Unshakeable: 365 Devotions for Finding Unwavering Strength in God’s Word

By Christine Caine

God is bigger than your current story. Bigger than fear or shame or that voice in your head that whispers that you are not enough, too broken, or too flawed. Join Him in a closer relationship--one rooted in truth and Unshakeable. In this daily devotional Christine Caine encourages you to find confidence to live as the person God created you to be.

Unshakeable is a great 365-day devotional, if you want to:

• Learn from inspiring personal stories and powerful scripture that will equip you to live boldly and courageously
• Discover how to fully trust our faithful God
• Be inspired to activate living your life on mission

Everything in our world that can be shaken will be shaken. And yet, the Bible assures us it doesn't matter what happens politically, morally, socially, or economically in the world around us if we have Christ in us--if we have the kingdom of God within us--because His kingdom is Unshakeable.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Oct 24, 2017
• ISBN: 9780310090885

Christine Caine

Christine Caine is a speaker, activist, and bestselling author. She and her husband, Nick, founded the A21 Campaign, an anti–human trafficking organization. They also founded Propel Women, an initiative that is dedicated to coming alongside women all over the globe to activate their God-given purpose. You can tune into Christine's weekly podcast, Equip & Empower, or her TBN television program to be encouraged with the hope of Jesus wherever you are. To learn more about Christine, visit www.christinecaine.com.

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JANUARY

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.

1 CORINTHIANS 3:11

JANUARY 1

A FRESH START

Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

PROVERBS 4:25

I love new beginnings. The first day of a new year always inspires me to take an honest look at every aspect of my life and schedule, and to decide any necessary adjustments. I want to always be sure I’m staying the course—laser focused. I love how Proverbs 4:25 tells us, Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.

I remember when my husband, Nick, bought me a Vespa—complete with driving lessons. The most important point my instructor made was that where I looked was where I would go.

What great advice for the start of a new year! God wants us to be diligent in keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus—laser focused. He wants us to stay the course, and where we focus is where we’ll go.

Let’s commit to focusing on Jesus—the One who calms the storms. Then we won’t be overwhelmed by our circumstances, problems, challenges, or feelings. We won’t fear any waves of opposition. Instead, faith will rise up and make us unshakeable!

Lord, help me to stay focused on You, every moment of every day.

JANUARY 2

GOD’S STORYLINE FOR YOU

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

GALATIANS 5:1

The longer I live, the more I see how God has been writing a great story in my life. Its plot illustrates His power to transform a life shaped by shame into a life full of freedom—a life I live as a champion, Spirit-filled and Spirit-led. As a child and a teen, I never could have imagined such a beautiful story for myself. But God is a magnificent author, and I am so thankful I get to live His story for my life every day.

God wants to do the very same thing for you. He created you for a specific purpose. He has a powerful plan—a significant reframing—for your life. And guess what? Slavery has no place in God’s storyline. Jesus came to set you free from every bondage—shame, fear, doubt, pain—from whatever has enslaved you. Yes, the Enemy will always try to throw his weights back on you, but when you feel them start to pull you down, declare today’s verse over your life. Personalize it and remember to stand firm in your God-given freedom.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm and confidently move forward in God’s new story for your life.

Lord, thank You for creating me to live free—and help me walk in that freedom each day.

JANUARY 3

LOVING GOD WITH ALL WE ARE

‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

MATTHEW 22:37–39

God took all the commands and laws and summarized them into two critical points: love God and love others. That’s because His love in us heals and transforms us—and His love through us heals and transforms the world around us. Imagine how much He has entrusted to us! We can’t help but share His perfect love and help others be made whole. What a gift! That’s why God wants us to keep growing in loving others well.

Learning to love God first—and loving Him so completely that you love Him with every fiber of your heart, soul, and mind—is a lifelong process. It comes from daily meeting with Him, seeking Him, and allowing Him to change your heart to be more like His. Learning to love others next is how we cooperate with Jesus and His mission to win the lost and disciple others.

As you continue to grow in loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind, show your love for Him by loving those around you. Fulfill the greatest commandments. Love God. Love others. Be the love of Jesus everywhere you go.

