Oct 26-Oct 30
A 5-Day Devotional on Letting the Holy Spirit’s Work in You Touch the People Around You.

Freedom Church •
October 26, 2026

6 Minute Read
5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide – October 26 - 30

“Fruit That Reaches Further”

Day 1: Yielding to the Spirit's Work

Reading: Galatians 5:16-25

Devotional: The fruit of the Spirit is not manufactured through human willpower. Paul's letter to the Galatian church was a corrective call back to the truth that transformation belongs to God, not to religious effort. The Galatians had experienced genuine freedom through the gospel, then slowly drifted back toward self-reliance. Sound familiar? Every believer faces this same drift. The invitation is not to try harder but to yield more completely. When you surrender your agenda to the Holy Spirit's direction, even in small daily moments, you position yourself for real, lasting change that no amount of personal effort could produce.

Reflection: Where in your life are you striving through your own effort rather than yielding to the Spirit?

Practical Application: Identify one area today where you will consciously pause and ask the Holy Spirit for direction before acting.

Day 2: Patience as Spiritual Endurance

Reading: Ephesians 4:1-3, Romans 5:3-5

Ephesians 4:1-3 calls believers to walk with humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love. Romans 5:3-5 describes how suffering produces perseverance, which in turn produces character and hope.

Devotional: Nobody wants to pray for patience because everyone knows what follows that prayer. God does not hand patience to you like a gift in a box. He provides the circumstances through which patience is forged. Long-suffering, as Paul describes it, is the ability to endure difficult people and difficult seasons without becoming someone you are not in Christ. Frustration left unchecked becomes anger, and anger left unchecked becomes harm. The Spirit's role is to interrupt that chain. When you feel squeezed by a relationship or a season, that is not a sign God has forgotten you. That is often where He is working most deliberately.

Reflection: Who or what consistently tests your patience, and what might God be forming in you through that friction?

Practical Application: The next time frustration rises, pause before responding. Take a breath and ask the Spirit to lead your words and actions before you react.

Day 3: Kindness as Love With Hands

Reading: Luke 6:27-36, Colossians 3:12-14

Luke 6:27-36 records Jesus calling his followers to love enemies and do good to those who treat them poorly, reflecting the generosity of God toward all people. Colossians 3:12-14 describes clothing oneself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience as those chosen and dearly loved by God.

Devotional: Kindness is not merely the absence of cruelty. Biblical kindness is active, generous, and directed outward. It is love that has been given somewhere to go. Anyone can be kind to someone who benefits them. The Spirit-produced kindness that Paul describes moves past comfort zones and extends toward people who may never return the gesture. Jesus modeled this completely. He crossed every barrier to bless people who had nothing to offer Him in return. When the Holy Spirit is working in you, the love He has placed in your heart will eventually need an outlet. Kindness is that outlet, expressed through a word, a phone call, a meal, or simply showing up.

Reflection: Who in your life needs something from you that you have the ability to give but have been withholding?

Practical Application: Perform one intentional act of kindness today toward someone who has not earned it and may not expect it.

Day 4: Goodness That Requires Courage

Reading: Romans 12:9-21, Micah 6:8

Romans 12:9-21 instructs believers to hold to genuine good, hate what is evil, and overcome evil with good rather than repaying it in kind. Micah 6:8 summarizes what God requires: doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly before Him.

Devotional: Goodness is not the same as agreeableness. Jesus was perfectly good, and yet He flipped tables, confronted hypocrisy, and told the rich young ruler a truth that was difficult to receive. Spirit-produced goodness sometimes means establishing a boundary, confronting something that needs to be named, or doing the right thing when no one is watching and no one will applaud you for it. This kind of goodness requires courage because it is not driven by what feels comfortable but by what honors God. When you belong to Him, goodness becomes a choice you make not to please people but because the God who lives in you is Himself entirely good.

Reflection: What right thing have you been avoiding because it is uncomfortable or costly?

Practical Application: Take one step today toward the right thing you have been putting off, trusting that God's goodness working through you will be sufficient for what is required.

