February 16-20
Weekly Declaration:
I will notice the people God has placed in my life and remain attentive to His nudges. I will pray with expectation, not fear, trusting that God is already at work. I will invest with love, release control of outcomes, and invite with courage, believing obedience forms me as God works through me.
Day 1: The Power of a Simple Invitation
Scripture: John 1:41-42, “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus.”
Devotional Thought: Andrew’s response to Jesus is striking in its simplicity. He doesn’t preach a sermon. He doesn’t explain theology. He doesn’t wait until he understands everything about Jesus. Instead, he goes and gets someone he loves and brings him to Jesus. And notice the phrase, “the first thing.” Before anything else. Before confidence. Before clarity. Before competence. The invitation came first.
This reveals an essential aspect of how the Kingdom of God works. Transformation does not begin with mastery of truth; it begins with responsiveness to God. Andrew doesn’t yet know who Jesus fully is, but he knows enough to act. He has encountered something real, and real encounters demand a response.
Andrew also doesn’t know what this invitation will set in motion. He has no idea that Simon will become Peter, the leader of the early church, the preacher at Pentecost, the man through whom thousands would come to faith. Andrew’s invitation feels small, but its impact is eternal. That’s often how God works. He hides extraordinary outcomes inside ordinary acts of faithfulness.
Your invitation may feel small. But obedience rarely looks significant in the moment. It only looks significant in light of eternity.
Soul-Level Reflection:
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for meeting me where I was. Thank You for the people who took a risk and invited me into faith. Forgive me for waiting to feel ready when You’re asking me to be willing. Teach me to trust that obedience is often the doorway through which You do Your deepest work. Help me see invitations the way You do, not as coercion, but as love. Give me the courage to take the first step, even when I don’t know the outcome. Amen.
Action Step: Write down the name of someone you can invite to experience Jesus with you. Just one person. Don’t overthink it. Not the person you feel most confident inviting, but the person God keeps bringing to your mind. Begin praying for them daily this week, not that they would say yes, but that God would soften your heart, sharpen your awareness, and prepare both of you for whatever step He desires next.
Devotional Thought: Andrew’s response to Jesus is striking in its simplicity. He doesn’t preach a sermon. He doesn’t explain theology. He doesn’t wait until he understands everything about Jesus. Instead, he goes and gets someone he loves and brings him to Jesus. And notice the phrase, “the first thing.” Before anything else. Before confidence. Before clarity. Before competence. The invitation came first.
This reveals an essential aspect of how the Kingdom of God works. Transformation does not begin with mastery of truth; it begins with responsiveness to God. Andrew doesn’t yet know who Jesus fully is, but he knows enough to act. He has encountered something real, and real encounters demand a response.
Andrew also doesn’t know what this invitation will set in motion. He has no idea that Simon will become Peter, the leader of the early church, the preacher at Pentecost, the man through whom thousands would come to faith. Andrew’s invitation feels small, but its impact is eternal. That’s often how God works. He hides extraordinary outcomes inside ordinary acts of faithfulness.
Your invitation may feel small. But obedience rarely looks significant in the moment. It only looks significant in light of eternity.
Soul-Level Reflection:
- When I sense God nudging me to extend an invitation, what do I usually wait for: certainty, comfort, or control?
- What does my hesitation to invite someone reveal about what I believe obedience should feel like?
- Where am I demanding clarity from God before offering trust?
- If obedience came before understanding in my own faith journey, why do I expect it to work differently for others?
- Who is the first person God naturally brings to my mind when I think about inviting someone?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for meeting me where I was. Thank You for the people who took a risk and invited me into faith. Forgive me for waiting to feel ready when You’re asking me to be willing. Teach me to trust that obedience is often the doorway through which You do Your deepest work. Help me see invitations the way You do, not as coercion, but as love. Give me the courage to take the first step, even when I don’t know the outcome. Amen.
Action Step: Write down the name of someone you can invite to experience Jesus with you. Just one person. Don’t overthink it. Not the person you feel most confident inviting, but the person God keeps bringing to your mind. Begin praying for them daily this week, not that they would say yes, but that God would soften your heart, sharpen your awareness, and prepare both of you for whatever step He desires next.
Day 2: Why We Hesitate
Scripture: Romans 10:14, “How can they believe… without someone preaching to them?”
Devotional Thought: When the Apostle Paul says, “preaching,” he’s not talking about a stage and a microphone. Nor is he talking about a prepared speech or a theological argument. He’s talking about making Jesus known through ordinary words and ordinary relationships. In other words, the question isn’t, “Can I do this perfectly?” The real question is, “Will I participate?”
And still, we hesitate to witness. Most of us don’t hesitate to invite because we don’t care. We hesitate because we care deeply, and we’re afraid of getting it wrong. Afraid of awkwardness. Afraid of rejection. Afraid we won’t have the right words.
But Romans 10:14 confronts something deeper than social fear. It confronts a spiritual reality: God has chosen to spread the gospel through people. The Apostle Paul doesn’t say people listen because someone was eloquent. He doesn’t say people believe because someone was persuasive. He says people hear because someone spoke. Inviting isn’t about pressure; it’s about presence. It’s about being willing to say something rather than nothing. Silence often feels safer, but it rarely leads to transformation. Fear tells us to wait. Love invites us to step forward.
Sometimes we hesitate because we’ve quietly assumed it’s all on us: I have to say it right. I have to answer every question. I have to avoid every awkward moment. But that’s not the gospel, that’s control. The gospel says Jesus saves, the Spirit convicts, God draws, and we witness. We’re not the Savior. We’re the inviter.
Other times, we hesitate because comfort has become our compass. Silence feels safer. But silence isn’t neutral; it’s a decision. Fear tells us to protect ourselves. Love tells us to move toward people. And Romans 10 reminds us: someone else’s next step of faith is often waiting on someone else’s courage to speak. So don’t aim for pressure. Aim for presence. Don’t aim for a perfect moment. Aim for a faithful one. And see what God can do with a simple, honest invitation.
Soul-Level Reflection:
Prayer: Father, You know how quickly fear takes the lead in my heart. Forgive me for confusing silence with wisdom and comfort with discernment. Remind me that You are already at work long before I speak and that You don’t need me to be perfect, only faithful. Help me recognize when fear is disguising itself as caution. Give me courage to be present, humility to be simple, and love that is stronger than my fear. Use my words, even if they’re imperfect, to open a door for someone to encounter You. Amen.
Action Step: Today, practice noticing without fixing. Pay attention to conversations where someone reveals one of the “three not” moments: “I’m not from here,” “Things are not going well,” “I was not prepared for this.” When you hear it, don’t rush to solve it. Just respond with presence: “That sounds heavy. I’m really glad you told me.” Then, later, pray a simple prayer: “Jesus, are You giving me an opening to invite them?” If the Spirit nudges, take one small step, send a text, offer coffee, or say: “If you ever want to come sit with me at church, I’d love that.”
Devotional Thought: When the Apostle Paul says, “preaching,” he’s not talking about a stage and a microphone. Nor is he talking about a prepared speech or a theological argument. He’s talking about making Jesus known through ordinary words and ordinary relationships. In other words, the question isn’t, “Can I do this perfectly?” The real question is, “Will I participate?”
And still, we hesitate to witness. Most of us don’t hesitate to invite because we don’t care. We hesitate because we care deeply, and we’re afraid of getting it wrong. Afraid of awkwardness. Afraid of rejection. Afraid we won’t have the right words.
But Romans 10:14 confronts something deeper than social fear. It confronts a spiritual reality: God has chosen to spread the gospel through people. The Apostle Paul doesn’t say people listen because someone was eloquent. He doesn’t say people believe because someone was persuasive. He says people hear because someone spoke. Inviting isn’t about pressure; it’s about presence. It’s about being willing to say something rather than nothing. Silence often feels safer, but it rarely leads to transformation. Fear tells us to wait. Love invites us to step forward.
Sometimes we hesitate because we’ve quietly assumed it’s all on us: I have to say it right. I have to answer every question. I have to avoid every awkward moment. But that’s not the gospel, that’s control. The gospel says Jesus saves, the Spirit convicts, God draws, and we witness. We’re not the Savior. We’re the inviter.
Other times, we hesitate because comfort has become our compass. Silence feels safer. But silence isn’t neutral; it’s a decision. Fear tells us to protect ourselves. Love tells us to move toward people. And Romans 10 reminds us: someone else’s next step of faith is often waiting on someone else’s courage to speak. So don’t aim for pressure. Aim for presence. Don’t aim for a perfect moment. Aim for a faithful one. And see what God can do with a simple, honest invitation.
Soul-Level Reflection:
- What is the real reason I hesitate to invite? What am I really trying to protect: my comfort, my reputation, or my sense of control?
- What story am I believing about myself in that moment: “I’m not qualified,” “I’ll make it weird,” “I don’t matter,” or “God can’t use me”?
- Who do I believe is responsible for changing someone, me or Jesus? How is that belief shaping my silence?
- If love, not fear, was leading my next step, what would I do differently this week?
Prayer: Father, You know how quickly fear takes the lead in my heart. Forgive me for confusing silence with wisdom and comfort with discernment. Remind me that You are already at work long before I speak and that You don’t need me to be perfect, only faithful. Help me recognize when fear is disguising itself as caution. Give me courage to be present, humility to be simple, and love that is stronger than my fear. Use my words, even if they’re imperfect, to open a door for someone to encounter You. Amen.
Action Step: Today, practice noticing without fixing. Pay attention to conversations where someone reveals one of the “three not” moments: “I’m not from here,” “Things are not going well,” “I was not prepared for this.” When you hear it, don’t rush to solve it. Just respond with presence: “That sounds heavy. I’m really glad you told me.” Then, later, pray a simple prayer: “Jesus, are You giving me an opening to invite them?” If the Spirit nudges, take one small step, send a text, offer coffee, or say: “If you ever want to come sit with me at church, I’d love that.”
Day 3: Come and See
Scripture: John 1:46, “‘Come and see,’ said Philip.”
Devotional Thought: Philip’s invitation to Nathanael may be the most theologically freeing phrase in all of evangelism: “Come and see.” Just an invitation to experience Jesus personally. Nathanael is skeptical, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” and Philip doesn’t argue with him. No defensiveness. No attempt to manage objections. He simply trusts that an encounter with Jesus will do what explanations alone never can.
That moment reveals something profound about how God works. Following Jesus is not primarily a conclusion people reason their way into; it’s a relationship they are invited to encounter. Truth in the Kingdom is not just informational, it’s relational. Philip understood that his responsibility wasn’t to remove every barrier of doubt but to open a door to presence.
“Come and see” also exposes one of our deepest misconceptions about inviting. We often think the weight of someone’s response rests on our clarity, confidence, or competence. But Scripture consistently places the transforming work in Jesus’ hands, not ours. God draws. Jesus reveals. The Spirit convicts. We invite. When we forget that, inviting starts to feel heavy and high-stakes. We overprepare. We overthink. We either force conversations or avoid them altogether. But Philip shows us another way, a way rooted in trust. He believed that Jesus was compelling enough to meet Nathanael right where he was, skepticism and all.
Philip’s simple invitation was wise. He didn’t try to control the outcome. He trusted the character of Christ. That same freedom is available to you. You don’t have to defend Jesus. He’s not fragile. You don’t have to manage someone’s response. That’s not your role. Your invitation is not the end of the story; it’s the doorway. And God has always been faithful to meet people on the other side of that door. “Come and see” shifts the pressure off you and places it where it belongs on Jesus.
