Devotionals For Gulf Coast Community Church

Five Day Devotional

Gratitude for an Unshakeable Kingdom

**Day 1 - When Everything Shakes**

🗣 Quote from the Sermon

“And when the shaking happens the only thing that's gonna be left over is God's kingdom.”

📖 Scripture (NIV)

Hebrews 12:27 to 28

“The words once more indicate the removing of what can be shaken, that is, created things, so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful.”

💭 Reflection

Life constantly shifts under our feet. Jobs change, finances tighten, relationships strain, culture seems unstable. Hebrews reminds us that the shaking is not a sign that God is weak. It is a sign that everything built on human power is temporary.

The kingdom of God is the only thing that remains when the dust settles. Gratitude grows when we stop clinging to what cannot last and anchor ourselves in what cannot be taken away.

❓ Questions to Consider

Where do you feel the most shaking in your life right now.

What temporary things have you been leaning on for security.

How would your mindset change if you believed the kingdom of God is already yours.

🙏 Prayer Prompt

Jesus, help me trust what remains when everything else shakes. Teach me to build my life on Your unshakeable kingdom. Give me gratitude that does not depend on circumstances.

✅ Action Step

Write down three areas you feel shaken. Next to each one write, “God, Your kingdom will remain here.” Pray over the list every morning this week.

**Day 2 -The Culture of Heaven**

🗣 Quote from the Sermon

“One pastor put it that we can call the kingdom of God the culture of heaven on earth.”

📖 Scripture (NIV)

Haggai 2:6 to 7

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory.”

💭 Reflection

Haggai points forward to the day God would shake the nations and fill His house with glory. Hebrews expands this to the whole creation. But even now, pieces of the future kingdom break into the present.

Every act of generosity, mercy, forgiveness, and justice is a glimpse of the “culture of heaven on earth.” When that young woman brought meals and a check, she was not just being kind. She was participating in the breaking in of the kingdom.

You are invited to join that same kingdom life.

❓ Questions to Consider

Where have you seen the culture of heaven in your own story.

What simple act of love or generosity felt like God’s presence breaking through.

What would your home or friendships look like if they reflected the culture of heaven.

🙏 Prayer Prompt

Father, thank You for the ways Your kingdom has touched my life through others. Help me bring the culture of heaven into my home, my work, and my relationships.

✅ Action Step

Do one unannounced act of kingdom generosity for someone who cannot repay you.

**Day 3 - A Kingdom That Crushes the Powers**

🗣 Quote from the Sermon

“God's kingdom crushes all other kingdoms.”

📖 Scripture (NIV)

Daniel 2:44

“In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.”

💭 Reflection

Daniel saw the rise of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. By every measure, these were unstoppable empires. Yet each one fell.

Only the kingdom of Jesus remains. It advances not through violence but through sacrificial love, justice, and truth. No government, ideology, economic system, or cultural movement can stop the kingdom of God.

When you feel overwhelmed by the news or by cultural pressure, remember what Daniel proclaimed. Remember what the sermon declared. The kingdom you belong to is the one that wins.

❓ Questions to Consider

What earthly powers feel the most overwhelming to you.

How does Daniel 2 reduce the fear you feel about the future.

What does it mean for you to live as a citizen of the kingdom that cannot lose.

🙏 Prayer Prompt

Lord Jesus, King of the ages, help me trust in Your eternal kingdom. Calm my fears. Lift my eyes above the kingdoms of this world and help me live as Your faithful witness.

✅ Action Step

Choose one fear driven habit (doom scrolling, arguing online, obsessing over politics). Replace it this week with one kingdom act prayer, Scripture, or mercy.

**Day 4 - Receiving What You Did Not Earn**

🗣 Quote from the Sermon

“If I'm just passively receiving this kingdom it it must be unmerited must just be given to me.”

📖 Scripture (NIV)

Romans 12:1

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your true and proper worship.”

💭 Reflection

We are not climbing into the kingdom. We are receiving it. Hebrews uses the present tense. We are receiving a kingdom. God is placing His reign into our lives through Jesus. That means the kingdom is not a wage. It is a gift.

Once you grasp that truth, gratitude replaces striving. Worship becomes joyful. Obedience becomes response, not fear. Mercy becomes the framework for your identity.

❓ Questions to Consider

Where do you still feel like you need to earn God’s approval.

How would your daily life change if you lived from mercy instead of performance.

