Recently, I’ve been reading the Bible chronologically, and it has been an informative experience. But I knew I wanted one of the Bibles I use during this process to be a Bible that would not only make the Word come alive in a fresh way, but also help me slow down and reflect as I read.
When The Message Women’s Devotional Bible came into my hands from NavPress, published in alliance with Tyndale House Publishers, I felt it was perfect for this journey.
Why I’m Loving It
I’ve always appreciated The Message translation for the way it captures Scripture in a clear, everyday way. It’s easy to read but still deeply meaningful, making me pause and think about how the passage reveals the character of God and His story.
But what makes this edition so special is that it’s written by women, for women, and that focus comes through this entire Bible. The devotionals speak directly to the heart, the stories of women in Scripture are highlighted beautifully, and there’s an intentional care for the unique challenges and joys we experience as women of faith.
Also, I can’t forget to mention something I love most: the cover. It’s a warm terracotta with a soft, leather-like feel that makes it both beautiful and polished. It’s the kind of Bible you want to pick up, hold, and open regularly.
Inside you’ll find:
320 topical devotions written by women from all walks of life
Thoughtful introductions to each section of the Bible that highlight women’s needs and perspectives
Profiles of important figures in Scripture
Space and sensitivity for women to engage with difficult Bible passages
A beautiful terracotta, leather-look cover that makes this Bible feel timeless and special
How This Bible Helps With Bible Reading
Reading the Bible chronologically means I’m covering a lot of ground, and sometimes I can be tempted to just “get through” the day’s reading. But having these devotionals and profiles woven right into the text helps to slow down, reflect, and see Scripture through a lens that’s both personal and relatable.
There’s something exciting about seeing the stories of women (named and unnamed) woven into God’s big story. It’s a reminder that He sees us, values us, and calls us into His work just as much today as He did then.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a Bible that will encourage your heart, speak into your everyday life, and give you fresh insight as you read, I can’t recommend The Message Women’s Devotional Bible enough. The combination of The Message’s approachable translation, the devotionals written for women, the profiles of important figures in Scripture, and the beautiful terracotta leather-look cover makes it a joy to read and a treasure to keep.
As I continue reading through Scripture for the remainder of this year and into the next, I know this Bible will be by my side, reminding me that God’s Word is alive, personal, and meant for me and for you.
Follow this link to hear from the contributors and get your Bible.
The message of the Scriptures is incomplete without women. Don’t miss their powerful stories.
The world can make us lose sight of our true identities. The voices around us bombard us with labels, and even we, Christian women, fall prey to this snare. Yet, our identity doesn’t lie in these worldly labels, nor does it rest in the throes of anxiety, depression, or self-doubt.
Our true identity is revealed in Christ Jesus, the one who sees us for who we really are. Each day, He invites us to see ourselves through His eyes.
In the scriptures
In John 1:12, we find a powerful truth, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Our identity in Christ begins with accepting Him as our Savior and understanding that we are His children, loved unconditionally by our heavenly Father.
In Romans 10:9, we learn that openly declaring Jesus as Lord and truly believing in our hearts brings us salvation. This is not a mere declaration, but an embracing of Jesus as the Lord of our lives. As His beloved children, we rest in the comforting truth that He is always present for us.
In 1 John 4:9-10, we see a demonstration of real love. It’s not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. Jesus’s sacrifice is a testament to the profound love God has for us. The next time you question your worth, remember that you are immensely loved by the Almighty.
And finally, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, we are reminded of our worth. “You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.” The Holy Spirit resides within us, making our bodies the temple of God. Recognizing this can guide us in honoring our bodies and ourselves.
Conclusion
As we conclude today’s devotional, consider how being a child of God, being loved, and having worth changes your perspective about yourself. Are you beginning to see yourself through God’s eyes? Reflect on these truths and let them guide you on your journey to developing a healthy self-esteem.
The world will continue to label us, but we must cling to our true identity in Christ. We are children of God, we are loved, and we are worthy. Remember these truths, hold them close, and let them shape your view of yourself.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for thinking so highly of me that you sent your son Jesus to redeem the sinners of this world. You have shown me in your word, how important I am to you. I want to thank you for loving me unconditionally. Please help me to remember your words concerning me when I am unable to identify who I truly am or when I doubt my worth.
Thank you for everything.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen
Share with the community
What scripture has helped you most in understanding your true identity in Christ? Share your experience and inspire others in the comments below.
You Should Know
I’m always praying for my readers! Visit my CONNECT page if you have a prayer request for me to include in my prayers for you.
Do you ever have an attack of condemnation that causes you to doubt God’s grace and His forgiveness of your sins? This is a normal area of doubt, but it’s not the truth to believe that if you have repented you have not been forgiven. Will the Holy Spirit help me understand God better? Let’s explore this.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Crossway Bibles 2008).
Before any of us become saved, we are wicked and will live a life separated from God for eternity. But when we turn from wickedness and unrighteous thoughts through repentance, God has compassion for us. With His compassion, He forgives our sins instantly just as He did for the wicked in Isaiah.
Coming from a sinful nature, it may be hard for many of us to understand the power of grace initially. God created grace and by His thought pattern, way, and through Jesus’ sacrifice, it causes grace to be enough for the forgiveness of sins.
Remember that repentant believers are under grace. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand God’s love and purpose for grace. When you understand how much God loves you, you will rest assured that the free gift of grace through faith is sufficient for the forgiveness of your sins and you personally.
Just as we have little understanding of the heavens, we have minimal understanding of God’s ways and thoughts. But, when we find ourselves in confusion, we can rely on the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent to show us love, give us spiritual understanding, and peace.
Pray Today:
Dear Lord,
Please help me never underestimate your gift of grace. Lead me Holy Spirit to understand the Father’s thoughts and ways better. Lead Holy Spirit to find peace in God’s love.
Do you want to become a believer today? I’ll show you how here.
Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in your day to do much more than say a quick prayer and a thank you to Jesus when it comes to your time with God? I did a poll on my Instagram stories and it was abundantly clear that time with God is a struggle for many women. We get busy, we get tired, we fall asleep, and then the day is over with no time spent with God.
Well Sis, I want to help you get some quality time in with God. Here are 5 quick things busy women can do to have meaningful time reading the Bible daily.
Devotional & Meditation On the Word
Idea number one is for you to choose a devotional and single out the anchor scripture of that devotion. Once you’ve done that and before you read the devotional, read the scripture word for word and then meditate on its meaning. You can follow this up by completing the devotional or taking this bonus step.
Open your Bible and read the entire chapter that the verse comes from in your study Bible. Use the study notes in the Bible for further understanding.
You-Version Bible Plan
Another idea is to consider picking and using a YouVersion Bible plan for your time with God. This is similar to the devotional idea, but many of the YouVersion Bible plans for example, can be 5 to 30 days long.
Additionally, follow the bonus step above for the Bible plans anchor verse(s).
Remember that there is no pressure to do the bonus step. It’s just a way to get deeper study in during your quiet time.
Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in your day to do much more than say a quick prayer and a thank you to Jesus when it comes to your time with God? I did a poll on my Instagram stories and it was abundantly clear that time with God is a struggle for many women. We get busy, we get tired, we fall asleep, and then the day is over with no time spent with God.
Well Sis, I want to help you get some quality time in with God. Here are 5 quick things busy women can do to have meaningful time reading the Bible daily.
Devotional & Meditation On the Word
Idea number one is for you to choose a devotional and single out the anchor scripture of that devotion. Once you’ve done that and before you read the devotional, read the scripture word for word and then meditate on its meaning. You can follow this up by completing the devotional or taking this bonus step.
Open your Bible and read the entire chapter that the verse comes from in your study Bible. Use the study notes in the Bible for further understanding.
You-Version Bible Plan
Another idea is to consider picking and using a YouVersion Bible plan for your time with God. This is similar to the devotional idea, but many of the YouVersion Bible plans for example, can be 5 to 30 days long.
Additionally, follow the bonus step above for the Bible plans anchor verse(s).
Remember that there is no pressure to do the bonus step. It’s just a way to get deeper study in during your quiet time.
Start A Book Of The Bible
The next idea is to begin reading a book of the Bible. Choose a book of the Bible first, then learn the context of everything that’s taking place in the book. Ultimately, this involves reading a summary of the book. I like to use The Bible Handbook by Daily Grace Co for this step.
Now for the reading part, you should read the book section by section. In each book there are chapters and in each chapter, there are usually sections. So read one section per day. In most books this should take no longer than 5 minutes per section.
If you want a deeper study, read the study notes in your Bible for more clarity.
Email Devotional
The second to last idea is to sign up for a daily email devotional from a Bible-believing and teaching pastor.
For instance, I love Rick Warren’s email devotionals.
Podcast
Finally, there are biblically sound devotional podcasts that are great to listen to as you get dressed for the day, are cooking, working out, commuting, etc.
One of my favorites is the “God Is Within Her” women’s devotional podcast with Valarie Reynolds.
I also have A surprise!
I will be starting my very own Her Faith Walk – Women’s Devotional Podcast in a few months. If you want to be notified when I launch, join the HFW Circle when you sign up for one of my freebies here.
Do you want to become a believer today? I’ll show you how here.
The fear and anxiety that we experience are not of the great God we serve. Many times our anxieties are imaginations that we think up to ourselves. We fester on them and eventually begin to believe them.
This is a snare. It’s a trap orchestrated by Satan. He doesn’t want us to trust God. He definitely wants us to believe that we are all alone. The enemy desires for us to be webbed into bondage by the thoughts and things that we are fearful of.
Have you ever thought of your anxieties this way?
Anxiety is not a God thing. It’s a tool to disable us from fulfilling God’s will for our lives.
Take Moses for instance. He was fearful of a speech difficulty that he struggled with. He actually didn’t believe he could effectively travel into Egypt and command Pharaoh to let the Lord’s people go.
Exodus 4:10But Moses said to the Lord , “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”
Many times like Moses, all of us allow our shortcomings to disable us into fear.
But Proverbs 29:25 says, “whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
Do you believe that today? God’s Word is true and never lies.
The next time you are fearful or overcome by anxiety, remember this promise of God. We don’t always know how He does it, but God protects His children. He is graceful, merciful, and kind in heart.
We can trust Him over any anxiety.
I encourage you to break free of your anxiety trap today. Go forth and persevere in the things God has called you specifically to do.
Be not afraid and remember that God remembers us in our fear. We can be reminded by that in scripture when we read that Aaron was sent with Moses to be his spokesman.
Exodus 7:1
And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
God is always for you and will not forget you. He is your safety.
Pray this week:
Dear Lord,
Please help me to overcome my fears and anxieties. Please correct my way of thinking and remind me that you are my safe place. Build my trust in you and my resistance to any snare.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name,
Amen
Do you need someone to pray for you? Send me your prayer request here.
Do you want to become a believer today? I’ll show you how here.
Recent Comments