Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 15:16-17

"And Samson said,
'With the jawbone of a donkey,
heaps upon heaps,
with the jawbone of a donkey
have I struck down a thousand men.'
As soon as he had finished speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand. And that place was called Ramath-lehi." — Judges 15:16-17

Samson had just experienced one of the most incredible victories in his life. Bound by ropes, surrounded by enemies, he was suddenly filled with the Spirit of God. With nothing but a donkey's jawbone, he struck down a thousand Philistines.

But listen to what he says afterward. Listen carefully.

"With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, have I struck down a thousand men."

No mention of God. No credit to the Spirit. Just Samson boasting about Samson.

Sound familiar?

Victory often tempts us to shift the spotlight. We crush a project at work and secretly think, "Look what I did." A relationship improves, and we say, "I finally figured it out." Even in ministry, we can pat ourselves on the back after a win instead of lifting our eyes to heaven.

Pride in victory steals glory from God and puts us on shaky ground.

The truth is, Samson didn't kill a thousand men because he was clever with a jawbone. He didn't snap ropes because of sheer strength. The Spirit did that. The Spirit rushed in, gave him power, and made the impossible possible. The same is true for us. Any success we enjoy—big or small—is by God's hand.

Pride takes what God did and rebrands it as our accomplishment. And the moment we start stealing God's glory, we set ourselves up for a fall. But humility reverses the script.

Humility says, "God did this. I'm just holding the jawbone."

ASK THIS:

1. Where in your life are you tempted to take credit instead of giving God glory?
2. Why does success so often make us forget God's role in the victory?
3. What would it look like to redirect praise to God in your current season?
4. How can humility actually deepen your joy in the victories He gives?

DO THIS:

• Identify one recent "victory" in your life.
• Out loud, thank God for it specifically: "Lord, You did this."

PRAY THIS:

Father, I confess I love to take credit for what only You could have done. Keep me humble in victory. Teach me to give glory back to You in every success. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Nothing Else."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 15:14-15

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him. Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became as flax that has caught fire, and his bonds melted off his hands. And he found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, and put out his hand and took it, and with it he struck 1,000 men. — Judges 15:14-15

Samson walked into Lehi tied up. Not by the Philistines, but by his own people. That had to sting. Three thousand of his brothers bound him with ropes and handed him over. To everyone watching, it looked like the end. The Philistines saw a man restrained, contained, and defeated before the fight even started. They shouted in victory before they'd even lifted a sword.

Maybe you've been there. Bound not just by circumstances, but by betrayal, disappointment, or shame. You walk into a situation feeling powerless. People write you off. The enemy shouts too soon. You hear voices in your head: You'll never break free. You'll never change. You'll never win.

But then—God's Spirit shows up.

The text says the Spirit of the Lord "rushed upon him." Instantly, what looked impossible changed. The ropes fell away like burnt thread. The bonds melted as if they were nothing. Samson reached for the only thing nearby—a donkey's jawbone—and God turned it into a weapon of victory.

You may be bound, but you are not broken.

The ropes on your life are real. Addiction is real. Fear is real. Regret is real. Wounds from betrayal are real. But they are not final. The Spirit of God can snap what holds you. The Spirit can melt what seems permanent. The Spirit can turn even the most ordinary thing into a tool for victory.

Your ropes don't define you. God's Spirit does.

So if you're feeling tied down today—by sin, by failure, by the weight of life—you need to know: the same Spirit who rushed on Samson lives in you. And the same Spirit can set you free.

ASK THIS:

1. Where do you feel most bound in your life right now?
2. How have you seen God's Spirit break through in the past?
3. What would it look like to stop relying on willpower and invite the Spirit into this battle?
4. Who in your life needs to hear that they may be bound but not broken?

DO THIS:

• Write down the "rope" that feels like it has you tied up. Name it specifically.
• Share your struggle with a trusted friend and invite them to pray with you.
• Watch for God to use something small or unexpected (like a jawbone) as part of your freedom story.

PRAY THIS:

Holy Spirit, I feel bound, but I believe I'm not broken. Rush into my weakness, snap the ropes I can't break, and give me strength to walk free in Your power. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Break Every Chain."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 15:9-13

"Then the Philistines came up and encamped in Judah and made a raid on Lehi. And the men of Judah said, 'Why have you come up against us?' They said, 'We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he did to us.' Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the rock of Etam and said to Samson, 'Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What then is this that you have done to us?' And he said to them, 'As they did to me, so have I done to them.' And they said to him, 'We have come down to bind you, that we may give you into the hands of the Philistines.' And Samson said to them, 'Swear to me that you will not attack me yourselves.' They said to him, 'No; we will only bind you and give you into their hands. We will surely not kill you.' So they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock." — Judges 15:9-13

The Philistines were furious with Samson. But instead of standing with their fellow Israelites, the men of Judah bowed to the pressure. Three thousand of his own brothers came to Samson—not to fight for him, but to tie him up and hand him over.

That betrayal cuts deep. It wasn't just enemies after Samson—it was his own people. Sometimes the hardest hits don't come from outsiders, but insiders.

People you trust will eventually disappoint you, but God never will. Never!

Maybe you've felt that sting. A spouse who didn't stand up for you. Friends who vanished when you needed them most. A church that didn't support you. The pain is real. But Samson's story shows us something—being bound by people doesn't mean being abandoned by God.

Even when those closest to you give in to fear or pressure, God's purpose is still unfolding. You might feel tied up, let down, or betrayed, but the Spirit of God is never bound. His plan doesn't stop when people fail you.

ASK THIS:

1. When have you felt most let down by someone close to you?
2. How did that disappointment shape your faith?
3. Where are you tempted to let betrayal define your trust in others—or in God?
4. How does God's unbreakable faithfulness give you hope in those moments?

DO THIS:

• Think of one disappointment still weighing on you.
• Take it to God in prayer, naming it honestly.

PRAY THIS:

Father, You know the pain of being let down by those closest to me. Thank You that when people fail, You remain faithful. Help me rest in Your unshakable presence. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"You Never Let Go."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 15:6-8

"Then the Philistines said, 'Who has done this?' And they said, 'Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he has taken his wife and given her to his companion.' And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. And Samson said to them, 'If this is what you do, I swear I will be avenged on you, and after that I will quit.' And he struck them hip and thigh with a great blow, and he went down and stayed in the cleft of the rock of Etam." — Judges 15:6-8

Look at the spiral.
Samson burns fields.The
Philistines burn his wife and father-in-law.
Samson slaughters them back.

It's eye for eye, burn for burn, blow for blow. And the body count keeps rising.

This is how anger works. It rarely stays small. It grows teeth. It multiplies. It escalates until everyone loses.

Payback feels powerful—but it always makes situations worse.

You know this cycle. A word said in anger leads to another. A jab at the family gathering explodes into a feud. A cold shoulder stretches into years of silence. Nobody remembers how it started, but everyone's still bleeding.

The way of Christ is different. He broke the cycle. Instead of retaliation, He chose surrender. Instead of lashing back, He absorbed the cost. At the cross, He stopped the spiral so peace could start.

And that's the invitation to us: don't add fuel to the fire. Be stronger. Be resolved. Be the one who ends the cycle.

ASK THIS:

1. Where are you stuck in a back-and-forth cycle of conflict right now?
2. How has anger made things bigger than they ever needed to be?
3. What would it cost you to stop escalating and choose peace?
4. How can Jesus' example shape your response?

DO THIS:

• Identify one conflict that's escalating.
• Decide today: "I will not add fuel."
• Take a humble step to break the cycle—apologize, soften your tone, or listen first.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, I don't want to live in the spiral of payback. Help me stop adding fuel. Give me the humility and courage to be a peacemaker like You. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Peace Be Still."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today's shout-out goes to Steve Winton from Lakeland, FL. Your commitment through Project23 helps deliver God's Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one's for you.

Our text today is Judges 15:3-5

"And Samson said to them, 'This time I shall be innocent in regard to the Philistines, when I do them harm.' So Samson went and caught 300 foxes and took torches. And he turned them tail to tail and put a torch between each pair of tails. And when he had set fire to the torches, he let the foxes go into the standing grain of the Philistines and set fire to the stacked grain and the standing grain, as well as the olive orchards." — Judges 15:3-5

Samson is furious. His wife's father gave her away to another man, and now humiliation burns inside him. So he cooks up a plan—literally. He ties torches between the tails of 300 foxes and lets them loose in Philistine fields, torching grain and olive orchards.

For Samson, it felt like justice. For the Philistines, it was destruction. And shortly, the retaliation would escalate.

That's the way revenge works—it feels satisfying for a moment, but it never ends there. It multiplies the misery.

Revenge never heals your hurt; it multiplies it.

When you've been betrayed or wronged, the urge to "get even" screams loud. We daydream about comebacks, plots, or even just the perfect cutting words. And for a moment, it feels powerful. But it never brings peace—it only fans the flames of bitterness.

Samson's fire scorched the Philistines, but it also scorched his future. His revenge didn't settle the score; it made the fight bigger.

God calls us to a better way. Romans 12:19 says, "Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.'" God can handle justice better than you ever could. Revenge chains you to anger; forgiveness frees you to live.

ASK THIS:

1. Where are you tempted to "get even" right now?
2. How have you seen revenge backfire in your life before?
3. Why is it so hard to trust God with justice?
4. What might forgiveness free you from today?

DO THIS:

• Write down the name of the person you want revenge on.
• Pray: "God, vengeance belongs to You. I give this into Your hands."

PRAY THIS:

Lord, You see the hurt in my heart. I want revenge, but I choose to release it to You. Free me from bitterness, and help me trust You with justice. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Battle Belongs."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today's shout-out goes to Charles Olaughlin from Shelbina, MO. Your commitment through Project23 helps deliver God's Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one's for you.

Our text today is Judges 15:1-2

"After some days, at the time of wheat harvest, Samson went to visit his wife with a young goat. And he said, 'I will go in to my wife in the chamber.' But her father would not allow him to go in. And her father said, 'I really thought that you utterly hated her, so I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her instead.'" — Judges 15:1-2

Picture Samson walking up to his wife's home. He's holding a goat—his version of flowers and chocolates—ready to make things right. Maybe he's nervous. Maybe he's hopeful. But when he arrives, the door slams shut. Her father blocks the way: "She's gone. I gave her to another man. But hey—her younger sister's prettier. Take her instead."

That's not just rejection—that's betrayal. That's humiliation. Samson was replaced.

You've probably felt it too. Maybe not from a father-in-law who rejected you, but from someone who once promised loyalty, love, or friendship. A spouse who walked away. A friend who ghosted. A parent who didn't show up. A boss who passed you over. Betrayal makes you feel small, discarded, unwanted.

Know this: people's betrayal doesn't define your worth, because God's faithfulness never wavers.

When rejection strikes, our first instinct is to spiral into anger, bitterness, or even revenge. Samson will go there in the verses ahead. But God offers another way: let betrayal drive you into His arms. He is the Friend who never leaves. The Father who never abandons. The Bridegroom who never breaks covenant.

That wound of betrayal may always leave a scar, but it does not decide your story. God's promise does:

"I will never leave you nor forsake you" — Hebrews 13:5.

So don't let rejection name you. Let God's faithfulness claim you.

ASK THIS:

1. Who has betrayed you in a way that still stings today?
2. How has rejection shaped the way you see yourself?
3. Do you believe God's faithfulness is stronger than people's failures?
4. What step can you take today to release bitterness and rest in His promises?

DO THIS:

• Write down the name of someone who betrayed or rejected you.
• Pray: "Lord, heal what they broke, and help me trust You more than I trust people."
• Read or say Hebrews 13:5 three times today as a reminder that God never abandons you.
• Share this truth with someone else who's wrestling with rejection.

PRAY THIS:

Father, You know the sting of betrayal better than anyone. When others fail me, remind me that You never will. Heal my wounds and anchor my worth in Your faithfulness. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Faithful Now."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today's shout-out goes to George Truesdale from Cocoa Beach, FL. Your commitment through Project23 helps deliver God's Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one's for you.

Our text today is Judges 14:19-20

And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father's house. And Samson's wife was given to his companion, who had been his best man. — Judges 14:19-20

Samson is furious. He's lost his bet, been manipulated by his wife, and humiliated in front of his enemies. In rage, he storms down to Ashkelon and kills thirty men to settle the score. And here's the shocking part—the Spirit of the Lord rushes upon him.

This is where it gets tricky. God still used Samson's actions to confront Israel's enemies. But Samson's heart was in the wrong place—driven by anger, not obedience. He would confuse God's power with God's approval.

Just because God uses you doesn't mean he approves of how you're living.

This is a hard pill to swallow. A sermon can land even if the preacher's hiding sin. A business deal can succeed even if corners were cut. A gift can look fruitful while the heart is far from God. Power and results don't always equal God's pleasure.

Samson's story warns us—God's calling is irrevocable, but his approval rests on obedience. His Spirit may still work, but sin always leaves wreckage. Samson was used by God, yet left broken, angry, and estranged.

Don't mistake God's patience for permission or his power for a green light. What he wants most isn't just results—it's your heart.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have you been tempted to measure God's approval by your success?
2. Is there an area of your life where you're "winning" but not obeying?
3. What's one area you need to realign with God's will today?

DO THIS:

• Identify one place in your life where results have blinded you to disobedience.
• Confess it to God in prayer.
• Commit one act of obedience this week that costs you something but honors God.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, thank You that You still work through weak and broken people like me. Keep me from confusing Your power with Your approval. Align my heart with Yours so that my life brings You pleasure, not just results. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Heart of Worship."

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Today's shout-out goes to Ronald Stephans. Your commitment through Project23 helps deliver God's Word daily with clarity and conviction. This one's for you.

Our text today is Judges 14:15-18

"On the fourth day they said to Samson's wife, 'Entice your husband to tell us what the riddle is, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you invited us here to impoverish us?' And Samson's wife wept over him and said, 'You only hate me; you do not love me. You have put a riddle to my people, and you have not told me what it is.' And he said to her, 'Behold, I have not told my father nor my mother, and shall I tell you?' She wept before him the seven days that their feast lasted, and on the seventh day he told her, because she pressed him hard. Then she told the riddle to her people. And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down,
'What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?'
And he said to them,
'If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle.'"— Judges 14:15-18

Samson's wife was terrified. Her own people threatened her life, so she turned the pressure onto Samson. For seven days, she cried, nagged, and manipulated until Samson finally caved. He betrayed his own secret because he couldn't stand the weight of her demands.

That's the trap of people-pleasing. We think giving in will relieve the pressure. But it only leads to more loss. Samson lost the bet, his dignity, and the trust he had placed in his wife—all because he couldn't stand firm under pressure.

Here's the truth: if you live for people's approval, you'll die by their rejection.

Family expectations, cultural pressure, the need to please everyone at the holiday table—these are heavy loads. However, when you give in just to maintain peace, you often lose yourself, and sometimes you lose God's blessing in the process.

The call of Scripture is clear: seek to please God first. Paul put it this way in Galatians 1:10: "If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ."

That doesn't mean we stop loving people. But it does mean we draw boundaries and learn to stand firm in truth, even when the pressure is unbearable.

ASK THIS:

1. Where in your life do you feel the heaviest family pressure?
2. How are you tempted to compromise truth just to keep others happy?
3. Do you believe pleasing God first will actually free you from the weight of people-pleasing?

DO THIS:

• Name the main source of pressure in your life right now.
• Pray over it, asking God for courage to honor Him above all.
• Set one healthy boundary this week with a person or situation that drains you.

PRAY THIS:

Father, I confess I often give in to people instead of standing firm in You. Give me courage to please You first, even when the pressure is heavy. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"The Stand."