What makes it hard for you to trust that the kingdom is given, not achieved.

🙏 Prayer Prompt

God of mercy, thank You for giving me the kingdom through Jesus. Teach me to rest in what You have given, not in what I can earn. Make gratitude my motivation for everything.

✅ Action Step

Write a gratitude list of ten ways God has shown you mercy this year. Pray through it each night before bed.

**Day 5 - A Life Shaped by the Cross**

🗣 Quote from the Sermon

“My citizenship is in heaven.”

and

“You have the victory you are receiving the kingdom It's being given to you and it is going to prevail.”

📖 Scripture (NIV)

Philippians 3:20

“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

💭 Reflection

If your citizenship is in heaven, then your identity is not grounded in your job, your income, your politics, or your failures. You belong to the King who overcame death. You belong to the kingdom that cannot be defeated.

This changes everything. It means you can forgive when others fight. You can serve when others demand. You can choose peace when others choose anxiety. You can endure when others walk away.

You can live like Jesus because you are secure in Jesus.

❓ Questions to Consider

What earthly identity do you cling to most tightly.

How does the cross redefine true strength and true victory.

What part of your life needs to come back under the rule of Jesus.

🙏 Prayer Prompt

Jesus, thank You that You have made me a citizen of heaven. Help me live today as one who trusts Your reign. Shape me by Your cross. Strengthen me with Your Spirit. Lead me in Your kingdom ways.

✅ Action Step

Choose one difficult situation and ask, “How would someone who is a citizen of heaven respond here.” Then obey what the Spirit shows you.

📖 Day 1: Let It End With Us

💬 “Let the circle of violence end with us.”

📜 Scripture – Romans 12:17 to 21 (NIV):

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge. I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink.' In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

🪞Reflection:

Jesus took all the violence of the world onto Himself and returned love. To follow Him is to do the same. You do not need to keep returning pain for pain. You can let the damage stop with you. That is not weakness. That is the power of the cross at work in you.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, give me strength to let the conflict end with me. Help me overcome evil with good. Teach me to walk in Your peace.

✅ Action Step:

Think of a situation where you are holding onto offense or hurt. Name it in prayer. Write down one peacemaking action you can take this week to end the cycle.

❓Questions to Consider:

Where are you tempted to retaliate or get even?

What would it mean to let the hurt stop with you?

📖 Day 2: People Are Gifts, Not Problems

💬 “People God puts in our lives are not obstacles but gifts.”

📜 Scripture – Colossians 3:12 to 14 (NIV):

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

🪞Reflection:

God uses people to shape you. That person who frustrates you or rubs you the wrong way might actually be His tool for forming your heart in Christlike love. Gratitude does not mean loving only the easy people. It means learning to see every person as a gift, even when it is not easy.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Father, help me see people as gifts, not as interruptions. Show me how to welcome even the hard relationships with love.

✅ Action Step:

Choose one person who has been difficult for you to love. Do one act of kindness or encouragement toward them this week.

❓Questions to Consider:

Who have you seen as a burden instead of a blessing?

What might God be forming in you through that person?

📖 Day 3: A Church That Cannot Be Ignored

💬 “Let’s not just attend church. Be a local church the world cannot ignore.”

📜 Scripture – John 13:34 to 35 (NIV):

"A new command I give you. Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

🪞Reflection:

Jesus did not say people will know us by our theology, our events, or our style. He said they will know us by our love. A church that forgives, serves, and welcomes with real grace is a church that cannot be ignored. That kind of love shows the world what Jesus is like.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, make me a part of a church that shines with Your love. Let our love for each other be a loud witness to Your goodness.

✅ Action Step:

Encourage someone in your church family this week. Write a note, bring a meal, or simply thank them for who they are.

❓Questions to Consider:

What would someone discover about Jesus by watching how your church loves?

How can you help make your church a place of grace?

📖 Day 4: The Ongoing Work of Humility

💬 “Recommit daily to humility. Teachability. Guard against spiritual pride.”

📜 Scripture – Philippians 2:3 to 4 (NIV):

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

🪞Reflection:

Pride says we have nothing to learn. Humility says there is always more room to grow. If you want to love like Jesus, you must stay soft toward God and others. True gratitude begins with recognizing we do not know it all and we cannot do it alone.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, give me a teachable spirit. Help me lay down my pride and follow You in humility today.

