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Hi, everyone! I hope you’re doing well!

This past month has been a full one for our family — traveling, celebrating birthdays, preparing for a baby, and all the things that make time feel like it’s flying. I haven’t had the chance to sit down and post, but today I want to share two things God has used to draw me closer to Him this year:

• My (almost) daily Bible reading using a chronological plan called The Bible Recap

• A Bible study by Louie Giglio titled Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table

  
  

Both of these have deeply impacted my walk with the Lord and helped me stay grounded in truth, even in busy and challenging seasons.

What I Learned from Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table

I want to start with the Bible study, because it gave me a whole new lens to view my time in God’s Word.

This study is based on Psalm 23 and the beautiful truth that God has prepared a table for us — a place of peace, provision, and fellowship with Him. But the enemy wants a seat at that table. He wants to pull up a chair and speak lies into our minds: fear, shame, distraction, doubt. Anything to pull us away from the joy and freedom that God offers.

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

- Psalm 23:5 ESV

Honestly, I wish I had read this study much earlier in my relationship with God. It gave me a deeper understanding of spiritual warfare and helped me see how real the battle is — not just around me, but within me. A battle for my thoughts, emotions, desires, and heart.

Pursuing God with your whole heart means the enemy will pursue you, too. He doesn’t want you to grow closer to Jesus, and he will use whatever he can to make sure you don’t. Busyness, discouragement, comparison, fear — he knows which buttons to push and what cracks to creep through.

But through this study, God opened my eyes to His invitation — to sit at His table and enjoy His presence. He reminded me that I don’t have to accept the enemy’s lies or distractions. I can resist. I can take every thought captive.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it."

- 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ..."

- 2 Corinthians 10:5 ESV

This study helped me be more alert to the spiritual battle going on around me. And even more than that, it reminded me that God is always making a way — a way out of temptation, and a way back to His peace.

What Happens When We Walk Closely With God

There’s so much praise in my heart for what God has already done and what I believe He will continue to do.

The closer I walk with Him, the more I notice the fruit of His Spirit showing up in my life. And that fruit is not from me trying harder — it comes from being with Him.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

- Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

My hope is that others can see Jesus in me, not for my sake or praise, but so they can give glory to God with me and be encouraged to seek Him for themselves.

About the Study (Highly Recommend!)

Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table is a 6-week study with a fairly light reading load. It comes with both a book and a study guide, but if you're looking for a budget-friendly or time-friendly option, the study guide can definitely stand alone. It even includes access to short teaching videos (around 20 minutes each) to go along with every chapter.

I’ve done this study twice now, and one of the most impactful moments for me was looking back at my first set of answers in the study guide and realizing how much God had shifted my mindset since then. He is so faithful to grow and change us when we invite Him into the process.

If you’re looking for something to deepen your understanding of God’s truth and help you fight spiritual battles with Scripture, this study is a great place to start.

AND... I’m thinking about starting an online study group on this book sometime early next year. Would you be interested in joining? Let me know in the comments or shoot me a message!

My Honest Journey with The Bible Recap

Now let’s talk about The Bible Recap.

Confession: I have never read the entire Bible. Though I've read most of it, I haven't read every single book. Have you?

This year, I decided it was time. I don’t want to reach the end of my life — or even the end of this week — knowing that I had access to God’s Word and just never made time for it.

"Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

- Matthew 24:44 ESV

Tomorrow is not promised. And I don’t have any excuses.

How Daily Bible Reading Is Transforming My Walk with Christ

To share a tiny bit of my testimony: after college, I slowly drifted away from daily time in God’s Word. Not on purpose — just from being “busy.” And I can now see that was one of the enemy’s tactics.

I got distracted by good things, but they pulled me away from the best thing — intimacy with God.

After the birth of my son, I went through a tough season that opened my eyes to how far I’d wandered. That season was hard, but I’m now thankful for it — it brought me back to the feet of Jesus.

Today, I can’t imagine going back to how things were. Even though I still miss days here and there, I’m in the Word consistently and feel closer to God than ever before.

This daily time with Him has helped me:

• Recognize the voice of my Shepherd more clearly

• Trust Him more completely

• Obey His direction with greater confidence

• Surrender my plans with peace

How I Use The Bible Recap

• I use the YouVersion Bible App and follow the Chronological Plan through The Bible Recap

• I haven’t used the physical Recap books, but they are available on the website and might be helpful if you prefer print

• The daily recap episodes are short and really insightful — they help me focus on who God is, not just what’s happening in the passage

And that’s one of the most powerful parts for me: the more I study His Word, the more I understand His character. And the more I understand His character, the more I love Him.

We Can’t Love God Without Knowing Him

Here’s a truth that has become so real to me:

We can’t love God if we don’t know Him, and we can’t know Him if we don't read His Word.

That realization has changed everything for me.

Being (almost) daily in Scripture has helped me fall more in love with God for who He is. He’s blessed me with more joy, peace, courage, patience, and freedom than I ever expected. He’s also helping me understand what He’s calling me to: to love Him with my whole heart, to love my family well, and to raise my children to know and follow Him — in His strength, not mine.

My prayer is that He’ll continue to help me plant seeds, live faithfully, and point others to Jesus through the way I live.

Let’s Stay in Touch

Thank you so much for reading this post — I know it came a little later than usual, but I truly hope it encourages you in your walk with Christ. If you’re in a season where you’re feeling distant from God or unsure how to reconnect, please know you’re not alone. I’ve been there, and I’d be honored to pray for you.

If you have specific prayer requests, you can always reach out through the Contact page on my website or send me a message on Instagram or Facebook — I love hearing from you.

Also, if you’d be interested in joining me for a Bible study on Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table at the beginning of next year, let me know in the comments or reach out directly. I’d love to walk through it with you!

With love,

Sydney

Quick Links

• The Bible Recap

• Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table – Book

• Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table – Study Guide

  
  

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As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post — at no extra cost to you. I only recommend resources I truly love and personally use. Thank you for supporting this ministry!