“I have learned that the worries we do not cast upon God become weights that crush our spirit.”

—John Wesley

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Does life feel heavy? Pray this.

One of my favorite stories from Greek mythology is about Atlas, the titan who’s often pictured as a giant man, muscles straining, as he holds the world on his shoulders.
Maybe you’ve seen his famous statue in the Rockefeller Center. But here’s what most people miss about Atlas—carrying the world on his shoulders wasn’t a heroic act. It was his punishment.

The Burden We Were Never Meant to Carry

That picture, the weight of the world on our shoulders, as dramatic as it is, feels familiar, doesn’t it? Many of us are living the same way—trying to hold everything together, trying to carry all the burdens of life, trying to keep the world from falling apart.

But that weight was never meant to sit on your shoulders.

When I see the statue of Atlas, I can’t help but think of another image—Jesus, arms stretched out on the cross. But where Atlas was condemned to hold up the heavens, Jesus chose to take on the weight of the world to set us free.

Faith is Letting Go of Control

The life of faith isn’t about proving how strong we are. It’s about surrendering to the One person who can carry it all. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, “I die daily.” In other words, he dies to the illusion that he is God.

My friend, faith is about releasing what we were never meant to carry and trusting God with it. Faith is letting go of control.

Respond

This week, anytime you feel pressured to take on the weight of the world, anytime you feel crushed by what’s beyond your control, simply pray, “You are God, I am not.”

Let that prayer remind you of two things,

1.)   No one expects you to be God. Intimacy with God (and others) is forged as we share our burdens, so be honest about your limitations.

2.)  You don’t need to be perfect to qualify for God’s help. You just need to surrender your strength . . . or lack thereof.

Closing Prayer

You are God
I am not. 
May Your grace 
Be my lot. Amen.

Praying with you,

Addison Bevere

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new people—hello, if that’s you!— but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store.

The post Does life feel heavy? Pray this. appeared first on Addison Bevere.

Boldness apart from brokenness makes a bully.
Brokenness apart from boldness makes a bystander.
Boldness with brokenness makes a bridge . . . that brings heaven to earth.

—David Benham

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These last couple of weeks have brought me to my knees. It’s so clear that I need more grace, more wisdom, more Spirit-breathed power. I don’t want to be someone who slinks into nuance, but I also don’t want to submit my words to the ungodly rhetoric of our day. My living prayer has been, “God, show me Your higher way.”

As I’ve prayed, the prophet’s words in Micah 6:8 keep coming to me,

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Notice the word require. This isn’t optional. We are to be people of justice and mercy. We are to embody paradox. And according to this verse, humility is how we hold justice and mercy together. Humility before our Father is the-fear-of-God, which according to Scripture is the beginning of wisdom.

But most of us tend to drift toward either justice or mercy. Some of us love justice but forget mercy. Others cling to mercy but avoid the hard work of justice. Humility is how we acknowledge the tension. It keeps us from hiding in nuance or being swept away by the noise of our day.

We must be humble before God and bold before man.

And then, of course, there is Jesus’s example. He is the one who proved that only bold humility overturns and disrupts the power struggles of this age (Philippians 2:5–11).

We should remember that Jesus’ methods made everyone scratch their heads: his mom, his brothers and sisters, his disciples, the crowds, the religious leaders, the political leaders, and even the man who baptized him.

In Matthew 11, John the Baptist sends messengers to ask if Jesus is truly the One. While John and Jesus both preached a bold message of repentance, the Baptizer was challenged by Jesus’ approach. Even though he had baptized him a few chapters earlier, John was compelled to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”

Jesus responded with grace and truth. He honored John as a great prophet (while challenging him), he insulted the pseudo-political leader, Herod (whose symbol was a reed), and he commissioned all of us to embrace the power of God’s kingdom, a Way that was becoming real in the person of Jesus and the presence of his Spirit.

Respond

This week, ask God’s Spirit to show you where He’s inviting you to embody this tension. Where is He asking you to be bold? And how is He asking you to bow low before Him?

Don’t just participate in discourse on social media . . . live your convictions.

In moments like these, we mustn’t forget that it takes a whole church to reveal a whole Christ (Ephesians 3–4;1 Corinthians 12–14). Let’s be true to our convictions and curious to learn from our biblically responsible brothers and sisters. Only then will the world see the glory of God’s church and know us as Jesus’s disciples (John 17, 13:31–35).

