Daily Readings at Southeast

 Scripture: Exodus 11 Exodus 12 Exodus 13

 Scripture: Exodus 8 Exodus 9 Exodus 10

 Scripture: Exodus 5 Exodus 6 Exodus 7

 Scripture: Exodus 2 Exodus 3 Exodus 4

  Introduction to Exodus The book of Exodus picks up right where Genesis left off. Years have passed since Joseph brought his family to Egypt to escape the great famine, and a new Pharaoh has come to power—one who doesn't remember Joseph or the great things he did for the nation. The Israelites, now numbering an estimated two million people, have been forced into slavery. Fearing their growing numbers, Pharaoh decrees that all Israelite baby boys be killed. One Israelite woman from the tribe of Levi hides her baby for three months, then places him in a basket among the reeds along the Nile. This child is Moses, and he's discovered and raised by Pharaoh's own daughter. When Moses grows up and witnesses the oppression of his people, he tries to solve the problem his own way—but a man dies, and Moses flees. God then steps in and solves the problem in His own perfect way, giving us some of the greatest miracles recorded in Scripture: God speaking through a burning bush and the ...

 Scripture: Genesis 46 Genesis 47 Genesis 48 Genesis 49 Genesis 50

 Scripture: Genesis 43 Genesis 44 Genesis 45

  Scripture: Genesis 41 Genesis 42

  Scripture: Genesis 37 Genesis 38 Genesis 39 Genesis 40

  Scripture: Genesis 33 Genesis 34 Genesis 35 Genesis 36

  Scripture: Genesis 29 Genesis 30 Genesis 31 Genesis 32

 Scripture: Genesis 25 Genesis 26 Genesis 27 Genesis 28

 Scripture: Genesis 21 Genesis 22 Genesis 23 Genesis 24

 Scripture: Genesis 17 Genesis 18 Genesis 19 Genesis 20

 Scripture: Genesis 12 Genesis 13 Genesis 14 Genesis 15 Genesis 16

 Scripture: Genesis 8 Genesis 9 Genesis 10 Genesis 11

  Scripture: Genesis 4 Scripture: Genesis 5 Scripture: Genesis 6 Scripture: Genesis 7

Scripture: Genesis 2 Scripture: Genesis 3

  Introduction to Genesis If you want to understand the Bible, you must understand the book of Genesis. It is the very foundation of the Christian faith because everything starts here—creation, sin, God's plan of redemption, marriage, family, and government all begin in these pages. Genesis contains 50 chapters and spans approximately 2,285 years of history—more than half of the timeline covered in the entire Bible. It was originally written in Hebrew, and its Hebrew title is Bereshith, meaning "in the beginning." Around 250 BC, when the book was translated into Greek, it was given the name Genesis, meaning history, origin, or genealogy. Moses, the great prophet who led Israel out of slavery, wrote Genesis along with the other four books of the Law. He wrote specifically for the people of Israel, sharing their history and the promises God made to their ancestors. We don't know the exact date it was written, but most scholars place the Exodus somewhere between 1445 and...

  Introduction to the Books of the Law The first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy—form a foundational section known as the Books of the Law. All five were written by Moses, with the exception of the final verses of Deuteronomy, which document Moses' death and were likely written by Joshua. While scholars debate the exact dates, most believe Moses lived sometime between 1600 and 1200 BC, placing the writing of these books within that timeframe. As you study the Old Testament, you'll encounter other names for this collection. The Hebrew term is Torah, meaning "teachings," and these books form the basis of all Jewish law and practice. In the Hebrew Bible (called the Tanakh), the Torah is the first of three sections. You may also hear the Greek term Pentateuch—"penta" meaning five and "teuch" coming from the word for scroll—simply referring to these five scrolls. Sometimes they're called the Books of Mose...

  Introduction to the Old Testament As you begin reading through the Old Testament, it helps to understand how this remarkable collection of writings fits together. The Bible isn't arranged in chronological order, which can make things confusing at first. Instead, the books are grouped into sections: the Books of the Law, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and the Prophets. Understanding this structure—and when events actually occurred—will help you follow the stories, appreciate the struggles of God's people, and recognize the blessings they received along the way. The Old Testament covers approximately 4,000 years of history, yet it was written over about 1,400 years by 27 different authors. These 39 books were originally recorded on surfaces including stone, wood, clay, papyrus, leather, and animal skins before eventually being written on paper. Here's a brief overview of how the Old Testament unfolds: The story begins with Creation in Genesis, a lengthy book spanning ...

  Your Breakthrough Year Life changes when we embrace a new truth. When I was living the same year twice, I believed God had forgotten about me. I thought I was a lost cause. Growing up in poverty, I convinced myself I would probably always stay there. That was my mindset—until I got into the Living Word of God and realized each year is meant to get better. Each year is meant for growth, for expanding our horizons, experiencing new things, and increasing our faith. No year is meant to be exactly the same. If it is, we’re not growing. Through the Word, I learned that God wants me to prosper. He desires for me to grow, to have hope, and to look forward to my future. He didn’t want me stuck in fear or weighed down by inadequacies. He didn’t want me trapped in my old high school bedroom, depressed and feeling alone. God wants us to prosper, to thrive, and to walk in hope and purpose. The truth, then and now, remains: we are meant to prosper. We are meant to go from glory to glory. We a...

  Get Off Your Plan: Beyond Your Comfort Zone One day, months and months after pouring my heart into my ministry, we went through some serious financial hardships. I kept trying, praying that things would turn around for us. After years of real struggle, I had a moment of clarity: if I didn’t do something different, nothing would change. I realized I had been waiting for the season to change, not recognizing that God was waiting for me to get on board with His new plan. I was terrified to try anything new because the old way of doing ministry had worked in the past. But I learned that many of our stuck seasons come from being stuck on our plan—our timeline, our expectations, our ideas of how things should happen. My resistance to change limited my vision for growth and held back our ministry for years. When I finally let go of my plan and embraced the one God had revealed, I knew it was time to step into something new. With fear and trembling, I sat down and began implementing a ne...

  A Willing Heart: Saying Yes to God’s Call When God calls us, it can come as an idea, a nudge, or even a deep pull on our hearts. We know that God knew us before we were born, and that we have an inheritance in Jesus Christ—to have life and to live it more abundantly. And when I think of an abundant life, it doesn’t sound stuck, depressed, or defeated—it sounds full, joyful, and purposeful. Not living the same year twice means embracing God’s call to abundance for you. That call may look different for everyone. It could be starting a new job, trying a new hobby, pursuing a God-given idea, or stepping into a dream you’ve been hesitant to chase. God calls all of us to abundance, but it starts with a willing heart—a heart ready to say yes to Him. We see this in Esther in the Bible. She answered the call to become queen and to save her people. What set her apart wasn’t perfection or readiness—it was her willingness to embrace God’s plan. Don’t shut yourself off from the abundant life ...

  Walking in Purpose When You Still Feel Unqualified I love the vibe of a new year—energy, goals, hope, and Jesus. But even though it’s a new year, we often bring along our insecurities, doubts, past experiences, and beliefs, both good and bad. Just because the calendar changes doesn’t mean our feelings automatically do. Even while walking in your vision or purpose, you may still feel unqualified. I’ve been in ministry for eight years and written hundreds of devotionals, and I still sometimes feel unqualified to do this. But your feelings of inadequacy don’t have to stop you, hold you back, or limit what God has called you to do. Stopping the cycle of living the same year twice means showing up even when you don’t feel ready. It’s making the call, sending the email, applying for the job, writing the book—all while thinking, “I’m not quite ready.” That’s exactly when you need to do it. Moses didn’t feel qualified for his calling, either. Walking in purpose and vision requires trusti...