Romans – Teach What is Good

Submitting to Authorities and Making No Provision for the Flesh – Romans 13 – 2026 Day 33

Published on January 29, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 2, Romans 13

Personally, I don’t often struggle with obeying America’s government authorities. I agree that I should obey the speed limit and make a complete stop at a stop sign. I agree that I shouldn’t steal or murder or lie in court.

My government allows me to freely worship and to teach my children all the ins and outs of our Christian faith. When I was a homeschooling parent, my state’s laws allowed me the freedom to choose any curriculum I believed to be appropriate for my children, and now as a director for a local LifeWise program, I’m honored to be able to help public school children learn the Bible even during hours with parental permission.

But what would I do if I lived in a nation that forbade such practices?

What if my country regulated what pastors were allowed to say from the pulpit?
What if my country said I wasn’t allowed to teach my children the Bible or take them to church?
What if my country banned prayer altogether, even a child’s silent prayer before eating lunch or taking a test?
What if my nation wouldn’t allow me to choose a private Christian school or a Christian homeschooling curriculum?
What if my government banned homeschooling altogether?
When would I say, “I must obey God rather than men,” (Acts 5:29) and refuse to submit to the government’s orders?

Many of our brothers and sisters in other nations are currently wrestling with these issues, and I’m afraid many of these issues are on the horizon for us as well. Please join me in prayer.

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the freedom that we in America have enjoyed for hundreds of years, the freedom to worship You in spirit and in truth, the freedom to teach our children the Word with passion and conviction. I pray that we would make the most of this freedom while we have it. I pray that we would not give up meeting together, and that we would teach our children diligently, verse by verse and precept upon precept. I pray for our brothers and sisters in other nations who do not enjoy these freedoms. I pray that You would give them wisdom about when to submit and when to refuse. Help them to have genuine love for their enemies and to overcome evil with good. Help them to remember that Your Word is their most powerful weapon. Please, Father, fight their battles for them and shelter them under Your wings. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Romans 13:8-14 ESV

What do I think about night after night, day after day? Am I thinking about loving and obeying God or loving and obeying my own fleshly lusts?

Before coming to faith in Christ, sexual immorality was a normal part of my life, but by God’s grace those chains have been broken. But what about quarrelling and jealousy? What about selfishness and gluttony? What about laziness and pride?

Am I putting on Jesus Christ every morning, clothing myself with His righteousness? Or am I still walking in the lusts of my flesh?

Am I loving the Lord by loving my neighbor? Or do I simply “love me some ME“?

Again, the Word brings conviction and forces me to ask hard questions about how I’m living and where my treasure and pleasure are found – in Christ or in created things, in the Word or in the World?

Heavenly Father, You are my greatest treasure. Your Word is both convicting and comforting. I need Your help to live a pure, holy life. Please speak deep into my heart, that I would live for You and not for me, that I would follow You rather than my flesh. I know that Your ways are good and good for me. Please help me to trust You moment by moment and walk in the obedience of faith. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior. Amen.

Found It in Jesus – Stephen McWhirter and Matt Maher

Overcoming Evil with Good – Romans 12 – 2026 Day 32

Published on January 28, 2026January 29, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Psalm 1, Romans 12

“Let love be genuine.

Abhor what is evil;

hold fast to what is good.’

Romans 12:9

I love Romans 12. It’s so full of practical wisdom. I’d love to memorize all 21 verses in order, so I could remind myself of every ounce of it every time I needed it.

First, I need to be reminded that my body is a living sacrifice for God, that I might walk daily in the holy obedience of faith.

Second, I need to be reminded not to think of myself too highly, but to remember that my faith is a good gift from God, that I might serve Him by serving others in my teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and serving.

And then, I need to be reminded that my love must be genuine and sincere, free from hypocrisy, that I would hate what is evil and cling to what is good. This reminds me of 1 Corinthians 13:6, Love “does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.” Our culture says that we should applaud others’ choices, no matter what they are, but our Lord says that genuine love HATES evil and LOVES good.

