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

Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23.

Our text today is Judges 6:11–12.

Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” — Judges 6:11-12

Gideon is hiding. Not from some small threat, but from the Midianite army that’s been stripping Israel bare for seven years. He’s threshing wheat in a winepress — a pit designed for crushing grapes, not for separating grain. It’s cramped, awkward, and inefficient… but it’s safe and secure from their Midianties oppressors.

And that’s where God shows up. The angel of the LORD greets him, not with a rebuke, but with a declaration: “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

God finds him in a hidden place and calls him to frontline ministry, even giving him a new name and identity — a mighty man of valor.

Fear results in retreat. It convinces us to settle for survival instead of stepping into spiritual opportunities God is putting in front of us. For Gideon, it was a literal enemy outside the caves and outside the pits. For us, it might be the fear of failure, rejection, loss, or inadequacy.

Hiding feels safe, but it’s not always where God wants you to remain. He doesn’t call his people to stay in the winepress. He calls them to step into the places where his strength will meet their insecurities and deficiencies.

God might be calling you out right now — into a conversation you’ve been avoiding, a ministry you feel unqualified for, or a bold act of obedience that scares you. If you wait until you feel brave, you’ll never move. But if you step out in faith, you might discover God has already equipped you for the fight. Which is exactly what happens in Gideon's story.

ASK THIS:

1. Where are you hiding right now — spiritually, emotionally, or relationally?
2. What big opportunity might God be calling you into that fear is holding you back from?
3. How could believing “The LORD is with you” change your next step?
4. What would it take for you to leave your “winepress” and step into the open?

DO THIS:

Identify one opportunity you’ve been avoiding because of fear. Pray over it today, and then take one small but concrete step toward it — even if it’s just telling someone you trust.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, thank You for calling me out of my hiding places. Help me see the opportunities You’re putting before me and give me the courage to step into them, knowing You are with me. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Do It Again."

In this episode of The Vince Miller Show, Vince and his son-in-law, Minnesota House Rep. Elliott Engen, unpack the spiritual swell happening among Gen Z and the cultural aftershocks of Charlie Kirk’s assassination. They explore why young people are returning to church in record numbers, the danger of separating faith from civic life, and how churches must respond with truth and courage. From generational tensions to political realities, this episode calls pastors, leaders, and believers to step into the battle for truth in America today.

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

Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23.

Our text today is Judges 6:7–10.

When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” — Judges 6:7-10

Israel is desperate. Seven years of Midian’s oppression has broken them, and they cry out to God for help. But instead of sending an army or a leader, God sends a prophet with a hard word.

Before God deals with the enemy outside, he exposes the enemy within. He reminds them of his past faithfulness and their present disobedience. The message is raw, but it’s true: because Israel's bigger problem isn’t Midian — it’s their unfaithfulness.

No follower likes this part — the confrontation of God about who we are. We’d rather God just fix the crisis, remove the stress, and make life comfortable again. But God loves us too much to patch up the problems.

Like Israel, our circumstances are often symptoms of the problem, not the real problem. The deeper problem is the drift of our hearts — the quiet compromises, misplaced loyalties, and neglected obedience that weaken us from within. And God knows that if he delivers us without dealing with those things, we’ll just end up back in the same problematic pit. This is why he sometimes sends a word before providing a way out. It feels like a delay, but it’s actually mercy. His goal isn’t temporary relief — it’s lasting change.

That means the painful work of letting him search, confront, and reshape us is not punishment. It’s preparation. And if we skip that work, we risk skipping the real victory he wants to give. So ask yourself the hard question: “What in me needs to change before my situation changes?”

ASK THIS:

1. Have you been asking God to fix your situation without letting Him change your heart?
2. What hard truth might God be speaking to you right now?
3. How could this season be preparation, not just punishment?
4. Are you willing to let God do the deeper work before He brings the outward relief?

DO THIS:

Ask God in prayer: “What in me needs to change before my situation changes?” Write down whatever He brings to mind, and commit to addressing it today.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, don’t just change what’s around me — change what’s in me. Even if it’s painful, do the deep work that will make the victory last. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Give Us Clean Hands."

