In all your ways acknowledge God

In all. In everything. In every moment. In every detail. May I acknowledge You, Lord. May I give You honor. May every song I sing. May every word I speak. May everything that comes out of my mouth be pleasing to You. I pray there will be no gossip today. No criticism. No perversion that comes from my lips. May I set nothing before my eyes that brings You shame. May I not live as if my god is social media. May I not seek my worth from the world. May I not attempt to be anyone other than who You created me to be. May I find peace in Your promises. And comfort in Your presence. When You say “all”, let me understand You mean ALL. Not just part. Not just sometimes. Not just on good days. You want all of me. Every day. Forgive me Lord, when I only give You part. When I only acknowledge You in pieces. May this day be different. May going forth I be set apart. May I acknowledge You in ALL my ways. From this day and forever more. 

In Jesus’ Name I pray.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

@thegiftofmondays

Are you walking towards evil? Turn around and walk back towards God

What we watch. What we read. Where we go.

That’s our highway. 

That’s the road we’re traveling. That’s the path we’re pursuing. 

The people we surround ourselves with. The influence they have over our lives. The words we speak when we’re around them. 

Every choice we make. Everything and everyone we listen to. 

Become our daily direction. Develop into our earthly pursuit. 

God asks us to avoid evil. And yet we run to it. We justify it. 

“It’s only a book,” we tell ourselves. “It’s just a movie.” “It’s not that deep,” we argue. 

And yet it is.

Evil is evil. 

In all forms. 

You don’t have to commit it, to be a part of it. 

If you let it in, you’ve opened the door to allow satan in. And he only needs a crack to slip through. One moment. One weakness. One justification of how it won’t hurt you. 

All takes you away from God.

Pay attention to what you’re singing. Focus on what you’re reading. Think twice about what you’re watching. And consider who you allow access to your day. 

Avoid evil. Guard your way. Guard your heart. Guard your life. 

God is faithful. He won't desert you.

Turn around. 

And start walking back to Him.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk
www.thegiftofmondays.com 

In God I have put my trust

In God.

Not in social media. Not in self-help books. Not in the news.

In God.

In His Word.

In His truth.

That’s where my trust is. That’s where I get my hope. That’s where I find my peace.

I can’t say I believe His promises and then ignore them. I can’t say He is my all and then put my all in something else. I can’t quote scripture and then speak lies.

If my faith is in God, then my faith needs to stay in God.

It doesn’t matter what someone else says. It doesn’t matter what someone else does.

My eyes stay on Him.

My actions stay with Him.

My heart stays with Him.

The world will try to deceive us. It will try to divide us. It will try to destroy us.

But our hope is not in this world.

It should never be in this world.

He has given us the answer. He has provided the way.

When the enemy attacks. When the storms threaten. When the darkness comes.

He is where we plant our feet.

He is where we make our stand.

He is where we place our trust.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

www.thegiftofmondays.com

2026

Keep your head in all situations

It’s easy to get caught up in our emotions. We think our way is the right way. That our opinion is the right one. That our way of doing things is the best and only way. We argue our case. And justify our reactions. We get angry. We shake our fists. We become bitter. All in the name of believing we are right. And someone else is wrong. In trying to prove our point, we have pushed God aside. We may say we are standing in His Name, but in truth we are not standing for Him at all. We are standing for what we believe we are owed. We are standing for what we think should be happening. We are standing for what we want without ever consulting Him. Our beliefs. Our desires. Our way. If it’s not happening how we want it to happen, we take it into our own hands. We will yell. We will cuss. We will condemn. All in the Name of Jesus. As if that’s what He commanded. As if that’s what He wants. Oh Lord, forgive us our arrogance. Forgive our self-important attitude. Forgive all the desires in us to “be” right, instead of “do” right. Forgive when we make it about us instead of You. Forgive us when our actions divide. Help us to see that we aren’t bringing people to You, we’re pushing them away. And even worse, we think they don’t belong anyway. We’ve allowed our hearts to become the judge and the jury. We’ve allowed bitterness to become who we are. Forgive us, Lord. Change our hearts. Help us be the ones who can keep our head in all situations. Not just the ones we believe are right. May our greatest desire be to bring You glory. In Jesus’ Name we pray. 

Be strong in the Lord

Be strong in the Lord. Be strong in His power. Be strong in His might. When the storm comes. When the rain falls. When the enemy threatens. Hold fast to the Lord. Believe in His promises. Find comfort in His Words. He has not left you. He will not forsake you. No matter what has happened. No matter how it looks. No matter what was done. He is still there. Turning bad into good. Healing the sick. Showing the way. Your strength will never come from this world. But you still seek it there. Still go running after it. Still put your faith in it. It may temporarily give you peace. But lasting peace. Lasting hope. Lasting strength. Only comes from God. You won’t find it anywhere else. He knows what the doctors said. He heard the lawyers speak. He understands what the bank is doing. He sees the people who have walked away. The ones who have betrayed. The ones who planned evil for your life. He sees what you have lost. What you’re scared of. How you’re fighting to go on. Right now you are trying to be strong in everything of this world. But that’s not His way. And that way will never work. He’s asked you. He’s reminded you. He’s promised you. Not to be strong in the world. But to be strong in Him.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

@thegiftofmondays.com

Easter Week Devotional - He has risen, just as He said

Just as He said. Jesus told them He would defeat death. He told them He would overcome sin. He told them He was the Son of God. Everything He said was the truth. His Words were true then. And His Words are true now. The same joy, that the women who went to the tomb felt, is our joy. The same desire, they had to tell others, is our desire. “He is not here; He has risen,” the Angel told them. And just as they rejoiced then, we rejoice now. Because His message wasn’t just for them. It was for us. His life. His death. His resurrection. It was all for us. Today we are reminded that everything He did. And everything He does. Was for us. His coming back was EVERYTHING. He finished what He came for. To give us hope. And a future. Lord, thank You for the gift we don’t deserve. Thank You for making a way. We are not worthy, but You are. Lord, You’ve given us everything. Please help us to live as if it means everything to us. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.

REFLECTION:

Do you believe that the Word of God is still true today?

How does it make you feel to know Jesus was willing to die for you?

What can you do this week so that someone else sees Jesus in you?

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for this day and another opportunity to do Your will. Thank You for forgiving us our sins. Thank You for knowing we would need You. Thank you for sending Jesus, Your very own Son, so we would have a way to spend eternity with You. Help us Lord, as we go out into the world, to not become like it. Give us the determination we need to seek You first. To not care about the opinions of others. To have courage in the face of adversity. To stand up for You, even if no one else stands. Help us to remember Your love for us. Your sacrifice. Your promises. Thank You for doing what You said You would do. May we live in the confidence of knowing You have always, and will always, keep Your Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

2026

www.thegiftofmondays.com

They knew. As soon as Jesus gave up His Spirit, they knew. The curtains of the temple tore in two. The earth shook. The rocks split. And they knew. The centurion and those who were guarding Jesus became terrified. They had been wrong. It doesn’t say if this knowing changed them. We don’t know if realizing they were wrong changed their hearts. Because we can know and then do nothing with the knowledge. We can see miracles and still doubt. We can be convicted and refuse to change. We know Jesus was beaten. We know he was battered. We know He was tortured. We know He did it for us. But does knowing that, change us? Do we live as if that sacrifice means something to us? Or do we knowingly sin. Knowingly refuse to give up our pleasures. Knowingly choose friendship with the world over a relationship with Him. Only we can answer those questions. He gave us a way, but He won’t force us to take it. As we continue into Easter Week, let us consider our hearts. Let us consider our words. Let us consider our actions. And as we consider them, let us ask ourselves what Jesus means to us. And if knowing what He did - for us - was enough to change us.

REFLECTION:

In what ways has knowing about the death of Jesus changed you?

What circumstances/relationships have you choosing them over Him?

What has God convicted you of and you still refuse to change?

PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

Thank You for this day. Thank You for another opportunity to do Your will. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Help me Lord, as I try to draw closer to You. Help me to give up my fleshly desires. Help me to consider Your needs above my own. Help me to choose ways that honor You. I fail time and time again. But my heart Lord, longs to be the one You can trust. I want to be the one who listens and obeys You. Thank you for sending Jesus. Thank you for providing a way. I see the sacrifice, Lord. I see it and want to be someone who is changed by it. Give me the courage to speak Your Name when others don't. Give me the boldness to stand up for You, when others mock. May my words and my actions be ones that show Your love. May my life be a witness to Your light. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen. 

Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk

www.thegiftofmondays.com

2026