Soul-Level Reflection:
Prayer: Jesus, remind me that You are the one who changes hearts. Free me from the pressure to convince or perform. Forgive me for carrying pressure that You never placed on me. Remind me that You are the One who reveals truth and transforms hearts. Teach me to invite with humility, courage, and trust. Help me release outcomes and simply open doors, confident that You will meet people where they are. Amen.
Action Step: Practice the posture of invitation without controlling outcomes today. Choose one person you’ve been hesitant to invite and quietly pray: “Jesus, help me trust You with them.” Then practice saying the phrase out loud if you can: “Would you like to come sit with me?” Let it become natural. Simple. Human. Loving.
Devotional Thought: Philip’s invitation to Nathanael may be the most theologically freeing phrase in all of evangelism: “Come and see.” Just an invitation to experience Jesus personally. Nathanael is skeptical, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” and Philip doesn’t argue with him. No defensiveness. No attempt to manage objections. He simply trusts that an encounter with Jesus will do what explanations alone never can.
That moment reveals something profound about how God works. Following Jesus is not primarily a conclusion people reason their way into; it’s a relationship they are invited to encounter. Truth in the Kingdom is not just informational, it’s relational. Philip understood that his responsibility wasn’t to remove every barrier of doubt but to open a door to presence.
“Come and see” also exposes one of our deepest misconceptions about inviting. We often think the weight of someone’s response rests on our clarity, confidence, or competence. But Scripture consistently places the transforming work in Jesus’ hands, not ours. God draws. Jesus reveals. The Spirit convicts. We invite. When we forget that, inviting starts to feel heavy and high-stakes. We overprepare. We overthink. We either force conversations or avoid them altogether. But Philip shows us another way, a way rooted in trust. He believed that Jesus was compelling enough to meet Nathanael right where he was, skepticism and all.
Philip’s simple invitation was wise. He didn’t try to control the outcome. He trusted the character of Christ. That same freedom is available to you. You don’t have to defend Jesus. He’s not fragile. You don’t have to manage someone’s response. That’s not your role. Your invitation is not the end of the story; it’s the doorway. And God has always been faithful to meet people on the other side of that door. “Come and see” shifts the pressure off you and places it where it belongs on Jesus.
Soul-Level Reflection:
- Where have I subtly taken responsibility for outcomes that only God can produce?
- What fears surface in me when I imagine inviting someone who is skeptical, wounded, or resistant?
- How has my desire to control the outcome kept me from offering a simple, honest invitation?
- Where have I felt pressure to have all the answers before inviting?
Prayer: Jesus, remind me that You are the one who changes hearts. Free me from the pressure to convince or perform. Forgive me for carrying pressure that You never placed on me. Remind me that You are the One who reveals truth and transforms hearts. Teach me to invite with humility, courage, and trust. Help me release outcomes and simply open doors, confident that You will meet people where they are. Amen.
Action Step: Practice the posture of invitation without controlling outcomes today. Choose one person you’ve been hesitant to invite and quietly pray: “Jesus, help me trust You with them.” Then practice saying the phrase out loud if you can: “Would you like to come sit with me?” Let it become natural. Simple. Human. Loving.
Day 4: Invest Before You Invite
Scripture: John 1:40, “Andrew… was one of the two who followed Jesus.”
Devotional Thought: Before Andrew ever invited his brother to meet Jesus, something else had already happened. Andrew had followed Jesus himself. That detail matters. Andrew’s invitation flowed out of a life already being shaped by proximity to Jesus. He was sharing from a relationship that had already begun to change him.
Andrew also didn’t invite a stranger. He invited someone he loved. He invested before he invited. Relationship came first. Trust opened the door. And that pattern reveals something essential about how the gospel moves through the world. Inviting without investing can feel transactional, like people are projects or targets. But investing without ever inviting can quietly become avoidance, disguised as kindness. Jesus calls us to both invest and invite. To genuinely love people for who they are and to courageously invite them into something that has changed us.