Thank You, Jesus, for working in me so I can better love You with all my heart, soul, and mind—and show Your supernatural love to others.

JANUARY 4

RENEWED PASSION

His power . . . is at work within us.

EPHESIANS 3:20

Your life in God is an adventure of faith—and the fuel to keep you going is your passion. Our passion is that unapologetic willingness and enthusiasm to do what God has called us to do. Enthusiasm comes from two Greek words: en, which means in, and theos, which means God. So if you are in God, you have enthusiasm. When you live from a place of passion, you take performing your work and living your life from a place of have to to a place of get to. You don’t do anything out of obligation, but out of excited gratitude.

Passion will enable you to do what you never thought you could.

Passion will enable you to keep going when you want to give up.

Passion will help you to inspire everyone to come along on the journey with you.

We are filled with the Holy Spirit of the living God; therefore, we ought to be the most passionate people on earth. So, when you feel your passion begin to wane, stand on God’s promise to us: "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the L

ORD

will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint" (Isaiah 40:30–31).

Your faithful, unfailing love keeps me going, Lord. It guides, heals, empowers, transforms, protects, and provides for me. Thank You.

JANUARY 5

OUR REJOICING GOD

[The L

ORD

your God] will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.

ZEPHANIAH 3:17

How else can we respond to such unconditional love except with gratitude and praise—rejoicing right along with Him? He loves us so much that He sings over us!

When you find it difficult to connect with God, or feel as though you can’t hear His direction in your life, start praising Him for all He is and thanking Him for all He has done. Whether you sing it or say it, express your gratitude like the Word says, entering His gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise (Psalm 100:4). Magnify His name with prayers like the following:

Father, You are wonderful. Thank You for being such a good God, who is so good to me. Thank You for being so faithful to me in every season. Thank You for never leaving me nor forsaking me. Thank You for always working all things for my good—even when I can’t see You at work.

Lord, the idea that You sing over me in delight both thrills and humbles me. Thank You for Your love! Show me how to delight in You right back!

JANUARY 6

LEARNING TO TRUST

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, L

ORD

, have never forsaken those who seek you.

PSALM 9:10

At some point in our lives, we undoubtedly develop defense mechanisms—those habits we form to protect our hearts and minds from hurt and pain. We decide to never be truly vulnerable again. Or we become the person trying to control every aspect of our lives—and even those around us.

We think these mechanisms create a life that is easier to deal with than trusting an unknown future to a known God. But learning to trust God is actually the antidote to getting rid of all of our defense mechanisms. It’s the journey He wants us to take.

Yes, learning to trust will take time. It will be helped by experience with trustworthy people. It will involve accepting challenges, undergoing trials, and coming out the other side. It will mean taking the risk of following God despite our fear.

Trust grows slowly. So, be patient and kind with yourself, knowing that the Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Lord, I know You are trustworthy—even when I don’t feel it. Heal me, and lead me along the way to complete freedom in You.

JANUARY 7

LETTING GO OF THE PAST

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.

ISAIAH 43:19

At my house, I firmly believe in having a place for everything and everything in its place.

I love to purge my house, office, car, and any other space of needless junk and clutter. If something has not been used recently or is simply taking up too much space, out it goes! (Nick and the girls often leave notes on their possessions, begging me to not give them away or throw them away.)

A harder assignment, though, is to purge our minds from past events. If we spend time replaying every scene when we failed or when someone hurt us, abused us, or disappointed us, then we will struggle to move forward.

If you hang on tightly to past memories, you might miss out on the life God wants you living today! Yes, it takes courage to let go of the weights you have carried around for years—whether those are actual, physical things (such as clothes, cars, jewelry, or houses) or intangible weights (relationships, bad habits, wrong thinking, or emotional baggage). It’s time to clean out your mind. Then your hands will be free to hold the good things God has for you. The new things He wants to give you!

Lord God, I want to pursue the adventure You have for my life. Please help me see and release the things I don’t need.

JANUARY 8

DELIGHT IN GOD’S STRENGTH

For Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2 CORINTHIANS 12:10

No child wants to grow up to be a pipsqueak. They all want to be big and strong! Even we adults prefer operating out of our strength rather than our weakness. But God keeps allowing us to be in situations where our weakness shows. Why? Because only in our weakness can we know His strength.

