Good Morning!
Let’s focus our day by spending some time with Jesus before it begins.
Pick a song from one of our Spotify Playlists and let it play in the background.
ENTER. Write down or say out loud 3-5 things you’re thankful for from the last 24 hours.
FOCUS. Slowly breathe in… and out. Pray, Jesus, I surrender to you today and trust in you.
READ. Our Scripture Focus is 2 Chronicles 7:13-14. Try memorizing it during this study!
Today’s reading is from 2 Chronicles 25-26 & Proverbs 16:18
THINK. A Thought from Pastor Dave…
There’s no two ways about it - “whole” means everything. Just a few words into today’s reading, the word “wholeheartedly” jumped out at me. Amaziah did what was right… kinda. Mostly. For a while. “Right-ish.” Wholehearted means giving everything you’ve got, for as long as you’ve got. Jesus called it loving God with “all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” And that’s exactly what Amaziah did - until he didn’t. Usually, we think of the opposite of wholehearted as “holding back” - but sometimes, it can mean “adding to.” Amaziah had a defining moment, where he had the choice to build up the strength of his own army by hiring additional men to fight. God sent a “man of God” to let the king know that there was no “right-ish” here. No halfway. He would either trust God’s strength wholeheartedly and fight with what he had, or he would go into battle on his own strength, without God. Amaziah rightly noticed that there is a cost to trusting and following God wholeheartedly. But I love the man of God’s response - God is able to give you much more. In essence, the reward outweighs the cost. So, are you “all in” on your own strength? Or all in on God’s? There’s no halfway. As we see in King Uzziah (Amaziah’s son), we either rely on God’s help or our own strength. In both cases, wholeheartedly trusting in God’s help and strength leads to success. But looking to anyone or anything else - even our own strength (aka pride), leads to destruction. Whether your facing a battle or things are going great today, where is your trust? Are you looking at what you can do all by yourself? Or looking at what God can do with all of you?
PRAY. Join Paradox in Prayer & Fasting this Lent. Learn more at paradoxchurch.com/lent.
Use the Daily Prayer Guide after each day’s reading. Ask the following SOS Questions & journal your thoughts.
S = Say. What does it say? What is the main point? What does it teach you about God (Jesus) & yourself?
O = Obey. What can I obey? What can you apply (practice) from this passage today?
S = Share. What truth can I share? Who can you share what you’re learning with today?
TALK. That was our take on today’s reading - what’s yours? Share thoughts and ask questions in the forum.
SHARE. Stay focused with a friend! Invite them to text “FOCUS” to (586) 200-6277.

Stay focused on Jesus today, and make it a great one!