As we look ahead to a new year, a fresh start, we long to leave the old behind. We embrace the new and step forward in confidence, but old patterns can still get in our way.

As Christians, we often expect to feel free from the world’s influence. But too often, our hearts still struggle to let go. Old patterns emerge. New sin creeps in. And in a culture that feels consuming, we lack the strength to resist.  

But in the pages of the Old Testament, God shows us another way. 

When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile in Babylon, you might think that stepping back into the promised land was a dream come true. After all, exile was the consequence of disobedience—surely coming home meant a fresh start. 

Not so fast. The real challenge for Israel was not leaving Babylon behind; it was letting God remove Babylon from their hearts.  

The post-exile books—Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi—portray a people who genuinely wanted to walk with God, yet wrestled with discouragement, weariness, spiritual drift, and the slow pull of compromise—much like us.  

Israel’s story reminds us that following the Lord is a lifelong journey. And along the way, we discover that God supplies exactly what we need.

At first, the return was invigorating. The Israelites laid the temple foundation, and hope seemed unstoppable.

But then life happened. Neighbors opposed them, responsibilities piled up, and daily pressures overshadowed their desire to worship God. Haggai confronted the returned exiles with a piercing question: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?” (Haggai 1:4). 

They had not rejected God outright—they had simply been distracted.

Evidence of Babylon. 

The same is true for us. Spiritual struggles rarely begin with rebellion. They begin when our eyes wander, when responsibilities crowd out prayer, Bible study, and worship. Israel’s drift reminds us that faithfulness relies less on emotional “come to Jesus” moments and more on a journey of steadfast—though faltering—obedience. 

So, persevere in your journey! 

As more time passed, fruitful progress seemed elusive—if not impossible. The city had been laid waste by enemies who hated the Israelites and their God. The consequences for their past sins were ever before them as they stepped over the rubble.

Evidence of Babylon. 

Yet God reminded them: “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah 4:6).

Their weakness became the perfect stage for God’s strength. In their weakness, the Spirit would carry them and the work forward. God’s work, done in His ways, accomplishes His purposes. Transformation is not about human effort—it is about trusting Him.  

Depend on the Lord’s strength!

As time went by, Nehemiah found a community slipping into old patterns. Even rebuilding the temple did not solve their struggle. Sabbaths were ignored. Leaders abused power. Idolatry crept in. Nehemiah discovered empty storerooms and neglected responsibilities in the temple and asked, “Why is the house of God neglected?” (Nehemiah 13:11).

Not hated. Not rejected. Not abandoned. Not repurposed. Just … neglected. 

Evidence of Babylon.

That is the quiet danger of compromise. It does not announce its arrival. It seeps into routines unnoticed. It justifies itself through busyness, stress, or fatigue. And over time, little compromises become devastating decline. Neglect slowly destroys until its victims are defeated. But, once again, God called His people back. He called them to action by giving them a vision for the future: “But now be strong … and work. For I am with you … The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house … And in this place, I will grant peace” (Haggai 2:4-9). 

The Lord reminded them that He had a good plan. Peace was within their reach if they regained their focus and joined in His work.  

Engage in the Lord’s work! 

By Malachi’s time, the people were no longer actively rebellious—they were weary and cynical. The return had not produced the glory they imagined. The new temple was not like Solomon’s. The economy lacked blessing. Hopes for a restored kingdom faded. Worship grew stale. Hearts grew cold.

Evidence of Babylon. 

They were not running from God—they were simply weary of it all … and of Him. Their offerings were half-hearted, their devotion thin, their faith tired.

Yet, God’s response was tender: “Return to me, and I will return to you” (Malachi 3:7; Zechariah 1:3). 

This is not the voice of an angry judge, but of a loving Father calling His children home again. 

Realign your heart with God’s heart daily! 

Israel’s journey reminds us that faithfulness is not measured by simply getting out of Babylon—it is about allowing God to get Babylon out of us. God does not expect flawless devotion; He desires continuous transformation, daily returning to Him. The Lord understands our distractions, our disappointments, our weariness—but He also refuses to let us settle for a faith that is fading. He continually invites us toward life, renewal, and intimacy with Him. 

In all of this, we learn that walking with the Lord is wise and the antidote to our own foolishness. His commitment never wavers. He is faithful! His presence never falters. He is with us!  

Coming home to the Lord can be a beautiful moment, full of excitement and dreams. But continuing with the Lord is a lifelong journey of accepting His invitation to trust Him. And through it all, He meets us every step of the way. 

We all know people who seem to have a natural gift for evangelism. They appear to weave Jesus and the gospel into every conversation, and they make it look effortless. You can often find them inviting their waiter to come to church with them, asking to pray for their cashier, or starting a Bible study with their new neighbors. For them, sharing the good news of salvation that Jesus Christ offers through faith in Him feels easy and natural.  

But most of us don’t feel that way—and that’s okay. If your attempts at starting gospel conversations feel more awkward than effortless, you’re not alone. But there’s hope! God has called us to share our faith, and we can trust that He will give us all we need. Knowing how to begin can help make sharing your faith achievable—and even enjoyable.  

