Wisdom is one prayer away — but most of us save prayer for the big decisions and handle the rest on autopilot. In this episode, Blake sits with James 1:5: “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.” God offers His wisdom generously, without a hint of reproach, for every circumstance, big and small.

Blake unpacks why asking doesn’t come naturally — we’re used to handling things ourselves — what it means to ask in faith of a God who is near rather than far off, and how His wisdom usually arrives: not as a voice from the sky, but through a fitting verse, a wise friend, a closed door, an unexpected peace. He calls it spiritual concentration: learning to see God’s hand in all things, and keeping a simple record of His answers that builds a trust you can look back on.

Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.

We live in a culture that rewards action — fix it, resolve it, make it happen. But in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul offers a humbling correction: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” In this episode, Blake unpacks what it means to do your part faithfully and leave the results to God, instead of getting ahead of Him.

Blake looks at how trying to force our own growth is like tugging on a seedling to make it grow faster — you only tear up the roots — and offers a freeing reminder: sometimes your role is just one step in a much larger process. Someone else may water what you plant, and someone after them may see the harvest. Your job is to be faithful in your step and trust God with the rest.

Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.

“Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me.” Years ago, the Lord used a painful experience to expose a pride Blake didn’t know he had. In this episode he tells the story — being ordained a deacon, feeling like he’d finally arrived, and then losing it all in a church conflict — and what God taught him through the collapse.

Blake gets honest about how spiritual achievement can quietly become a substitute for depending on God — spiritual cotton candy that looks substantial but dissolves the moment you need it most — and points to where our worth is actually settled: not in applause or recognition, but in Christ’s finished acceptance of us. He closes with a practical way to diagnose and repent of a performance-based faith.

Follow Before the Lord on Facebook (@BeforeTheLord) and Instagram (@beforethelorddevo). Get devotionals delivered to your inbox at blakescrawford.com/sign-up, or listen anytime at blakescrawford.com/listen. Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and iHeart.