We must be humble before God and bold before man.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for inviting me into Your way.
Teach me to do justice, to love mercy,
to walk humbly with You.
Forgive me for where I’ve been silent out of fear
or loud out of pride.
Make me a bridge that brings heaven to earth.
Give me courage to speak,
grace to stay humble,
and faith to follow You wherever You lead.
Amen.

Praying with you,

Addison

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new people—hello, if that’s you!— but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store.

The post The Kind of Boldness Required Today appeared first on Addison Bevere.

“The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.”

—Proverbs 11:25

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Have you ever noticed that the moments you feel most alive come when you’re giving something away—your time, your attention, your encouragement? That’s the heart of biblical generosity.

Why Generosity Leads to Renewal

Proverbs 11 paints a picture of God’s design for relationships, the kind of living that allows people and communities to flourish together. We were made in God’s image, which means we are relational by nature, our lives rising and falling at the intersection of relationship.

But real relationships are hard.

I think that’s why Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father . . . our daily bread . . . forgive us our trespasses . . .” It’s a communal prayer. We tend to get a bit individualistic, but our spirituality was never meant to be a solo journey. God designed us to thrive together, and part of that thriving comes when we give ourselves away.

It’s easy to get caught up in our own lack—our insecurities, our weaknesses, our needs. But this proverb flips that thinking—as we refresh others, we ourselves are refreshed. (If you’ve ever wondered about the Proverbs 11:25 meaning, it’s this truth: refresh others, be refreshed.) As we pour out, God pours in. His strength shows up in our weakness. His abundance flows when we live generously.

Living Open-Handed: God’s Design for Flourishing

Think of Jesus with the loaves and fish. He blessed, broke, and gave what He had. And as it left His hands, it multiplied. That’s what generosity does. When we live freely, live open, and give from what we have—our time, our words, our resources—God expands it. And in the process, our world gets larger and larger. This is how generosity brings renewal.

Respond

This week, look for ways to refresh someone—a text of encouragement, an act of service, a listening ear. Reject the smallness of self-consciousness for the spaciousness of God-consciousness. Watch how your generosity not only lifts them but lifts you. Because this is God’s way: the generous will prosper, and those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for designing life to flourish in relationships.
Help me to live open-handed,
to refresh others with what You’ve given me,
and to trust that as I pour out, You will pour in.
Show me where I can be generous today,
and enlarge my heart with Your love. Amen.

Praying with you,

Addison

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new people—hello, if that’s you!— but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store.

The post The Secret to a Refreshed Life: How Generosity Renews Your Soul appeared first on Addison Bevere.

Pride must die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you.

—Andrew Murrary

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The Hidden Dangers of Pride in Scripture

Would you kill yourself if your advice wasn’t followed?

That question may seem dramatic, but there’s a wild story in 2 Samuel 17 about Ahithophel, a man who killed himself when people didn’t do as he suggested.

When Ahithophel saw that his counsel wasn’t followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself. (vv. 23–24)

This man was one of the wisest people of his day, it was said that when Ahithophel spoke it was as if God were speaking. Yet when his advice was set aside by Absalom, he couldn’t bear it. His pride, his sense of order, his need to be right, became more important than being rightly related to the One who orders all things.

It’s a tragic pattern we also see in Judas. He likely had his own vision of what the Messiah should do—how Jesus should confront Rome, how the kingdom should come. But when Jesus didn’t match that vision, Judas took matters into his own hands, which ended in betrayal. And afterward, gripped with regret and unable to see beyond his failure, Judas also hanged himself.

Pride often shows up not only in arrogance, but in our inability to accept a reality we didn’t script. It’s the voice that says, “If it can’t be my way, it’s no way at all.” And if left unchecked, that voice leads us to hopelessness.
But living prayer invites us into a different story. A story where we can release our grip on control. Where we trust God’s wisdom over our own. Where we lay down our version of “how it should be” and receive His way—even when it doesn’t make sense.

ResponD

This week, if your plans are frustrated or if your counsel is ignored, resist the temptation to retreat into bitterness or despair. Instead, bring it to God. Let Him remind you that His ways are higher, His timing perfect, His heart for you unshakable.