✅ Action Step:

Ask someone close to you what they think you could grow in spiritually. Listen without defending. Thank them for their honesty.

❓Questions to Consider:

Where have you stopped being teachable?

What would change in your life if you walked in deeper humility?

📖 Day 5: Love Is the Evidence

💬 “Love, church, it’s not just your duty. It is evidence.”

📜 Scripture – 1 John 4:11 to 12 (NIV):

"Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God. But if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

🪞Reflection:

Your love is not extra credit. It is the evidence that God is real and that He lives in you. When we love one another, we show the invisible God to a watching world. Our love is how people see Jesus at work in us.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

God, let my life be evidence of Your love. Let how I treat others speak louder than anything I say.

✅ Action Step:

Look back at your week. Where did you respond with love? Where did you withhold it? Ask God for grace to walk in love going forward.

❓Questions to Consider:

Where is your love most visible right now?

Where is God calling you to grow in love?

📖 5-Day Devotional: Gratitude Rooted in a Happy Future

🌧️ Day 1: Singing in the Rain

🗣 Quote:

“His song doesn’t come after the storm, it happens in the storm.”

📜 Scripture – Psalm 34:1–3 (NIV):

“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice.

Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.”

💭 Reflection:

True worship is not postponed until things are easy. In the Psalms and in our lives, gratitude often breaks through tears. To “sing in the rain” means choosing praise not because the storm is over, but because we trust the One who reigns above it.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, teach me to sing in the storm.

Give me the courage to praise You even when I am uncertain or overwhelmed.

Let my gratitude grow in the middle of what I do not yet understand.

✅ Action Step:

Write down one area of your life that feels stormy or uncertain. Then write a sentence of thanksgiving about who God is in the middle of it.

👑 Day 2: A Seeing Problem

🗣 Quote:

“When I am not able to give thanks, it is simply a seeing problem.”

📜 Scripture – 2 Kings 6:17 (NIV):

“And Elisha prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

💭 Reflection:

Gratitude is often blocked not by circumstances but by blindness. We see the clouds but not the army of grace surrounding us. Like Elisha’s servant, we need God to open our eyes, not to change the story but to see it truthfully.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, open my eyes to what You are doing.

Help me see beyond my fears or frustration and notice Your presence and provision all around me.

✅ Action Step:

Today, pause three times, morning, midday, and evening, to stop and list three things you see God doing, even if small.

⚖️ Day 3: Gratitude and Justice

🗣 Quote:

“God’s judgment means He will set things right.”

📜 Scripture – Psalm 96:11–13 (NIV):

“Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;

let the sea resound, and all that is in it.

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;

let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,

he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness

and the peoples in his faithfulness.”

💭 Reflection:

We do not often associate joy with judgment, but Scripture does. God’s judgment is not petty. It is healing. His justice makes all things new. We can give thanks because He sees everything, remembers everything, and will one day restore everything.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

God, thank You that You are just.

Where I see injustice and feel powerless, help me trust in Your timing and Your righteousness.

✅ Action Step:

Pray for one area of injustice in the world or in your own life. Ask God to bring healing and ask Him what part you can play.

✝️ Day 4: Gratitude in the Face of Death

🗣 Quote:

“Because He lives, death’s days are numbered.”

📜 Scripture – 1 Corinthians 15:54–57 (NIV):

“Then the saying that is written will come true:

‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’

‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

💭 Reflection:

Every loss hurts. But the resurrection of Jesus puts a clock on death itself. When we stand at a grave or face grief or fear, we do so not in despair but in anticipation. The grave is not the end. We give thanks, not because death disappears, but because Jesus defeated it.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, thank You for defeating death.

Give me hope today in the face of grief or uncertainty. Remind me that the resurrection rewrites every ending.

✅ Action Step:

Reach out to someone who is grieving, sick, or feeling forgotten. Send a message or prayer reminding them of the victory Jesus has won.

💡 Day 5: A Kingdom Perspective

🗣 Quote:

“We may live under dark skies now, but we belong to the kingdom of light.”

📜 Scripture – Colossians 1:12–14 (NIV):

“…giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

💭 Reflection:

Gratitude flows from identity. You may feel stuck, forgotten, frustrated, or exhausted, but your location in Christ has not changed. You belong to the kingdom of light. Gratitude does not deny the darkness; it simply refuses to be ruled by it.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Father, remind me that I belong to You.

Even when I feel overwhelmed, help me root my identity in the light of Your kingdom.

✅ Action Step:

Today, find one tangible way to act like a citizen of the kingdom of light. Serve someone, forgive someone, or encourage someone.

🙏 5-Day Devotional: Receiving Life as Gift

📅 Day 1: Seeing Life as Gift

✨ “Gratitude is receiving all of life as gift.”

📖 Scripture: 1 Corinthians 4:7 (NIV)

“For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”

💭 Reflection:

Gratitude begins by embracing a fundamental truth — everything we are and have has been received. This is a direct challenge to pride and entitlement. Paul’s question is both piercing and freeing. If all is gift, we are released from performance and freed into praise.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

God, help me see everything — my breath, my family, my gifts, my salvation — as a gift from You. Break the illusion of self-made strength and awaken humility in me.

✅ Action Step:

Write down five things today that you often take for granted. Speak aloud a simple “thank you” to God for each one.

❓ Questions to Consider:

What do I tend to treat as earned instead of received?

How would my attitude shift if I truly believed all of life is a gift?

📅 Day 2: Gratitude vs. Entitlement

✨ “Gratitude aligns us with what is true.”

📖 Scripture: Romans 1:21 (NIV)

“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

💭 Reflection:

Ingratitude isn’t neutral — it distorts our view of reality. When we withhold thanksgiving, we begin to live as though God doesn’t exist or isn’t good. But when we give thanks, our hearts align with truth, light, and clarity.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, rescue me from entitlement. Let my gratitude reflect the truth that You are God, You are good, and You are present.

✅ Action Step:

Pause three times today (morning, midday, and night) to thank God for something specific you notice in that moment.

❓ Questions to Consider:

How does a lack of gratitude affect my thoughts and emotions?

Where in my life do I need to realign with truth through thanksgiving?

📅 Day 3: The Gift of Lament

✨ “Gratitude that holds space for lament.”

📖 Scripture: Psalm 13:1–2, 5–6 (NIV)

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? … But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the Lord’s praise, for he has been good to me.”

💭 Reflection:

Gratitude is not denial. It doesn’t erase pain — it brings grace into the pain. The Psalms are filled with honest sorrow that ends in hopeful thanks. Even behind barbed wire or in the middle of despair, we can learn to say, “You have been good to me.”

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, thank You for welcoming my laments. Show me how to trust You with my pain and still find reasons to thank You today.

✅ Action Step:

Write a short lament to God — something real, raw, and unresolved. Then write a line of thanks at the bottom. Let both stand together.

❓ Questions to Consider:

Do I believe I can bring my sorrow and my gratitude to God at the same time?

What is one area of pain where God might be working, even if I can’t see it yet?

📅 Day 4: Gratitude Makes Us Generous

✨ “Gratitude doesn’t pay back — it joins in.”

📖 Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:17–18 (NIV)

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth... but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

💭 Reflection:

Gratitude frees us from hoarding. When we recognize everything as gift, we don’t cling — we give. Gratitude and generosity grow from the same soil. We don’t give to repay God. We give because God is generous, and we’ve stepped into His abundance.

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Father, You have given me more than I see. Teach me to be open-handed. Let my thanksgiving overflow into generosity toward others.

✅ Action Step:

Practice generosity today. Share something — your time, your money, your attention — with someone who needs it, as a response of gratitude.

❓ Questions to Consider:

How does gratitude fuel generosity in my life?

Where can I release control and share joyfully?

📅 Day 5: Gratitude in Suffering

✨ “Gratitude that trusts God’s generosity even in suffering.”

📖 Scripture: Romans 8:32 (NIV)

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

💭 Reflection:

The ultimate reason for gratitude is the cross. If God has already given us His Son, then we can trust Him with everything else — even when life is hard. Gratitude in suffering does not mean we say “this is good,” but that we say “God is good in the middle of this.”

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, thank You for not holding back even Yourself. Remind me of Your generosity in my struggles. Help me trust that You will graciously give me what I need.

✅ Action Step:

Recall a past season of suffering. What good came from it? Share that story with someone today as a testimony of grace.

❓ Questions to Consider:

Can I trust God’s goodness even when I don’t feel it?

How does the gift of Jesus change how I see my pain?

📖 5-Day Devotional

Based on 2 Corinthians 5:16–21 (NIV)

Sermon Title: How Can They Believe Without Experiencing New Creation

Themes: New Creation... Reconciliation... BLESS... Living as Ambassadors for Christ

Day 1: Perceiving New Creation

Quote

“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.”

Scripture (NIV)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:17

Reflection

God is not just giving you a new path... He is making you a new person. To be “in Christ” is to live in the reality of resurrection, to see the world differently, and to live in the already-but-not-yet hope of God's kingdom. The old identity rooted in performance, shame, and fear is gone. New creation has come... now we are invited to learn how to walk in it.

Prayer Prompt

Lord, open my eyes to see myself and others as new creations in Christ. Help me let go of the old and live into the new.

Action Step

Name one area in your life where you're still living out of old patterns. Surrender it to Jesus in prayer today and ask Him to renew your mind.

Questions

What does new creation mean in your everyday life?

Where are you still clinging to old perspectives, habits, or shame?

Day 2: Reconciled and Sent

Quote

“Reconciliation doesn’t begin with our effort or virtue. What does it begin with? God’s initiative.”

Scripture (NIV)

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:18

Reflection

Reconciliation is not something we manufacture... it is something we receive. God moved toward us before we ever turned toward Him. He didn’t wait for an apology. He came with grace. And now, He calls us to carry that same spirit into our relationships. We don’t just proclaim reconciliation... we participate in it.

Prayer Prompt

Father, thank You for reconciling me through Jesus. Help me reflect Your heart to others who are hurting, angry, or far away.

Action Step

Reach out to someone you’ve been distant from. Ask how they’re doing. If needed, take a step toward reconciliation.

Questions

How does it change your perspective to know that God pursued you first?

What relationships in your life might be ready for healing?

Day 3: Seeing with Resurrection Eyes

Quote

“So seeing with resurrection eyes means our imagination shifts from cynicism to hope, from scarcity to abundance, from self-protection to self-giving love.”

Scripture (NIV)

“So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:16

Reflection

The world tells us to judge others by status, behavior, or politics. But Paul calls us to view others through the lens of Christ... through the lens of new creation. We are called to see neighbors not as enemies but as image bearers. We see not what is wrong with people but what God might be redeeming in them. This vision changes everything.

Prayer Prompt

Jesus, give me resurrection eyes. Help me see others the way You see them... full of dignity, potential, and purpose.

Action Step

Think of someone difficult to love. Pray for them by name. Ask God to show you how He sees them.

Questions

What worldly filters affect how you see others?

How would your relationships shift if you saw everyone as a person God deeply loves?

Day 4: Ambassadors of a New Kingdom

Quote

“We become the demonstration that new creation has already begun.”

Scripture (NIV)

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:20

Reflection

You are not just saved... you are sent. An ambassador does not speak on their own behalf. They represent the heart, values, and mission of their homeland. We are ambassadors of heaven, living in the middle of a broken world. As we forgive, serve, and bless, we become living evidence that God's kingdom is breaking in.

Prayer Prompt

God, help me live as Your ambassador. Let my life reflect Your mercy, justice, and grace to the people around me.

Action Step

Choose one way to represent the kingdom of God today: serve a neighbor, show radical patience, or extend forgiveness.

Questions

What does it mean to be God’s representative in your daily life?

Where is God inviting you to be a living witness of His kingdom?

Day 5: Practicing BLESS

Quote

“This isn’t just doing good works. You’re living out resurrection reality in real time.”

Scripture (NIV)

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

– 2 Corinthians 5:21

Reflection

We live in a world shaped by noise, distraction, and division. But God invites us to live differently... to practice resurrection in everyday life. One way to do this is through the BLESS rhythm, a practical and relational way to live as a witness of new creation.

Here’s what each part of BLESS means:

Be praying — Begin each day asking God to open your eyes to the people He has placed around you. Stay prayerfully aware of how He may want to use you.

Listen — Slow down and truly listen to others. Pay attention to their stories, fears, hopes, and needs. Listening builds trust and reveals opportunities for connection.

Eat — Share meals or coffee with others. Around the table, barriers come down and friendships form. This was one of Jesus’ most common ways of doing ministry.

Serve — Look for tangible ways to meet needs. Acts of love and service embody the gospel and reflect the heart of Jesus.

Story — Share the story of what Jesus has done in your life. You don’t need a perfect testimony... just offer moments of grace, comfort, or transformation you’ve experienced.

These practices help us carry resurrection life into our homes, neighborhoods, and everyday relationships.

Prayer Prompt

Lord, help me live the BLESS rhythm today. Let my habits reflect the new life You have given me through Christ. Make me attentive, compassionate, and bold.

Action Step

Choose one part of the BLESS rhythm to practice this week. Maybe pray for a neighbor, invite someone to coffee, serve a friend in need, or share a story of how God has helped you.

Questions

Which part of the BLESS rhythm comes naturally to you?

Which one feels most challenging?

How could your neighborhood or workplace be transformed if you lived this way more consistently?

📖 5-Day Devotional: How Can They Believe Unless They See?

Rooted in John 13, 1 John 3, Philippians 2, Colossians 3, Acts 2, and Revelation 21

Gulf Coast Community Church

Day 1: Show and Tell

📝 “The demonstration of the truth of the gospel lived out in our lives is not a replacement of the proclamation. It’s the show-and-tell.”

Scripture: Romans 10:14–15 (NIV)

"How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.'"

Reflection:

The gospel must be spoken. Our lives should reflect it, but our mouths must proclaim it. Living faithfully is not a substitute for speaking boldly. God uses both to make Jesus known.

Prayer Prompt:

Lord, make me bold to speak Your gospel and humble to live it. Let my life and lips work together to glorify You.

Action Step:

Find one opportunity today to speak the name of Jesus aloud. It could be as simple as mentioning His goodness or sharing your story.

Questions:

Am I more comfortable living the gospel than proclaiming it?

Who in my life needs to hear, not just see, the gospel?

Day 2: Love That Makes It Real

📝 “Love is the credential that makes our proclamation of the gospel of Christ credible.”

Scripture: John 13:34–35 (NIV)

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Reflection:

Our love authenticates our message. People may not believe what we say, but they will notice how we love. When believers love one another deeply, the world begins to pay attention.

Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, help me love my brothers and sisters in ways that reflect You. Let my love confirm the truth of what I believe.

Action Step:

Encourage, forgive, or serve someone in your church today. Make love visible.

Questions:

Who needs your love right now in the body of Christ?

How has someone’s love helped you believe the gospel more deeply?

Day 3: Cross-Shaped Love

📝 “The love that testifies to the kingdom of Jesus is cruciform. It’s cross-shaped.”

Scripture: 1 John 3:16–18 (NIV)

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

Reflection:

True gospel love does not come from sentiment. It comes from sacrifice. This kind of love is uncomfortable, inconvenient, and often costly. But it reflects the way of Jesus.

Prayer Prompt:

Father, teach me to love sacrificially. Make my life a reflection of Your Son who laid everything down for me.

Action Step:

Give something up for someone else today. It might be time, money, attention, or convenience.

Questions:

When has someone’s sacrifice shown you the love of Christ?

What does it look like for your love to be cross-shaped?

Day 4: United for the World to See

📝 “Our unity shows what our words proclaim. What our words claim, our unity shows.”

Scripture: John 17:20–21 (NIV)

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me."

Reflection:

Jesus prayed for unity. Not just to keep us close, but so the world would believe. Division in the church weakens our message. Unity, rooted in the love of Christ, makes the gospel visible.

Prayer Prompt:

Lord, help me be a peacemaker. Heal divisions and strengthen bonds in Your church. Let our unity point others to You.

Action Step:

Make peace with someone today. Initiate a conversation, offer forgiveness, or check in with someone you've grown distant from.

Questions:

What does unity look like in your community?

How is unity essential for our witness to the world?

Day 5: A Foretaste of the Kingdom

📝 “When we love like this, we testify to a future where God is now and then and forever making us new.”

Scripture: Revelation 21:3–5 (NIV)

"And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!' Then he said, 'Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.'"

Reflection:

Our love today points forward to what God is doing forever. Every tear we wipe, every burden we carry, every act of mercy becomes a preview of the day when God will make all things new.

Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, let my love offer a glimpse of heaven. Use me to reflect the healing, peace, and restoration You promise.

Action Step:

Visit someone who is suffering. Show up, listen, pray, and love them as a foretaste of the kingdom to come.

Questions:

How can your group or family be a preview of God’s restoration?

Who in your life needs to experience the newness of God through your presence?

📖 5-Day Devotional

How Can They Believe?

(Romans 10:14–15, Revelation 1:5)

“If we cannot believe unless we hear, then what we hear will determine what we can believe.”

Each day walks through one facet of the full gospel: the crucified, resurrected, and reigning King - the message that must be heard so the world can believe.

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🌿 Day 1: The Message They Must Hear

📖 Scripture – Romans 10:14–15 (NIV)

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?

And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?

And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?

As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

💬 Quote:

“Only if they hear about Him can they see Him with the eyes of faith.”

🪞 Reflection:

Our faith hinges on hearing. And what we hear shapes what we can believe. That means we have a responsibility — not to argue, but to tell the whole story: of the crucified, resurrected, and reigning King.

❓ Questions to Consider:

• Have you limited your view of the gospel to one part of the story (e.g. only forgiveness, not lordship)?

• Who in your life may not have heard the full gospel of Jesus?

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, open my ears to Your whole gospel. Let me not settle for a thin faith. Help me speak clearly and live courageously in a way that helps others believe.

✅ Action Step:

Write out your own 1–2 sentence version of the gospel using the three words: crucified, resurrected, reigning. Let it shape a conversation this week.

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✝️ Day 2: The Crucified King

📖 Scripture – 1 Corinthians 2:1–3 (NIV)

“And so it was with me, brothers and sisters.

When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.

For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.”

💬 Quote:

“Peter wanted a crown without a cross. Jesus insisted that the cross is the way that the crown comes.”

🪞 Reflection:

The world demands strength and power, but Jesus chose weakness and suffering. He conquered not by domination but by sacrificial love. That’s our King. And that’s our call.

❓ Questions to Consider:

• Where in your life are you tempted to seek power rather than humility?

• How might you reign with Christ by laying your life down?

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Lord, forgive me for reaching for the world's crown without embracing Your cross. Help me reign by serving. Shape me by the pattern of Jesus, the crucified King.

✅ Action Step:

Choose one way to “take up your cross” today. Maybe by forgiving, serving, or surrendering your will to someone else's need.

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🌅 Day 3: The Resurrected King

📖 Scripture – Acts 2:32–36 (NIV)

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.

Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.

For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

💬 Quote:

“Our salvation is surer than death itself.”

🪞 Reflection:

The resurrection is not a one-day-a-year doctrine, it's the daily power that reminds us we are more than conquerors through Christ. Not even death can stop the gospel. That’s the foundation of real hope.

❓ Questions to Consider:

• How often do you live as if resurrection is real, today?

• Where do you need to replace fear with resurrection hope?

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Jesus, You are alive. You conquered death, and You’ve given me new life. Let that truth sink deep today — and let resurrection reshape my fears, decisions, and dreams.

✅ Action Step:

Share with someone today, even briefly, how Jesus’ resurrection gives you hope in your specific circumstances.

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👑 Day 4: The Reigning King

📖 Scripture – Ephesians 1:20–22 (NIV)

“He exerted [this power] when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church…”

💬 Quote:

“Jesus reigns at the right hand of God over everything, not one day, today.”

🪞 Reflection:

Jesus isn’t waiting for authority, He already has it. His kingdom is breaking in now through the obedience of His people. When we walk in His ways, we become agents of restoration.

❓ Questions to Consider:

• In what areas of your life are you living as if Jesus isn’t in charge?

• What might it look like to live under His reign today?

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

King Jesus, You reign now. Help me submit every area of my life to You - my fears, my time, my relationships. Use me to bring Your restoration wherever I go.

✅ Action Step:

Practice “kingdom obedience” today by choosing to obey Jesus in one area you’ve been resisting - generosity, gentleness, confession, or courage.

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🕊️ Day 5: Gossiping the Gospel

📖 Scripture – Colossians 1:19–20 (NIV)

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,

and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,

by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

💬 Quote:

“The world needs to hear the whole story - the gospel of the crucified King, the resurrected King, and the reigning King.”

🪞 Reflection:

You don’t have to preach a sermon to share the gospel. You just need to gossip the good news - quietly, naturally, honestly — in conversations, in grief, in joy. People are listening for a better story. Tell them the true one.

❓ Questions to Consider:

• What’s one “entry point” in your conversations where you could mention Jesus naturally?

• Who in your life might be waiting for someone to share this kind of hope?

🙏 Prayer Prompt:

Holy Spirit, give me open eyes, open ears, and an open mouth. Let me listen with compassion and speak with clarity. Show me when to speak the gospel story, and how.

✅ Action Step:

Pray for one specific person today who needs to hear good news. Look for an opportunity this week to “gossip the gospel” to them with love and humility.