Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 17:7-9.

"Now there was a young man of Bethlehem in Judah, of the family of Judah, who was a Levite, and he sojourned there. And the man departed from the town of Bethlehem in Judah to sojourn where he could find a place. And as he journeyed, he came to the hill country of Ephraim to the house of Micah. And Micah said to him, 'Where do you come from?' And he said to him, 'I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I may find a place.'" — Judges 17:7-9

Micah's story takes another turn when a wandering Levite shows up. This young man has the right background, the right bloodline, and the right credentials—and Micah sees his chance. Maybe if he brings a Levite into his house, it'll make his homemade religion look legitimate.

Micah's faith was hollow, but this priest-for-hire could make it look holy. He didn't want to change his heart; he wanted to polish his appearance. That's what borrowed faith does—it looks spiritual from the outside but lacks life on the inside.

And if we're honest, a lot of believers today are living on borrowed faith. We lean on our pastor's passion, our parents' prayers, our spouse's convictions. We admire other people's intimacy with God instead of pursuing our own. We've mastered secondhand spirituality—reading popular Christian living books instead of Scripture, reposting verses instead of living them, attending church instead of being the church.

Borrowed faith looks convincing—but it collapses when tested. Because borrowed faith can get you through a sermon, but not a storm. It can quote Scripture but won't stand on it. It's the illusion of devotion without the evidence of obedience.

That's exactly what Micah was doing. He wanted to hire holiness—to buy credibility without surrender. He invited a Levite into his home, but he never invited the Lord into his heart. And what started as borrowed faith soon became broken faith.

This story is a reminder and a warning for us. Whole generations have been raised near faith but not in it. We've confused proximity with intimacy, attendance with relationship, influence with anointing. But God can't be subcontracted. You can't borrow someone else's righteousness or lease someone else's conviction.

The only faith that lasts is the faith you actually live. So go live it.

ASK THIS:

1. Whose faith have you been borrowing instead of developing your own?
2. Do you find more comfort in looking spiritual than in obeying God?
3. When was the last time your personal time with God shaped your decisions, not just your emotions?
4. What would it take for your faith to become firsthand again?

DO THIS:

• Identify one area where you've been relying on borrowed faith—church, parents, friends, or leaders.
• Replace it with firsthand obedience this week. Pray, study, and apply truth yourself.

PRAY THIS:

Father, I don't want to live on borrowed faith. I don't want secondhand conviction or part-time obedience. Teach me to know You firsthand—to walk with You daily, not through someone else's devotion, but through my own surrender. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Run to the Father."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 17:5-6:

"And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." — Judges 17:5-6

Micah's home has now turned into a shrine. What began as a sentimental blessing has become a full-blown counterfeit religion. He makes an ephod, sets up household gods, and ordains his own son as priest. He's no longer just bending the rules—he's building a new religion entirely.

This is what happens when personal compromise becomes public culture. Verse 6 gives us the diagnosis for an entire generation: "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." When you remove God's authority, all you're left with is opinion. And opinion, when elevated to truth, becomes clutter.

Micah's story is ancient, but it sounds painfully modern. We live in an age of "Build-A-God" spirituality. People pick and choose beliefs like toppings on a pizza—keep the love, lose the wrath; keep the grace, ditch the repentance. We want a faith that feels personal but never confronts. We call it authenticity, but it's really autonomy in disguise.

We see it everywhere. "I'm spiritual, not religious." "My truth is my truth." "God just wants me to be happy." These are the slogans of a society that has traded holiness for self-help and discipleship for self-discovery.

And here's the danger: customized faith always leads to counterfeit worship. When you decide what's right for you instead of what's true before God, you stop worshiping Him—you start worshiping you. Micah built a religion that worked for him, but it couldn't save him.

The same is true for us. A God who always agrees with you can't change you. A faith that never offends you will never transform you. The real God draws lines because He loves us. He sets boundaries because He knows what sin destroys.

Micah's shrine wasn't just a problem of misplaced silver—it was a problem of misplaced worship. He didn't stop worshiping; he just switched the object. And that's what happens to us when we treat faith like a mirror instead of a window—we stop seeing God and start seeing ourselves.

We don't need a God who works for us—we need a God who works on us. The gospel isn't about making God fit our preferences; it's about letting Him reshape our hearts.

ASK THIS:

1. Have you ever tried to build a version of faith that "fits" your lifestyle?
2. Where have you made peace with sin by calling it "personal conviction"?
3. How does Micah's example warn us about the dangers of self-made religion?
4. What truth have you been tempted to rewrite to make life easier?

DO THIS:

• Read Romans 1:25: "They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator."
• Repent of any area where you've been "editing" God's authority to fit your comfort.

PRAY THIS:

Father, I don't want a faith that fits my comfort—I want a faith that changes my character. Save me from the kind of religion that worships me instead of You. Tear down every idol I've built in my own image and bring me back under Your truth. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Christ Be Magnified."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 17:3-4:

"And he restored the 1,100 pieces of silver to his mother. And his mother said, 'I dedicate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make a carved image and a metal image. Now therefore I will restore it to you.' So when he restored the money to his mother, his mother took 200 pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into a carved image and a metal image. And it was in the house of Micah." — Judges 17:3-4

Micah's mother meant well—but meaning well doesn't make something right. She takes stolen silver, dedicates it "to the Lord," and then uses it to fund an idol. It's one of the strangest contradictions in Scripture: a mom trying to honor God by disobeying Him.

But this is where sentimental faith always leads. Yesterday, she blessed what God condemned. Today, she's building what God forbade. When we refuse to confront sin, it doesn't just sit quietly—it grows bold.

You can almost hear her logic: "I'm doing this for God. It's my way of worship." But the moment we start serving God our way, we stop serving Him His way. Micah's mother didn't reject the Lord; she redefined Him. She wanted God's presence and blessing without God's authority.

And that's the same deception shaping modern faith. We've learned to baptize disobedience in religious language. Parents fund their kids' sinful choices and call it love. Churches adopt the world's ideologies and call it outreach. Politicians quote Bible verses while endorsing laws that mock God's design. It's all the same move—blessing what God condemns and calling it righteousness.

But God is not impressed by sincerity when it's married to sin. Good intentions don't turn rebellion into righteousness. When we fund what He forbids, we don't build faith—we build idols.

We see it in the culture of "progressive Christianity." We want inclusion without repentance, affirmation without transformation, and spirituality without submission. We think God should evolve with our culture, when in truth, we are the ones called to conform to His holiness.

The tragedy of Micah's home is that it looked religious but lived rebellious. It had silver crosses and carved idols, blessings and blasphemy side by side. And that's what happens when love loses its spine—sentimentality becomes sin, and truth is replaced by tolerance.

ASK THIS:

1. Where are you tempted to justify sin with "good intentions"?
2. How does your home reflect what you really believe about God's boundaries?
3. Have you ever supported something "for love's sake" that you knew dishonored God?
4. What would it look like to love your family with conviction instead of compromise?

DO THIS:

• Ask God to reveal one area where you've been "blessing" what He condemns.
• Repent by naming it for what it is—not "progress," not "love," but sin.
• Have one honest conversation this week with someone who needs truth spoken in love.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, forgive me for blessing what You've already called sin. Give me courage to love with conviction, to call truth what You call truth, and to stop confusing kindness with compromise. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Holy (Song of the Ages)."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 17:1-2:

There was a man of the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Micah. And he said to his mother, "The 1,100 pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse and also spoke it in my ears—behold, the silver is with me; I took it." And his mother said, "Blessed be my son by the Lord." — Judges 17:1-2

This scene looks simple—a son confesses theft, and a mother blesses him. But underneath it is something tragic. Micah steals from his own mother, admits it, and instead of correction, she offers him a blessing in God's name. It sounds spiritual—but it's sentimental.

Micah's mom believes in God, but she won't confront sin. She wants to keep peace, not stir conflict. Her love is sincere, but her silence is deadly. She redefines righteousness as "being nice," and in doing so, she turns blessing into approval of sin.

And here's the cost: when parents won't draw the line, children stop seeing one. When we're silent about sin, we teach the next generation that God's boundaries are optional—that His truth bends for our emotions. Micah's mother wasn't leading her son to God; she was leading him away by confusing blessing with permission.

Sound familiar? We see it every day. Christian parents who believe in the Bible—but when their kids walk into sin, they go quiet. They're afraid to offend, afraid to seem "judgmental," afraid to lose the relationship. So they soften the truth, stay silent, or even give their blessing to lifestyles and choices that God clearly calls sin.

It's the Micah mistake—wanting God's blessing without His boundaries. We say things like, "I just want my kids to be happy," when God calls us to want our kids to be holy. We call it love, but it's really fear wearing a mask of compassion.

We live in a world that calls confrontation "hate" and tolerance "love." But God calls love something higher—truth spoken with courage, even when it hurts. Real love doesn't wink at sin; it weeps over it. It points people, even our own children, back to the God who saves, not the one we invent to make everyone comfortable.

Micah's mother wanted God in her home but not on His terms. And that's where idolatry always starts—in homes that believe but won't obey.

God doesn't bless sentimental faith. He blesses surrendered faith. Love without truth isn't love—it's permission. And truth without love isn't truth—it's pride. The real God won't bend to our emotions, preferences, or family politics. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Our job isn't to adjust Him—it's to align with Him.