Day 5: Fruitfulness That Flows Outward

Reading: John 15:1-8, 2 Corinthians 3:18

John 15:1-8 presents the image of the vine and branches, describing how a branch that remains connected to the vine bears fruit naturally and abundantly. 2 Corinthians 3:18 speaks of believers being transformed from one degree of glory to another as they reflect the Lord's character.

Devotional: The Holy Spirit does not transform you so that the transformation stops with you. His work in you is meant to become something other people experience through you. You are not meant to be a reservoir that stores up what God is doing. You are meant to be a conduit through which the kingdom flows outward into the lives of people around you. This happens step by step, not all at once. It begins in the small moments, the patient response, the kind word, the courageous act of goodness. As you remain connected to the Spirit and keep in step with Him, fruit is the natural result. And that fruit will touch people you may never fully realize you have reached.

Reflection: How has someone else's faithfulness to the Spirit's work in their life touched or changed your life? Who might God want to reach through the fruit He is producing in you?

Practical Application: This week, ask the Holy Spirit each morning to make you aware of one person He wants to touch through you that day, and then follow His lead when that moment comes.

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October 26, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
Oct 26-Oct 30
5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide – October 26 - 30 “Fruit That Reaches Further” Day 1: Yielding to the Spirit's Work Reading: Galatians 5:16-25 Devotional: The fruit of the Spirit is not manufactured through human willpower. Paul's letter to the Galatian church was a corrective call back to the truth that transformation belongs to God, not to religious effort. The Galatians had experienced genuine freedom through the gospel, then slowly drifted back toward self-reliance. Sound familiar? Every believer faces this same drift. The invitation is not to try harder but to yield more completely. When you surrender your agenda to the Holy Spirit's direction, even in small daily moments, you position yourself for real, lasting change that no amount of personal effort could produce. Reflection: Where in your life are you striving through your own effort rather than yielding to the Spirit? 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When you feel squeezed by a relationship or a season, that is not a sign God has forgotten you. That is often where He is working most deliberately. Reflection: Who or what consistently tests your patience, and what might God be forming in you through that friction? Practical Application: The next time frustration rises, pause before responding. Take a breath and ask the Spirit to lead your words and actions before you react. Day 3: Kindness as Love With Hands Reading: Luke 6:27-36, Colossians 3:12-14 Luke 6:27-36 records Jesus calling his followers to love enemies and do good to those who treat them poorly, reflecting the generosity of God toward all people. Colossians 3:12-14 describes clothing oneself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience as those chosen and dearly loved by God. Devotional: Kindness is not merely the absence of cruelty. Biblical kindness is active, generous, and directed outward. It is love that has been given somewhere to go. Anyone can be kind to someone who benefits them. The Spirit-produced kindness that Paul describes moves past comfort zones and extends toward people who may never return the gesture. Jesus modeled this completely. He crossed every barrier to bless people who had nothing to offer Him in return. When the Holy Spirit is working in you, the love He has placed in your heart will eventually need an outlet. Kindness is that outlet, expressed through a word, a phone call, a meal, or simply showing up. Reflection: Who in your life needs something from you that you have the ability to give but have been withholding? Practical Application: Perform one intentional act of kindness today toward someone who has not earned it and may not expect it. Day 4: Goodness That Requires Courage Reading: Romans 12:9-21, Micah 6:8 Romans 12:9-21 instructs believers to hold to genuine good, hate what is evil, and overcome evil with good rather than repaying it in kind. Micah 6:8 summarizes what God requires: doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly before Him. Devotional: Goodness is not the same as agreeableness. Jesus was perfectly good, and yet He flipped tables, confronted hypocrisy, and told the rich young ruler a truth that was difficult to receive. Spirit-produced goodness sometimes means establishing a boundary, confronting something that needs to be named, or doing the right thing when no one is watching and no one will applaud you for it. This kind of goodness requires courage because it is not driven by what feels comfortable but by what honors God. When you belong to Him, goodness becomes a choice you make not to please people but because the God who lives in you is Himself entirely good. Reflection: What right thing have you been avoiding because it is uncomfortable or costly? 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It begins in the small moments, the patient response, the kind word, the courageous act of goodness. As you remain connected to the Spirit and keep in step with Him, fruit is the natural result. And that fruit will touch people you may never fully realize you have reached. Reflection: How has someone else's faithfulness to the Spirit's work in their life touched or changed your life? Who might God want to reach through the fruit He is producing in you? Practical Application: This week, ask the Holy Spirit each morning to make you aware of one person He wants to touch through you that day, and then follow His lead when that moment comes.Share Your Prayer Request

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October 5, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Weekly Roundup
Welcome to the weekly roundup 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Monday, October 5th No Activities Tuesday, October 6th No Activities Wednesday, October 7th First Wednesday ‘Freedom Night’ - 6:30 PM in The Hall at Freedom Church. Thursday, October 8th Helping Hands Food Pantry - 8:30 - 11:30 AM in the Pantry at Freedom Church. Men’s Bible Study - 6:00 PM in The Loft at Freedom Church. Friday, October 9th Women’s Bible Study - 10:00 AM in The Loft at Freedom Church. Saturday, October 10th Church Yard-Sale - 8:00 AM in The Gathering Place at Freedom Church. Sunday, October 11th Adult Small Group - Meeting at 8:30 AM before service in The Loft at Freedom Church. 10:30 AM Worship Gathering - Join us for Sunday service in person or online. Pastor Appreciation - We will honor our Pastor in person during our 10:30 AM service. Kids Church - Age-specific programming during our service for infants --> 5th grade. Upcoming Events Pastor Appreciation - Sunday, October 11th at 10:30 AM Women’s One-Day Retreat - Sunday, October 24th at 9:30 AM Communion Sunday - Sunday, October 25th at 10:30 AMNew here? We'd love to connect. Last Week's Message "Ephesians: The House That God Builds--Week Five" | Pastor Tim Dye | Ephesians 4:1-16 | What happens when every believer realizes they have a part to play? In Ephesians 4:1–16, Pastor Tim explores Paul's picture of the Church as a living body with Christ as its Head. God never intended ministry to belong to only a handful of people while everyone else watches. Christ equips His people to serve, grow toward maturity, strengthen one another, and build up His body in love. Discover how God can use what He has placed in you, both inside and outside the church, to make a difference in someone else's life. Watch the sermon here 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our YouTube Channel Giving Your generosity makes our work in this city possible. We’re so grateful for you.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, & .Facebook, YouTube 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sundays at 10:30 AM 2225 Airline Dr, Bossier City, 71111 Next Week: Pastor Appreciation See you soon ☀️

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October 5, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
Oct 5-Oct 9
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Freedom Church

September 28, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Weekly Roundup
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Freedom Church

September 28, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
Sep 28-Oct 2
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Is prayer your first response or your last resort? Practical Application: Set aside ten minutes today to kneel - physically if possible - and bring one specific burden to God in prayer rather than attempting to solve it through your own effort. Day 2: Strength From the Inside Out Reading: Ephesians 3:16-17 - Paul prays that God would grant believers to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in their inner being, so that Christ might dwell in their hearts through faith. Devotional: God is not primarily interested in renovating your circumstances before He renovates your interior. He wants to strengthen what no one else can see - the inner being. Most people bring God their broken situations and ask Him to fix the outside. But God's strategy is always inside out. Christ does not want to visit your heart on occasion. He wants to take up permanent residence. There is a profound difference between a house that is toured and a house that is lived in. Throw open the interior rooms of your soul and invite Him to dwell, not just to pass through. Reflection: In what areas of your life are you asking God to change your circumstances before He has been allowed to change your interior? Practical Application: Identify one internal struggle - fear, bitterness, anxiety, or pride - and intentionally surrender it to the indwelling Holy Spirit today, trusting that His work begins within. Day 3: Rooted in Love That Surpasses Understanding Reading: Ephesians 3:17-19 - Paul prays that believers, being rooted and grounded in love, would have the power to comprehend the width, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ, which surpasses human knowledge. Devotional: A foundation built on disturbed soil will shift when pressure comes. God wants His people rooted thirty feet down into undisturbed ground - the unchanging, unshakeable love of Christ. This love is not sentimental warmth. It is the love that sought you before you sought it, that sustains you when circumstances collapse, and that forms you into something capable of carrying His presence. Your own understanding will fail you. Your circumstances will lie to you. But the love of Christ, once it becomes your foundation rather than merely a concept you affirm, will hold when everything else shakes. Reflection: Are your roots drawing from the love of Christ, or from approval, success, comfort, or control - things that shift like disturbed soil? Practical Application: Spend time meditating on Romans 8:38-39, which declares that nothing can separate believers from the love of God in Christ. Write down two or three things you have been trusting more than that love and consciously redirect your trust today. Day 4: Carrying His Presence and Purposes Reading: Ephesians 3:19-20 - Paul prays that believers would be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God, and then breaks into praise, declaring that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us. Devotional: God does not want a people who look strong on the outside while the interior joints remain unbolted and vulnerable to collapse. He wants a people filled - not partially, not occasionally - with the fullness of Himself. The power Paul references is not somewhere above you waiting to descend. It is already within you, placed there by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. The question is not whether the power is available. The question is whether you will stir it up. A church that carries His presence must first be a people who have stopped outsourcing their spiritual strength to programs, personalities, and performances. Reflection: Do you live as though the power of God is within you, or as though it is distant and inaccessible? Practical Application: Read 2 Timothy 1:6-7, where Paul urges Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God within him. Identify one area of your life where you have been passive and make a deliberate, faith-driven decision to engage the power already placed within you. Day 5: Glory in the Church Reading: Ephesians 3:21 - Paul declares that glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Devotional: The church exists for more than gathering sinners and sending them home improved. It exists as the primary place where Jesus Christ receives the glory that is rightfully His. Every brick - every individual believer - joined together in love becomes a dwelling place where His presence is not just welcomed but magnified. When the church is rooted in love, strengthened by the Spirit, and built on Christ rather than on human effort or recognition, it becomes something the world cannot explain and cannot ignore. You were not created to build a house that bears your name. You were created to be part of a house that bears His. Reflection: Is the local church you are part of oriented around the glory of Christ or around the comfort and preferences of its people? Practical Application: Commit to one act of sacrificial love toward another member of your local church this week - something that costs you something and draws no attention to yourself - as a deliberate act of worship that declares Christ is the center.Share Your Prayer Request

Freedom Church

September 21, 2026 • 7 Minute Read
Sept 21-25
5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide – September 21 - 25 “The House God Builds: A 5-Day Devotional Through Ephesians 2:11-22” Day 1: Remember Where You Came From Reading: Ephesians 2:11-12 Devotional: Paul's instruction to "remember" is not an exercise in shame but in gratitude. Before Christ, the condition of every human soul was defined by separation, exclusion, and hopelessness. We were outside the covenant, outside the promise, outside the house entirely. Remembering this is not meant to discourage you but to anchor you in the reality of what grace has accomplished. When you forget where you came from, you begin to take for granted what was given to you at great cost. Let the memory of your former condition fuel a deeper worship and a wider welcome toward others who are still outside. Reflection Questions: What does your life look like before Christ when you examine it honestly? How does remembering your former condition change the way you treat those who do not yet believe? In what ways has gratitude for your salvation grown or faded over time? Practical Application: Write down three specific ways your life has changed since coming to faith in Christ. Keep this list somewhere visible this week as a daily reminder of what grace has done. Day 2: But Now — The Power of the Cross Reading: Ephesians 2:13-14; Romans 5:6-11 Paul describes in Romans 5 how Christ died for the ungodly and how through him we have now received reconciliation. Ephesians 2:13 declares that those who were once far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Devotional: Two of the most powerful words in all of Scripture are "but now." They mark the turning point between what was and what is. The cross did not simply improve our standing before God. It demolished the distance entirely. Christ did not negotiate peace from a distance. He became peace. He absorbed the hostility of sin, of division, of separation into his own body so that what was broken could be made whole. The same blood that reconciles you to God reconciles you to your brother and sister. You cannot receive one reconciliation and refuse the other. The cross is not partial in its work. Reflection Questions: Where in your life do you still live as though you are far off, even though Christ has brought you near? How does understanding that Christ is your peace, not merely the giver of peace, change how you pursue it? Are there relationships in your life where you have accepted reconciliation with God but resisted reconciliation with another person? Practical Application: Identify one relationship in your life that carries unresolved tension. Pray specifically over that relationship today, asking God to show you what step toward peace he is calling you to take. Day 3: One New Humanity Reading: Ephesians 2:15-16; Galatians 3:26-29 Galatians 3 describes how in Christ there is no distinction of background, status, or identity that supersedes the identity found in him. Ephesians 2:15 declares that Christ's purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of two divided groups. Devotional: The church was never meant to be a collection of individuals who happen to share the same building on Sunday mornings. Christ's purpose, as Paul states it plainly, was to create one new humanity. Not two groups learning to tolerate each other. Not separate communities agreeing to coexist. One. The walls that divide us by race, class, age, history, preference, and personality were not merely inconvenient obstacles. They were expressions of a broken world. Christ did not patch those walls. He destroyed them. The church that is worthy of Christ is one that takes this seriously, not just as theology but as lived reality among its people. Reflection Questions: What categories do you use, even unconsciously, to divide people into insiders and outsiders? How does the identity of being "in Christ" challenge the other identities you hold most tightly? What would it look like practically for your church community to embody one new humanity this week? Practical Application: Intentionally spend time this week with someone in your church community who is different from you in background, age, or life experience. Approach the conversation with the goal of learning, not just socializing. Day 4: Fellow Citizens, Not Strangers Reading: Ephesians 2:17-19; 1 Peter 2:9-10 First Peter 2 describes believers as a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation — people who were once not a people but have now received mercy. Ephesians 2:19 declares that believers are no longer foreigners or strangers but fellow citizens and members of God's household. Devotional: There is a profound difference between being a visitor and being a member of a household. A visitor is welcomed temporarily. A member of the household belongs permanently. Paul's language here is deliberate. You are not a guest in God's kingdom. You are not on probation. You are not sitting in the back row waiting to see if you qualify. You have been given full citizenship. You have a seat at the table. The tragedy of the modern church is that many believers live as perpetual visitors, never committing deeply enough to experience the full weight of belonging. God's design is not a church of visitors. It is a household of family. Reflection Questions: Do you experience your church community as a household or more as a place you visit? What contributes to that? What does it mean to you personally that God calls you a member of his household rather than merely a recipient of his benefits? How might your engagement with your church community change if you fully embraced the identity of fellow citizen rather than outsider? Practical Application: Take one concrete step this week toward deeper belonging in your church community. This could mean joining a small group, introducing yourself to someone you have never spoken to, or volunteering in an area of Sunday service. Day 5: A Dwelling Place for God Reading: Ephesians 2:20-22; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 First Corinthians 3 declares that believers together are God's temple and that his Spirit dwells among them. Ephesians 2:20-22 describes the church as a building joined together with Christ as the cornerstone, rising into a holy temple where God lives by his Spirit. Devotional: The final vision Paul gives is breathtaking. God is not simply building a religion or an institution. He is building a dwelling place. He is building a home for himself among his people. Christ is the cornerstone, the fixed reference point from which everything else is measured and aligned. When the cornerstone is honored, the whole structure holds together. When it is neglected, everything drifts. The church is not a building made of stone or steel. It is a living structure made of people who are being built together. This is not something you can experience alone. It requires you. It requires the person sitting beside you. It requires the one you have been tempted to write off. God is building something, and he is building it with all of you together. Reflection Questions: What does it mean to you that God's desire is to dwell among his people, not just within individuals? In what ways might you be resisting the process of being "built together" with others? How does keeping Christ as the cornerstone of your life practically affect the decisions you make and the relationships you invest in? Practical Application: Close this five-day reading plan by writing a personal prayer of commitment. Express to God your willingness to be part of what he is building, to tear down whatever walls remain in your heart, and to embrace the household of faith as your own family. "In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord." — Ephesians 2:21Share Your Prayer Request

Freedom Church

September 21, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Weekly Roundup
Welcome to the weekly roundup 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Monday, September 21st No Activities Tuesday, September 22nd No Activities Wednesday, September 23rd Young Adult Bible Study - 6:00 PM in The Loft at Freedom Church. Thursday, September 24th Helping Hands Food Pantry - 8:30 - 11:30 AM in the Pantry at Freedom Church. Men’s Bible Study - 6:00 PM in The Loft at Freedom Church. Friday, September 25th Women’s Bible Study - 10:00 AM in The Loft at Freedom Church. Saturday, September 26th No Activities Sunday, September 27th Adult Small Group - Meeting at 8:30 AM before service in The Loft at Freedom Church. 10:30 AM Worship Gathering - Join us for Sunday service in person or online. Communion Sunday - We’ll remember Christ’s sacrifice and celebrate His grace together during our 10:30 AM Worship Gathering. Kids Church - Age-specific programming during our service for infants --> 5th grade. Upcoming Events New Member Lunch - Sunday, October 4th at 12:30 PM NEW First Wednesday - Wednesday, October 7th at 6:30 PM Church Yard-Sale - Saturday, October 10th at 7:00 AMNew here? We'd love to connect. Last Week's Message "Ephesians: The House That God Builds--Week Three" | Pastor Tim Dye | Ephesians 2:11-22 The Gospel doesn't just bring us near to God. It changes how we belong to one another. In Ephesians 2:11–22, Pastor Tim looks at the walls that divide us, the cross that tore them down, and the family God is building with Jesus as the cornerstone. Watch the sermon here 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our YouTube Channel Giving Your generosity makes our work in this city possible. We’re so grateful for you.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, & .Facebook, YouTube 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sundays at 10:30 AM 2225 Airline Dr, Bossier City, 71111 Next Week: Communion Sunday See you soon ☀️

Freedom Church

September 14, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
Weekly Roundup
Welcome to the weekly roundup 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Monday, September 14th No Activities Tuesday, September 15th No Activities Wednesday, September 16th Young Adult Bible Study - 6:00 PM in The Loft at Freedom Church. Thursday, September 17th Helping Hands Food Pantry - 8:30 - 11:30 AM in the Pantry at Freedom Church. Friday, September 18th Precept Bible Study - 10:00 AM in The Loft at Freedom Church. Saturday, September 19th No Activities Sunday, September 20th Adult Small Group - Meeting at 8:30 AM before service in The Loft at Freedom Church 10:30 AM Worship Gathering - Join us for Sunday service in person or online. Kids Church - Age-specific programming during our service for infants --> 5th grade. Upcoming Events New Member Lunch - Sunday, October 4th at 12:30 PM NEW First Wednesday - Wednesday, October 7th at 6:30 PM Church Yard-Sale - Saturday, October 10th at 7:00 AMNew here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "Ephesians: The House That God Builds--Week Two" | Pastor Tim Dye | Ephesians 2:1-10 You don't have to build a better version of yourself to become worthy of God. In Ephesians 2, we discover the incredible difference two words can make—“But God.” See what happens when grace takes us from death to life and we surrender our lives to the Builder. Watch last week’s sermon 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our YouTube Channel Giving Your generosity makes our work in this city possible. We’re so grateful for you.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, & .Facebook, YouTube 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sundays at 10:30 AM 2225 Airline Dr, Bossier City, 71111 Next Week: Sunday Service See you soon ☀️

Freedom Church

September 14, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
Sept 14-18
5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide – September 14 - 18 “The House God Builds: A 5-Day Devotional Through Ephesians 2:1-10” Day 1: You Were Dead, But God Remembered You Reading: Ephesians 2:1-3 -- Paul describes humanity's condition before Christ: spiritually dead, shaped by the patterns of this world, and driven by the desires of the flesh, with no ability to rescue itself. Devotional: Before grace found you, you were not merely struggling or misguided. You were spiritually dead. There was no flicker of life in you that could earn God's attention. Yet God saw you in that condition and did not look away in disgust. He looked at you with profound compassion. This is where honest faith begins -- not in pretending you were never that far gone, but in acknowledging exactly how far gone you were. The depth of your death only magnifies the miracle of your rescue. Today, sit with the weight of where you were. Let it produce not shame, but awe. Reflection Question: When did you last allow the reality of your spiritual condition before Christ to genuinely move you toward gratitude? Practical Application: Write down three specific ways your life reflected spiritual deadness before Christ, or before a season of renewal. Bring those to God in prayer and thank Him for what He interrupted. Day 2: But God -- The Two Words That Change Everything Reading: Ephesians 2:4-5 -- Paul pivots sharply from humanity's hopeless condition to God's decisive action, rooted in His great love and abundant mercy, making alive those who were dead. Devotional: Two words carry the full weight of the gospel: but God. You were dead -- but God. You were following the world -- but God. You had no ability to save yourself -- but God. These words are not a footnote in your story. They are the hinge on which everything turns. God did not wait for you to clean yourself up before He reached toward you. He reached into your deadness and breathed life into you, not because you earned it, but because He is rich in mercy. That word rich matters. His mercy is not rationed. It is abundant, overflowing, and entirely undeserved. Reflection Question: Where in your current circumstances do you need to insert the phrase "but God" and actually believe it? Practical Application: Throughout this day, when a discouraging or anxious thought arises, pause and speak aloud: "But God is rich in mercy." Practice this as a deliberate act of agreement with Scripture rather than a dismissal of your struggle. Day 3: Raised, Lifted, and Seated Reading: Ephesians 2:6 -- Paul describes three movements God has made on behalf of believers: making them alive with Christ, raising them up, and seating them with Christ in the heavenly places. Devotional: God did not simply rescue you from death and leave you on the floor. He made you alive, raised you to a new standing, and seated you in a position of security and victory alongside Christ. In the ancient world, being seated beside a king meant sharing in his authority, his rest, and his protection. That is where God has placed you -- not eventually, not conditionally, but now. The problem is not that God has failed to seat you. The problem is that many believers spend their days living as though they are still lying on the floor. Your identity is not your past. It is your position. Reflection Question: In what area of your life are you living beneath the identity God has given you, thinking and behaving as though you are still trapped by what Christ has already delivered you from? Practical Application: Begin each morning this week by stating three truths aloud: "I have been made alive. I have been raised up. I am seated with Christ." Do not wait until you feel it. Speak it in agreement with the Word and allow your feelings to follow. Day 4: Grace That Cannot Be Earned, Only Received Reading: Ephesians 2:8-9 -- Paul declares that salvation comes entirely through grace, received through faith, and is not the product of human effort or achievement, leaving no room for boasting. Devotional: The human instinct is to earn what we receive. When someone gives us a gift, we reach for our wallet. When God saves us, we reach for our performance. But grace, by definition, cannot be purchased, improved upon, or deserved. The moment you begin trying to prove you were worth saving, you have confused the gift with a transaction. God's delight is in giving. His greatest gift is His Son. To spend your Christian life trying to pay that back is to misunderstand the nature of what was offered. You cannot work your way into what can only be received. Open your hands today and simply receive. Reflection Question: In what ways have you been quietly trying to earn God's approval or prove your worth to Him rather than resting in what He has already declared over you? Practical Application: Identify one area where you have been striving to perform for God rather than trusting His grace. Surrender that specific striving to Him in prayer today and ask Him to replace it with genuine rest. Day 5: You Are His Poem -- Walk in the Purpose He Wrote Reading: Ephesians 2:10 -- Paul reveals that believers are God's workmanship, the Greek word carrying the meaning of something crafted and inspired, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand. Devotional: You are not God's renovation project. You are His poem. The word Paul uses carries the sense of something intentional, crafted, and inspired -- the same root from which we get the word poem. God did not reluctantly patch you together. He authored you with purpose and intention. The good works He prepared for you are not how you earn His favor. They are the outflow of a life that has been made alive, raised up, and seated in Him. Your life, with all its chapters of struggle and breakthrough, is the very story God is writing. The question is not whether you are worthy of the story. The question is whether you will walk in it. Reflection Question: What good works do you sense God has prepared specifically for you in this season, and what is preventing you from walking in them with confidence? Practical Application: Identify one concrete act of service, encouragement, or obedience that you have been hesitating to step into. Commit to taking one step toward it this week, not to earn anything, but because you are God's workmanship and that is what His workmanship does.Share Your Prayer Request

Freedom Church

September 7, 2026 • 6 Minute Read
Sept 7-11
5-Day Bible Reading Plan and Devotional Guide – September 7 - 11 “The House God Builds: A 5-Day Devotional Through Ephesians” Day 1: Open the Eyes of Your Heart Reading: Ephesians 1:15-19 -- Paul's prayer that believers would receive spiritual wisdom, revelation, and an enlightened understanding of the hope and power available to them in Christ. Devotional: It is possible to be surrounded by the activity of God and still miss it entirely. Paul does not pray that the Ephesians would receive more information. He prays that they would see differently. The eyes of the heart are not opened through effort or intelligence -- they are opened through surrender. Consider what circumstances in your life you have been measuring only by what is visible. Ask God today to reframe what you see. The same power that is at work in the universe is at work in you. You do not need new circumstances. You need new eyes. Reflection Question: What visible thing in your life is currently overshadowing your view of God's power and presence? Practical Application: Spend five minutes in quiet prayer asking God specifically -- not generally -- to illuminate one area of your life where you have been relying on sight rather than faith. Day 2: The Power That Raises the Dead Reading: Ephesians 1:19-20 -- Paul's description of the immeasurable greatness of God's power, the same power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the highest place of authority. Devotional: Paul does not point to creation or the parting of a sea as the ultimate demonstration of God's power. He points to resurrection. The most profound thing God has ever done is not making something out of nothing -- it is bringing dead things back to life. That is the power that is available to every believer. Whatever in your life feels lifeless, buried, or beyond recovery is precisely the kind of territory where resurrection power operates. God is not intimidated by your dead places. He is drawn to them. The question is not whether he is able. The question is whether you believe. Reflection Question: What area of your life -- a relationship, a dream, a sense of calling -- feels buried right now? Practical Application: Write down one specific thing you have stopped believing God for. Pray over it today using the language of resurrection: "Lord, bring this back to life according to your will and your power." Day 3: Far Above Every Shadow Reading: Ephesians 1:20-21 -- The declaration that Christ has been raised and seated far above every rule, authority, power, dominion, and name, in this age and in the age to come. Devotional: Every generation has its temple of Artemis -- some dominant structure of power, culture, or ideology that casts a long shadow over the people of God. The Ephesian church lived under the shadow of one of the ancient world's greatest monuments. Paul's response is not a strategy for competing with it. His response is a revelation about Christ's position. Jesus is not slightly above these powers. He is far above them. When something in your world feels overwhelming -- politically, culturally, personally -- the answer is not a louder voice or a stronger effort. The answer is a clearer view of where Christ is seated. Reflection Question: What power, fear, or cultural pressure is currently casting a shadow over your faith? Practical Application: Find a quiet place today and physically look upward. Let that posture remind you that Christ is seated above every authority that feels pressing in your life. Speak his name over what is troubling you. Day 4: You Are the Body, Not the Audience Reading: Ephesians 1:22-23 -- God's appointment of Christ as head over all things for the church, which is described as his body and the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way. Devotional: The church is not an event you attend. It is a body you belong to. Paul's language here is intimate and irreplaceable -- Christ is the head, and the church is his body. A head without a body cannot act in the world. This means that when the church gathers, something essential is present that cannot be replicated anywhere else. But it also means that when you leave the gathering, you do not leave the body behind. You carry it with you. You are his hands, his voice, his presence in every room you enter today. That is not a metaphor. That is your identity. Reflection Question: In what ways have you been treating church as something you consume rather than something you embody? Practical Application: Identify one specific person in your life who needs to encounter the presence of Christ this week. Commit to being intentional about carrying that presence to them through a conversation, an act of service, or a moment of prayer. Day 5: The Foundation That Cannot Be Shaken Reading: Ephesians 2:19-22 -- The description of believers as members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ himself as the cornerstone, growing into a holy temple and dwelling place of God by the Spirit. Devotional: Every structure eventually reveals what it is built on. Rome looked permanent. The temple of Artemis looked permanent. Neither was. The only foundation that will not be shaken is Christ himself. This is not a comforting abstraction -- it is a daily decision. It means examining what you are actually trusting to give you security, significance, and peace. Careers, reputations, relationships, and personal strength are not evil, but they are terrible foundations. They were never designed to carry the weight you place on them. When exhaustion sets in, it is often because you have been doing what only God can do. Return to the cornerstone. Let him bear what only he can bear. Reflection Question: What have you been building your sense of security on that was never designed to carry that weight? Practical Application: Write down three things you are currently trusting for security or identity that are not Christ. Bring each one before God in prayer, releasing it from the role of foundation and placing it back under his lordship.Share Your Prayer Request

Freedom Church