New 5-Day Devotional: The Life You Get Stuck With

Jan 5, 2026 | Uncategorized

5 Day Devotional

Five years will come whether we pay attention or not, and the small choices we make today quietly shape the life we will live then. This devotional will help you wake up to where you may have drifted “only a little,” and invite Jesus to pull you back on track. Each day builds a simple, faith-filled path toward becoming the person God designed you to be.

Day 1

Romans 13:11-14

It’s possible to stay busy and still be asleep to what matters most. Paul’s warning is not aimed at lazy people, but at people who are “absorbed” in day-to-day obligations until they lose track of time and drift away from God. That kind of drift often starts small—just a little off the driveway—until the momentum of routine carries us further than we intended.

Today is an invitation to wake up. Not to panic about the future, but to recognize that your future is being formed by your present attention. If you want to be close to God in five years, start by turning toward Him today with honesty, worship, and a willingness to change what’s been numbing your soul. The “armor of light” begins with simple repentance and renewed focus, one day at a time.

  • Where have you been most “absorbed” lately—work, media, stress, hobbies, or relationships—and how has it affected your awareness of God?

  • What is one small sign that you may be drifting spiritually (prayerlessness, irritability, numbness, compromise, distraction)?

  • What would it look like for you to “wake up” today in a practical way (a specific time, place, and plan to meet with God)?

  • What is one “deed of darkness” you need to take off—something you justify because it seems small?

  • Choose one habit for the next 24 hours that helps you “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Scripture before phone, prayer walk, fasting a meal, accountability text).

Day 2

Psalm 90:10-12

Moses prays, “Teach us to number our days,” because wisdom grows when we stop pretending time is endless. The sermon’s five-year picture isn’t meant to scare you; it’s meant to clarify you. When you can see how quickly your days fill up, you begin to ask better questions about what deserves your best energy.

Numbering your days turns vague intentions into intentional living. Instead of assuming you’ll “straighten it out later,” you learn to steward today as the training ground for tomorrow. Ask God to give you a heart of wisdom—not merely information, but the courage to align your schedule, spending, and relationships with what will matter when you look back.

  • If you had to summarize the last month, what have your days been “numbered” by most—what consumed the most attention?

  • What is one area where you keep telling yourself, “I’ll get serious later,” and what has that delay been costing you?

  • What is one wise choice you can make this week that your “you in five years” will thank you for?

  • Where do you feel the most time pressure, and how might God be inviting you to simplify or surrender control?

  • Write a short prayer asking God to teach you to number your days and show you one change to make immediately.

Day 3

Psalm 39:4-7

David asks God to help him understand how fleeting life is, not so he will despair, but so he will hope rightly. When we forget how quickly life moves, we cling too tightly to things that can’t hold us—approval, comfort, entertainment, or the illusion of control. Drift often happens when temporary things become ultimate things.

This is where getting unstuck begins to feel possible: you don’t just see what’s wrong, you see what’s worth it. David’s conclusion is not self-improvement; it’s worshipful dependence: “My hope is in you.” When your hope resets to God, you can face habits, regrets, and distractions without shame, because you’re no longer trying to save yourself—you’re trusting the Savior who can pull you out.

  • What temporary thing has been acting like an “ultimate” thing in your life lately (comfort, money, success, attention, control)?

  • When you picture your life in five years, what do you most fear losing, and what does that reveal about where you’re placing hope?

  • What is one area where you need to shift from self-reliance (“I can straighten this out”) to dependence on God?

  • Name one practice that helps you remember life is short in a healthy way (gratitude, journaling, prayer, serving, Sabbath).

  • What would it look like to say sincerely today, “My hope is in You,” and mean it with your next decision?

Day 4

Jeremiah 17:7-10

Jeremiah contrasts two trajectories: trusting in human strength versus trusting in the Lord. Both paths are formed over time, and both often begin with small choices—what you run to when you’re stressed, what voices you believe, what habits you excuse. God isn’t merely watching your actions; He’s shaping your heart, because your heart quietly directs your life.

Trusting the Lord doesn’t mean you’ll never feel heat or pressure, but it means you can become like a tree with deep roots. The goal for the next five years isn’t a perfect life; it’s a rooted life. Invite God to search you with kindness and truth, revealing the hidden motivations beneath your routine so you can develop patterns that lead to spiritual fruit instead of burnout.

  • When you feel pressure, what do you instinctively trust first—yourself, other people’s opinions, money, escape, or God?

  • What “root” might be feeding your current habits (fear, insecurity, resentment, loneliness, pride)?

  • Where do you need deeper roots—Scripture, prayer, community, confession, rest, or service? Choose one to strengthen this week.

  • What is one practical boundary you can set to reduce drift (media limit, bedtime, spending plan, accountability)?

  • Ask God to “search” your heart today; write down what He brings to mind and one step of obedience to respond.

Day 5

Proverbs 11:27

Proverbs teaches that those who diligently seek good find favor, but those who chase evil find trouble. This isn’t just about dramatic moral failure; it’s about what you pursue day after day. Five years from now, you won’t simply arrive somewhere—you will have been seeking something, and that pursuit will shape your character, relationships, and spiritual maturity.

Seeking good is an intentional way of living that resists autopilot. It means choosing what builds faith, strengthens love, and honors God—even when it’s inconvenient. Today is a chance to set your direction: not perfection, but pursuit. Ask God to define “good” for your season and give you the courage to pursue it consistently, trusting that small faithful steps compound into a changed life.

  • What have you been “seeking” most consistently, based on your recent choices (comfort, success, approval, pleasure, control, or God’s kingdom)?

  • What is one “good” you sense God calling you to pursue in the next five years (marriage health, spiritual disciplines, generosity, sobriety, reconciliation, calling)?

  • Identify one small daily action that aligns with that good (10 minutes in Scripture, weekly date night, budgeting, meeting with a mentor).

  • What trouble are you currently inviting by what you tolerate or excuse, and what is one step to cut it off?

  • Write a one-sentence pursuit statement for the next 30 days (e.g., “I will seek God first each morning and limit media to ___ minutes”).