Day 1: You Are Being Shaped Right Now
Devotional
Whether you realize it or not, you are being formed every day.
Your habits. Your conversations. What you watch and listen to. The people you spend time with. All of it is helping shape who you are becoming.
That is not meant to create fear. It is an invitation to pay attention.
Think about the last 24 hours. What voices did you listen to? What received your attention? Who did you spend time with? Each of those things had an opportunity to influence you.
Jesus understood the power of formation. He taught that when a student is fully trained, they become like their teacher. In other words, who we learn from matters because our teachers help shape who we become.
And there is good news: you do not have to approach your formation passively.
You can pay attention. You can make intentional choices. Most importantly, you can make room for Jesus to shape you.
Following Jesus is not about forming yourself into a better person through enough effort. It is about staying close to Him and allowing His presence, His Word, and His people to shape who you are becoming.
Today, simply begin by noticing.
Bible Verse
"A student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher." - Luke 6:40
Reflection Question
If you honestly considered the voices and influences in your life right now, are they helping you become more like Jesus?
Quote
"Every single one of us is always being shaped every moment of every day. So we have to make intentional choices."
Prayer
Jesus, help me recognize what is shaping me. Show me where I have been living without intention, and help me make room for You to form me into the person You created me to be. Amen.
Day 2: Your Attention Matters
Devotional
Your attention is valuable.
Every day, countless voices compete for it. Social media platforms are designed to notice what keeps you watching, clicking, and scrolling—and then give you more of it.
That does not mean technology or social media is automatically bad. But it does mean we should pay attention to the influence it has in our lives.
Because what consistently receives our attention also has an opportunity to shape us.
What we consume can influence what we think about, what we desire, how we see other people, and even how we see ourselves. Without realizing it, we can allow an algorithm to become one of the loudest teachers in our lives.
But we do not have to live on autoplay.
We can become intentional about what receives our attention. We can notice which voices leave us anxious, angry, distracted, or discontent. And we can make more room for what helps us know, trust, and follow Jesus.
You do not need to change everything today. Start by paying attention to your attention.
Notice what you reach for when you wake up. Notice what fills the quiet moments of your day. Notice what gets the final minutes before you fall asleep.
Then ask Jesus what He might be inviting you to change.
Bible Verse
"A student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher." - Luke 6:40
Reflection Question
When you think about the content that receives most of your attention, what is it producing in you?
Quote
"We can live life on autoplay and we can let the algorithm feed us whatever. We can let our new friends or our co workers or whatever conversations we have around the water cooler influence and shape and form us. We can let our social media feeds do that, or we can make some intentional choices to be formed in a different way."
Prayer
God, help me pay attention to what receives my attention. Give me wisdom to recognize what is shaping me and courage to make room for what draws me closer to You. Amen.
Day 3: Choose Your Teachers Wisely
Devotional
You are learning from someone.
It might be a friend, a coworker, a podcast host, someone you follow online, or a person you deeply respect.
Jesus reminds us that students become like their teachers. The voices we consistently listen to do more than give us information. Over time, they can help shape our values, priorities, attitudes, and choices.
So it is worth asking: Who are my teachers?
Think about the people and voices with the greatest influence in your life. What do they value? How do they talk about other people? What kind of life are they building? What happens in you after spending time with them?
This is not about removing everyone from your life who thinks or lives differently than you. Jesus calls us to love people, not avoid them.
It is about recognizing the difference between loving someone and allowing someone to form you.
God has given us His Word, His presence, and relationships with other people who are following Jesus. We can intentionally make room for those influences to shape us.
Choose carefully who gets permission to teach you how to live.
Bible Verse
"A student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher." - Luke 6:40
Reflection Question
Who has the greatest influence over the way you think and live right now? Is that influence helping you become more like Jesus?
Quote
"The question to answer this week is, who is your teacher? Who is it that is forming you? Who's influencing you? Who's shaping your life? Who's speaking into your life that you didn't even realize was speaking into your life?"
Prayer
Father, give me wisdom to recognize the voices that are shaping me. Help me love people well while choosing influences that lead me closer to Jesus. Amen.
Day 4: The Power of Real, Honest Friendship
Devotional
There are some things a screen cannot give you.
A podcast can teach you. A post can encourage you. A video can challenge you. But none of them can truly know you.
Real relationships can.
There is something powerful about sitting with someone who knows your story, cares about who you are becoming, and loves you enough to be honest with you.
That kind of relationship is one of God's gifts to us.
We were not meant to follow Jesus alone. Our journey with Him is best experienced alongside people who care for one another and are learning to follow Him together.
Sometimes that means encouragement. Sometimes it means prayer. And sometimes it means a trusted friend lovingly pointing out something in us that we could not see on our own.
That kind of friendship takes time. It requires honesty, trust, and a willingness to be known. But those relationships can become places where God does meaningful work in us.
Presence Church values investing in personal relationships because following Jesus is not simply about what we know. It is about who we are becoming together.
So consider the people around you. Who knows the real you? Who can encourage you, pray with you, and lovingly challenge you?
And whose life could you strengthen by becoming that kind of friend yourself?
Bible Verse
"A student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher." - Luke 6:40
Reflection Question
Who in your life knows you well enough to speak honest, loving truth to you? What is one step you can take to deepen that relationship?
Quote
"It's in the context of close friendship that you can be honest and authentic. All of us need someone in our life who can look across a cup of coffee and say, I think this might be a thing in your life. What do you think?"
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the gift of community. Give me relationships where I can be known, encouraged, and challenged as I follow You. Help me become that kind of friend to others too. Amen.
Day 5: Take One Intentional Step
Devotional
This week, you have been paying attention to formation.
You have considered what receives your attention, which voices are teaching you, and how relationships can help shape who you are becoming.
Now it is time to take a step.
Not ten steps. Not a complete overhaul of your life.
One intentional step.
Maybe you need to change what gets the first few minutes of your morning. Maybe there is an account you need to stop following because you know what it consistently produces in you. Maybe you need to spend more time in Scripture. Maybe you need to reach out to someone who will encourage you as you follow Jesus.
Whatever your step is, remember what this is really about.
The goal is not perfection. The goal is not becoming impressive, disciplined, or spiritually accomplished.
The goal is Jesus.
We believe formation begins in His presence. As we stay close to Him, the Holy Spirit continues His work in us, shaping us into people who reflect Jesus more clearly. Our words and lives become the overflow of who we are becoming in Him.
You will be shaped by something.
So make room to be shaped by Jesus.
Today, ask Him what your next step is—and then take it.
Bible Verse
"A student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher." - Luke 6:40
Reflection Question
What is one specific change you can make today to create more room for Jesus to shape who you are becoming?
Quote
"Would you accept the challenge this week to make an intentional choice to be formed by things that lead you to greater health, not things that lead you to unhealthy behaviors, to unhealthy thought patterns."
Prayer
Jesus, I want to become more like You. Show me the next step You are inviting me to take, and help me respond with trust. Keep forming me through Your presence, Your Word, and the people You have placed in my life. Amen.
