July 25, 2026 Devo

July 25th, 2026

Powerful Words from the Prophets
When I speak, the words burst out. “Violence and destruction!” I shout. So these messages from the LORD have made me a household joke. But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it! – Jeremiah 20:8-9 (NLT)
“What’s the Fire in Your Bones?”

Last night, I watched a video of a guy who had been in my youth group preaching a message at a church in Texas. It was so cool seeing the man of God the Lord had made out of him. As he preached, he shared a message that was actually on a topic he had called me about some weeks ago. In his personal Bible study, God had moved his heart about the need for repentance in the lives of believers, and not just confession. On the phone, he talked about how it seemed that God had been bringing this topic up in conversation after conversation. Now he had the opportunity to preach it to a whole audience of people. Though he knew some people didn’t really want to hear about repentance, he couldn’t help it. Like Jeremiah, it was the “fire” in his bones that he just had to get out. And he was “cooking!”
What’s the fire in your bones? What is it that God has prompted in you that you just can’t seem to get away from? For some people, it’s a deep sense of calling. There are many stories of individuals who walked away from jobs or opportunities that were quite lucrative to engage in ministry that paid them little to nothing. Still other people started down paths of one vocational career, only to have God redirect them to a different path altogether. Some of you right now are nodding your heads because this is YOUR story. When someone asks you why you’re doing what you’re doing, your reply is, “God put me here.” You know this is what you have to do.
One of the discoveries Jeremiah made was that letting that fire out didn’t mean you would get lots of applause or positive responses. In this section of scripture, Jeremiah actually argues with God because he’s being harassed for being a prophet. But God simply calls us to obedience and faithfulness. We are to then trust Him with the outcomes and results. Getting focused on outward affirmation only leads to pride or depression. Let the fire out and then leave it with God.
So I ask you again. What’s the fire in YOUR bones? What’s God put in you that you need to let out? What gifts have you been burying? What passions have you been squelching? What nudges of the Holy Spirit have you been avoiding? Is it a ministry you know you’re called to do? Is it a book you know you’re called to write? Is it a testimony you know you’re called to share? Don’t hold back on what God wants to do in you and through you. When God sets your bones on fire, let it OUT! That’s God’s Word for you today.