August 10-16, 2025
Recently, I spent a week in the Dominican Republic serving in an impoverished community near Cercadillo. Amid trash piles and stray dogs, live a people group that God is redeeming—one generation at a time!
The missionary we support has been in the area for over 20 years and you can really start to see the community being transformed. The current leaders are the sons and daughters of the two women who were invested in the most.
One of those women was recently married and preached the Gospel to over 250 people in her village who attended. One of the youth raised in this village was taught and tutored by the missionary. He was just accepted into a technical school for a marketing program.
When our team of 10 from the U.S. gathered for the week, we hosted a Bible camp (similar to a Vacation Bible School in the U.S.) with the villagers leading. We supported them as hosts but they led the kids and shared the Gospel for their people group. We were happy to play a behind-the-scenes roll in this village.
One of the stories we shared was from Joshua 3-4.
We taught the kids that we remember the great works of God so that we can trust Him for the next thing in our life. We anchor that great work with a symbolic reminder like stones to help us recall what He did in the past to rescue us and protect us. We see those visual reminders and it helps us trust Him again. These truths weren’t just for the Israelites, they are for us too.
Read along this month and create some visual reminders of God’s work in your life so that you can trust Him when you are facing challenges in the next season.
This week's Bible reading: Joshua 3:8-15
Theme: Trust
Day 1: Go and stand in the river - today God might be asking you to do something a bit odd or strange. Other people might think you are a bit silly or even crazy. Do it anyway. Obedience to the Lord grows muscles in our faith that we can’t grow without it. Choose to be obedient today to whatever He asks of you.
Day 2: God is giving an invitation to listen (come here and listen). Have you spent time in listening prayer? Take some time today to just sit, be, and listen. God may or may not speak, but you will be in the presence of a living God and sometimes that is enough.
Day 3: Where have you been running ahead of God? Think about and name a few areas. Tell Him how you plan to let him lead before you this week (like the Ark of the Covenant had to lead the people). He goes ahead of us and we are secured in His leading.
Day 4: Sometimes our leaders disappoint us and we have trouble trusting them. Can you name a leader you are having trouble trusting? It might be a pastor, a boss, or a husband. Either way, ask God to help you forgive, invite a conversation, and surrender to that leader again in safety.
Day 5: If you were to imagine yourself in this situation, would you have believed the word of the prophet? What would you have done? Could you imagine those waters parting? Or would you have stayed behind in order to see it first?
Challenge: Think about your faith today. What’s holding you back? Where do you need to step into the waters? Name one thing. Pray and ask God to help you believe for that one thing!
Prayer Prompts and Bible Readings are provided by Michele Bowden and Lisa Brass, Coaches with Visual Faith™ Ministry. Find them on our Creative Devotion page, on Instagram @victoryinart and @aworthylif, and on the web at victoryinart.com.