And finally, I need to be reminded how to treat those enemies that genuine love will make, that I am not to repay wrong with wrong, but to overcome evil with good.

Light and love are our secret weapons in the fight against the evil one
and those in his grasp.

Vengeance belongs to the Lord, not us. We are His servants, called to put on the full armor of God, to resist the devil and fight the good fight of faith. Let’s pray.

Heavenly Father, please help us to remember that we are Your soldiers, Your workmanship, Your children, Your servants, that we are in a battle between good and evil. Let us fight this battle well, with the sword of the spirit ready in our minds, mouths, and hands, overcoming evil with good by Your power at work in us. Let us not grow weary of doing good, knowing that at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not lose heart. In the Almighty and Good name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

Belong to You – Stephen McWhirter

As It is Written – Romans 11 – 2026 Day 31

Published on January 27, 2026January 26, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 31, Romans 11

I hope that when you’re reading Romans you have noticed how often Paul references the Old Testament – Habakkuk, Hosea, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Genesis, Malachi, 1 Kings, Psalms, and more. For as much as you might love the book of Romans (and Acts, Luke, Philippians, 1 Peter … and the list goes on and on!), let’s not limit ourselves to reading the New Testament.

Remember 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,” and 2 Peter 1:21, “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” Let’s be faithful to Psalm 119:11 and store up God’s word in our hearts, that we might not sin against the Lord.

I hope you’ll stick with us and Read through the WHOLE Bible in 2 Years. After we finish Romans, we will be back in the Old Testament mining for nuggets of gold.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for giving us Your living and active word. May it pierce our hearts, bringing conviction and wisdom and encouragement to each of us. Guide us. Feed us. Speak to us. Draw us to know You more that we would love You more. Amen.

Word of God Speak – Mercy Me

A Child of Promise – Romans 9 – 2026 Day 29

Published on January 25, 2026January 26, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 29, Romans 9

In July of 1998, I found out I was pregnant with my second child. Our first daughter was two years old, and I was overjoyed that we were expecting again. Unfortunately, during a routine 12-week ultrasound, we discovered that our unborn son had a bladder obstruction. His bladder was as big as his head. This wasn’t good.

On September 10, the doctors attempted an in-utero procedure to place a stent to drain Tommy’s bladder into the amniotic sac, but the procedure was unsuccessful and four days later we found out that he had passed away in my womb.

When we first learned that Tommy had an obstructed bladder, I prayed for God to either heal him completely or take him quickly, but after losing him, I would have given anything for one more month or even one more day. I wanted to feel him move again in my empty womb anf see my belly grow big and round and full with him. I would have loved for him to grow big enough for me to bathe him and take his little handprints, even if I had had to do those things after he had died.

Friends, there is no better way or better time to lose your child. You are never ready for it. It all hurts.

But this devastating experience grew my faith exponentially. I leaned into the Lord and His Word like never before. I began praying and reading the Bible in earnest, and I learned to trust God like never before.

I ended up founding an online ministry and writing a book called A Child of Promise – part story, part Bible Study, part journal – for other moms and dads who found themselves in the position of carrying an unborn baby with a poor or fatal prognosis.

God used this pain not only for my own good, but also for the good of other hurting families. Like our reading in Romans 9, God is the trustworthy potter in each of our lives. He has mercy on those He wills, and He hardens those whom He wills. And all I can say is that I’m thankful for His sovereign, merciful hand that shaped both me and my son.

Heavenly Father, I know that You are good. I know that You are sovereign over heaven and earth. I trust You even when it’s hard. I pray for my hurting sisters. I pray that You will encourage them and fill them with Your supernatural peace that surpasses understanding. Be their calm in the storm. Hold their hand as they walk through the fire, and carry them when they can’t take one more step. I pray that Your Word would be a light to their feet and a light to their paths, pointing them straight to You. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

I Know – Big Daddy Weave

Hope and The Groanings of Childbirth – Romans 7-8 – 2026 Day 28

Published on January 24, 2026January 23, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 28, Romans 7-8

Giving birth to my stillborn son, Tommy, was a completely different experience than giving birth to my living children, not merely because the physical pain was less, but largely because there was no expectation of joy to come.