Here are three tips—three do’s and don’ts—to keep in mind when starting a gospel conversation. 

Think back on some great conversations you’ve had. What made them so special? Was it that the other person monologued on and on about their own life, interests, and opinions? Or did those conversations impact you because the other person asked good questions and seemed genuinely interested in your thoughts?  

Asking open-ended questions is a great way to guide the conversation toward the topic of faith. Because God is involved in everything, it’s not hard to draw the connection from life circumstances to Him! 

Is your friend struggling with choices about their career? Ask what they think their purpose is and about the role work plays in our lives.  

Is a family member struggling with relational conflict? Ask them how they would define forgiveness or why they think relationships between people are often so challenging.  

Is a coworker sharing about bad news they recently received? Ask them for their thoughts on why life can be so hard even for those who try to do the right things.  

Be curious. Learn to ask questions and listen well. Not only will you learn more about the person you’re speaking with, but they’ll likely ask you questions—giving you an opportunity to share your faith.  

An often-quoted verse when it comes to the topic of evangelism is 1 Peter 3:15, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” But we often leave off the second half of the verse, where Peter calls us to “do this with gentleness and respect.”

He goes on to say that the way we live, speak, and share the gospel should be with such kindness and grace that anyone who speaks poorly of us would feel ashamed. If we should suffer for doing good—such as proclaiming our faith—we follow in Jesus’s footsteps, reflecting the suffering He willingly endured on the cross for our sake (John 15:18-19). 

We can look to Jesus’s example when we share the good news with others. Approaching a gospel conversation with gentleness and respect, willing to suffer for doing genuine good, reflects the posture of our Savior. Most of all, it encourages us to trust in God’s power to save.  

Each person’s journey of faith is unique. Some of us grow up with constant exposure to His Word and trust Jesus as early as we can grasp what that means. Others may experience a pivotal moment in life that makes the gospel suddenly real to them. However or whenever someone comes to know Jesus, God is at work in their story—and Jesus promises that He will not lose anyone the Father has given Him (John 6:39).  

While it is good and right to make it clear to the person across the table that the gospel requires a response, we shouldn’t expect every person to be ready to accept Jesus on the spot. Humans rush through life, full of worry and concern. God is not like us; His plans are not rushed: “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). God’s timing often does not follow the schedule we’ve made up in our minds, and that’s a good thing.  

Sharing the gospel is an important calling for all followers of Jesus. While it may not always come easily to us, we can trust that God is working in and through every prayer, question, and conversation. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started!  

Pray for opportunities to start gospel conversations with the people in your life. Will you trust God to multiply your efforts and accomplish what only He can?  

Do you want to grow in confidence in sharing your faith? It starts with God’s Word! Consider joining a Bible Study Fellowship class near you, and discover how studying God’s Word equips you to share the gospel with others. 

How can we know we are following God’s plan day by day?

And when we sense His calling, how should we respond? 

Throughout Scripture, we read about men and women who answered God’s call with courage and faith. Ezekiel boldly prophesied to a people who would reject him. Daniel and his friends stood firm for the Lord in the face of fire and lions. They were confident in God’s call, and they obeyed.  

For those like Ezekiel and Daniel, God’s plan seemed obvious.  

But what about us—those living ordinary lives in everyday places? How can we discern God’s call and confidently walk in His plan?  

For one group of women, following God’s call began with one simple step. 

In 2019, Carol’s life turned upside down with one diagnosis: cancer. While she struggled to understand how this could be a part of God’s plan, she knew that only He could get her through this journey.  

Carol joined an online support group for Mandarin-speaking women with breast cancer. She listened as members shared their medical struggles—but she noticed something was missing—eternal hope. Carol felt God stirring her heart to serve them.

Her opportunity soon arrived. Linda, a fellow group member, invited her to join in prayer for another woman—an unbeliever—grappling with the frightening spread of her cancer.

“We started from a very humble prayer meeting, praying for just one person,” Carol shared. “In the beginning, maybe seven people joined.” 

Carol never planned to start a large-scale support group, but when God moved her heart, she responded. Today, more than 1,000 Mandarin-speaking women from around the world have been part of the group—finding hope and comfort as they gather online each week.  

“We are praying for one another and supporting each other through breast cancer. It really started very simply, and we never expected it to last this long!”

Ezra 1:5 reminds us of a timeless truth: “Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem.” 

These men and women didn’t have all the answers. They couldn’t see what waited for them in Jerusalem. But when God moved their hearts, they responded—and He worked beyond what they could imagine. 

We often look for dramatic signs or perfect timing, but God’s call usually begins with a gentle nudge: “Pray for her.” “Reach out.” “Go.” 

As we seek God through His Word and prayer, God faithfully shows the way. He may not speak audibly, but His Spirit stirs within us, prompting one step—and then another. 

As Carol’s prayer group grew, several women—curious about Christianity—wanted to learn more. Others, already believers, longed to go deeper. 

One member, Nancy, sensed the next step clearly: introduce them to BSF. 

“Before I was diagnosed with cancer, I believed the Bible in my head but not in my heart,” Nancy said. “Through BSF, God’s Word helped me overcome fear and anxiety during treatment. I knew only God could truly help these women, and I wanted them to experience BSF for themselves.” 

