5-Day Devotional: Dream Big, Start Small

Jan 25, 2026 | Sunday Messages

5 Day Devotional

God has a real destination for your life, but getting there usually looks less like a sudden breakthrough and more like steady, daily course correction. Over the next five days, you’ll focus on dreaming with faith, starting with small steps, and refusing to settle in the wilderness. Ask God to align your direction with His promises, one decision at a time.

Day 1

Habakkuk 2:2

God invites you to dream with Him, not just daydream about a better life. The sermon reminded us that five years will be filled with thousands of small moments, and those moments will quietly form a direction. A God-sized vision gives those moments meaning and helps you stop drifting into whatever is easiest or loudest.

Writing the vision is a spiritual act of clarity and faith. It forces you to name where you’re going, not just what you wish would change. When you put the destination into words, you can start noticing the “small errors” that pull you off course—tiny compromises, neglected priorities, and habits that feel harmless but add up over time.

Today, ask God to help you see the next five years through His eyes. Don’t worry yet about all the steps; begin by anchoring your heart to where He’s calling you. Big dreams become actionable when they become specific, prayed over, and put in front of you often enough to shape your choices.

  • What do you sense God inviting you to become or build in the next five years (character, relationships, calling, health, stewardship)?

  • What is one sentence that captures your God-honoring vision for your life right now? Write it down.

  • Where have you been living on good intentions but unclear direction?

  • What “small error” might be quietly taking you off course (time, spending, media, bitterness, secrecy)?

  • Set a 10-minute appointment today to pray and write your vision in simple, concrete language. What did you write?

Day 2

Luke 16:10

Big destinations are reached through small faithfulness. The sermon’s point—dream big, start small—challenges the desire for quick fixes and once-in-a-lifetime transformations. God often grows our capacity through ordinary obedience, the kind that looks unimpressive but is deeply formative.

Faithfulness is not about intensity for a week; it’s about integrity over time. Small habits are like a compass—each one points you somewhere. If you’re consistently faithful in the “little” (a daily prayer, honest work, a humble apology, wise boundaries), your direction begins to match your intention.

Today, choose one small practice that aligns with the vision you wrote yesterday. Think course correction, not perfection. One tiny step done consistently can become the difference between wandering in circles and moving toward God’s promise.

  • What is one “little thing” you often dismiss that might actually be shaping your future?

  • Which daily habit would most effectively align your direction with your vision (sleep, Scripture, finances, exercise, relationships, service)?

  • What is one small act of obedience you can do today that you’ve been delaying?

  • Where do you need to be faithful even when no one is applauding you?

  • Choose one small habit for the next 7 days and define it clearly (when, where, how long). What is it?

Day 3

Numbers 13:27-28

Israel stood at the edge of promise, saw that the land was good, and then got stuck on a single word: “but.” The sermon highlighted how the “buts” in our lives can drown out what God has already said. God had declared He was giving the land, yet fear rewrote the story by magnifying obstacles.

Your “ites” may not be ancient enemies, but they are real: anxiety, insecurity, unforgiveness, addiction, distraction, comparison, cynicism. They don’t just oppose your progress; they distort your perspective. When obstacles feel bigger than God’s promise, you start settling for the wilderness—saved, but stalled.

Today is about naming the “but” without bowing to it. Faith doesn’t deny the giants; it refuses to let giants have the final word. Bring your obstacles into prayer honestly, then ask God to replace fear-based narration with promise-based direction.

  • What is the most common “but” that shows up when you try to pursue God’s calling (time, money, past, fear, weakness)?

  • List your top three “ites” that consistently resist your spiritual growth.

  • How have these obstacles affected your decisions, habits, or relationships in the last month?

  • What promise from God’s Word speaks directly against your most common “but”?

  • Write a prayer that names the giant and declares trust in God anyway. What did you pray?

Day 4

Deuteronomy 7:21-22

God didn’t promise instant conquest; He promised faithful progress. The sermon reminded us that mile after mile without course correction ends up far off course, but with God, steady steps can become a steady takeover. In Deuteronomy, God tells His people the enemies would be driven out “little by little,” not all at once.

This is encouraging when you feel frustrated by how slow change can be. God’s process protects you from shortcuts that would crush your character. He builds resilience, wisdom, and dependence as you take ground gradually—one conversation, one boundary, one confession, one disciplined choice at a time.

If you want to be different in five years, embrace “little by little” as grace, not punishment. Small wins are not insignificant; they are evidence that God is training your hands for what He’s entrusted to you. Keep correcting the course, and don’t despise the pace.

  • Where are you tempted to quit because the progress feels too slow?

  • What would “little by little” victory look like in one specific area (purity, anger, anxiety, finances, discipline, relationships)?

  • What is one small boundary or support you can put in place today to make progress sustainable?

  • Who could help you stay consistent—a friend, mentor, group, pastor, counselor—and how will you ask them?

  • Track one measurable step for the next week (minutes in Scripture, days sober, budget adherence, workouts, apologies). What will you track?

Day 5

Zechariah 4:10

God warns us not to despise small beginnings because He sees what small starts become in His hands. The sermon emphasized that success is usually the product of daily habits, not rare breakthroughs. When you treat small steps as meaningless, you unknowingly train yourself to quit before growth has time to take root.

Small beginnings require humility. They force you to admit you’re not there yet—and to trust that God is working while you’re still learning. This is where you choose Caleb’s spirit: refusing to spread a fearful report over your own future and instead speaking faith over what God has said and where you’re headed.

Today, recommit to your direction. Review your written vision, reaffirm your small habit, and ask God for courage to keep going when results are quiet. Five years from now will be shaped by what you repeat, what you believe, and the course corrections you make when you drift.

  • What small beginning have you been tempted to despise because it feels unimpressive or slow?

  • What “bad report” have you been speaking over yourself, and what faith-filled words will replace it?

  • What is one way you can celebrate progress without becoming complacent?

  • What is your next course correction if you drift this week (a plan for relapse, distraction, or discouragement)?

  • Write a short commitment statement for the next 30 days that includes your vision and your small habit. What does it say?