God Will Finish What He Started in You - iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - January 26, 2026
"…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
Yesterday, I met with a publisher regarding a client's manuscript. The publisher was excited about the manuscript and wanted to publish it. This became a successful and lucrative meeting for all involved. At the end of the meeting, I asked if she would look at something that I've done. I sent her the manuscript and my material quickly so that she could decide.
As I reflect on my writing career over the past 17 years, I can't help but praise God for all he has done in my life. I started as a fledgling author in 2009 with a calling on my heart to write a book. Through diligence and hard work, I published my first book in 2011. Every subsequent year, as God placed something on my heart, I was faithful to take the steps of obedience and complete the work. Today, I have eighteen books published, with a few on the way.
I couldn't have gotten there without a good plan and the obedience to take the baby steps necessary to complete the task. So many people in life don't complete what is being asked of them. They often start with good intentions, but when life gets in the way, they fall short and are unable to produce the necessary work.
The above verse reminds us that anything God has asked us to do, He will be faithful to complete it if we do our part and are faithful in completing the work. This includes not only our careers but also our physical, financial, and spiritual lives. The Lord always wants us to be diligent and faithful to what he's calling us to do. Even if we're not sure he's calling us to do it, we can still take the baby steps necessary to complete the task until God clearly shuts the door or allows the task to come to fruition.
Are you someone who faithfully completes each task God asks of you? Are you someone who has every intention of doing the right thing and fulfilling what God is calling you to do, only to find that when life gets in the way, you quit?
In what area of your life is God asking you to pick up and complete the good work he has started in you? This could be something regarding your character, such as completing the fruits of the spirit, starting a new venture like starting a new business or writing a book, or battling environmental and genetic issues to obtain good health.
Whatever it is that God is calling it to do, be faithful to complete it. God honors our hearts. Even if we don't finish the work on our own that he has called us to do, the above verse reminds us that if he began a good job, he is faithful to bring it to completion.
Take a moment and reflect on something that God may be calling you to complete. Take a moment and get out some journals from the past and see what God has called you to do. Even if it's something that God called you to do many years ago, and you failed to take the first step in completing that task, it's never too late. Throughout Scripture, we see Bible people who, after many years, were able to do great things for God simply because they repented and vowed to serve him in any way possible.
God is faithful, even when we are not. We need to remember that God is loyal to his promises. If he promised something, and if it is his will, he will complete it. That is the hope we can anchor ourselves in when times get tough.
Father, let us be faithful to what God has called us to do. We're called to mind any tasks, past or present, that you are calling us to do, for which we have not taken the first step. Give us clear directions and steps for completing it. Provide us with time, wisdom, discernment, and direction for completing it. Amen.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Javier Art Photography
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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