Your powerful God is never limited by your limitations. Whenever He calls you to step out of your comfort zone, you can be sure He wants to do something in and through your life. God chooses people for His work not because they are big enough and strong enough and smart enough, but because He knows who will stay focused on the truth that only God can do that work. Our God of the impossible chooses people who will follow Him, trust Him, and be His hands, feet, and voice as He does what only He can do.

What a relief to know that God’s changing work is done because of God’s strength, not yours or mine. So when you see your weaknesses, delight like Paul! You can expect God’s strength to be revealed in amazing and beautiful ways.

Lord God, please pour Your strength into my weak places and use me for Your eternal purposes. What a privilege and a delight!

JANUARY 9

SERVING BEHIND THE SCENES

Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed [David] in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the L

ORD

came powerfully upon David.

1 SAMUEL 16:13

When David was anointed by God to be king of Israel, he was merely a boy tending his family’s sheep. He was serving in obscurity—separate from his older brothers and where all the action seemed to be. Still, God knew David was the one and He used David mightily in Israel’s history.

Maybe you are serving the Lord in total obscurity and anonymity. Maybe you’re given jobs no one else wants. If so, welcome them. Like David, there could be something great that God is maturing you to do. If you feel disregarded by your family, your boss, or your coworkers, then you are in David’s good company. David was disregarded and dismissed—until it was time for God’s plan for David to unfold.

Have confidence in God’s plan for you—regardless of what today looks like. Remember that you are not unseen by God. He knows your name, your faithful service, and your heart. God knows your giftedness, your potential, and your faithfulness to Him when no one else does. Know that the God who assigned you to your current place will find you when it is time for your promotion.

Lord, reading these words makes me excited about the role You have for me in Your kingdom. I believe that You are using today to prepare me for tomorrow.

JANUARY 10

WHEN GOD IS READY

Have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.

JOSHUA 6:5

Throughout my life I’ve faced many kinds of walls. They blocked me, slowed me down, and challenged me to grow in my faith. The process of standing and obeying God until they fell shaped me. The process always stretched me, but God eventually used those walls for something beautiful. And He’ll use the wall you’re facing today to do the same for you.

When the Israelites were facing the ominous walls of Jericho, the facts of the situation were bleak: the walls were high and thick and tightly shut. God’s perspective was different: He saw Jericho already delivered to His people. The promise was a done deal.

But Joshua and the people had to walk through a God-ordained seven-day process. During those seven days, they were to march around the city (Joshua 6). They were promised that they’d get to witness a miracle, when at their shout, God would bring the wall down. And that’s exactly how it happened.

When we take our eyes off God’s promises, all we see is a wall. But God is using that barrier to stretch us and shape us according to His purposes. That barrier will come down when He is ready. Our job is to keep marching, worshiping, and following Him, until He gives us the order to shout in celebration—when His promise is fulfilled!

God, thank You for the refining, shaping work You are doing. I believe You’ll make my wall fall down.

JANUARY 11

WONDERFULLY MADE

You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

PSALM 139:13

Before I was formed in my mother’s womb—whosever womb that was—God knew me.

I was thirty-three years old when I first learned that I was adopted. The underpinnings of my world shifted radically and immediately, but because of my faith in God, they resettled in a more secure place as I comprehended such emotional news.

As I stood in my mother’s kitchen, looking at her, my brother, and my sister-in-law, I remembered God’s Word. I knew He knitted together my innermost parts and fashioned all my days before there was even one of them. I knew I was fearfully and wonderfully made. I knew that God had always known I was adopted, and He had always loved me. I may not have been who I thought I was, but I was still who He said I was. And I was loved. I was His.

In the wake of that life-changing discovery, God’s very real love for me was holding me together. I knew His love was always relentless, unyielding, passionate, unfailing, perfect. And a feeling of peace—of supernatural peace—engulfed me. This loving God was in control of my life.

And He is in control of yours. If you’ve been rocked by an emotional earthquake, look to Him; His love will hold you together too.

Your gift of love, God, sustains me when my world turns upside down, and I am grateful. I love You, Lord.

