to rest in your grace through Jesus Christ. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Good Good Father"

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 10:13-15: You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies. Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors, therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle; mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.  — Hosea 10:13-15 Israel looked stable on the outside. They had systems, strength, leadership, and confidence. But underneath it all, something destructive had been growing for years. "You have plowed iniquity." Sin was no longer accidental. It had become cultivated, protected, and repeated. Over time, what they planted became what they lived in. Then Hosea says: "You have eaten the fruit of lies." People build entire lives on lies and then wonder why anxiety, confusion, emptiness, and instability keep growing. We are told that fulfillment comes through self-worship, that identity is self-created, that truth is flexible, and that God's design is outdated. But lies like this always have consequences. That is why Hosea says: "Because you have trusted in your own way…" Israel trusted itself more than God. Their systems. Their strength. Their plans. And slowly, the collapse began growing underneath the surface. That's how collapse happens spiritually, too. Not overnight. Through small compromises repeated over time. But don't miss the hope inside this warning. The principle works in the opposite direction. What you seed today shapes tomorrow. Which means it is not too late to sow something different. You can plant truth instead of deception. Humility instead of pride. Prayer instead of self-reliance. Obedience instead of compromise. And over time, those good seeds grow, too. God warns us before destruction fully grows. He exposes what is growing beneath the surface while there is still time to turn. So don't read this chapter with hopelessness. Read it with urgency. Collapse grows slowly, but restoration can, too. An honest prayer. An act of repentance. A step of obedience. A surrendered decision at a time. God can soften any hardened heart if you are willing to let him restore what compromise tried to destroy. DO THIS: Identify one unhealthy pattern you need to stop feeding and one godly habit you need to begin planting today. ASK THIS: What seeds am I planting in my life right now? Where have I trusted myself more than God? What small step toward restoration can I take today? PRAY THIS: God, expose the lies I've believed and the compromises I've tolerated. Help me plant truth, obedience, and dependence on you so my life grows in the right direction. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Undivided Heart"

The greatest threat to your soul may not be suffering—but success. Summary Hosea 10 warns that prosperity can quietly poison the soul when success replaces dependence on God. Israel's blessings led not to gratitude and worship, but to entitlement, divided loyalties, and spiritual drift. The chapter exposes how comfort, entertainment, materialism, and self-sufficiency slowly harden hearts and weaken holiness. Yet Hosea also points toward hope, calling believers to gratitude, repentance, deeper dependence, and renewed trust in God before collapse comes. Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions Why can prosperity become more spiritually dangerous than suffering? How did Israel's blessings eventually lead them away from God instead of toward him? What are some modern forms of "idolatry" tied to comfort and success today? How does endless entertainment distract and weaken the soul spiritually? What does "divided-heart Christianity" look like in practical everyday life? Why do people often fail to notice spiritual drift until collapse begins? What are examples of things modern culture trusts more than God? How does Hosea 10 challenge churches that prioritize platforms, branding, or comfort over holiness? Which of the five practical responses at the end of the message challenges you the most? What is one step you can take this week to deepen dependence on God instead of comfort?

Welcome to The Daily. Partner with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 10:9-12: From the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued. Shall not the war against the unjust overtake them in Gibeah? When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them when they are bound up for their double iniquity. Ephraim was a trained calf that loved to thresh, and I spared her fair neck; but I will put Ephraim to the yoke; Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself. Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you. — Hosea 10:9-12 Hard hearts don't just suddenly harden. They harden slowly, over time. Today God points back to Gibeah—a dark moment in Israel's history marked by sexual corruption, violence, and moral collapse—and says: "There they have continued." In other words, the sin never stopped. Sins that once shocked them slowly became acceptable. What once produced sorrow now produced silence. This is how sin hardens the heart. At first, sin bothers you. Then you tolerate it. Then you manage it. Then eventually, you stop feeling much at all because you become accustomed to the sin. And the dangerous part is that you can still look functional while this is happening. You can keep attending church, keep saying the right things, and keep maintaining appearances while your inner life quietly grows cold toward God. This is why God says to them: "Break up your fallow ground." "Fallow ground" is hardened soil. Land left untouched for so long that it can no longer receive seed properly. Before anything healthy can grow again, the hardened surface has to be broken open with a sharp spade, pickaxe, or jackhammer. Some hearts today are spiritually hardened (fallowed) by years of compromise, distraction, pride, entertainment, bitterness, pornography, greed, political obsession, comfort, and constant noise. The soil has become hard. Truth hits the surface but never sinks in. And yet God says: "It is the time to seek the LORD." Not tomorrow. Not someday. Now. Before hardness grows deeper. Before the conviction disappears further. Before compromise becomes your identity. Hardened hearts can be softened up. God would not call them to seek Him if restoration were impossible. So don't ignore the places where your heart has grown hard. Bring them to God honestly. Ask Him to soften what has become resistant. Ask Him to break apart what has been hardened by sin, pride, fear, or compromise. Because God does beautiful things with broken ground. Sometimes the first sign he has is just feeling the conviction of his Spirit again. DO THIS: Spend time honestly asking God where your heart has grown cold, numb, resistant, or distracted—and invite Him to soften it again. ASK THIS: Where has my heart hardened? What conviction have I been ignoring? What would it look like for me to seek God seriously again? PRAY THIS: God, break up the hardened places in my heart. Soften what has grown numb, awaken what has drifted, and teach me to seek you again with sincerity and surrender. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Run to the Father"

Welcome to The Daily. Today, I want to give a shoutout to Julie Peterson from Palmetto, FL. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 10:7-8: Samaria's king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters. The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed. Thorn and thistle shall grow up on their altars, and they shall say to the mountains, "Cover us," and to the hills, "Fall on us." — Hosea 10:7-8 Most people feel secure until the thing they trust starts shuddering. That's what Hosea is describing. "Samaria's king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters." What once seemed powerful suddenly looks fragile. Israel trusted political systems, false worship, national strength, and visible structures. But when judgment came, those things proved weightless. They were like a floating stick carried away by the current. This is the danger of false security. It feels strong right up until the moment it is swallowed up by the wake of the sea. Don't we trust in false security all the time? We trust the economy. We trust retirement accounts. We trust governments, technology, medicine, routines, systems, and endless streams of information. We trust comfort, convenience, and predictability. Again, none of those things are evil. But they make terrible gods. Because eventually a "wake" sinks the "twig." We get a diagnosis. We experience a financial loss. We encounter a broken relationship. We go through a cultural crisis. Our plan fails. Then we experience a sudden fear that we cannot control. And when our false security fails, panic takes over. So, we like Israel cry out to the mountains, "Cover us!" Fear reveals what our security was built on. And it's not God. Many people appear emotionally stable only because life has not yet disrupted their idols. But the moment control disappears, anxiety floods in because their trust was never in God. That's one of the great spiritual problems in our time. We have more systems than ever and less peace than ever. More comfort and more panic. More convenience and more fear. But false security cannot produce lasting peace. Only God can do that. So... What are you depending on most right now? What loss would completely unravel you? What controls your sense of safety? If it isn't God, return to God. Only God can provide the security you need. DO THIS: Identify one thing you lean on for security more than God, and surrender that fear honestly to Him today. ASK THIS: What do I depend on most for peace and stability? What fear reveals where my trust really is? Is my security rooted in temporary things or in God? PRAY THIS: God, expose every false security I've built my life on. Teach me to trust you more deeply and anchor my peace in what cannot be shaken. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Firm Foundation"

Your family does not need you to be the hero. They need you to be a faithful man who points them to the Father. In this short teaching from The Armory of Leadership, Vince Miller challenges Christian men, husbands, and fathers to stop carrying the burden of perfection and start leading their homes from sonship, humility, and trust in God. Get the book: https://beresolute.org/product/the-armory-of-leadership/ #ChristianFatherhood #ChristianDad #BiblicalManhood

Welcome to The Daily. Today, I want to give a shoutout to Brian Long from Tullahome, TN. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 10:5-6: The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven. Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests— those who rejoiced over it and over its glory— for it has departed from them. The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king. Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol. — Hosea 10:5-6 It's amazing how attached we become to the things replacing God. Israel had built an idol, a golden calf, at Beth-aven, and over time, it became more than an object. It became security. Identity. National pride. A source of comfort and confidence. Then suddenly, it would be gone. "Carried to Assyria." The idol they trusted could not even save itself or Israel from Assyria. Think about all that wasted time and money. All the wasted worship—false worship at that. That's the irony of every idol. We spend our lives protecting things that were never capable of protecting us. And modern idols are no different. They are our careers, platforms, political identities, relationships, money, influence, entertainment, appearance, comfort, and control. They are the things we quietly attach our worth, hope, and security to. At first, idols feel powerful because they appear to deliver. They give temporary comfort, temporary success, and temporary affirmation. But eventually every idol reveals the same truth: What we choose to replace God cannot sustain us like God. That's why people panic when idols collapse. When the market drops. When the platform shrinks. When the relationship ends. When the career changes. When health declines. When public approval disappears. Suddenly, people feel lost because the thing that carries their identity is being taken away. That is Hosea's object lesson today. Israel mourned the loss of their idol because their hearts had become emotionally dependent on it. And yet we do the same. Whatever controls your peace often reveals what controls your worship. Pay attention to what devastates you most. Sometimes the deepest emotional reactions expose the deepest spiritual attachments. God often removes idols not to destroy us—but to rescue us. Because losing a false god may be the very thing that leads you back to the real one. So hold everything in your life with open hands. You cannot afford to lose the God who never leaves. He is the source of all things—worship and bow to Him today. DO THIS: Identify one thing that most controls your sense of peace, security, or identity, and honestly ask whether it has taken God's place in your heart. ASK THIS: What would shake me most if I lost it? What has become too important to me? Am I trusting God—or what He has given? PRAY THIS: God, expose every idol competing for my heart. Teach me to trust you above everything else and hold all other things loosely before you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Christ Be All Around Me"

Culture has taught men to post heat, but God teaches men to endure it. The fire is not punishment. It is preparation. God forges men before He uses them. Get The Armory of Leadership: https://beresolute.org/product/the-armory-of-leadership/

Welcome to The Daily. Today, I want to give a shoutout to Jeff Fox from Airdrie, Alberta. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 10:3-4: For now they will say: "We have no king, for we do not fear the Lord; and a king—what could he do for us?" They utter mere words; with empty oaths they make covenants; so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field. — Hosea 10:3-4 People frequently blame bad leadership without asking what kind of culture produced it. Hosea goes deeper than politics. Israel's leadership crisis was not merely a government problem. It was a spiritual problem. "We have no king, for we do not fear the LORD." That's the issue. The fear of God had disappeared, and once that happens, leadership becomes hollow. Leaders begin serving themselves instead of the truth. Promises become performative. Covenants become manipulation. Words become tools instead of commitments. Hosea states this, "They utter mere words." Our world is filled with words. Speeches. Statements. Branding. Messaging. Public outrage. Carefully crafted narratives. But beneath much of it is a vacuum because truth has been disconnected from character. When people stop fearing and following God, integrity becomes optional. It is God who holds integrity together. This is why he has given us his Spirit. His Spirit is the person who convicts our flesh to live in accordance with God's truth. If we don't live with godly integrity, eventually judgment "springs up like poisonous weeds." Notice that image. Poison grows where truth once should have grown. Corruption spreads. What was planted quietly begins affecting everything. That's why leadership failures are never just leadership failures. They reveal something deeper about the spiritual condition of the people underneath them. A nation that rejects truth will eventually produce leaders who do the same. A culture that rewards image over integrity will eventually be ruled by performance instead of principle. Hosea is calling us to clarity and consistency. Political solutions cannot heal spiritual problems. Elections matter, laws matter, leaders matter—but none of them can replace repentance. National renewal has always started with spiritual renewal. You may not lead a nation, but you are leading somewhere. In your home. Your workplace. Your friendships. Your church. Your influence. So ask yourself: Am I leading from conviction or image? Do my words carry integrity? Would my private life support my public statements? Because the world does not need more impressive leaders. It needs truthful ones. And truthful leaders are formed first by the fear of the Lord. DO THIS: Pray today for your nation, your leaders, your church, and yourself—that truth and integrity would replace performance and empty words. ASK THIS: Where have I prioritized image over integrity? Do my words and actions align? How is God calling me to lead truthfully right now? PRAY THIS: God, restore truth and integrity in our leaders and in me. Teach me to fear you rightly so my life reflects honesty, courage, and conviction. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Build My Life"

