MY Devotional: Daily Biblical Encouragement & Prayer from Leading The Way

What do you do when you pray—and nothing seems to change?

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef walks through the prophet Habakkuk’s struggle with unanswered prayer and unexpected answers. Instead of letting disappointment harden his heart, Habakkuk turned delay into discipleship—using the agony of waiting to grow in trust, strengthen faith, and align his will with God’s.

Dr. Youssef explains that God was going to answer Habakkuk—just not how or when the prophet expected. Revival would come, but first God would bring judgment to awaken a people who had ignored His warnings for generations. Even then, the Lord preserved a faithful remnant and anchored them with an unshakable promise: no matter how dark the times become, God remains in control of history and watches over His people.

Tucked inside Habakkuk is a line that later shaped Paul’s teaching on salvation and ignited the Reformation: “the righteous person will live by his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17). This devotional calls you to that same steady obedience—remaining faithful whether God says yes, no, or not yet.

Prayer: Father, thank You that You are near even when Your answer is no or not yet. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Today’s MY Devotional has been provided by Leading The Way.

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

What if the very thing you’ve begged God to remove is the tool He’s using to bless you?

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef explores the mystery of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”—a lingering burden Paul pleaded with God to take away (2 Corinthians 12:7–9). While Paul could confidently say he counted everything as loss compared to knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8), he still carried a private pain God chose not to remove.

Why? Dr. Youssef explains that God’s grace shines brightest through weakness—not self-sufficiency. Paul recognized his thorn kept him humble, dependent, and focused, making his life and message authentic under scrutiny. Even more, Paul’s obedience remained unconditional. Knowing suffering awaited him, he still pressed forward to fulfill God’s call, declaring his single aim: to finish the race and testify to the Gospel of grace (Acts 20:24).

This devotional will encourage you to:

stop interpreting weakness as disqualification,

view your “thorn” through the lens of God’s purpose and grace, and

trust that God uses physical and emotional pressures to draw you nearer and prepare you for His work.

This episode closes with a short prayer.

Today’s MY Devotional has been provided by Leading The Way.

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Have you ever felt stuck in a pattern you can’t break—like worry keeps winning, anger keeps resurfacing, or temptation keeps circling back? In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef warns that many Christians, without realizing it, have allowed Satan to establish strongholds—spiritual fortresses designed to block prayer, cloud discernment, and keep you from living out God’s will.

Dr. Youssef identifies a key root issue: carnality—when the old sinful nature dominates the new nature Christ has given you. Left unchecked, carnality builds power bases of self-centeredness that weaken your spiritual life from the inside out.

But there is hope—and a weapon God has already placed in your hands: prayer. Drawing from Paul’s words, Dr. Youssef reminds believers that we don’t fight with worldly tools. In Christ, we’ve been given supernatural, God-powered weapons that can tear down the enemy’s dark fortresses—whether they show up as obsessive fear, controlling anxiety, bitterness, hate, lust, or simmering rage.

If you’re ready to stop managing strongholds and start demolishing them, this devotional will point you to the Father’s unconditional love, your secure identity in Christ, and the spiritual authority God gives to overcome.

Prayer: Father, thank You that nothing can snatch me out of Your hands. I am Yours forever. Armed with this assurance, help me to break down Satan’s strongholds in my life as I surrender to Your Holy Spirit. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Today’s MY Devotional has been provided by Leading The Way.

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Have you ever looked at the rubble of your own life and wondered, How could God ever use me?

In this episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef reminds you that spiritual transformation doesn’t come from striving harder—it comes through God’s grace. While we often fixate on what we are right now, God sees what we can become in Christ.

Dr. Youssef points to the apostle Paul, who endured trials, opposition, and a persistent “thorn” that kept him dependent on the Lord. Instead of hiding his weakness, Paul learned to delight in it—because it became the very place where Christ’s strength was most clearly displayed: “For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).

If you’re facing hardship, feeling stretched thin, or hanging on by a thread, this devotional will encourage you to:

stop measuring your future by your present weakness,

humble yourself before God and trust His purposes, and

thank Him in advance for what He can accomplish through your struggle.

Prayer: Lord, as I face difficulty in my life, give me the strength to continue by Your grace. I know You will accomplish Your will for my life even through my weaknesses as I trust in You.  I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today’s MY Devotional has been provided by Leading The Way.

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate

Remember the pressure of school exams—how tests revealed what you truly knew and where you needed to grow? Dr. Michael Youssef says the Christian life has tests too, and they are far more serious because they point to eternal realities.

In this episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Youssef draws from Paul’s closing charge in 2 Corinthians: “Examine yourselves… test yourselves” (2 Corinthians 13:5). With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, believers are called to regular self-examination—not to live in fear, but to live in peace and assurance rooted in God’s unchanging Word.

Dr. Youssef also exposes a dangerous modern pattern: when people struggle, some respond by lowering the standard—in schools and, even worse, in churches. Instead of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen, some prefer to dilute Truth to avoid offense, treating people-pleasing as the goal. But Paul would tell us plainly: compromise leads to frustration and disappointment, while faithfulness to Scripture brings clarity, stability, and confidence in Christ.

If you’ve felt tempted to soften convictions, stay silent, or settle for “watered-down” Christianity, this devotional will challenge you to stand firm—starting with your own heart.

Prayer: God, help me to see where I have lowered standards in my own life. Forgive me for compromising and grant me steadfast faith for Your glory and my good. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today’s MY Devotional has been provided by Leading The Way.

The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today’s devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don’t have to walk through it alone.
🙏 Pastoral Care & Prayer Teams
Our trained prayer partners and pastoral care team are available to pray with you and offer Biblical support.
https://ltw.org/care
💬 Receive personal answers to your faith questions—anytime, day or night—at:
https://myfaithassistant.com
If you’ve been blessed by this podcast, please consider a tax-deductible donation to help extend this ministry—so another person can be encouraged, prayed for, and pointed to Christ.
❤️ Support Leading The Way:
https://www.ltw.org/donate