What do you do when God calls you to something that doesn't make sense?

Sometimes following Jesus means taking a step of faith that the world doesn't understand. Maybe you don't feel qualified. Maybe the circumstances seem impossible. Or maybe the people around you—even well-meaning Christians—are questioning what you believe God is calling you to do.

But God's calling doesn't have to make sense to the world for it to be worth obeying.

In today's episode of Rise and Shine, we're talking about trusting God, walking by faith, and learning to follow His leading even when we can't see the whole picture.

Throughout Scripture, we see people who were called to do things that seemed impossible or unreasonable from a human perspective.

• Noah trusted God and built the ark.

• David faced Goliath when everyone else saw an impossible battle.

• The disciples obeyed Jesus and cast their nets again, even after a night of catching nothing.

• Abraham followed God's leading without knowing exactly where he was going.

• Paul faithfully followed God's calling despite opposition and hardship.

Their stories remind us that faith isn't about having every answer before we obey. It's about knowing the One who is calling us.

We're also talking about something that can be especially difficult: what happens when other people discourage us from following God's leading?

Sometimes that discouragement comes from the world. Sometimes it comes from our own fears and doubts. And sometimes it even comes from Christians who genuinely love us and mean well.

We see an example of this when Peter tried to discourage Jesus from the path He knew He needed to take.

That doesn't mean we should ignore wise counsel! God can use trusted Christian friends, mentors, and spiritual leaders to help us grow in wisdom and discernment. But ultimately, we must seek God's will above the opinions of man.

In this episode, we'll discuss:

• Trusting God when His plans don't make sense

• Biblical examples of extraordinary faith and obedience

• Overcoming fear, doubt, and discouragement

• When well-meaning people question God's calling on your life

• The importance of godly counsel and spiritual discernment

• Learning to follow God's leading rather than seeking everyone's approval

Here's your encouragement today: You don't have to understand everything God is doing to trust who He is.

Keep seeking Him. Stay rooted in His Word. Surround yourself with godly wisdom. And don't let fear or the opinions of others become louder than the voice of the Lord.

God's wisdom is greater than our understanding, and His ways are higher than ours.

☀️ Follow Rise and Shine | Bible Study & Christian Living for more biblical encouragement and conversations about growing closer to Jesus.

Instagram: @theriseandshinepodcast
Personal Instagram: @hayleejacob_

Sometimes we need to stop, open God’s Word, and simply remind ourselves of who He is.

In this episode of Rise and Shine, we’re slowing down and reading through Psalms 99–105 together—passages filled with reminders of God’s holiness, goodness, faithfulness, power, and the incredible things He has done for His people.

Life is full of hills and valleys. There are seasons when praising God comes easily because we can clearly see His blessings, and there are seasons when praise feels much harder. But our worship isn’t meant to depend only on our circumstances.

We don’t praise God only because of what He has done for us.

We praise Him because of who He is.

These Psalms continually call God’s people to remember—to remember His works, His promises, His faithfulness, and His character. And we need those same reminders today.

Whether you’re walking through a beautiful season or a difficult one, turn your heart back toward Him. Remember who your God is. Remember His faithfulness. And choose to praise Him in every season.

📖 Scripture Reading: Psalms 99–105

☀️ In this episode:

• Remembering who God is
• Praising God in both the hills and the valleys
• Worshiping God for His character, not only His blessings
• Remembering God’s faithfulness
• Turning our hearts back to God through praise
• Letting Scripture remind us of the greatness of our God

A reminder for today: Your circumstances may change, but God does not. When life feels uncertain, return to what you know to be true about Him.

Listen, breathe, reflect, and let Psalms 99–105 turn your heart toward praise.

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Instagram: @theriseandshinepodcast
Haylee: @hayleejacob_

Are you walking in the light—or allowing darkness to dim your relationship with Jesus?

Jesus is the Light of the world. As Christians, we aren't called to hide that light—we're called to reflect Him and shine His light into a dark world.

But sometimes we allow things into our lives that begin to dim that light.

Hidden sin can keep us from walking openly with God. Discouragement can cause us to take our eyes off Jesus. And the darkness around us can become so overwhelming that we forget who the Light within us is.