Notice how Jesus Himself lived this way. He ate with people. He listened to their stories. He noticed their pain. He entered their everyday lives. And then at the right moment, He called them to follow. Presence always preceded proclamation. That’s why investing is not a strategy to earn influence; it’s a posture of love. It means being present without an agenda, caring without conditions, and listening without rushing to fix. And when that kind of love is real, invitations aren’t manipulative; they’re natural.
Here’s the deeper challenge: investing in people requires patience. It means loving others without controlling outcomes. It means being willing to pour into relationships even when there’s no guarantee of response. And that kind of love costs something. But it’s also the kind of love that reflects Jesus most clearly. God often opens doors through relationships long before He opens mouths through words. And when the time comes to invite, the invitation doesn’t feel forced; it feels faithful.
Soul-Level Reflection:
Prayer: Father, give me Your heart for the people You’ve placed around me. Slow me down enough to notice, listen, and care well. Guard me from treating people as assignments instead of souls You deeply love. Teach me to invest faithfully, trust patiently, and invite courageously when the time is right. Let my relationships reflect Your presence before they ever reflect my words. Amen.
Action Step: Today, invest without inviting. Send one intentional message—a check-in, a note of encouragement, or a simple “I was thinking about you.” Invest first. Ask God to deepen the relationship and prepare both your heart and theirs for when the invitation comes.
Devotional Thought: Before Andrew ever invited his brother to meet Jesus, something else had already happened. Andrew had followed Jesus himself. That detail matters. Andrew’s invitation flowed out of a life already being shaped by proximity to Jesus. He was sharing from a relationship that had already begun to change him.
Andrew also didn’t invite a stranger. He invited someone he loved. He invested before he invited. Relationship came first. Trust opened the door. And that pattern reveals something essential about how the gospel moves through the world. Inviting without investing can feel transactional, like people are projects or targets. But investing without ever inviting can quietly become avoidance, disguised as kindness. Jesus calls us to both invest and invite. To genuinely love people for who they are and to courageously invite them into something that has changed us.
Notice how Jesus Himself lived this way. He ate with people. He listened to their stories. He noticed their pain. He entered their everyday lives. And then at the right moment, He called them to follow. Presence always preceded proclamation. That’s why investing is not a strategy to earn influence; it’s a posture of love. It means being present without an agenda, caring without conditions, and listening without rushing to fix. And when that kind of love is real, invitations aren’t manipulative; they’re natural.
Here’s the deeper challenge: investing in people requires patience. It means loving others without controlling outcomes. It means being willing to pour into relationships even when there’s no guarantee of response. And that kind of love costs something. But it’s also the kind of love that reflects Jesus most clearly. God often opens doors through relationships long before He opens mouths through words. And when the time comes to invite, the invitation doesn’t feel forced; it feels faithful.
Soul-Level Reflection:
- Who has God already placed in my life where I’m being called to invest more intentionally?
- Where might I be rushing toward words when God is inviting me into deeper presence?
- In what ways have I treated people as projects instead of image-bearers?
- Am I willing to love, serve, and invest without needing a guaranteed response?
Prayer: Father, give me Your heart for the people You’ve placed around me. Slow me down enough to notice, listen, and care well. Guard me from treating people as assignments instead of souls You deeply love. Teach me to invest faithfully, trust patiently, and invite courageously when the time is right. Let my relationships reflect Your presence before they ever reflect my words. Amen.
Action Step: Today, invest without inviting. Send one intentional message—a check-in, a note of encouragement, or a simple “I was thinking about you.” Invest first. Ask God to deepen the relationship and prepare both your heart and theirs for when the invitation comes.
Day 5: Why Not You?
Scripture: Romans 10:14, “…How can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
Devotional Thought: At some point, this question becomes unavoidable: Why not you? Why wouldn’t God use your voice, your story, your relationship? The Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 10 are not meant to create guilt; they’re meant to create clarity. God has chosen to make His grace known through people. Not just pastors. Not just church staff. But through followers of Jesus who are willing to speak, invite, and witness with their lives. The gospel doesn’t move forward because people are perfectly prepared. It moves forward because someone is willing.
And the truth is, your faith story didn’t begin in isolation. Someone went first for you. Someone noticed you. Someone took the risk of inviting, explaining, or simply being present. Your life with Jesus is part of a chain of obedience that started long before you. And God now invites you to be one link in that chain for someone else.
The tension we feel isn’t usually about disbelief; it’s about responsibility. We sense that obedience matters. That eternity is real. Those moments are holy. And that realization can feel heavy. But it’s also deeply hopeful. Because God isn’t asking you to carry the weight of someone’s salvation. That’s His work. He’s asking you to carry the privilege of participation.
Living with eternity in view changes how we see interruptions, conversations, and opportunities. It reminds us that some moments don’t come back around. And that a simple invitation, offered in love, could be the doorway God uses to change a life forever. So the question isn’t whether God can use you. The question is whether you’re willing to be used.
Soul-Level Reflection:
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the people who went first for me. Thank You for using ordinary obedience to change my life. I don’t want to miss the moments You place in front of me. Give me courage when fear is loud, clarity when doubt creeps in, and compassion that moves me to act. I trust You to do what only You can do. I choose to be willing. Amen.
Action Step: Today or this weekend, extend one clear invitation. Send the text. Start the conversation. Invite them to coffee or to sit with you at church. Before you do, pray: “Jesus, help me see this moment the way You do.” Then take the step, trusting that obedience is enough, and God will handle the outcome. Pray. Pay attention. Invite.
Devotional Thought: At some point, this question becomes unavoidable: Why not you? Why wouldn’t God use your voice, your story, your relationship? The Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 10 are not meant to create guilt; they’re meant to create clarity. God has chosen to make His grace known through people. Not just pastors. Not just church staff. But through followers of Jesus who are willing to speak, invite, and witness with their lives. The gospel doesn’t move forward because people are perfectly prepared. It moves forward because someone is willing.
And the truth is, your faith story didn’t begin in isolation. Someone went first for you. Someone noticed you. Someone took the risk of inviting, explaining, or simply being present. Your life with Jesus is part of a chain of obedience that started long before you. And God now invites you to be one link in that chain for someone else.
The tension we feel isn’t usually about disbelief; it’s about responsibility. We sense that obedience matters. That eternity is real. Those moments are holy. And that realization can feel heavy. But it’s also deeply hopeful. Because God isn’t asking you to carry the weight of someone’s salvation. That’s His work. He’s asking you to carry the privilege of participation.
Living with eternity in view changes how we see interruptions, conversations, and opportunities. It reminds us that some moments don’t come back around. And that a simple invitation, offered in love, could be the doorway God uses to change a life forever. So the question isn’t whether God can use you. The question is whether you’re willing to be used.
Soul-Level Reflection:
- Where might I be postponing obedience under the guise of caution or timing?
- Who in my life might God be reaching through my willingness to speak or invite?
- What fears am I protecting that might be costing someone else an opportunity to encounter Jesus?
- What would change in how I live this week if I truly believed eternity was at stake?
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for the people who went first for me. Thank You for using ordinary obedience to change my life. I don’t want to miss the moments You place in front of me. Give me courage when fear is loud, clarity when doubt creeps in, and compassion that moves me to act. I trust You to do what only You can do. I choose to be willing. Amen.
Action Step: Today or this weekend, extend one clear invitation. Send the text. Start the conversation. Invite them to coffee or to sit with you at church. Before you do, pray: “Jesus, help me see this moment the way You do.” Then take the step, trusting that obedience is enough, and God will handle the outcome. Pray. Pay attention. Invite.