JANUARY 12

PRESSING ON

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

PHILIPPIANS 3:12

If we allow little things to interfere with our relationship with Jesus, enough of those small obstructions will, over time, result in blockages that clog our spiritual arteries and harden our hearts. Yet when we press on—to use Paul’s phrase—we exert a steady force against a hardened heart.

Stay committed to continually pressing against those things that would pull you away from Jesus and toward those things that help you run unhindered. Don’t allow complacency, apathy, weariness, indifference, hurt, offense, insecurity, fear, doubt, bitterness, or unforgiveness to clog your spiritual arteries. Keep your heart strong so you can keep pressing on.

If you’re challenged today, exercise one of these characteristics to keep moving forward: diligence, love, compassion, acts of kindness, faith, forgiveness, or perseverance. Don’t be too hard on yourself, but take a first step. Paul emphasized that even he hadn’t obtained his goal and needed to keep pressing on. We’ve never arrived in this Christian life—so in the love and power of our Father, let’s keep inching forward against a hardened heart—and toward an amazing eternity with Him.

Lord Jesus, please give me the energy, strength, perseverance, and stamina I need to keep pressing on in my relationship with You. I’m in this race until the end!

JANUARY 13

RESCUED BY JESUS

The L

ORD

is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

PSALM 34:18

When God told us to start the work of A21 (an anti–human trafficking organization), I wanted to learn all I could, so I spent time with women who had been rescued from trafficking. I remember Sonia especially. She had arrived at the shelter the previous day and challenged my motives.

Why are you here? she demanded. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. Why did you come?

Taking a deep breath, I introduced Sonia to Jesus.

"There is only one Rescuer who has the power to free any of us from prison. This Rescuer is the God I love—and who loves you and me so much that He left everything to come for us, to die for us, to free us.

And this God makes all things new. He loves you unconditionally, unrelentingly, and forever. He loves you in your brokenness, and He loves making people like you whole again.

Her questions were legitimate. My answer was truthful. God is the only One who can redeem our lives, heal our broken hearts, and take what the Enemy meant for evil and use it for our good.

My answer was the Answer for Sonia. My answer is the Answer for you as well.

Lord God, thank You for rescuing me, now and for eternity! Thank You for making all things new in my life.

JANUARY 14

CREATED AND CHOSEN

We are God’s handiwork.

EPHESIANS 2:10

God created you for good works. He made you on purpose and for a purpose. He wrote out a plan for your life—full of goodness and hope. Full of a great future. He designed you to fulfill all the potential He placed inside of you.

But then life happened.

And every blow was designed to knock you off your feet and short-circuit God’s plan for your life. As you move forward, embracing His love and healing power—as you allow Him to deliver you from all fear, shame, disappointment, and everything else that gets entangled in your mind—hide these truths in your heart so you can remind yourself of who you really are:

• God created you. You may not know what your parents felt for each other or even the circumstances of your conception, but you are God’s workmanship. You are His masterpiece, intricately woven together, and crafted lovingly by His own hands (Psalm 139:13). This truth is the foundation of your identity and mine.

• God has chosen you. You are neither an afterthought nor an accident. Your Creator God knows you, loves you, and has chosen you specifically to be His daughter, a child of the King of kings (Ephesians 1:5).

God, what sense of worth comes with knowing that You created me! What sense of purpose comes with knowing that You have chosen me as Yours! I am Your handiwork!

JANUARY 15

TAKE HEART!

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

JOHN 16:33

Through everything that we encounter in life, we can be grateful that our God is wise, loving, and completely trustworthy. He has told us that we will have trouble—because we live in this world—but when we feel overcome, we can believe that He has overcome for us. We can trust Him that it’s all taken care of—regardless of what it looks like. We can lean into the strength He gives us so we can hang on and press through.

Just hours before He would be arrested, flogged, and crucified, Jesus experienced a level of trouble we never will, yet He was able to say, Take heart! He was essentially saying, Cheer up!

Why? Because Jesus, whose Spirit is within you, is greater than anything the world can throw at you—even when it feels crushing (1 John 4:4). In Him, we can press on, knowing that there will be a happy ending, guaranteed. In Him, we can refocus our sight and thoughts to be above the circumstances we’re facing. We can rest that the real battle of overcoming has already been won. That’s when we can walk in unshakeable faith.