In this episode of Rise and Shine, we look at what Scripture says about walking in the light, living in truth, and allowing Jesus to shine through us.

We'll talk about why bringing sin into the light matters, how the darkness of the world can discourage us, and why we can't allow that darkness to determine how brightly we live for Christ.

Because the answer isn't to try harder to manufacture our own light.

The answer is to stay close to Jesus—the true Light.

🔑 In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Why Jesus is the Light
• What it means to walk in the light as a Christian
• How hidden sin affects our walk with God
• Why we shouldn't hide darkness in our lives
• How discouragement can cause our light to seem dim
• How the darkness of the world can distract us from Jesus
• Why Christians are called to reflect Christ to others
• How staying close to Jesus allows His light to shine through us
• What it means to live openly and honestly before God
• Why we don't have to create our own light—we reflect His

📖 Key Scriptures

John 1:1–13 — Jesus, the Word, and the Light who came into the world.

James 1:17 — Every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of lights.

1 John 1:5–7 — God is light, and we are called to walk in that light.

Ephesians 5:8–14 — We were once darkness, but now we are light in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 4:1–6 — The Gospel shines the light of Christ into hearts that have been blinded by darkness.

❤️ The Heart of This Episode

You cannot walk closely with Jesus while intentionally holding onto hidden darkness.

But that doesn't mean you have to run from God when you fail.

Bring it into the light.

Confess it. Turn from it. Let Jesus transform you.

And when the darkness around you becomes discouraging, don't forget where your light comes from.

Jesus hasn't stopped being the Light just because the world feels dark.

Our job isn't to defeat the darkness by our own strength.

Our job is to stay so close to Jesus that His light shines through us.

✨ Main Takeaway

You don't have your own light to produce—you have Jesus' light to reflect.

Don't allow hidden sin to keep you in darkness.

Don't allow the darkness around you to convince you that your light doesn't matter.

Stay close to Jesus.

Walk in the light.

And let His light shine through you.

📲 Connect With Rise and Shine

Follow for weekly Bible studies, Christian encouragement, and practical conversations about living for Jesus:

@theriseandshinepodcast
@hayleejacob_

🎧 Subscribe to Rise and Shine | Bible Study & Christian Living for Scripture-centered encouragement to help you grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus.

Please excuse the sound quality of this episode!

Do you feel like brain fog is keeping you from hearing God’s voice and following His call?

Today on the Rise and Shine Podcast, Haylee discusses how the enemy can use brain fog and fatigue to keep us from working in our calling and ministry. Even when we feel like we’ve done all the right things to stay healthy and to do what God has called us to do: minimize distractions, put less on our plate, eat healthier, and exercise- many people are still having trouble focusing and gaining motivation.

Oftentimes, the closer we move to God and His Will, the harder Satan will attack our minds, and if we don’t allow his busyness and physical tactics work, he’ll go for the mental.

But God says to KEEP GOING! Keep praying and knocking on His door for answers and clarity.

Do you ever feel like God is disappointed in you?

Maybe you've made mistakes. Maybe you've fallen back into an old pattern. Maybe you feel like you haven't been doing enough for God—or you're convinced that you've somehow messed up His plan for your life.

And because you feel ashamed, you pull away.

You stop praying as much. You hesitate to serve. You become afraid to step into your calling because you're convinced God couldn't possibly still want to use you.

But what if the very thing you're running from is the One you need to run toward?

In this episode of Rise and Shine, we're talking about what to do when you feel like God is mad at you, disappointed in you, or holding your past against you.

God doesn't hold grudges.

When we repent and turn back to Him, we don't have to spend the rest of our lives punishing ourselves for something He has already forgiven.

Psalm 103:12 reminds us of the incredible distance God puts between us and our sins, while Romans 8:1 reminds us that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

We also talk about how shame and fear can keep us from stepping into the calling God has placed on our lives—and why we need to stop allowing our past mistakes to convince us that God can't or won't use us.

Because God doesn't only use people who have never messed up.

He uses redeemed people.

And He wants you to come back to Him.