Closing Prayer

Father, forgive me for the times I’ve clung to my way more than Yours.
Help me to release my need for control,
to trust You when my plans fall apart,
and to believe that Your wisdom is better than mine.
Guard me from pride,
and lead me into humility, hope, and trust. Amen.

Praying with you,

Addison

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new people—hello, if that’s you!— but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store.

The post The Deadly Cost of Pride: Why Pride Leads to Hopelessness (and How God Heals) appeared first on Addison Bevere.

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

—Thomas Aquinas

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Did you know Scripture tells us that God leads us from behind?

Isaiah 30:20–21 reads, “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.”

God is our Teacher, our Guide, but notice where He is—behind us. He’s not in front of us, handing us a map with every detail, every answer, every step spelled out. He’s behind us, encouraging us forward. Yet somehow as we listen, we also behold Him . . . we see Him in and through our steps.

My friend, God isn’t trying to turn you into a robot who only moves when given precise instructions. He wants us to become people of faith. People willing to step out, to take a step forward, to move with courage while remaining sensitive to His voice.

And that’s where it gets real. Because we usually want the whole plan. We’re scared to make a mistake, so we demand clarity before we move. But God says, “Take the step, and then listen for My voice. Move forward, and then look for Me to confirm or correct your steps.”

It’s a way of living that keeps us sensitive, keeps us leaning in. It keeps us dependent, always listening, always willing to pivot when He whispers. Because God isn’t just concerned with getting us to the destination. He’s concerned with who we’re becoming along the way.

ResponD

This week, if you’re facing a decision or standing at a crossroads, take a step and then listen. Trust that your Teacher is behind you, guiding, whispering, “This is the way. Walk in it.” And as you do, watch how God meets you—not with a roadmap but with His voice.

Closing Prayer

Father, thank You for being my Guide.
Help me to move forward in faith,
to take steps even when the way isn’t clear,
to listen for Your voice,
to trust that You are behind me,
guiding me, leading me,
teaching me how to walk in Your ways.
Let me move with confidence,
not because I know the plan,
but because I know the One who holds me by the hand. Amen.

Stepping with you,

Addison

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new people—hello, if that’s you!— but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store.

The post God will meet you as you move. appeared first on Addison Bevere.

God never hurries. There are no deadlines against he must work.
Only to know this is to quiet our spirits and relax our nerves.

—A.W. Tozer

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Do you ever get frustrated that things aren’t moving as quickly as you prayed for? Or maybe you’re wrestling with that familiar ache of disappointment, wondering why things just aren’t happening in or for you.

In Luke 13:6–9, Jesus tells a parable of a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard. For three years, he came looking for fruit but found none. Frustrated, the man said to the vinedresser, “Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?”

But the vinedresser says, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”

When we read this parable, I think we’re tempted to believe God is the man who grew impatient. But he’s not. He is the vinedresser—the one who intercedes, who patiently tends to the barren places of our lives. He’s the one who says, “Let it alone.” That phase in Greek is the same one Jesus used on the Cross when he asked the Father to forgive us.

When we grow impatient, God offers grace. When we’re ready to give up, God suggests a bit more time. He doesn’t rush the process. He knows that sometimes it takes digging up the soil of our hearts, working in the mess and manure, to bring forth fruit.

The manure—the hardships, the disappointments, the setbacks—they’re not wasted. They’re the very things God uses to nurture growth. It’s in those dark, difficult places that roots go deeper and the life of fruit is formed.

ResponD

This week, when you feel the sting of delay or the ache of unmet expectations, when you’re tempted to cut down the tree, remind yourself that the Vinedresser is still at work. He’s still digging, still tending, still waiting.

Closing Prayer

My friend, breathe in His patience, receive His grace, and let’s pray these words together,

Father, thank You for Your patience with me.
Help me to trust Your timing,
to see Your hand in the manure and the mess,
to believe that even when I can’t see the fruit,
You are still tending, still cultivating, still bringing forth life.
Amen.

Praying with you,

Addison

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new people—hello, if that’s you!— but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store.

The post When you’re tired of waiting on God… appeared first on Addison Bevere.

The world cannot stand up to the truth because it lives a lie.
It fears the cross, for the cross exposes its deceit.
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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Would you say that friendship with God is important to you?