Conor McGregor recently made a bold public confession of faith in Jesus Christ, declaring: "Jesus Christ is everything in my life… It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. All glory to God." Whenever a celebrity professes faith, Christians often respond in one of two ways: we celebrate too quickly or become skeptical too quickly. But what does the Bible say? Jesus calls His followers to confess Him publicly, and genuine faith should produce a transformed life. In this episode of Culture & Conviction, we look beyond the celebrity and ask the question every believer must answer: Are you willing to publicly identify with Jesus Christ? Matthew 10:32 (ESV): "So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven."

Welcome to The Daily. Today, I want to give a shoutout to Shane Cooper from Manhattan, KS. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 10:2: Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars. — Hosea 10:2 A spiritually divided heart does not feel divided at first. That's because most people with divided hearts still want God—they just want other things too. But that's an issue because it produces a "false heart." The phrase "false heart" could also mean divided. Israel tried to maintain God alongside all other gods. They wanted God's endorsement without exclusivity, which is further proof that not every form of inclusivity maintains spiritual integrity. Eventually, division within our hearts becomes destruction. That's true in every area of life. You cannot pursue holiness while protecting secret sin. You cannot build intimacy with God while feeding compromise. You cannot hear the truth on Sunday while allowing culture to disciple your mind all week long. Eventually, the split shows up somewhere. In your thoughts. In your marriage. In your integrity. In your worship. Divided hearts produce divided lives. But the frightening part is that a divided heart can still seem devoted. Israel, at present, was faking their way just like we do sometimes. But God saw through it, and he sees through it in our lives. You might fool others, but God is never fooled. God is examining divided loyalties. So is your heart divided or undivided? What owns your affection, your trust, your imagination, your emotional dependence, your private thoughts? Whatever owns them is your real god. And mind you, secular culture wants and prefers that God-fearing believers live divided lives. They want to shame us into silence. Keep our faith to ourselves and out of schools, government, and the marketplace. They are publicly proselytizing us into living divided lives. But Jesus never called people to divided devotion. He demanded full, undivided devotion. And that sounds terrifying until you realize something incredible: God does awesome work through an undivided heart and undivided lives. Lay down your divided heart today. And live undivided before God who will give you courage to stand fear and shame free today. DO THIS: Ask God to reveal one area where your loyalty is divided, then take one concrete step today toward full obedience. ASK THIS: Where is my heart divided right now? What competes most for my affection and trust? What would full surrender to God look like in this season? PRAY THIS: God, expose every divided loyalty in me. Tear down what competes with you and teach me to love you with an undivided heart. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Undivided Heart"