🔑 In This Episode, We Talk About:

• What to do when you feel like God is disappointed in you
• Why God doesn't hold grudges against His children
• The difference between conviction and condemnation
• How shame can keep us from God
• Why fear shouldn't keep you from your calling
• God's desire for us to return to Him
• How God can use us despite our mistakes and failures
• Why we shouldn't compare our walk with God to someone else's
• Learning to trust God's grace instead of constantly questioning whether we're "good enough"

📖 Key Scriptures

Psalm 103:12
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Romans 8:1
There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.❤️ The Heart of This Episode

Maybe you've been keeping your distance from God because you think He's disappointed in you.

Maybe you've convinced yourself that you've failed too many times.

Maybe you've watched someone else's relationship with God and wondered why yours doesn't look like theirs.

Come back.

God isn't asking you to become someone else.

He isn't asking you to have someone else's testimony, calling, gifts, or walk with Him.

And your mistakes haven't made you unusable.

God has chosen to work through imperfect people—and His grace is bigger than your failures.

Don't let fear, shame, or comparison keep you from the God who is calling you closer.

✨ Main Takeaway

God wants you to come back to Him.

Don't let the fear that God is angry with you keep you from His presence.

Don't let shame keep you from your calling.

And don't compare your walk with Jesus to someone else's.

Your relationship with God is yours.

His grace is enough.

And He can still use you.

📲 Follow for weekly Bible encouragement, Bible studies, and conversations about growing closer to Jesus:

@theriseandshinepodcast
@hayleejacob_

🎧 Subscribe to Rise and Shine | Bible Study & Christian Living for Scripture-centered encouragement to help you live boldly and faithfully for Christ.

Have you ever gone through a season where your soul feels dry and thirsty for God?

You want to feel close to Him. You want to hear Him. You want to experience His presence—but instead, it feels like He's far away.

In this short episode of Rise and Shine, I read through Psalm 42 and reflect on what it means to thirst for God when our souls feel spiritually dry.

Psalm 42 gives us a beautiful picture of someone who deeply longs for God's presence. And that longing is something we should cultivate in our own lives. We don't want to become spiritually barren or allow ourselves to drift so far from God that we no longer recognize how much we need Him.

But what do we do when we're already in a dry season?

We remember.

We remember what God has already done.

We remember the prayers He answered, the doors He opened, the trials He carried us through, and the moments when He proved Himself faithful.

Because sometimes our feelings tell us that God isn't near—but our history with Him tells us otherwise.

If you're walking through a difficult season, feeling spiritually dry, or struggling because you don't feel God's presence right now, this short devotional is an encouragement to keep seeking Him and remember His faithfulness.

God has not changed just because your feelings have.

🔑 In This Episode

• Reading through Psalm 42
• What it means to thirst for God
• Coming to God when your soul feels spiritually dry
• Why we should desire God's presence deeply
• Avoiding spiritual barrenness and drifting from God
• Remembering God's faithfulness during trials
• Trusting God even when we don't feel Him
• Looking back at what God has already brought us through

📖 Main Scripture

Psalm 42

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, my God.”

Psalm 42 reminds us that spiritual dryness isn't a reason to run from God.

It's a reason to run toward Him.

❤️ The Heart of This Episode

When you don't feel God, remember what you know about God.

Remember His faithfulness.

Remember His provision.

Remember the times He carried you.

Remember what He has already brought you through.

Your feelings may change from day to day, but God remains faithful.

Keep seeking Him.

Keep thirsting for Him.

Keep coming back to the Source.

✨ Main Takeaway

Don't let a dry season convince you that God has left you.

Let your thirst drive you closer to Him.

And when you can't see what He's doing, look back at what He's already done.

📲 Follow for weekly Bible encouragement and devotionals:

@theriseandshinepodcast
@hayleejacob_

🎧 Subscribe to Rise and Shine | Bible Study & Christian Living for Scripture-based encouragement to help you grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus.

Do you ever feel like you're constantly rushing from one thing to the next?

Our culture celebrates being busy. We wear full calendars like badges of honor, take on more than we should, and hurry through our days trying to accomplish everything.

But what if our busyness is keeping us from the very things God is calling us to?

In this episode of Rise and Shine, we take a closer look at 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12 and unpack Paul's surprising encouragement to believers: "Aspire to live quietly."

Living a quiet life doesn't mean living an unproductive one.

It means living with intention.