James chapter four paints a sobering picture: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (v. 4).

Those are hard words to hear, right? But let’s get clear on what James is saying, and what he’s not saying.

James is not talking about a friendship with the beauty of creation or the goodness of life. When he writes of the world, he’s alluding to the systems, the patterns, the temptations that lure us away from God’s heart—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

God will not be friendly toward the things that destroy us. He loves us too much to let us settle for less than what we were made for. And so, He resists us in our pride. Not because He’s cruel, but because He’s good. Because He knows that pride will rot our souls, twist our desires, turn us away from what is truly life.

James also writes that God yearns jealously over the spirit that He has made to dwell in us. The Father is jealous for you; not in a petty way, but in a fierce, protective, holy way. He is jealous for your heart because He knows who and what you were created for.

God’s jealousy is His grace.

James goes on to write, “But [God] gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

When we humble ourselves, when we stop grasping for what will never satisfy, God pours out His grace. He fills the cracks and fissures of our soul with His presence, with His healing, with the balm of His love.

And then James gives us the most amazing invitation: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” It’s that simple. It’s that profound.

ResponD

This week, if you feel the tug of the world’s systems pulling at your heart, if you sense the ache of emptiness from chasing what will never fill you, stop. Humble yourself. Draw near. Let God fill you with His grace, His presence, His love.

Closing Thoughts

Here’s my prayer for you this week,

Father, thank You for loving me enough to resist my pride.
Thank You for drawing near to me when I draw near to You with a humble heart.
Help me to let go of the empty things that can never satisfy my soul,
Help me run to you, the only One who can heal me.
Fill me with Your grace,
pour Your presence into the broken places of my life,
and teach me to find my life in You. Amen.

Drawing near with you,

Addison

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new people—hello, if that’s you!— but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store. But don’t take my word for it . . .

“This was a beautifully written book. I learned things I truly never thought about while praying. Father, forgiveness, the Lord’s prayer in its fullest. The Prayer. Buy this book you won’t regret it. The journey it takes you on is beyond worth it. I’m going to buy more copies for friends as well.” —Ruth

The post What Friendship With the World Costs You appeared first on Addison Bevere.

For God speaks in one way,
and in two, though man does not perceive it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
when deep sleep falls on men,
while they slumber on their beds . . .

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Did you know God gives you counsel in the night?

Psalm 16:7 says, “I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.”

Think about that—the night is when our hearts speak, when God whispers to us in the stillness. But too often, we wake up and rush past the residue of God’s words. We grab our phones, jump onto social media, or run straight to our to-do list. And in doing so, we miss the counsel, the instruction, the heart work that happened while we were sleeping.

Psalm 17:3 says, “You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night.” God doesn’t just speak to us when we’re awake. He visits us in the night—when we’re still, when our defenses are down, when we’re open to receive what we’re too busy to hear during the day.

How we transition from our sleepful state is important. Do we give space for those night whispers to become morning light? Do we make room to sit with what God has spoken to our hearts before we dive into the noise of the day?

Psalm 17:15 offers us a different way to wake up. It says, “As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.”

Imagine that . . . waking up and being satisfied, not by what’s on the screen, not by what’s waiting for us in our inbox, but by the likeness of God. By the face of the One who visited us in the night.

ResponD

This week, when you wake up, before you reach for your phone or dive into your day, pause. Take a breath. Sit with God. Let His righteousness cover you. Let His Spirit settle you. Let His likeness fill you and clarify how you see the day.
   

Closing Prayer

Here’s a prayer for you this week. I’d love for you to write these words on a piece of paper and place them beside your bed. Whatever you do, please don’t start your morning by reading them on your phone.

Father, thank You for speaking to me in the night.
Help me to carry Your whispers into my morning,
to make room for Your words before I rush into my work.
Let me wake up satisfied in Your righteousness,
anchored in Your likeness.
May Your Spirit go before me,
and may Your words guide me as I walk through today. Amen.

Praying with you,

Addison

P.S. If you’re looking for a book to read in the mornings, something that will cultivate prayerfulness, I’d strongly recommend the Words with God book. You can grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store.

The post Did you know God gives you counsel in the night? appeared first on Addison Bevere.

“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

— C.S. Lewis (The Problem of Pain)

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Do you ever get frustrated that things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d hoped? Or maybe you’re wrestling with that familiar ache of disappointment, wondering why things just aren’t happening in, around, or for you.

In Luke 13:6–9, Jesus tells a parable of a man who planted a fig tree in his vineyard. For three years, he came looking for fruit but found none. Frustrated, he said to the vinedresser, “Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?”

But the vinedresser says, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”

When we read this parable, I think we’re tempted to believe God is the man who grew impatient. But he’s not. He is the vinedresser—the one who intercedes, who patiently tends to the barren places of our lives. He’s the one who says, “Let it alone.” That phase is the same one Jesus used on the Cross when he asked the Father to forgive us.

We’re the man who gets impatient.

When we grow impatient, God shows mercy. When we’re ready to give up, God asks for time. He doesn’t rush the process. He knows that sometimes it takes digging up the soil of our hearts, working in the mess and manure, to bring forth the fruit of life.

The manure—the hardships, the disappointments, the setbacks—they’re not wasted. They’re the very things God uses to nurture growth. It’s in those dark, difficult places that roots go deeper and fruit is formed.

Response

This week, when you feel the sting of delay or the ache of unmet expectations, when you’re tempted to cut down the tree, remember that the Vinedresser is still at work. He’s still digging, still tending, still waiting.

My friend, breathe in His patience. Breathe out your frustration. Take inventory of how the Father has patiently and intentionally cultivated the soil of your heart. It’s so easy, after all, for us to forget.

Closing PRAYER

When you’re ready, let’s pray,

Father, thank You for Your patience with me.
Help me to trust Your timing,
to see Your hand in the manure and the mess,
to believe that even when I can’t see the fruit,
You are still tending, still cultivating, still bringing forth life.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Praying with you,

Addison

P.S. I mention this each time because we always have new members—close to 40,000 now!—but if you don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to grab it from Amazon or the Messenger Store. I spend a lot of time on how to discern God’s closeness in the pain.

The post Frustrated with God’s timing? Read this. appeared first on Addison Bevere.

You do not have, because you do not ask.
—James 4:2

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Have you ever thought it strange that Jesus tells us not to waste words because our Father in heaven knows what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:7–8), but then a chapter later suggests we should ask, seek, and knock through prayer (Matt. 7:7)? 

For this prayer guide, I’ll share what I’m finding about how Jesus guides us beyond a transactional view of prayer and into a more robust understanding of how God engages with our requests.

When we put words to our needs and desires, especially the ones that are difficult to articulate, we create pathways for clarity and connection. The request itself, in a sense, becomes a road for us to travel. So the ask is where our journey must begin—it is the first (often hesitant) step. 

As we travel this road of awareness, we develop a better sense of what we’re actually looking for. We are no longer just askers, we are now seekers. With greater frequency, we notice how God responds within our everyday lives. These confirmations of God’s activity feed our faith, and we can’t help but notice intersections between the words we pray and our Father’s will.

The final movement—knock—is what settles us in the House of prayer. It is where we abide with Jesus, and he abides with us. It is the place where we share the secrets of the heart. In this place, words are still necessary but intimations speak the loudest. Jesus’ will becomes our wish, and our prayers carry his authority (John 15).

When we finally go to knock, we realize that the Son’s already at the door . . . knocking. I guess we just couldn’t hear him. 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20)

Response

We mustn’t forget that we don’t pray to perform a religious exercise. We pray to participate in what’s most Real. This week, I want to challenge you to ask, to seek, to knock. But don’t strive and struggle to perform. Rather notice what happens within you as you move through prayer’s phases. Ask yourself, How is the Spirit transforming my world to reveal God’s work in my life?

Closing Thoughts

When it comes to prayer, Jesus puts great emphasis on what the Spirit is doing in and around us. God’s Spirit is the One, after all, who pierces through pretense, pride, and possibility, the One who sorts through the messiness of our heart, making it home. 

Seeking with you,

Addison

P.S. If don’t have the Words with God book yet, be sure to get it through Amazon or the Messenger Store. I spend a good amount of time on the theme of asking and receiving through prayer.

P.P.S. If you’re new to these prayer guides, then welcome. I’m glad you’re here and grateful you’ve joined us on this journey of rediscovering prayer as a way of life.

The post Struggling to Pray? Try this. appeared first on Addison Bevere.