Welcome to The Daily. Today, I want to give a shoutout to Jeff Baker from Palm Coast, FL. Thank you so much for your partnership with us in Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 10:1: Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased, the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars. — Hosea 10:1 Success can be dangerous, and it rarely feels dangerous at first. Note Israel. They are "a luxuriant vine." In other words, they were fruitful, productive, expanding, and prosperous. There was progress in their time. Wealth was increasing. Structures were being built. Life felt stable and looked successful. And yet there is this underlying problem. "The more his fruit increased, the more [foreign] altars he built." Notice what's happening. Their progress did not drive them toward deeper surrender to God. It fed their independence from Him. Progress became prosperity, which became pride. They moved from God's blessing to self-congratulation. Material success has a subtle power over the human heart. It convinces us that we are the source of what only God provided. We start admiring what we built, what we earned, what we improved, what we accomplished. The operative word here is "we." Our house gets bigger. Our investments grow. Our business expands. Our upgrades increase. Our image sharpens. And with every improvement comes a hidden temptation: to believe we did this, therefore we deserve it. Success can quietly feed arrogance. Not noticeable arrogance. Refined arrogance. The kind that still mentions God occasionally while functionally trusting ourselves completely. When this happens, we stop praying with desperation because life feels manageable. We stop depending on God because systems, money, planning, and comfort seem to work just fine. We begin measuring life by visible growth instead of spiritual depth. And the frightening part is this: materialism often produces immediate dividends before it produces visible destruction. That is why it deceives so many people. Success can hide personal spiritual decay for a long time. You can be fruitful financially and barren spiritually. You can look blessed outwardly while pride is hollowing you out underneath. You can build an impressive life while slowly losing your dependence on God. But note: the danger is not the provision. The danger is provision without surrender. Because with provision comes the dangers of provision. Selfishness without submission. If pride has seeped in, surrender it today. And recognize all provisions as God's provision, not your own. DO THIS: Thank God specifically today for every success, provision, and opportunity in your life. Then ask Him to expose any pride or self-reliance growing underneath it. ASK THIS: Has success made me more dependent on God or less? Where has materialism quietly shaped my heart? What am I taking credit for that actually came from God? PRAY THIS: God, protect me from the pride that success can create. Keep my heart humble, grateful, surrendered, and fully dependent on you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me"

Most men don't fail in leadership because they don't know what to do. They fail because they haven't let God deal with who they are. In this Chapter 1 companion video for The Armory of Leadership, Vince Miller challenges men to confront the first and hardest battlefield of leadership: the man in the mirror. Before a man can lead his family, church, workplace, or circle of influence, he must first be led by Christ. This teaching walks through the central theme of Chapter 1: spiritual leadership begins with surrender, self-denial, submission, and servanthood. God does not merely sharpen leaders. He forges men. Get the book here: https://beresolute.org/product/the-armory-of-leadership/ #ArmoryOfLeadership #VinceMiller #ChristianMen 10 Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions 1. What part of your life is most resistant to God's leadership right now? What makes that area so hard to surrender? 2. Where has pressure recently revealed a crack in your character? What did that moment expose about your heart? 3. Which of the five flaws do you see most clearly in yourself: self-resistance, low awareness, emotional bias, lack of discipline, or internal conflict? How does that flaw affect the people you lead? 4. When have you mistaken a skills issue for a soul issue? How might God be trying to form you beneath the surface? 5. What is one area where you keep asking God to sharpen what He may actually want to melt down? What would full surrender look like there? 6. How do you usually respond when God exposes something uncomfortable in you: defensiveness, shame, confession, avoidance, or action? What would a more godly response look like? 7. What does "the forge is not a place of shame but a place of formation" mean to you personally? How does that truth change the way you see conviction? 8. Which of the four forge truths do you most need right now: surrender, self-denial, submission, or servanthood? Why that one? 9. Who is affected most when you fail to lead yourself well? How could your growth bless them? 10. What one specific action will you take this week to let God forge you as a leader? Who will you tell so they can pray for you or hold you accountable?