Instead of filling every moment, God invites us to focus on what He's placed in front of us, work faithfully, and trust Him with the rest.

One of the most remarkable things about Jesus' earthly ministry is this:

He was never in a hurry.

Even though He had crowds waiting, people needing healing, and only a few years of ministry, Jesus always moved with purpose rather than panic. He made time to pray, withdrew to quiet places, and was fully present with the people in front of Him.

In this episode, we discuss how slowing down isn't laziness—it's often an act of trust. When we stop trying to do everything, we make room to do the things God has actually called us to do well.

🔑 In This Episode, We Cover:

• What it means to "live quietly" in 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12
• Why our culture glorifies busyness
• How taking on too much often lowers the quality of our work
• Why Jesus never rushed, even with an urgent mission
• The importance of being fully present instead of constantly distracted
• Trusting God enough to slow down
• Learning to wait on the Lord instead of living in constant hurry
• Finding peace in a fast-paced world

📖 Key Scriptures

• 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12
• Psalm 46:10
• Isaiah 40:31
• Psalm 128:2
• Proverbs 13:11
• Mark 6:30–31

❤️ The Heart of This Episode

God never asked us to rush through life.

He calls us to faithfulness—not franticness.

The world says, "Do more."

Jesus says, "Come away and rest."

When we slow down, we become more present with God, more intentional with people, and more focused on the work He's actually called us to do.

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is stop rushing.✨ Main Takeaway

You don't have to prove your worth by staying busy.

God isn't impressed by how full your schedule is.

He desires faithful hearts that seek Him first, serve others well, and trust Him enough to slow down.

Choose quality over hurry.

Choose presence over pressure.

Choose the pace of Jesus.

📲 Follow for weekly Bible studies, Christian encouragement, and practical conversations about living faithfully:

@theriseandshinepodcast
@hayleejacob_

🎧 Subscribe to Rise and Shine | Bible Study & Christian Living for Scripture-based encouragement to help you grow deeper in your walk with Jesus.

Have you ever felt like you had to earn God's love?

Maybe you've believed that if you prayed more, served more, read your Bible more, or simply tried harder, God would love or accept you more.

The good news of the Gospel is this:

Salvation isn't something we earn—it's a gift we receive through Jesus Christ.

In this episode of Rise and Shine, we're reading through Galatians 5 (Amplified Bible) and discussing Paul's powerful reminder to the churches in Galatia that they were never meant to return to a life of legalism after experiencing the freedom found in Christ.

We begin by briefly looking at why Paul wrote this letter. False teachers had convinced many believers that faith in Jesus wasn't enough—that they also needed to keep the Old Testament law in order to be truly saved.

Paul responds with a passionate reminder that Jesus fulfilled the law and that believers are called to live by faith, not by striving to earn what Christ has already accomplished on the cross.

Together we'll explore what it truly means to walk by the Spirit, resist the desires of the flesh, and live in the freedom Jesus purchased for us.

🔑 In This Episode, We Cover:

• Why Paul wrote the book of Galatians
• Understanding freedom in Christ
• Why we cannot earn our salvation
• The danger of legalism and performance-based faith
• Living by grace instead of striving
• What it means to walk by the Holy Spirit
• The works of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit
• How the Holy Spirit transforms believers from the inside out
• Resting in what Jesus has already accomplished

📖 Main Scripture

Galatians Chapter 5 (Amplified Bible)

❤️ The Heart of This Episode

Jesus didn't die so we could spend our lives trying to earn what He's already freely given.

He calls us into freedom.

Not a freedom to live however we want—

but a freedom from striving, guilt, and the impossible burden of trying to save ourselves.

As we walk daily with the Holy Spirit, He changes our hearts, shapes our character, and produces fruit that reflects Jesus to the world.

✨ Main Takeaway

You don't have to earn God's love.

You don't have to earn your salvation.

You don't have to carry the weight of trying to be "good enough."

Instead, receive God's grace, walk in the Spirit, and trust that the same Savior who saved you is also faithfully transforming you.

📲 Follow for weekly Bible studies, verse-by-verse teaching, and Christian encouragement:

@theriseandshinepodcast
@hayleejacob_

🎧 Subscribe to Rise and Shine for biblical encouragement that helps you grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus.