July 17 – 24, 2026

GOD IS NEVER DEFEATED

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

One day in the mall, a guy ran up to us and stopped, pointing to my shirt and saying excitedly, “I like your shirt!” I used to just say, “Thanks,” and walk on. But God’s not lighting us up for a compliment.He’s always looking to advance His Kingdom. God was up to something! The guy told us he stopped us because he saw a bright light all around us. A great opening to talk about the Lord! After a while, we asked, “Can we pray for you right now?” He lifted his hands and after we prayed for him to accept the Lord, he left with his hands still raised up, jumping up and down, and loudly praising God!

God is drawing people to you and to me. We are the “all people” He was talking about in Joel 2:28.Because He lives in us, we need to be like a motion sensor light. When it starts getting dark around a motion sensor, it looks for motion to activate the light. We need to be looking for motion, too, so that when the Holy Spirit moves, we are instantly activated. We shine bright for the Kingdom everywhere we go!

When someone stops you, “I like your shirt,” and starts telling you their problems, remember God’s wordto me: “I will pour out my Spirit upon YOU.” Your motion sensor is working: “Ooh, I just felt the Holy Spirit move!” What now? Do what we’ve learned to do! Relax, listen as God opens the door, and use the Seven Simple Words, “Can I pray for you right now?”

Don’t worry about praying right or wrong. Remember that Jesus is IN you. He loves your obedience. God WANTS to do something through you. He won’t leave you hanging. Why? Because no matter what’s happening in people’s lives, God wants to show them through YOU that it’s not over. He’s not done! God is NOT defeated!

Take the plunge! Jesus loves and honors your obedience. You can count on God’s promises. And YOU will be jumping up and down and praising God, too, when you experience what He does through you!

 

This is an excerpt from a 90-day devotional written by Emil and Karen. To order the full devotional, click on the TO ORDER DEVOTIONAL page.