Welcome to The Daily. Read more about our mission to teach every verse of the bible in what we call Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 9:17: My God will reject them because they have not listened to him; they shall be wanderers among the nations. — Hosea 9:17 There is a line you don't want to cross with God—the moment when He stops pursuing. Hosea says it plainly: "My God will reject them… they shall be wanderers." This is not God losing power. This is God honoring His word. They would not listen. They would not return. They would not respond. So eventually, God lets them go. And the result is not the freedom they thought they wanted. It's wandering. Aimlessness. A life without direction. That's what a life without God actually feels like. It's slow disorientation. You keep moving, but in every direction. You keep searching, but nothing satisfies. Because when God is removed, so is your map. His truth is your compass. His Word is what shows you the path, brings you back to it, and keeps you on it. And yet, this is how many people live today. They search for answers in legacy media, social media, shifting ideologies, and ever-changing modern spiritual trends. But none of it leads home. Over time, resistance becomes identity. You push God away long enough that the distance feels normal. Then one day, you realize—you got what you wanted. A life without Him. But here's the truth most people don't see until it's too late: That's not the life you actually wanted. So listen carefully. If you can still feel conviction… He's still calling. If you can still sense distance… He's still drawing. If this warning hits you… He's not done with you. You have not gone too far. That is the Spirit whispering to you. But don't wait. Turn now. Because the same God who judges wandering hearts is the God who sent His Son to bring them home. This is why Jesus came. To find the wanderer. To carry the lost. You don't have to keep wandering. You can come home—right now. If that's you, pray this with me: God, I see that I've been drifting from you. I've gone my own way, resisted your voice, and trusted myself instead of you. I confess my sin and ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus died for me and rose again to give me new life. Today, I turn back to you. Lead me, restore me, and make me new. I don't want to wander anymore—I want to walk with you. Amen. If you prayed this with me, let me know in the comments below by writing: "I chose Jesus." Because I want to pray for you today. DO THIS: Stop and respond to God right now. Don't delay it. Talk to Him honestly about where you've been resisting Him and take one step back toward Him today. ASK THIS: Where have I been ignoring God's voice? What would it look like for me to return fully? Am I drifting—or turning? PRAY THIS: God, I see that I've been drifting from you. I've gone my own way, resisted your voice, and trusted myself instead of you. I confess my sin and ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus died for me and rose again to give me new life. Today, I turn back to you. Lead me, restore me, and make me new. I don't want to wander anymore—I want to walk with you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Softly And Tenderly "

A nation doesn't dry up overnight—it happens when culture slowly replaces God. Summary Hosea 9 is a sobering warning about what happens when God's people allow culture to disciple them instead of truth. Israel slowly adopted the values, pleasures, and compromises of the surrounding nations until their spiritual life dried up from the inside out. The chapter warns that hidden spiritual roots can die long before outward collapse becomes visible, eventually leading to God giving people over to the life they demanded without him. Yet even here, God's call remains the same: return, rebuild the roots, and be nourished again by truth. Reflection & Small Group Discussion Questions 1. How does culture gradually disciple people away from God without them noticing? 2. Why is compromise often more dangerous than open rebellion? 3. What does Hosea 9 teach about the relationship between truth and compassion? 4. How can churches slowly reshape biblical truth to fit cultural pressures? 5. Why are "hidden roots" so important in a person's spiritual life? 6. What are some signs that spiritual roots are drying up beneath the surface? 7. How can someone appear spiritually alive publicly while privately drifting from God? 8. Why does repeated resistance to God eventually lead to spiritual dryness and rejection? 9. What practical steps help rebuild healthy spiritual roots before collapse happens? 10. In what area of your life are you being discipled more by culture than by Scripture?

Welcome to The Daily. Read more about our mission to teach every verse of the bible in what we call Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 9:13-16: Ephraim, as I have seen, was like a young palm planted in a meadow; but Ephraim must lead his children out to slaughter. Give them, O Lord— what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. Every evil of theirs is in Gilgal; there I began to hate them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house. I will love them no more; all their princes are rebels. Ephraim is stricken; their root is dried up; they shall bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, I will put their beloved children to death. — Hosea 9:13-16 It can be hard to explain when your soul feels dry. Nothing is obviously wrong. Life is still moving. You're showing up, getting things done, and staying responsible. But inside, something feels off. Not emotional or dramatic—just flat. Prayer feels forced, Scripture feels distant, worship feels like words, and God feels far away. Hosea puts language to that experience: "their root is dried up." The issue is not what people see on the surface. It is what is happening underneath. The root—the place where life and nourishment come from—is dry. And when the root is dry, everything else eventually follows. You can keep going like that for a while. You can stay productive, disciplined, and even religious. But you cannot stay spiritually alive. Because dryness is not about how much you are doing. It is about connection. Some people experience this and assume they are burned out. Others try to fix it by doing more. But dryness does not respond to more effort. It responds to radical reverse, an about-face, a return. Dryness is not just a sensation—it is an alert. An alarm is sounding in your life. It's warning you that something has drifted. Something has been neglected. Something has taken the place of what used to be central. And you know you can feel it. That's good news because it means your heart is not calloused and numb. It means God is still drawing your attention to what matters most. So do not ignore it or cover it up. Do not push through it or pretend it is normal. Bring it to God honestly and simply. Because the God who exposes dry roots is the same God who restores them. And this season of dryness does not have to be the end of your story. It can be the place where life buds again. DO THIS: Take five quiet minutes today and talk honestly with God about where your soul feels dry. ASK THIS: Where do I feel spiritually dry right now? When did that begin? What have I been turning to instead of God? PRAY THIS: God, my soul feels dry. I don't want to ignore it or pretend. Meet me here, restore what's been lost, and bring life back to what only you can sustain. Amen. PLAY THIS: "New Thing Coming"

The hardest person a man will ever lead is himself. In this short teaching from The Armory of Leadership, Vince Miller challenges Christian men to confront the internal battle of leadership: pride, sin, resistance, and the heart that must first be surrendered to Christ. Before a man can lead his family, church, workplace, or circle of influence, he must first let God forge him from the inside out. Get the book: https://beresolute.org/product/the-armory-of-leadership/

Welcome to The Daily. Read more about our mission to teach every verse of the bible in what we call Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 9:10-12: Like grapes in the wilderness, I found Israel. Like the first fruit on the fig tree in its first season, I saw your fathers. But they came to Baal-peor and consecrated themselves to the thing of shame, and became detestable like the thing they loved. Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird— no birth, no pregnancy, no conception! Even if they bring up children, I will bereave them till none is left. Woe to them when I depart from them! — Hosea 9:10-12 Do you feel like something's off? Not broken. Not falling apart. Just… off? So let's say, you're doing the right things. Life is moving. You're showing up, staying busy, keeping things together. But underneath it all, there's a quiet emptiness you can't explain. Well, Hosea describes that moment. God says Israel was once like "grapes in the wilderness." They were alive, fruitful, and set apart. There was clarity, purpose, and blessing. Then something shifted. "They… became like the thing they loved." There was a turning point. They chose another love. Eventually, that thing you love shapes you. And over time, the fruitfulness starts to dry up. Not all at once. Gradually. Effort now has no impact. Movement feels like you are going nowhere. A full life that somehow feels hollow. If this is you, and you feel a little empty, what love has replaced your love for God? If God is not at the center, then something else is—and whatever that is will eventually take more than it gives. That's why God says, "Woe to them when I depart from them!" That is the real loss when we fall for other loves... The loss of God's presence and the fulfillment of his love. So if something feels off, don't ignore it. Don't numb it with more. Don't explain it away. Respond to it by returning to the Father who loves you. He alone fills you with understanding, purpose, and lasting fulfillment. That quiet emptiness is not failure. It is a void, and God will use it to call you back to the fulfillment of his love. DO THIS: Pay attention today to where your time, attention, and affection are going. Identify one influence shaping you more than God—and realign it. ASK THIS: What has been forming me lately? Where does my life feel hollow right now? What would it look like to put God back at the center? PRAY THIS: God, show me what has been shaping my heart. If I've drifted, draw me back. Restore what feels empty and make my life fruitful in you again. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Abide"

Welcome to The Daily. Read more about our mission to teach every verse of the bible in what we call Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 9:7-9: The days of punishment have come; the days of recompense have come; Israel shall know it. The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred. The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God; yet a fowler's snare is on all his ways, and hatred in the house of his God.They have deeply corrupted themselves as in the days of Gibeah: he will remember their iniquity; he will punish their sins. — Hosea 9:7-9 There is a moment when someone stops resisting sin—and starts resisting the truth. That's where Israel is. "The prophet is a fool… the man of the spirit is mad." The people weren't just ignoring God's messengers. They were mocking them. God's truth is marked as crazy, extreme, out of touch, and even dangerous. This is precisely where we have come as a nation today. Good has become evil, and evil has become good. Progressivism and relativism have led to tribal truths that now turn The Truth into offensive because individual truth and tribal social truth have taken over. So, instead of adapting their behavior to God's Truth, they attack the messenger who opposed their truth. This is not a new pattern. When truth confronts our comfortable truth, people don't always repent. Sometimes they reframe the truth as the problem. They call conviction "judgment." They call clarity "hate." They call correction "intolerance." And the more a person or nation drifts, the louder that reaction becomes. Hosea says a prophet was supposed to be a "watchman." The watchman sees danger early and warns people before it's too late. But instead of listening to the watchman, they set traps for him and filled the house of God with hostility. This is a radical turn against the watchmen of God. And once that happens, decline accelerates. We need more watchmen today. Teachers and preachers who will teach and preach the truth. But while these courageous men are needed on the other side, we need men and women who are willing to let this truth confront them. So, let me present the question: What do you do when truth confronts you? Do you listen—or do you resist? Do you lean in—or shut it down? Do you receive correction—or question the source? Be careful. If the truth that challenges you begins to feel offensive, the issue may not be the truth. It may be you. Your heart. But here's the hope in this text. God is still heralding truth. There are still watchmen sounding the alarm. God is still speaking through the progressive heresy. There are still heralds of truth. When the truth is mocked, dismissed, and resisted—God keeps speaking. So don't harden your heart. Let truth do its work. Let it cut where it needs to cut. Let it correct what needs to change. The truth is not your enemy. Listen to it and submit to it. DO THIS: The next time you feel defensive about something in God's Word, pause and ask, "What is this revealing in me?" ASK THIS: When truth confronts me, how do I respond? What have I labeled "offensive" that might actually be true? Am I open to correction—or resisting it? PRAY THIS: God, soften my heart toward your truth. Keep me from rejecting what I need to hear, and give me humility to respond when you speak. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Speak, O Lord"

Welcome to The Daily. Read more about our mission to teach every verse of the bible in what we call Project23. Grab your Hosea Scripture Journal. Our text today is Hosea 9:5-6: What will you do on the day of the appointed festival, and on the day of the feast of the Lord? For behold, they are going away from destruction; but Egypt shall gather them; Memphis shall bury them. Nettles shall possess their precious things of silver; thorns shall be in their tents. — Hosea 9:5-6 What if everything about your worship looks right, but God isn't in it? Hosea asks a probing question: "What will you do on the day of the appointed festival?" In other words, what happens when your worship gatherings continue, but God no longer accepts them? Israel had it all. Feasts. Rhythms. Sacred days. They showed up, went through the motions, and kept the system running. But God was gone from it. He had been gone a long time. Their worship had become routine without relationship. God makes it clear: when judgment comes, none of it will help. Their religious gatherings won't save them. Their religious celebrations won't protect them. Their religious habits won't carry them through what's coming. That's the warning. Everyone knows you can stand in a room full of worship and still be far from God. You can sing loudly, listen weekly, serve consistently, and never actually surrender. You can look alive spiritually and be empty at the core. And eventually, this empty form of worship crumples. That's why Hosea paints a stark ending. Homes overtaken. Possessions lost. Futures cut off. Everything they leaned on disappears, and their worship offers no refuge. Is your worship real? Not passionate. Not polished. Not consistent. But real, authentic, genuine. It flows from a life that actually walks with God. Worship was never meant to be something you attend. It's something you live. And here's the grace. He's still inviting you back. You don't have to keep faking it. You don't have to keep going through motions that lead nowhere. You can come back with honesty, humility, and a heart that actually wants Him. DO THIS: Before your next moment of worship, pause and ask God to make your heart sincere, not just your actions. ASK THIS: Is my worship connected to how I actually live? Have I been going through the motions? What would it look like to come back to real worship? PRAY THIS: God, don't let my worship become empty. Bring my heart back to you and make my devotion real again. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Heart of Worship"