Devotional Guide
# 5-Day Devotional: Baptized in God’s Love
## Day 1: The Confidence of Prayer
**Reading:** 1 John 5:14-15
**Devotional:**
Prayer is not wishful thinking but confident communication with our Father. When we pray according to God’s will, we can absolutely, positively know He hears us. This confidence transforms our prayer life from uncertainty to assurance. Today, move beyond general prayers into specific requests. Instead of “bless our nation,” pray specifically for leaders by name, for specific needs in your community, for particular people struggling with identifiable challenges. God delights in answering specific prayers because they demonstrate faith and intentionality. When you pray with confidence, aligned with His Word and will, you’re not hoping God might listen—you’re knowing He does. This assurance changes everything about how we approach His throne.
## Day 2: Commanded to Love
**Reading:** John 13:34-35; 1 John 3:14-15
**Devotional:**
Love is not optional for believers—it’s a commandment. Jesus introduced a revolutionary love that transcends feelings, conditions, or personal preference. This agape love loves regardless of how people treat us, what they look like, or whether they meet our expectations. The sobering truth is that hatred toward a brother or sister is equated with murder—ignoring someone as though they’re dead. This challenges our natural tendency to withdraw from difficult people or those different from us. Today, identify someone you’ve pushed away or ignored. The command isn’t to feel warm emotions but to choose loving actions. Pray for them, serve them, speak kindly. Love defeats hatred every time, but only when we obey the command to love unconditionally.
## Day 3: God’s Lavish Love
**Reading:** John 3:16; 1 John 3:1-2
**Devotional:**
God doesn’t just love—He “so loved” the world. This is soul love, lavishly given, abundantly poured out. Before you did anything to earn it, while you were still a sinner, God’s love was bestowed upon you. This love is permanent, unconditional, and irreversible. You cannot lose it through failure, sin, or struggle. God loves you before you sin, during your sin, and after you sin. His love is not based on your performance but on His character. Today, reject the lie that God has abandoned you or withdrawn His love. Feelings may fluctuate, circumstances may challenge, but His love remains constant. You are called a child of God—that’s your permanent identity. Let this truth melt your heart and transform how you see yourself and others.
## Day 4: Identity in Christ Alone
**Reading:** 1 Corinthians 6:9-11
**Devotional:**
Your identity is not found in your job, generation, political affiliation, or past mistakes. You are a blood-bought, born-again believer in Jesus Christ. The enemy wages war against your identity, trying to confuse and distract you from this truth. Paul reminds us: “such were some of you”—past tense. You were washed, sanctified, and justified. God looks at you through the blood of Jesus, seeing you just as if you’d never sinned. Your identity is permanent and cannot be lost, even when you stumble. You may have issues, battles, and struggles, but these don’t define you. Today, reject labels based on problems or past. Declare your true identity: “I am holy, righteous, victorious, and an overcomer in Christ.” Your identity flows alongside your issues, but never let issues eclipse who you truly are.
## Day 5: Issues and Identity Together
**Reading:** Matthew 4:1-11
**Devotional:**
Even Jesus faced challenges to His identity. The enemy’s first words were, “If you are the Son of God…” Satan attacks our identity because if he can confuse who we are, he can control what we do. Here’s the liberating truth: your issues don’t eliminate your identity. You may struggle with certain sins, battles that seem to linger for years, but you remain victorious in Christ. The day you were saved, some issues disappeared immediately; others take time. Some may accompany you until glory. But even while wrestling with imperfection, you are still holy, righteous, and beloved. Today, stop letting your struggles define you. Like Jesus, combat the enemy’s lies with God’s Word. Declare who you are in Christ, regardless of what you’re going through. Your identity is secure, permanent, and rooted in His finished work.