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

If you feel weary, discouraged, or defeated by sin, Scripture doesn’t offer a shortcut—it offers a doorway: prayer. In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef reminds us that there is no lasting power over temptation and no consistent victory over sin without spending time with God in prayer.

Dr. Youssef challenges the common habit of treating prayer like a last-ditch effort. Instead, prayer should be your first option—in trouble, in joy, and in every in-between moment. He points to the testimonies of Scripture where God moved mightily as His people prayed: Moses, Joshua, Hannah, David, Elijah, Daniel—and most powerfully, Jesus Himself. When Christ prayed in Gethsemane, the forces of darkness trembled, revealing that heaven’s strength is unleashed when we align our will with God’s perfect plan.

Whether your relationships feel strained, your heart feels heavy, or your soul feels dry, this devotional calls you back to the simplest, strongest step of faith: pray—trusting God is not intimidated by your circumstances, and believing His promise that when you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you.

Prayer: Lord, in Your mercy, restore my soul and prepare me for the life You have planned for me. I want to live for You and trust You to finish Your work in me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Come near to God and he will come near to you. . . . Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:8, 10).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Pray or Faint: LISTEN NOW

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:
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When life disappoints, it’s easy to drift into a subtle resignation: Why pray? In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef refuses that mindset and calls believers back to prayer as a matter of the will—not emotion, not mood, not convenience.

Rooted in God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:12–13, Dr. Youssef reminds us that God invites His people into real relationship: call on Me, come and pray… seek Me and find Me. Through Christ, we have the privilege of entering God’s presence—where we receive wisdom, guidance, protection, and power to stand firm against the enemy.

You’ll also hear why prayer is indispensable in spiritual warfare. Scripture makes clear that a battle rages beyond what we can see (Ephesians 6:12), but we are not defenseless. Our weapons are not worldly or “carnal”—they carry divine power to demolish strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:3–4). When the bottom drops out, this devotional will strengthen your resolve to pray with faith, knowing God hears you and meets you with sustaining power.

Prayer: Father, You are Almighty God, and I acknowledge my utter dependence on You. I pray for Your will for my life. May I receive it with joy and thanksgiving knowing You love me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon series Call on Me: LISTEN NOW

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

By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.

Read John 20:15-18.

Mary had likely heard Jesus say He would rise on the third day—yet grief blinded her to hope. Then everything changed with one word: “Mary” (John 20:16). In an instant, sorrow became joy, depression turned to delight, and her tears transformed from sadness to gladness as she recognized her living Savior.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef explains why Jesus’ next words matter so deeply: “Do not hold on to me…” (John 20:17). Christ wasn’t rejecting Mary—He was preparing her for a new reality. He would ascend to the Father and send the Holy Spirit, the Advocate who makes it possible for every believer to enjoy a deep, intimate, ever-growing relationship with Jesus—every day, everywhere.

Dr. Youssef also offers a sobering reminder: many Christians live as though Jesus died but never rose. When we function like the resurrection isn’t real, discouragement, hopelessness, and heaviness follow. But the good news is you can return to the empty tomb—renew your surrender to Christ—and exchange depression for delight, because the risen Jesus is with you always and will never let you go (Matthew 28:20).

Prayer: Father, You have called me by name, and I belong to You. Therefore, may I live with joy and confidence. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means ‘Teacher’)” (John 20:16).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Our Tears and the Resurrection of Jesus: WATCH NOW | LISTEN NOW

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

By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.

Read John 20:11-15.

Mary Magdalene had been rescued by Jesus from seven demons—and from the crushing shame of sin—so her devotion ran deep (Luke 8:2). While others fled in fear, Mary stayed near Jesus through His suffering and crucifixion, steadfast and unashamed. She saw enough to know He truly died, so when His body was missing from the tomb, she assumed the only explanation: someone had stolen Him.

Then came the turning point. Through her tears, Mary was asked twice why she was crying—first by angels, then by Jesus Himself: “Woman, why are you crying?” (John 20:15). Dr. Youssef explains that Jesus wasn’t dismissing her grief—He was lovingly correcting her conclusion. Her sorrow was rooted in a mistaken belief: she was searching for a corpse, but God had provided a living, resurrected Savior.

This devotional meets us in our own distress. Job loss, frightening diagnoses, family turmoil, lingering fear—so often we weep because we can’t see the risen Jesus at work in the midst of the trouble. Christ’s question still presses us toward clarity: Who are you looking for—and what are you assuming about God’s power right now? When you recognize that Jesus is alive and present, despair gives way to hope, and temporary sorrow is reshaped by eternal confidence.

Prayer: Lord, help me to remember that my tears are unnecessary. Though this life will have sorrow, all my trials pale in comparison to the glory that awaits me in You. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him’” (John 20:15).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon Our Tears and the Resurrection of Jesus: WATCH NOW | LISTEN NOW

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

By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.

Read John 19:28-30.

Just before He died, Jesus declared, “It is finished” (John 19:30). In English it’s three words, but in Greek it’s a single, triumphant word: Tetelestai—a perfect passive verb meaning the work has been fully accomplished, and its effects continue on and on.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef unpacks why that matters for your faith right now. On the cross, Jesus completed everything necessary for salvation—atonement for sin, forgiveness, reconciliation with the Father, and an everlasting place in God’s family. And because Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient, its life-changing power continues to reach people from every nation as they confess Jesus as Lord and believe God raised Him from the dead.

Dr. Youssef also reminds us this has always been God’s plan: Old Testament believers were saved by faith in what God would accomplish through the coming Messiah. From Genesis to the prophets to the Psalms, Scripture anticipated the moment the serpent-crushing Savior would declare, Tetelestai—and nothing can separate those in Christ from God’s love.

This episode calls you to rest in the finished work of Jesus—and to proclaim it boldly to a world still trying to earn what Christ has already completed.

Prayer: Lord, I praise You that it is finished! By Your incredible grace, You have redeemed me from the grave. May I lovingly and boldly share Your Good News with those You put in my life. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon It Is Finished: WATCH NOW | LISTEN NOW

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

By Michael A. Youssef, Ph.D.

Read John 13:1-17.

The cross wasn’t a last-minute tragedy—it was the central purpose of Jesus’ earthly life.

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef shows how Jesus lived with unwavering clarity about His mission: to finish the work the Father gave Him. From the wedding at Cana to His final meal with the disciples, Christ repeatedly referred to the coming “hour”—the hour of His sacrifice, when He would finally declare, “It is finished.”

You’ll see this focus unfold in three powerful moments:

Dr. Youssef reminds us that Jesus embraced the cross as the Father’s will—and as His joy—so that sinners could be saved. As you listen, you’ll be invited to marvel again at the wonder of God’s love: He did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all.

Prayer: Jesus, thank You for Your incredible love that led You to the cross in obedience to the Father. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father” (John 13:1).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon It Is Finished: WATCH NOW | LISTEN NOW

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

Who crucified Jesus? Was it Judas, the priests, Pilate—or the crowd?

In today’s MY Devotional, Dr. Michael Youssef reveals the deeper Truth: Jesus chose the cross. He went deliberately, willingly, and resolutely—not as a victim of circumstance, but as the Savior on mission. Every person who has ever lived inherited a spiritual debt and then added to it, but God, in mercy, provided a way out. On the cross, the Son of God paid what we could never pay, so that every repentant sinner who comes to Christ by faith can be set free.

Drawing from Philippians 2:5–11, Dr. Youssef highlights the humility of Jesus—God in the flesh—who became obedient to death, even death on a cross. And as Jesus suffered, He prayed words that still astonish us: “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). This wasn’t forced surrender; it was love in action—love that satisfied God’s justice and opened the door to eternal life.

If you’re searching for true peace, lasting security, and a clean conscience before God, this episode points you to the only source: the crucified and risen Christ. Do you know the forgiveness and love of God?

Prayer: Jesus, Your love overwhelms me. I cannot fully fathom it; it humbles and sustains me. You are my Rock and my Redeemer. I long to live for You, the lover of my soul. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. 

“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8).

Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef’s sermon The Folly and the Power of the Cross, Part 2: LISTEN NOW| WATCH NOW

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 could be worth giving up everything you own?

In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef explores Jesus’ parable of the merchant who finds one pearl of great value and sells everything to buy it (Matthew 13:45–46). To grasp the weight of this illustration, Dr. Youssef highlights why pearls were considered the most precious commodity in Jesus’ day: they were rare, dangerous to obtain, and priceless to possess.

Then comes the deeper meaning: the pearl of great worth is the Lord Jesus Christ—the only Savior who suffered, bled, and died on the cross, then rose again so forgiveness and eternal life could be offered to all who believe. No achievement, possession, or security compares to Him. In Christ, you find what the world can never provide: peace of mind, true identity, lasting security, and rest for your soul.

This devotional calls you to examine what you’re valuing most—and to respond to Jesus not with partial devotion, but wholehearted surrender.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Jesus Christ, the pearl of great price. May my life reflect Christ to this world. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Yesterday we looked at two types of soil Satan targets. Today, Dr. Michael Youssef turns to the third: spoiled soil—a heart that isn’t hard or shallow, but overcrowded.

In this episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, you’ll hear how Jesus describes the seed “among thorns” as someone who hears the Word, yet becomes unfruitful because the worries of life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke spiritual growth (Matthew 13:22). The problem isn’t the seed—God’s Word is powerful. The problem is competition: distractions and “competing seeds” the enemy tosses into the mix to drain your focus, sap your energy, and smother your witness.

Dr. Youssef challenges you to examine what’s crowding your life:

Then comes the hope: good soil—the guarded heart that hears, understands, and produces a crop that lasts (Matthew 13:23). This devotional will help you identify what kind of “soil” you’re living with right now and call you to vigilant, daily protection of God’s Word so it can flourish.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for the things in my life that have hindered Your Word from fully developing in me. I pray that You would nurture Your seeds of Truth in my life. 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

The enemy targets both the spiritually strong and the spiritually weak—with one goal: spiritual stagnation. In today’s episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef points to Jesus’ warning in Matthew 13: the sower and the seed are unstoppable, so Satan focuses on corrupting the soil—your heart—so the Word won’t produce lasting fruit.

Dr. Youssef explains that the devil has no power over God or His Word, but he can distract, harden, and shallow out our hearts—making us resistant to truth, quick to drift, and slow to mature.

Jesus highlights multiple kinds of soil where the seed suffers, and today Dr. Youssef focuses on the first two:

The hardened path (wayside soil) — When someone hears the message but doesn’t understand it, the enemy snatches it away. Unconfessed sin and bitterness can harden the heart, dull spiritual sensitivity, and cloud understanding (Matthew 13:19).

The rocky, shallow soil — Some receive the Word with joy, but without depth they wither under pressure. New believers can fall back into old habits when mocked, and longtime believers can remain “spiritual infants” if they never mature beyond surface-level faith (Matthew 13:20–21).

If you’ve felt stuck, spiritually numb, or easily shaken, this devotional will help you identify what kind of “soil” you’ve been living with—and call you to ask the Holy Spirit to make your heart fertile ground for the Truth that brings joy and freedom.

Prayer: Father, show me if I am one of these types of soil where the seeds of Your Word are not able to take root. And by Your Spirit, make my heart fertile ground for Your Truth that brings joy and freedom. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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