Lord God, thank You that You have overcome everything I could ever face. Thank You for strength to cling to the truth: You are faithful, wise, and loving—and You are growing my faith into unshakeable faith!

JANUARY 16

BIGGER GOD, SMALLER STRUGGLES

We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

2 CORINTHIANS 4:18

To the naked eye, distant stars are just a speck of light, but with the help of a telescope, we realize those stars are actually huge. In the same way, during our hard times, God can seem distant. When that happens, do whatever it takes to remember how big God actually is—and let faith adjust your lens.

What crisis in your life—what I call a faith-shaker—is currently looming? A medical diagnosis or new boss? Car repairs or depleted finances? Is a treasured friend moving away or a trusted leader leaving your church? Maybe it’s issues with your family. Whatever you’re facing, God invites you to fix [your] eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen (2 Corinthians 4:18). There is an eternal, unseen purpose beyond this crisis.

Boost the power of your lens so you can see more of God. Seek Him in prayer and in the Word, and meditate in amazement on His attributes. The bigger God is in your mind, the smaller your struggles will look. During hard times and dark times, remember that God is doing good that you are yet to see. It is coming to a wondrous resolution, in His time.

God, please help me see more clearly Your wisdom, love, and trustworthiness—and know that You are close.

JANUARY 17

FEELING NO SHAME

Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

GENESIS 2:25

The Bible tells us that in the beginning Adam and Eve felt no shame. They were created perfectly and set in a perfect environment. But when they sinned, and sin entered the world for the first time, so did shame—and they felt shame for the first time.

God placed this key point in Genesis because there’s a freeing truth for us to grasp. God wanted us to know that shame was never His plan for us—that the perfect state for humankind is a shame-free life. After Adam and Eve sinned, God knew that shame would be one of our Enemy’s most harmful weapons, so He gave us the ultimate defense: Jesus. Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11). He makes us clean, He teaches us truth, and He restores us to Himself, just like humankind was originally created to be.

So the next time you feel the dark pull of secret shame or embarrassment, or that feeling of just not being enough, remember you weren’t created to live that way. Open your heart to Jesus, and He will bring light to the dark places. After all, He knows everything, and He loves you fully.

I’m so grateful that Your unconditional acceptance of me banishes shame, and I can walk in Your perfect peace.

JANUARY 18

YOUR LIFE-PRINT

Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation!

PSALM 139:13 T

HE

M

ESSAGE

It is no coincidence God gave each of us a distinct set of markings unique to every person: our fingerprints. I believe this is one of the ways God reminds us that each of us is an original, a unique person with a unique purpose. Psalm 139 says:

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day. (vv. 14–16 T

HE

M

ESSAGE

)

I love that! Just as God gave us fingerprints, He prepared for each of us a life-print that is completely our own. Sadly, many women never truly discover there’s a divine life-print for them because they’re too busy trying to fit into someone else’s. If you feel the urge to become a carbon copy of the wonderful women you see around you, let me remind you: she’s got her life-print, and you’ve got yours. Yours was made for you! So seek God for your purpose, and accept it—because you were marvelously made.

God, thank You for giving me my own life-print. When I compare myself to others, remind me of what You put me here to do.

JANUARY 19

THE GRACE OF FORGIVENESS

John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

JOHN 1:29

It’s important to understand: Why exactly did Jesus, this wonderful Son of God, have to die (John 3:16)? The answer lies in the very nature of God—and the very nature of humankind.

God is without sin—and we human beings are not, so we cannot stand before our holy God in our sin. But there is a bridge that enables us to connect with God—Jesus.

Jesus was the spotless Lamb of God. He was spotless because He never sinned. He perfectly kept the law of Moses, He perfectly loved God with all He was, and He perfectly loved people (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus’ victory over sin and death was necessary because it secured our forgiveness and allowed us to be in contact with our holy God.

When we invite Him into our hearts to be the Lord of our lives, He moves in.

Reviews for Unshakeable

[Jovita · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A must read for every Christian , you wont regret it