ASK THIS:

1. Have you ever confused love with tolerance in your home or relationships?
2. What message does silence about sin send to your children or those you influence?
3. Where do you need to speak truth in love, even if it risks tension?
4. How can you model both conviction and compassion like Jesus did?

DO THIS:

• Identify one area where you've softened God's truth out of fear or sentimentality.
• Pray for wisdom and courage to address it with both love and clarity.

PRAY THIS:

Father, forgive me for loving comfort more than conviction. Help me to love my family enough to tell them the truth. Give me courage to draw boundaries that lead to life—and grace to speak truth in love. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Fear Is Not My Future."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 16:28-31:

"Then Samson called to the Lord and said, 'O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.' And Samson grasped the two middle pillars on which the house rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other. And Samson said, 'Let me die with the Philistines.' Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. Then his brothers and all his family came down and took him and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of Manoah his father. He had judged Israel twenty years." — Judges 16:28-31

Samson's life was a rollercoaster of wasted potential—flashes of power, but riddled with pride, lust, and compromise. He fought enemies, but mostly on his own terms. Until now.

In his final moments, blind and humbled, Samson prayed: "O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once." Then, the text says, "he bowed with all his strength."

That line changes everything. Samson finally used all his strength in God's way. For the first time, his power wasn't about proving himself, chasing pleasure, or showing off. It was about surrender. With his final act, Samson lived out the calling God gave him from the beginning—to deliver Israel from the Philistines.

This is what surrender looks like: using all you have, not for yourself, but for God. And ironically, it was in death that Samson accomplished more than in life. His final words and final act remind us that true strength is never self-made—it's God-given, and it's God-directed.

Our culture teaches us to spend our strength proving ourselves, building platforms, or chasing tolerance and applause. But in God's economy, your greatest strength shows up when you bow. Your calling is fulfilled when your strength is finally surrendered to His purpose.

And Samson's story points us forward to Christ. Jesus, too, stretched out His arms, surrendered His life, and in what looked like defeat, He fulfilled His mission. In surrender came victory—once for all.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have you been using your strength for yourself instead of God?
2. How does Samson's final act of surrender redefine what true strength looks like?
3. What would it mean for you to "bow with all your strength" today?
4. How can your surrender fulfill the calling God placed on your life?

DO THIS:

• Pray for the courage to bow low and surrender it to Him.
• Write down one way you will use your strength for God's purpose this week.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, may I not waste the strength You've given me. Teach me to bow with all my strength—not for myself, but for You. May my final words and daily actions echo a surrender to Your purpose. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 16:22-27:

"But the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaved. Now the lords of the Philistines gathered to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god and to rejoice, and they said, 'Our god has given Samson our enemy into our hand.' And when the people saw him, they praised their god. For they said, 'Our god has given our enemy into our hand, the ravager of our country, who has killed many of us.' And when their hearts were merry, they said, 'Call Samson, that he may entertain us.' So they called Samson out of the prison, and he entertained them. They made him stand between the pillars. And Samson said to the young man who held him by the hand, 'Let me feel the pillars on which the house rests, that I may lean against them.' Now the house was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines were there, and on the roof there were about 3,000 men and women, who looked on while Samson entertained." — Judges 16:22-27

The last time we saw Samson, he was blinded, bound, and grinding in Gaza. His strength was gone, his dignity destroyed, and his calling in shambles. But tucked into verse 22 is a whisper of hope: "But the hair of his head began to grow again."

That single line reminds us that God wasn't done. Even in failure, grace was at work. Samson couldn't see it, but the God who set him apart before birth hadn't abandoned him.

Meanwhile, the Philistines were throwing a party. They praised their false god and mocked Samson as entertainment. It looked like evil had won, that God's man was finished, that compromise had written the final chapter. And isn't that how failure feels in our lives? When you've given in, when you've lost the fight, when culture mocks you for standing on the wrong side of "tolerance"—you feel finished.

Look at our own nation. We've compromised on marriage, family, and sexuality. We're mocked on the global stage for holding to biblical convictions. Closer to home, we're mocked for turning to God in prayer, ridiculed for standing up for our convictions on college campuses, and even fired for voicing biblical values in the workplace. Yet even now, God isn't finished with His people. Like Samson's hair growing in the shadows, grace is still at work—even in the dark places.

If you've failed, don't believe the lie that God is done with you. Grace is often hidden, subtle, even slow—but it is always moving. The hair grows back. And let's be honest—even bald men can still make a difference for the next generation when they're surrendered to God. It's not about what's on your head; it's about who's in your heart.

ASK THIS:

1. Where do you feel like failure has the last word in your life?
2. How does Samson's quiet restoration give you hope?
3. Where can you see God's grace "growing back" in your own story, even if others can't see it yet?
4. How can you encourage someone else who feels written off by failure?

DO THIS:

• Pray and surrender it to God, asking Him to redeem it.
• Write down a "but God" statement (e.g., "I failed here, but God is still working.")

PRAY THIS:

Father, thank You that failure is never the end of the story with You. When I am humbled, remind me that Your grace is still at work. Grow in me what I cannot see, and use me again for Your glory. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Grace Greater."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 16:18-21:

"When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called the lords of the Philistines, saying, 'Come up again, for he has told me all his heart.' Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hands. She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, 'The Philistines are upon you, Samson!' And he awoke from his sleep and said, 'I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.' But he did not know that the Lord had left him. And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison." — Judges 16:18-21

Yesterday, Samson gave in to Delilah's toxic empathy. He mistook love for surrender, compassion for compromise. And the moment he did, the trap was sprung. His vow was broken. His strength was gone.

Notice the devastating effects:

Blinded: His eyes gouged out—sin always blinds us first, dulling our discernment.
Bound: Shackled in bronze—compromise doesn't free you; it chains you.
Ground down: Forced to grind grain in prison—the mighty judge of Israel reduced to slave labor.

This is the natural progression of toxic empathy and social tolerance. When you give up righteousness to avoid being labeled "intolerant," you don't just lose ground—you lose sight. You lose freedom. You lose strength.

We also see it in culture. Churches that once stood firm on God's Word now compromise to be "welcoming." Leaders soften the truth so they won't be misunderstood. Families surrender holiness in the name of keeping peace. And just like Samson, the strength departs—and many don't even realize God's presence has left the room.

Look again at Gaza. It was the city Samson once strutted out of with the gates on his shoulders (Judges 16:3). Now it's the city where he's paraded around in chains. The very place where he thought he was untouchable becomes the place of his humiliation. That's the effect of compromise:

What you once thought you mastered eventually masters you.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have you mistaken tolerance for love, and ended up weakening your faith?
2. How has compromise blinded you to sin's danger?
3. What "chains" do you feel in your life right now because of past concessions?
4. How can you return to strength by standing firm in God's truth again?

DO THIS:

• Write down one area where compromise has robbed you of strength.
• This week, resist one small cultural lie with clear, biblical truth.

PRAY THIS:

Father, forgive me for the places I've traded truth for acceptance. Open my eyes where I've been blinded. Break the chains where I've been bound. Restore my strength so I can walk faithfully with You again. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"No Compromise."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 16:15-17:

"And she said to him, 'How can you say, "I love you," when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and you have not told me where your great strength lies.' And when she pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. And he told her all his heart, and said to her, 'A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.'" — Judges 16:15-17

Delilah didn't defeat Samson with force—she wore him down with feelings. "If you love me, prove it. If you care, give me this. If you don't, you're holding back." Samson caved, not because he was overpowered, but because he couldn't stand the weight of emotional manipulation.

This is called "toxic empathy"—the kind of false compassion that confuses love with surrender. Toxic empathy says: "If you love me, you'll accept what I want, even if it violates your convictions." It's empathy weaponized.

And doesn't that sound familiar? Our culture preaches a version of tolerance that demands the death of truth. "Affirm my choices, celebrate my lifestyle, bless my rebellion—or else you're hateful, judgmental, intolerant." That's the same spirit Delilah used on Samson: emotional blackmail to make him lay down what God called sacred.

Samson gave in, and in doing so, he forfeited his righteousness. He handed over the very thing God set apart in him. And when believers cave to cultural "tolerance," we do the same. We give up holiness for acceptance. We trade truth for applause. We exchange conviction for the cheap approval of people who don't worship our God.

Love can be loving without surrendering truth. Jesus was the most compassionate man who ever lived, yet he never compromised truth or righteousness. He loved sinners without affirming their sin. And we are called to do the same.

Toxic empathy may appear to be kindness, but in the end, it costs us our strength, integrity, and influence. So love, without compromise.

ASK THIS:

1. Where are you tempted to compromise truth because you don't want to be misunderstood?
2. How does "toxic empathy" show up in your relationships or workplace?
3. When have you traded conviction for cultural acceptance?
4. What would it look like to love people with compassion but without surrendering righteousness?

DO THIS:

• Identify one area where you feel pressured to soften or surrender God's truth.
• Pray for courage to hold the line with grace and conviction.
• Practice speaking truth in love this week—kindly, but clearly.
• Memorize Isaiah 5:20: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil."

PRAY THIS:

Lord, help me resist the pull of toxic empathy. Give me courage to love people with grace, but never at the cost of Your truth. Strengthen me to stand firm when culture demands tolerance that violates righteousness. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Christ Our Hope in Life and Death."