For the week of July 20, 2026
MONDAY
Day One: All Believers
Truth: 1 Peter 3:8-12 says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’”
Sermon Point: Finally, Peter turns to all the believers who live in Asia Minor and exhorts them all to embrace these five virtues. They are to have unity of mind – to be harmonious as they work together for a common purpose or objective. They are to display sympathy – to truly walk alongside one another to share in both the painful times in life, as well as the joyful ones. They are to be marked by brotherly love – genuinely seeking the joy of our brothers and sisters in Christ. They are to have tender hearts – desiring what is best for their neighbors and being sensitive to their needs. They are to have humble minds – simply not thinking of themselves but all-consumed with Glorifying God in all things.
Application: Choose one of these virtues…and then choose one concrete step toward Christ that you can take in that area today. (Perhaps consider choosing a different virtue every day this week!)
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Repent – specifically – of how massively we fail to embody these virtues as a church
- Pray that we could walk in step with Spirit so that our souls will be purified (as we learned in 1 Peter 1:22)
TUESDAY
Day Two: Don’t Hit Back…Bless
Truth: 1 Peter 3:8-12 says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’”
Sermon Point: Peter widens the lens to remind us that both unbelievers and believers – even fellow saints who fail to live out the virtues he just named – will sometimes act with evil or reviling toward us. Evil seeks to harm, and reviling seeks to insult, yet Peter insists that we must not answer either with retaliation, even though everything in us wants to strike back. Instead, we are called to bless – to turn toward God in prayer, seek the Spirit’s help, and intercede for the very person who wrongs us, letting our response become a witness to Christ. And as we obey in this Spirit‑empowered way, we not only glorify God but also receive the blessing of His nearness, His sanctifying work, and the joy of participating in His redemptive purposes.
Application: Identify a circumstance where you are faced with the temptation to strike back against someone because you’ve been hurt, reviled, or offended. Today, choose to bless that person instead – in as many ways as you can think of – and do it for God’s Glory Alone.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Praise God for the gift of the Holy Spirit to help us live in step with Truth in these ways
- Pray that FM would become known as the church who blesses, no matter what
WEDNESDAY
Day Three: Watch Your Mouth
Truth: 1 Peter 3:8-12 says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’”
Sermon Point: By quoting from Psalm 34, Peter steps back to show the big picture: if you truly want to love your life and see good days, you must refuse the old patterns of the former life – especially the destructive use of the tongue. Because you’ve been born again into a new life in Christ, returning to malice, deceit, slander, or reactive speech only drags you back toward the darkness and quenches the Spirit’s work in you. Instead, guarding your mouth – sometimes simply choosing silence – opens the door to blessing, joy, and the possibility that your Christ‑like response might even draw someone else toward Him.
Application: At the end of the day, take a few minutes to name one moment where your speech reflected your new life in Christ and one moment where it drifted toward the old life. Confess the drift, thank God for the grace, and ask the Spirit to shape tomorrow’s words.
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Praise God for new morning mercies and sufficient grace for every single need, every single day
Thank God for His living and active Word – pray that it would dwell in us deeply
THURSDAY
Day Four: Turn From Evil and Do Good
Truth: 1 Peter 3:8-12 says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’”
Sermon Point: King David learned long ago – and Peter affirms it here – that restraining our tongues creates the space often needed to turn from evil and turn toward good, which is the very heart of repentance. Because the Christian life is a daily battle, we must daily put on the armor of God, so our words become instruments of blessing rather than weapons of harm. As we actively seek peace and pursue it, our speech becomes a means of unity – a oneness that leads toward salvation and reflects the narrow path of life Christ calls His people to walk together.
Application: Today, you choose how many times you want to set an alarm – each time it goes off, remind yourself of just how “powerful” our mouths are. Choose to use your words to build up, encourage, and bless others…or just keep your mouth shut altogether!
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Pray that we would throw off everything that hinders (talking too much) and the sin that so easily entangles (malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander)
- Pray that we would all – every day – put on our armor and be filled with the Spirit by being thankful in all circumstances, praising God, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ
FRIDAY
Day Five: God Turns His Eyes and Ears Towards Those Who Obey Him
Truth: 1 Peter 3:8-12 says, “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. For ‘Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.’”
Sermon Point: God sets His face toward those who place their faith in Him – watching over them, hearing their prayers, and providing for them as they walk the narrow, well‑lit path of life. His children show their genuine faith through their behavior: doing the next right thing, guarding their speech, seeking peace, repenting quickly, and living in step with the Spirit rather than in unrepentant sin. Those who persist in unbelief and rebellion, however, remain on the wide path of destruction, and their behavior reveals the true state of their hearts no matter what they claim. Peter’s exhortation is clear: since we’ve been given new life in Christ and placed on the narrow path, we must stop living like we belong to the old one and simply keep doing the next right thing.
Application: Just do the next right thing today…all day long, with the help of the Holy Spirit – just keep doing the next right thing, standing firm in God’s grace and peace, no matter what!
Kingdom Prayer Focus:
- Thank God for the Holy Spirit today and all that He does in our lives
- Pray that we would not grieve, quench, or ignore the Holy Spirit but live fully dependent on Him