A weekly, Bible-based, 10-minute devotional from Dwell Community Church.
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Brad Dufault examines Philippians 2:13, unpacking two distinct ways God works in believers: giving power to act on good desires, and actually changing what we want in the first place. He addresses a common misunderstanding—that we can wait to feel like obeying before we act—arguing instead that trust is proven through action, even when our desires haven't caught up yet. Dufault closes with an encouraging reframe: personal weakness and resistant desires don't limit what God can do, because both the willing and the acting come from him. Speaker: Brad DuFault
Brad Dufault unpacks Jesus' vine and branches metaphor from John 15:5, breaking it into four elements: Jesus as the source of life, believers as dependent yet valuable branches, abiding as an ongoing relationship of trust and communication, and fruit as the resulting impact on others. He clarifies that fruit doesn't create our connection to Christ but reveals it—we're not saved by good works, but saved for them. Dufault closes with a practical challenge: the best gift you can offer the people you want to influence is your own walk with God, not just time spent serving them directly. Speaker: B
Brad Dufault examines Romans 8:32, tracing Paul's logical argument that since God didn't withhold his own son, he will graciously give us all things. He addresses the natural tension this raises—why does life still involve suffering and confusion if God gives us everything—and argues that the cross remains the clearest picture of God's heart toward us, regardless of unresolved questions. Dufault closes with a practical challenge: examine whether your view of God actually matches the extravagant price he paid to rescue you. Speaker: Brad DuFault
Conrad wraps up the series in Mark 10 with Jesus' answer to all the striving — a kingdom where greatness looks like servitude, not dominance. The reason Jesus could wash his disciples' feet, and the reason we can serve without keeping score, comes down to the same thing: a standing that can't be earned or lost. Speaker: Conrad Hilario
Conrad continues in Mark 10, adding two more distinctions to the anatomy of striving for superiority — excellence versus superiority, and being better versus being recognized as better. With examples ranging from Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to Simon and Garfunkel, he makes the case that this drive is more pervasive and more destructive than we typically admit. Speaker: Conrad Hilario
Conrad traces a thread through Scripture that runs from Cain and Abel all the way to James and John angling for seats at Jesus' right and left — the persistent human drive toward superiority. Drawing on Mark 10, he works through the difference between comparison and competition, and why the competitive mindset is more destructive than we tend to think. Speaker: Conrad Hilario
Ben Foust wraps up the series in Philippians 4 with Paul's final instruction: discipline your focus. You can't turn off anxious thoughts, but you can displace them — and research backs up what Scripture has always said about how much our habits of thought actually shape our experience. Speaker: Ben Foust
Ben Foust works through Philippians 4:6-7 and the practical question anxious people actually ask: what am I supposed to do with my fears? Paul's answer isn't to ignore them or obsess over them — it's to pray them, using a simple framework of telling God, giving thanks, and asking him to act. Speaker: Ben Foust
Ben Foust continues in Philippians 4, making the case that most of our go-to strategies for managing anxiety backfire because they're all attempts to do the job of a sovereign God. Accepting our own limitations — and the reality that God is both in control and personally invested — is what actually begins to loosen anxiety's grip. Speaker: Ben Foust
Ben Foust opens a four-part series on anxiety from Philippians 4, starting with what anxiety actually is — and why Paul's command to "rejoice" isn't a platitude. The foundation for addressing worry, he argues, isn't positive thinking but a clear-eyed understanding of what's already true of you in Christ. Speaker: Ben Foust
Ryan Lowery concludes the Joseph series as Joseph goes from prisoner to Egypt's second-in-command in a single morning, then faces his brothers who unknowingly bow before him—fulfilling his dream from 20 years earlier. He contrasts Jacob's false perception that "everything is against me" with the reality that Joseph controls Egypt's food supply and will save them all. Speaker: Ryan Lowery
Ryan Lowery traces Joseph's dramatic rise from condemned prisoner to Egypt's second-in-command after interpreting Pharaoh's dream about famine—a reversal that happened in a single morning after 13 years of suffering. He contrasts Joseph's hidden blessing with Jacob's false perception that "everything is against me" as he mourns Joseph's supposed death while starving in Canaan, unaware that Joseph controls Egypt's food supply and will save them all. Speaker: Ryan Lowery
Ryan Lowery continues Joseph's story as he's sold into slavery in Egypt, rises to manage Potiphar's household, refuses sexual advances from Potiphar's wife, and gets falsely accused of rape—landing in prison for doing the right thing. After interpreting dreams for Pharaoh's cup bearer and asking for help, Joseph is forgotten for two more years, totaling 13 years of slavery and imprisonment despite faithfulness to God. Lowery honestly addresses the gap between God's promises of blessing and Joseph's nightmare circumstances, challenging listeners in long seasons of suffering to hold on and leave
Ryan Lowery opens a series on Joseph's life, one of scripture's longest individual narratives, examining the paradox of a gifted, blessed son from God's chosen family whose life is marked by tragedy and betrayal. Speaker: Ryan Lowery
John Ross concludes the series in Haggai 2, where God addresses Jews discouraged that their rebuilt temple looks inferior to Solomon's original. God promises future glory when Messiah himself will visit, reminding them that his presence matters more than building materials. Ross explores the contagious nature of uncleanness versus holiness—warning that rituals and proximity to holy things don't sanctify us—and challenges modern believers who expect spiritual growth through osmosis. He encourages "sanctified daydreaming" about eternal fruits of our labor, especially for leaders and parents batt
John Ross examines the book of Haggai, where God confronts Jews who stalled temple construction for 16 years while building their own paneled houses. Through the prophet Haggai in 520 BC, God exposes their timing excuses and connects their material struggles—never enough food, clothing, or money—to spiritual disobedience. Ross explores how ignoring God's priorities for material ones brings emptiness even when we have plenty, and how the people's immediate response of fear and obedience demonstrates the power of God's Word to cut through materialism and half-heartedness. Speaker: John Ross
John Ross continues examining Israel's return from exile, focusing on the temple's reconstruction in Ezra 3-6. He explores the mixed emotions at the foundation laying—younger Jews shouting for joy while older priests wept—and the relentless opposition faced across nearly a century. Ross challenges modern believers who feel scandalized by minor pushback, contrasting it with the Jews who kept building despite actual danger, and emphasizes celebrating partial victories while trusting God's sovereignty even when work remains unfinished. Speaker: John Ross
John Ross opens a four-part series on Israel's return from Babylonian exile, examining how God moved pagan king Cyrus to fulfill prophecy spoken 170 years earlier through Isaiah. He explores the 70-year exile as both judgment and grace, tracing how God orchestrated permission, provisions, and wealth for rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. Ross connects this ancient restoration to modern believers, showing how God's faithfulness to bring Israel home ultimately paved the way for Messiah and demonstrates that nothing stops God from keeping his promises. Speaker: John Ross
Paul's fourth key to joy is intercessory prayer—specifically praying that the Philippians' love would grow in knowledge and discernment, not just sentiment. Risley emphasizes that biblical love involves truth and requires wisdom for each unique situation, comparing spiritual growth to teaching children chores—messy and time-consuming at first, but ultimately fruitful. She addresses the overwhelming nature of loving people well by pointing to the feeding of the 5,000, where Jesus repeatedly refilled his disciples' supply, illustrating how we must continually return to God for the love, patience
Paul's third key to joy is vulnerability—opening his heart to others and expressing affection despite being a driven, Type A personality. Risley challenges the notion of being "not an emotional person," arguing everyone can grow in expressing care, and notes that difficulties in relationships often stem from not being sacrificial enough rather than the other person's failures. She addresses the pain of losing friends through death or spiritual drift, recommending the paper "Cultivating a Tender Heart," and emphasizes that serving difficult people makes them easier to love—not because they chan
Paul's second key to joy is focusing on others through gratitude—thanking God for the Philippians and their gospel partnership rather than dwelling on his own suffering. Risley notes that while secular culture recognizes gratitude's benefits, Christians add a crucial dimension by thanking God for every relationship as his gift. She explains how Paul maintained both horizontal perspective (looking at others) and vertical perspective (looking to God), trusting that God is actively transforming every believer until the day they're made perfect. Speaker: Chris Risley
Chris Risley opens a four-part series on Philippians 1:1-11, exploring how Paul—beaten, imprisoned, and chained to Roman guards—could write a letter bursting with joy and contentment. The first key to biblical joy is understanding ourselves as bondservants of Christ, recognizing that our lives belong to God and are part of his sovereign plan. Risley examines how Paul saw his house arrest not as suffering but as opportunity, realizing he was reaching elite Praetorian guards who would never have listened to a street preacher but couldn't escape an imprisoned man radiating inexplicable joy. Speak
When ordered to stop speaking about Jesus, Peter and John refuse—demonstrating that spiritual confidence requires serving God over man and maintaining a God-centered life through prayer. Speaker: Brian Adams
Peter and John are arrested for healing a paralyzed man and proclaiming Jesus' resurrection, then brought before the same religious leaders who crucified Christ weeks earlier. Despite being "uneducated and untrained men," they boldly testify about Jesus—a stark contrast to Peter's earlier denial. Adams identifies being filled with the Holy Spirit as the third key to spiritual confidence, explaining that while believers always possess the Spirit, they must daily choose to let Him lead, just as bodies always contain water but require regular drinking for health. Speaker: Brian Adams
After healing a paralyzed man, Peter boldly confronts the crowd about their role in crucifying Jesus and calls them to repentance—demonstrating that spiritual confidence flows from declaring objective truth, not personal opinion. Adams examines how Peter confidently proclaims both the bad news (sin and judgment) and the good news (forgiveness through Christ), arguing that we can speak with the same boldness because we're declaring God's Word, not our own ideas. He offers three practical ways to grow in biblical knowledge: practice inductive Bible study, memorize Scripture so the Holy Spirit ca