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

Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23.

Our text today is Judges 6:1–6.

The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD. — Judges 6:1-6

The story of Gideon, in chapter 6, begins with a tragic pattern: sin, oppression, despair. This time, it’s the Midianites who overrun Israel.

They don’t just raid; they ruin. They strip the land bare like locusts, leaving nothing behind. Year after year, the Israelites hide in caves and watch their harvest vanish. This is a defeat on two levels:

1. Outside: The enemy takes what sustains life.
2. Inside: Fear drains the will to fight.

When God’s people abandon Him, the enemy doesn’t just win battles — he slowly erodes courage, hope, and identity until they’re shadows of who they once were.

That’s how the enemy works today. He targets more than your circumstances — he aims at your spirit. First, he gets you to compromise, breaking down your guard. Then he keeps showing up, relentlessly, until you’re hiding instead of fighting. He is relentless.

For some of us, the “Midianites” are obvious sins. For others, it’s a slow creep of fear, bitterness, shame, or distraction that saps spiritual strength. Either way, the result is the same: the land of your life is stripped bare. Because the "Midianites" are relentless then and today.

The only way to fight a relentless enemy is with a relentless return to God. Israel didn’t find victory in a stronger hiding place — they found it when they cried out. You can’t outlast the enemy by retreating deeper into fear; you defeat him by trusting in God and running with complete abandon to God. Is it time to run relentlessly to God? So what compromise in your life has led to your retreat? Identify it and then run relentlessly back to God.

ASK THIS:

1. What “Midianite” is stripping away your spiritual strength right now?
2. Have you been hiding from the problem instead of facing it with God’s help?
3. Where do you see signs of inside-out destruction in your life?
4. What’s one step toward God you can take today to push the enemy back?

DO THIS:

Name one area where fear or compromise has made you retreat. Instead of hiding from it today, bring it to God in prayer and take one practical step to address it in His strength.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, expose the enemy’s work in my life. Keep me from hiding in fear. Teach me to run toward You, not away from the fight, and restore what’s been stripped away. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Defender."

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

Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23.

Our text today is Judges 5:28–31.

“Out of the window she peered,
the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice:
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’
Her wisest princesses answer,
indeed, she answers herself,
‘Have they not found and divided the spoil?—
A womb or two for every man;
spoil of dyed materials for Sisera,
spoil of dyed materials embroidered,
two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’
So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!
But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might.”
And the land had rest for forty years. — Judges 5:28-31

Deborah’s song closes with two women in two very different windows.

Sisera’s mother stares out, waiting for a victory parade that will never come. She fills the silence with lies — telling herself her son is delayed because he’s collecting more spoil, more comfort, more honor. She hopes in what isn’t true.

Deborah, the prophet, isn’t looking out a window. She’s looking up — declaring what is true. She knows God’s enemies will fall and His friends will shine like the rising sun. Her hope rests on the unshakable character of God, not the uncertain return of a man.

These two women represent two ways to live:

1. The Waiting Mother — anxious, self-reassuring, clinging to a false hope.
2. The Trusting Prophet — confident, God-assured, living in the certainty of His victory.

Too many of us live at the window, staring into the unknown and imagining worst-case scenarios. We try to comfort ourselves with human logic instead of resting in divine truth. But faith doesn’t look out the window for a returning hero — it looks up to the One who’s already won.

Deborah’s side of the window is where the peace is. It’s where the forty years of rest begin. And you can live there now — not because every battle is over, but because your King’s victory is certain.

ASK THIS:

1. Which side of the window do you live on most days — anxious waiting or confident trust?
2. What lies have you been telling yourself instead of standing on God’s truth?
3. How would your outlook change if you believed His victory was already secure?
4. What’s one way you can “shine like the sun” for God’s glory this week?

DO THIS:

When you feel yourself “waiting at the window,” stop and speak a truth from Scripture out loud — shift your gaze from what’s missing to the God who’s already won.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, keep me from living in anxious waiting. Make me like Deborah — confident in Your victory, steady in Your promises, and shining with the peace only You give. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Yes I Will."

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

Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23.

Our text today is Judges 5:19–27.

“The kings came, they fought;
then fought the kings of Canaan,
at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;
they got no spoils of silver.
From heaven the stars fought,
from their courses they fought against Sisera.
The torrent Kishon swept them away,
the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
March on, my soul, with might!
Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs
with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.
‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD,
‘curse its inhabitants thoroughly,
because they did not come to the help of the LORD,
to the help of the LORD against the mighty.
‘Most blessed of women be Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite,
of tent-dwelling women most blessed.
He asked water and she gave him milk;
she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl.
She sent her hand to the tent peg
and her right hand to the workman’s mallet;
she struck Sisera; she crushed his head;
she shattered and pierced his temple.
Between her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet he sank, he fell;
where he sank, there he fell—dead.” — Judges 5:19-27

Deborah’s song stretches from the battlefront to the heavenlies. Kings clashed at Taanach, but this wasn’t just a human fight. “From heaven the stars fought” — a poetic way of saying that the forces of creation and the unseen armies of God joined the fray. The Kishon River swelled and swept the enemy away, as if the earth itself fought on Israel’s side.

It’s cosmic warfare — the God of heaven moving heaven and earth to secure victory.

And then the camera zooms in. Not to a general, not to a seasoned soldier, but to Jael — a tent-dwelling woman with no title, no rank, no sword. All she has are the tools of her everyday life: a tent peg and a mallet. Yet, in God’s hands, those common items become the instruments that end the enemy’s life and secure the victory.

The same God who commands the stars also works through the simple obedience of His people.

This is how God works — the cosmic and the common, side by side. He shakes the heavens and then uses the hammer in your hand. He commands rivers and then asks you to pour the cup of milk. He wins the battle, but He invites you into the moment that matters.

We often think, If I only had more skill… more influence… more resources… then God could use me. But Jael reminds us — God doesn’t need what you don’t have. He uses what you do have.

Your “tent peg” might be your job, your words, your generosity, your hospitality, or your willingness to speak truth when it’s uncomfortable. You may feel like your role is small, but when you put it in God’s hands, it becomes part of His cosmic plan.

The question isn’t whether God is fighting — He is. The question is whether you’re ready to act when the moment comes.

ASK THIS:

1. What “tent pegs” has God already placed in your hands?
2. Do you believe your ordinary skills can be part of God’s cosmic plan? Why or why not?
3. How does knowing God fights the big battle free you to act in small but significant ways?
4. What’s one ordinary act of obedience you can take today that could have eternal impact?

DO THIS:

Identify one ordinary skill, resource, or opportunity you already have. Offer it to God in prayer and be alert for how He might use it in the days ahead.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, thank You that You fight the battles I cannot see. Take the simple tools in my hands and use them for Your glory in ways I could never imagine. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Available."

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

Get behind our through the Bible project. Read more here Project23.

Our text today is Judges 5:13–18.

“Then down marched the remnant of the noble;
the people of the LORD marched down for me against the mighty.
From Ephraim their root they marched down into the valley,
following you, Benjamin, with your kinsmen;
from Machir marched down the commanders,
and from Zebulun those who bear the lieutenant’s staff;
the princes of Issachar came with Deborah,
and Issachar faithful to Barak;
into the valley they rushed at his heels.
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
Why did you sit still among the sheepfolds,
to hear the whistling for the flocks?
Among the clans of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan;
and Dan, why did he stay with the ships?
Asher sat still at the coast of the sea,
staying by his landings.
Zebulun is a people who risked their lives to the death;
Naphtali, too, on the heights of the field.” — Judges 5:13-18

Deborah draws a clear line between two groups.

Group one: On one side are the tribes who stepped up — Ephraim, Benjamin, Machir, Zebulun, Issachar, Naphtali. They marched into the valley without hesitation, shoulder to shoulder, risking everything for God’s mission.