It’s hard to watch a mother in obvious pain as she groans and struggles in the pains of labor and childbirth, but the pain she’s experiencing is not without hope. That mother has hope during her pain because she knows that in the end she will hold a precious little bundle of love in her arms.

A few years ago I saw this definition of hope penned on a dry erase board in a friend’s kitchen. “Hope – expectancy with desire.”

Expectation without desire is mere drudgery.
Desire without expectation is just wishful thinking.

Expectation, combined with desire, puts fuel in our tanks and joy in our hearts. Hope enables us to keep pushing forward through the pain.

Dear sisters, hope is found in Christ. He is infinitely more exciting, and infinitely more certain, than any pot of gold you may be wishing for. All of creation is groaning today, but by faith in Christ, everlasting joy is coming. In this world we do indeed have trouble but we can take heart because Jesus has overcome the world. He has triumphed over sin and death. If the Spirit of God dwells in you, then you can be fully convinced that you will be raised from the dead, just as Christ was. This is our sure confidence and hope.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I’ll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothèd then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for the HOPE I have in Jesus, Your Son and my Savior. Lord Jesus, I’m looking forward to Your return with eager expectation and desire. In the meantime, may Your abundant mercy and grace bind my wandering heart to Thee. Amen.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Chris Rice

Who Is Reigning on the Throne of my Heart? – Romans 6 – 2026 Day 27

Published on January 23, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 26-27, Romans 6

Reading through this chapter, I began asking myself a few questions. Maybe you’d like to ask them of yourself, too.

Who is sitting on the throne of my heart?
- Jesus?
- Me?
- The world?
- The devil?
Who is reigning over my life?
- Jesus?
- Me?
- The world?
- The devil?
When faced with a decision, who am I trying to obey?
- Jesus?
- Me?
- The world?
- The devil?
Who is my true Master?
- Jesus?
- Me?
- The world?
- The devil?

Father, I want to obey You because You are a Good King and a Good Master. You want for my good and not for my harm. Help me to listen to Your Word and Your voice, and help me to trust You and obey. I want to be Your obedient lamb. In the Name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

King of my Heart / Goodness of God – Caleb & Kelsey

From Death to Life. – Romans 5-8 – 2026 Day 26

Published on January 22, 2026January 17, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Romans 5-8

It’s so beautiful to read these four chapters (Romans 5-8) all at once. Feel the excitement building. Try listening to these four chapters together while you’re exercising or cooking or driving or cleaning your home. Only 21 minutes!

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!

How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin.

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:20-6:11 ESV

Did you notice how many times the words dead, death, and died appeared in these 13 verses?

I once was dead in my sins, but now that person has died, and I’ve been born anew! Praise God! I’ve been given new life, eternal life, in Christ. It’s crazy how ALIVE I feel now – and how dead I once felt, but I didn’t even know it. I once feared death, but now I look forward with confidence and certainty to eternal life with Jesus.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for taking what once was DEAD and making it ALIVE. I wasn’t just sick, Father. I was dead. I was among the walking dead. I didn’t just need healing. I needed revival. I needed to be born again. Thank You for Your mercy and grace, for bringing me from death to life. Thank You for sending Your own son to DIE in my place. It’s in His Name that I pray. Amen.

Saved my Soul – City Alight

Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.

✓ Subscribed

Click here for more information about my Read Through the Bible in Two Years plan.

If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.

Please like and share.

Are you Fully Convinced? – Romans 4 – 2026 Day 25

Published on January 21, 2026January 17, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 25, Romans 4

Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness
Romans 4:4-5 ESV

The way I see it, most people around the world today are living in one of two ways:

Either they are trying to reach God by being really good …
Or, they aren’t trying to reach God at all because they just don’t believe or don’t care.

Well, what if both of those groups are wrong?

What if the truth is that God came to us, reached down to us, and the only way to find Him is by following the path of trust, not the path of trying harder?

Certainly, God wants His children to “work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23) But that hard work is the result of our salvation – rather than the way to salvation. Our good works are the fruit of our rebirth – rather than the means to it. Let’s put things in their proper order.

Like Ephesians 2:8-10 says, it is “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

God is the perfect giver
and salvation is the perfect gift

[Abraham] did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Romans 4:19-21 ESV

Don’t you just love that two-word phrase, “fully convinced”? I do.

It made me wonder, “What am I fully convinced of? What am I really ‘certain-sure’ about?”

Am I fully convinced that Jesus died on a cross in Jerusalem 2000 years ago, was buried in an empty tomb, and rose from the dead three days later?
Am I fully convinced that the Bible is the inspired word of God Himself and that it has full authority over my life?
Am I fully convinced that God is the eternal, Almighty Creator of the universe and that He will one day judge the living and the dead for how they spent their time on earth?
Is my faith just the “blow out the candles on my birthday cake” wish of a fool, or is it based on the solid, trustworthy, unchanging wisdom of the Lord and His Word?

I hope you’ll take some time today to ponder these questions, and that no matter the size of your faith – whether it’s as small as a mustard seed or as big as an elephant – it will be rooted deep into the bedrock of the Lord who holds you fast.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for all of Your many, many gifts: the gift of faith, the gift of salvation, the gift of Your Holy Spirit, the gift of forgiveness, the gift of new life and fresh hope and eternal peace. You are the perfect giver. I pray that I would have a heart of humble gratitude, receiving these gifts with thanksgiving. I pray that You would use me to share these gifts to the four corners of the world, for the glory of Your Name and the good of my fellow man. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Standing on the Promises

He Will Hold Me Fast – Selah

Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.

✓ Subscribed

Click here for more information about my Read Through the Bible in Two Years plan.

If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.

Please like and share.

None are Righteous – No, Not One – Romans 3 – 2026 Day 24

Published on January 20, 2026January 17, 2026 by kendraskeLeave a comment

Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Proverbs 24, Romans 3

“None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.

The venom of asps is under their lips.

Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3:10-18 ESV

Do you read this and think, “Wow! Those people are really bad”? Or do you read this and want to fall on your face and beg for mercy?

If I’m honest with you, which I am, I would tell you that in some ways I’m thankful that God allowed me to wander in the wilderness for many years before saving me. These words of Romans 3 are all too familiar to my heart. I had turned away from God. My mouth was an open grave, spewing curses and bitterness and deception. My path was ruin and bitterness, and I knew no peace. Truly, there was no fear of God in my heart or before my eyes.

And then, when the time was right, the Lord opened my eyes and put a new song in my heart and new words on my lips. And now I can praise His Name with such heartfelt gratitude. I know what it means to be lost, and I know what it means to be found. With my every breath, I want to pour out His praise!

This didn’t happen to me because I started to “live right.” I could never have done that on my own. This happened to me because God opened my eyes to my own wickedness, and His immense holiness, and all I could do was cry, “Holy! Mercy! Save me!”

Have you experienced that? Have your eyes been open to your need for a Savior?

Heavenly Father, You are good, and we are not. You are righteous, and we are not. We need Your grace. We need Your mercy. We need Your holiness. Wash us in the cleansing blood of Your Son and make us pure. Put new desires into our hearts that we will want to please You, and give us strength to resist the devil and our flesh. We want to obey You. Help us, Father, moment by moment to walk by faith and not by flesh. In the Grace of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Holy, Holy, Holy – Shane and Shane

Would you like to receive my daily blog posts sent directly to your email? Subscribe for free by entering your email below.

✓ Subscribed

Click here for more information about my Read Through the Bible in Two Years plan.

If you would like prayer, please leave a comment below or send me a message. I’m happy to pray for you.

Please like and share.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: