The Morning Focus Daily Devotional with Rick and McKenna

Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!"

Luke 1:45

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Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I'll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I'll go to the left.

Genesis 13:9

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Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator

Romans 1:24-25

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In the hardest seasons of our lives we often wonder if we on our own. We wonder if God actually doesn't have our best in mind. It's in the middle of those questions that temptations begin to look the most desirable. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. 

Matthew 4:11 

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What do you do when life doesn't go according to plan? What about when God isn't showing up how you expect him to? Seasons like that can make prayer hard. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. Link is in the comments.  

All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! 

    He is your helper and your shield. 

Psalm 115:11 

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What do you do when life doesn't go according to plan? What about when God isn't showing up how you expect him to? Seasons like that can make prayer hard. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.  

All you who fear the Lord, trust the Lord! 

    He is your helper and your shield. 

Psalm 115:11  

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Do you ever over-complicate things? It can keep us from loving others well when we think we need to have all the answers and all the skills in order to share Jesus with them. But knowledge and skill aren't what God asks of us in those moments. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 

2 Corinthians 4:7 

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Ever feel like people only see you for your mistakes, your past, or what you've been through? You're not alone. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering." 

Mark 5:3 

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When we give ourselves a job we were never meant to have, we take on pressure we weren't built to sustain. Do you see yourself as the hero of your story? Do you think God is expecting you to go out on your own, facing your enemies on your own? Join Rick & McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." 

1 Samuel 17:32 

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What feels more obvious for you right now: what God is doing in your life, or what He isn't doing? When God doesn't answer our prayers the way we expect Him to, we determine He has shut down our hopes and abandoned us. But what if He has something different in mind? Join Rick & McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ—with all boldness and without hindrance! 

Acts 28:31 

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We talk about grace, A LOT. And that's a good thing, but what actually is grace? Does it just apply to forgiveness or sins? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

Although I am less than the least of all the Lord's people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ 

Ephesians 3:8 

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If you're being honest with yourself, is "The Joy of the Lord" something that you experience in your relationship with God, or more just something you read about? If you've been missing Joy, join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

If you call the Sabbath a delight… and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please… then you will find your joy in the Lord. 

Isaiah 58:13-14 

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Hope can feel risky. When it's placed in people or plans, there's no guarantee it won't fall apart. And maybe that's why it feels safer at times not to hope at all. But God offers us something different. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken! In that day the people will proclaim, "This is our God! We trusted in him, and he sav...

"Peace is a person." Is that just a cheesy, overused phrase or is there some wisdom there? Dig into your prayers for peace with Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 

Mark 4:40 

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When the obstacles pile up, it's easy to lose focus, and even easier to lose heart. But just because the path got hard doesn't mean your purpose disappeared. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: Look at what's happening to you! You have planted much but harvest little. 

Haggai 1:5-6

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Guilt can creep in from the most unexpected of places. If you've ever felt like you're not doing enough because you're not "saving" anyone, you're not alone. But that pressure to save people was never yours to carry. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Mark 12:30-31

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When you're staring down a problem that feels bigger than you, it's easy to let fear take over. But just like King Hezekiah, we can shift our perspective by reminding ourselves who God really is. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

"And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: 'Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.'"

2 Kings 19:15

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When problems come, what's your first move? Maybe it's to go inward—planning, worrying, or feeling the weight of it all. But the story of King Hezekiah shows us another way. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

"Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went up to the temple of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord."

2 Kings 19:14

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It's easy to feel pulled in a hundred directions with so many voices telling you what's right. Who can you actually trust to guide you? Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead us into truth—not confusion. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."

John 16:13

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Normally when someone asks a question it's because they don't know the answer. When God asks a question, it's because He's trying to show us something. And the first ever question we see God asking tells us a lot about how He wants our relationship with Him to look. Join rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

But the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?" 

Genesis 3:9 

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When you have to repeat something 30 times, you know it's important. The Bible reminds us 30 times to seek God and He will be found. What can we learn from this reminder? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

That they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 

Acts 17:27 

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How do you maximize the amount of good you do for Jesus? How do you force your heart to be more kind and forgiving and patient? Often we get so focused on becoming more like Jesus that we forget that the transformation of our lives and hearts can only come from spending time WITH Jesus. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow...

Do you know where you belong? What do you have to do to earn that spot? The list of expectations and pressures may be long in our minds, but as far as God is concerned, you belong with Him. Join Rick & McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

"You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household." 

Ephesians 2:19 

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Do you know where you belong? What do you have to do to earn that spot? The list of expectations and pressures may be long in our minds, but as far as God is concerned, you belong with Him. Join Rick & McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

"You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household." 

Ephesians 2:19 

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In seasons when fear and shame try to control your life, it can be difficult to seek a connection with God. When hiding and running from His presence seem like the only answers, God is calling your name most urgently. It can be hard to reach for His outstretched hand, yet His hand reminds us that we were never meant to walk through life without Him. In this Full Focus episode of The Morning Focus, Weez, host at WBGL and WCIC, offers a look into a life of prayer and reminds us that we are not meant to walk a...

Sometimes we hide the real things on our hearts, even from God. The fears, the questions, the messy parts we think we shouldn't share. But He already knows—and He wants to hear it all. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

Psalm 145:18

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Ever wonder what God actually wants from you? Does he want grand sacrifices or big shows of your dedication? Or maybe the starting point is much simpler than that. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

To do what is right and just 

    is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice. 

Proverbs 21:3 

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Do you know where you belong? What do you have to do to earn that spot? The list of expectations and pressures may be long in our minds, but as far as God is concerned, you belong with Him. Join Rick & McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

"You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household." 

Ephesians 2:19 

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Ever feel like God has forgotten you? When prayers seem unanswered and waiting stretches on, it's easy to believe that lie. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

"Pay attention, O Jacob, 

    for you are my servant, O Israel. 

I, the Lord, made you, 

    and I will not forget you." 

Isaiah 44:21 

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Why do you do what you do? There's the normal reasons like fulfillment and bills, but the Bible encourages us to find an even deeper purpose. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

Work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven's Armies. 

Haggai 2:4 

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Anyone who tells you that putting your trust in God is a painless, easy thing is just plain wrong. Even God knows it's not an easy thing to do, but it is a worthwhile thing. This is the tension of following Jesus. Join Rick and Mckenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. 

Micah 7:7 

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We all love the idea of being made new, but how many of us actually live like we are? Shame has the vacuum effect that pulls us in and makes us feel stuck, so how you do break out of it? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. Link is in the comments.  

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 

2 Corinthians 5:17 

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Do you ever get so locked into what you're doing that there's just no stopping you? Dedication is a fantastic thing, but sometimes God sends us an interruption because there's something He wants us to see. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 

Proverbs 3:6 

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It's easy to start something with excitement, but staying committed when exhaustion, fear, or doubt creeps in can feel impossible. God is committed to you, and with His help, you can stay committed too. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 

If dealing with worry and anxiety was as simple as flipping an on/off switch, then life would get a whole lot easier. But it doesn't work that way, so what do you do with your worry? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 

John 14:1 

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Sometimes we get stuck comparing apples to oranges. Comparing God to…not God. When we do that we forget how different God is from anything else on this world. He is greater, He is more present, He is the one true God. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

Who of all the gods of these nations that my predecessors destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand?  

2 Chronicles 32:14 

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When things start to go haywire we start wondering where God is and why He changed his mind on us. But what if God's not the one that's changing? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.  

2 Corinthians 1:20  

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Grief and hope feel like opposite things; impossible to exist at the same time. How can you feel hopeful when you're overcome with pain? Maybe that's not what God's asking of you. Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

So Naomi returned… arriving in Bethlehem as the barley harvest was beginning. 

Ruth 1:22 

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What do you do when doing the right thing seems to cost you more than you expected? Daniel stayed completely devoted to God and still found himself spending a long night in a den of lions. Today's episode is a reminder that you may not avoid every dark place, but you will never walk through it alone. Join Rick & McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus.

The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den. And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he...

When you aren't in a place to dance around and sing, where do you take your pain? Is there space for lament in the body of Christ? Join Rick and McKenna for today's episode of The Morning Focus. 

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." 

John 11:32 

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