Group two: On the other side are those who stayed home — Reuben, Gilead, Dan, Asher. Reuben stalled in “great searchings of heart,” paralyzed by indecision. Gilead stayed put across the river. Dan clung to his ships. Asher kept his feet planted on the shoreline.

The difference wasn’t ability. It wasn’t opportunity. It was willingness.

In every generation, God calls His people to step up — but not everyone answers. Some run toward the fight. Others cling to the familiar. Some seize the moment. Others think about it until the moment passes.

When God calls, the greatest tragedy isn’t weakness — it’s unwillingness. The tribes who stayed home had the same God, the same history, and the same opportunity as those who stepped up. But they missed their moment because they chose comfort over courage.

You and I face the same choice. God’s mission is still moving forward. The only question is — will you march into the valley, or watch from the shoreline?

ASK THIS:

1. In what areas of life has God been calling you to step up?
2. What “great searchings of heart” have delayed your obedience?
3. Whose courage could grow because you decided to step forward?
4. How do you want to be remembered when God’s story is told?

DO THIS:

Identify one step of obedience you’ve been delaying. Take it today — even if it feels risky — and trust God with the outcome.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, keep me from standing on the sidelines when You call. Give me the courage to step up, and the faith to follow You into the fight. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"I Will Go."

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

Today’s shout-out goes to Pete Lang from Upland, CA.
Thank you for your partnership with us through Project23. Your commitment is helping deliver God’s Word with clarity and conviction. This one’s for you.

Our text today is Judges 5:9–12.

“My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel
who offered themselves willingly among the people.
Bless the LORD.
Tell of it, you who ride on white donkeys,
you who sit on rich carpets,
and you who walk by the way.
To the sound of musicians at the watering places,
there they repeat the righteous triumphs of the LORD,
the righteous triumphs of his villagers in Israel.
Then down to the gates marched the people of the LORD.
‘Awake, awake, Deborah!
Awake, awake, break out in a song!
Arise, Barak, lead away your captives,
O son of Abinoam.’” — Judges 5:9-12

The song of Deborah shifts here from memory to momentum. She looks across Israel and sees leaders who stepped forward and people who volunteered without hesitation. And she blesses the Lord for it.

But she doesn’t stop there. She calls everyone — the wealthy (“you who ride on white donkeys”), the influential (“you who sit on rich carpets”), and the everyday traveler — to tell the story of God’s triumph.

Then her voice sharpens. Twice she says, “Awake, awake!” And then, “Arise!”
It’s the language of urgency. The sound of a spiritual trumpet blast.

“Awake” means shake off the slumber, remember who you are, and recall why you’re here.
“Arise” means stand up, step forward, and move in the direction of God’s call.

Every believer faces two temptations after God moves powerfully — to relax into comfort or to retreat into passivity. But God’s victories aren’t the end of the mission. They’re the launching pad for the next one.

“Awake” is the inner shift — the moment your heart snaps out of distraction and into readiness.
“Arise” is the outer step — the choice to act on what God has stirred in you.

If you’re sleeping through your calling, you’re missing the reason you were rescued. Deborah didn’t tell Barak to enjoy the win. She told him to get moving. God’s Kingdom advances when His people stay awake and keep rising.

Maybe your battle is spiritual laziness. Maybe it’s fear. Maybe it’s comfort. Whatever it is, you can’t follow Jesus while hitting the snooze button on His call.

ASK THIS:

1. Where in your life is God calling you to “awake” from spiritual complacency?
2. What’s one concrete step you can take today to “arise” into obedience?
3. Who around you needs the courage that will come from your obedience?
4. How can you avoid the trap of settling into comfort after a spiritual victory?

DO THIS:

Say the words “Awake and arise” out loud this morning — then take one action that matches them before the day ends.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, don’t let me drift into spiritual sleep. Wake me up to Your call, and give me the courage to rise and follow You into whatever comes next. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Awake My Soul."