At that time, BSF was already expanding its Mandarin-speaking online groups. Connecting the support group to this growing network came naturally. By the end of the study year, two BSF groups of Mandarin-speaking breast cancer survivors were studying together. And God changed many lives along the way, including one member from Guam.  

“When she joined, she was desperate and sad because her husband had passed away and she was really sick. She needed hope. So when she got involved in BSF, she found something to hold on to. She could devote her time and energy into the study of God’s Word. Plugging into BSF kept her grounded during a very difficult time.” 

Today, that member is serving as a Group Leader and hopes to start the very first BSF class in Guam. 

Ezra 1:7 reminds us that God not only moves hearts—He supplies everything His people need to follow His call: “Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.” 

Just as God restored what was taken from His people, He often provides what we could never gather on our own. Through BSF, God gave Carol and Nancy the resources, community, and courage to carry out His work. 

Carol and Nancy’s stories remind us that God often begins His work with a simple stirring. He moves within ordinary people—through prayer, Scripture, and small acts of obedience—to accomplish extraordinary things.  

How will you respond when God stirs your heart to reach out to a neighbor, show generosity, or pray for someone in need? How will you respond when God gives you a burden that lingers?  

We may not always perfectly discern God’s plan, but we can confidently step out in faith when we fix our eyes on Jesus and stay true to His Word.  

God moves in the hearts of His people to accomplish His work. How is He moving your heart today? 

When my church participated in a global prayer week, a few friends signed up for the “prayer room” at my home. That evening, we were scheduled to pray for the different states in our country. Yet, after navigating treacherous traffic on potholed roads for an hour to get to my house, one of my friends quipped, “Forget other states and countries. We need to pray for the roads right here.”  

I live in the developing world. Without a doubt, it’s easy to criticize the poor infrastructure, rampant corruption, incessant traffic jams, and blatant injustice that are part of our everyday lives. Even if it looks different where you live, there is no escaping the brokenness of our world.   

But if we were to take a page from Daniel’s prayer recorded in Chapter 9, instead of complaining, our first response would be to cry out to God. 

When Daniel understood the prophecy about Jerusalem’s desolation from his reading of Scripture, his first response wasn’t resignation. Instead, he got on his knees. 

He prayed with humility, while holding tightly to the character of God. 

He prayed in repentance, believing that restoration would bring glory to God. 

He prayed with his heart, rooting his cries in Scripture. 

As we intercede for our cities, our countries, and our fractured world, how do we pray as Daniel did? 

True prayer prompted by the Spirit of God is inherently humbling. When we pray, we are essentially saying, “Lord, on my own, I cannot. But I know that you are able.” A posture of prayer is a posture of dependence. As we read Daniel’s prayer, his very first words capture the vastness and power of God: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments…” (Daniel 9:4). 

There is no formula to prayer, but there is wisdom in beginning with adoration of the almighty God who was and is and is to come. Reverent praise sets our hearts in the right direction. It moves our gaze upward instead of merely inward or outward. As we ponder and proclaim the nature of God, we begin to grasp our own fallenness. 

Despite his own upright walk with God, Daniel did not separate himself from the sins of his people. Throughout his confession, his language is marked by the pronoun “we,” not “they.” In sackcloth and ashes before God, he cried: We have sinned, we have not listened, we have rebelled. 

Daniel’s prayer challenges us to stop pointing fingers and, instead, become people who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Instead of blaming others, we can emulate Daniel’s humility before God as we recognize our own frailties and fallenness. 

Prayer is a powerful way of reminding ourselves of who God is. As we sit in God’s presence and meditate on His attributes, we lift our hearts above our fears. 

Beautifully woven through Daniel’s confession is the character of God. Daniel proclaimed that the Lord is righteous. He reminded himself that the Lord God is merciful and forgiving. He rehearsed the truth that God is the one who brought the Israelites out of Egypt.

When we speak back to God what He has revealed about Himself in the Word, our spirits are strengthened. Isn’t it true that when we are consumed by worship, our supplications often become an afterthought? 

Yet God in His love invites us to cast our burdens on Him. 

Daniel prioritized prayer. But prayer wasn’t just a spiritual discipline that he checked off his to-do list. It was a lifeline. He cried out with rawness of emotion: 

“Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act!” (Daniel 9:19) 

True prayer is never passive. It is a desperate plea, a passionate outpouring, a lament, an emptying, an ache laid bare before God. 

Daniel didn’t pray a timid prayer for his people. He prayed with passion, believing that the Lord hears and acts. 

As our world plunges into the depths of divisiveness and depravity, may we come before God as Daniel did. May we humble ourselves, confess our sins, ground ourselves in Scripture, cling to the character of Christ, and passionately plead for the healing of our land. 

Ultimately, Daniel prayed for God to be glorified through the restoration of His people: “For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name” (Daniel 9:19). 

This is not just about the Israelites. It is about God’s covenant love for His people. It is about God’s name. 

So, we too weep as we pray: “For your sake, my God, do not delay.”  

We invite His reign once again. 

We cry out, “Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.”