Prayer.
Saved From What, To What, and For What
Pastor Matthew Johnson walks through Ephesians 2 to show what we've been saved from, what we've been saved to, and why that compels us to share the good news.
The Exchange
Paul gives us a practical way to respond when anxiety takes hold: pray, ask God specifically for what we need, give thanks, and release the situation to Him. Prayer is more than simply telling God what is bothering us; it is an invitation to exchange our anxiety for His peace. God may not immediately change the circumstance we are facing, but He can change what is happening within us as we trust Him with it. His peace can guard our hearts and minds even when the situation itself remains unresolved.
Praying for What Is Broken
God cares about what is broken, and Scripture repeatedly invites us to bring those needs to Him in prayer. The gift of healing demonstrates the Holy Spirit’s power to restore what is broken, and James encourages us to pray boldly for one another. At the same time, healing is not something we control or manufacture; the Holy Spirit remains the One who gives and manifests the gift. We can therefore pray with expectation without making the outcome the foundation of our faith.
Jesus’ Secret to Strength
Even Jesus, fully God and fully man, needed solitude with the Father. While everyone searched for Him, He had already slipped away to a
The Power of Persistent Prayer
Take 2-3 minutes to quiet yourself and ask God to speak to you today through your devotional time. Reading: Mark 9:28–29; Luke 18:1–8Be sure to highlight or note anything that stands out to you while you read. After reading the passage, take the next 5-10 minutes and spend time reflecting on what you read. You can write these things down in a journal or record them in your phone. Be attentive to...
Take Time For God
Every morning around 8:30 am, the staff receives a text message with only four letters: TTFG. This message from Pastor Matthew is a simple reminder inviting us to do the profound; it is a call to Take Time For God. This is the language we use at The Tree for reminding ourselves that the most important thing we do every single day is to purposely set aside time to spend with God. Why? Because our c...
The God Who Answers
We are continuing to pray through the book of Psalms this week in our commitment to follow Jesus. There are times when I don’t know what to pray, so I find it helpful to have these prayers as an example. Please join me in prayer before we get started.Holy Father, please send Your Spirit to fill me today. You are welcomed into my life today to guide and teach me what You want me to learn. Soften my...
Everyone Starts in the Same Place
In today's scripture, John challenges the religious leaders with the reality that everyone has walked away from God and needs His mercy. Today, we want to focus on the fact that our path back to God always begins with repentance. Let’s start with a simple prayer, and I encourage you to make it your prayer as we go through today's devotion:Lord, I come to You with a humble heart and desire to be cl...
Transformed Lives
As we continue diving into the topic of prayer, today’s devotional specifically focuses on the power prayer has on transforming lives. Before we get started, let’s prepare our hearts and minds through prayer.Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me and allowing me to have access to Your presence. Holy Spirit, I need You. Increase my sensitivity to You, Lord, so I can better follow You. Remind me o...
So the People Will Know
As we continue in the series Following Jesus and looking at how we as Christians should be praying, I will admit this series has made me think about the way I have been praying to God. Before we get started today, let us pray.Lord, help me have a relationship with You that I can ask for my heart's desires but also be thankful for all the blessings You have bestowed on me. Be with me today as I go...
Earnest Prayer
Thousands of people struggle in relationships simply because they feel an excessive sense of shame or guilt. Shame tells us that we are wrong, not that what we did was wrong. When we internalize and keep our sins hidden, it spreads poison. But God is our remedy! True healing takes place when we come to Him in earnest prayer. Let us pray and invite God into our hearts and minds.Heavenly Father, tha...
When Believers Pray
In God, we have everything we need. While praying for a change in circumstances, you may find that God will meet you where you are and be faithful to provide for you there instead. Before we get into our topic, let’s pray.Heavenly Father, thank You for how You have already shown up and provided for me in mighty ways. I pray that Your Spirit would increase my faith in the power of prayer and in You...
The Weapon of Prayer
Prayer can be such a powerful tool in our lives, but it can often go underutilized. We sometimes don’t recognize its power and rely on our own ways of dealing with difficult situations, when in contrast, it should be our first thought—our go-to action—when life spins out of control. Prayer is our lifeline to the most powerful, all-knowing, loving Father, who knows your situation better than you do...
The Power of Prayer
Today, let’s get our hearts ready for what God wants to do during our time in worship together. We need the Holy Spirit to guide us and show us what He’s doing right now and what He wants to do in us. This means praying and asking Him to make us aware of His activity in our lives.If you’re new to prayer and still figuring out how God speaks to us, pray the prayer below, expecting that God will mee...
Wholeheartedly
We know that God is always present; yet there are times where it feels like He is distant. Today we are looking at what could be preventing us from wholeheartedly seeking God. Before we get started, would you pray with me?Lord, we know You promise to be with us always. I know there are times where it feels like You are distant, but I know You aren’t. Help me to see what makes me feel as if I am di...
Hungering for God
Today, we are going to talk about hungering for God. Not just going to Him from time to time, but really desiring and longing for that communion with Him. Before we look at our Scripture, let’s invite Him into this space.God, thank You for today. Thank You for the space and time to spend with You. Speak to me now what You want me to hear. Fill me with Your presence, Your peace, and Your wisdom. In...
Be Faithful
This week, we have been looking at the importance of being persistent and purposeful in our prayer life. When we take time to engage with God in a purposeful way, it always leads to communion with Him. Let’s start our time together by talking to God.God, I am thankful that I have the opportunity to be in a relationship with You. Thank You for desiring to connect with me and caring about what I am ...
Devotion
This week, we are peeling back the layers of what it means to pray without ceasing and devoting ourselves to a healthy prayer life. God longs to communicate with His family. That’s us!Heavenly Father, I thank You for my blessings. Thank You for being so faithful and for the many memories of Your love I can reference in tough times. You knew I would be assigned this devotional, and You know the rea...
Never Give Up
Today, we’re talking about something I think we’ve all struggled with: persistent prayer. Jesus shared a parable about how important it is to keep praying and not give up, even when we don’t see results right away. Before we dive in, let’s pray.Thank You, God, for being so faithful, even when we don’t see what You’re doing behind the scenes. Help me to understand what it looks like to be persisten...
Persistence of Prayer
We are purposed to set aside Sundays at the Tree Church Daily as a special time to engage our hearts and minds in worship, prayer, and fellowship. It is a day to devote to God, and for seeking His will for our lives. This involves praying and asking the Holy Spirit to speak His truth to us. As you start your day, let’s pray… Heavenly Father, I need You to speak to me today. I need Your comfort and...
