Pressure Washing Express

10/23/2026

Pray Big, Listen Bigger from Hachette Book Group - Day 7

You Are Chosen

Read John 3:16, Colossians 3:12, and 1 Peter 2:9.

I was always picked last in gym class. Smallest kid in line, hoping my name would somehow get called before the whole team was already chosen. It never did.

The enemy loves that kind of memory. He’ll take a moment like that and turn it into a lie you carry for decades: You’re not important. You don’t matter. Nobody would pick you. I’ve believed that lie plenty of times myself, usually late at night when nobody’s around to argue with me.

Here’s the truth that overrides it. You’re not lost in the crowd of “the world” God so loved. You’re one of the people He loved enough to send His Son for. Peter goes even further, calling you part of “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” Chosen isn’t a nice metaphor. It’s your actual identity.

Paul says the same thing plainly: “You have been chosen by God, who has given you this new kind of life.” Read that again slowly if you need to. Sit with it until it starts to feel true.

Maybe everyone else overlooked you back then. God never has. He picked you first, before the foundation of the world, and He’s never once changed His mind. Stop repeating the enemy’s tired lie today. Start repeating God’s settled truth instead: I am chosen.

What lie have you been repeating about yourself that God has already answered?

Prayer: Father God, thank you for choosing me. You chose me to be your child. You chose me to be holy. You chose me for the plan you have for me. Help me to embrace and live out my identity as chosen by you. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Read more in Pray Big, Listen Bigger by Bil Cornelius:

From a bestselling author and mega-church pastor, an accessible and encouraging guide to the power of praying audacious prayers.Prayer—direct conversatio...

10/22/2026

Pray Big, Listen Bigger from Hachette Book Group - Day 6

When Heaven Says Not Yet

Read Luke 8:49-50, John 11:5-6, and Isaiah 46:9-10.

What if God’s greatest answer to your prayer is making you wait?

Jesus was on His way to heal a dying girl when He stopped—for a stranger. A woman touched His robe in the crowd, and He paused to talk with her while the girl’s father stood there panicking. By the time Jesus finished, someone arrived to say the girl had already died. “Don’t be afraid,” Jesus told him, “just believe, and she will be healed.” That delay must have felt like abandonment. It was actually the setup for a resurrection.

He did the same thing with Lazarus. When word came that His friend was sick, Scripture says Jesus “stayed where he was two more days”—on purpose. By the time He arrived, Lazarus had been four days in the tomb. Every hour of that delay felt like a “no.” It was really a bigger “yes” being prepared behind the scenes.

I’ve prayed plenty of prayers that seemed to go nowhere for a long time. I’ve learned that God is seldom early, but He’s never late. He told Isaiah, “I make known the end from the beginning”—He already knows the ending while you’re still living chapter three.

If you’re staring at an unanswered prayer today, don’t assume silence means no, and don’t assume delay means never. Sometimes the waiting is part of the miracle.

What has felt like a “no” from God that might actually be a “not yet”?

Prayer: God, help me to trust you when it seems like you’re not answering my prayers. I know you do hear my prayers and that you want what’s best for me. Your silence doesn’t mean no. It means I need to wait, or you have something even better for me. I trust you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

10/21/2026

Pray Big, Listen Bigger from Hachette Book Group - Day 5

Crushed: Your Own Kidron Valley

Read John 18:1, Psalm 41:9, and Matthew 26:36-39.

Gethsemane means “olive press”—the place of crushing.

John tells us something the other Gospel writers leave out: before Jesus ever reached that garden, He “crossed the Kidron Valley.” That valley ran red during Passover week, filled with the blood of thousands of sacrificed lambs flowing down from the temple above it. Jesus didn’t step around it. He walked straight through it, sandals and robe soaked, on His way to being crushed for us.

Centuries earlier, King David crossed that same valley fleeing his own son’s betrayal, weeping the whole way. He later wrote, “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me”—words Jesus would echo about Judas at that same table.

If you’re walking through your own Kidron Valley right now—betrayal, grief, a crushing you didn’t ask for—you’re walking a road Jesus knows personally. He didn’t avoid the valley. He walked through it on purpose, on His way to the garden where He prayed the hardest prayer of His life.

The pressure isn’t pointless. It’s producing in you something only pressure can produce.

The valley wasn’t Jesus’ destination. Neither is yours. Don’t set up camp in the crushing. Keep walking toward the garden, because the garden is where He prayed, and where He was found faithful.

What is the pressure you’re under right now actually producing in you?

Prayer: Jesus, thank you that you lived a human life, a difficult, painful one, so you know what I’m going through. Give me strength for what I’m going through, that you might find me faithful. I pray in your powerful name. Amen.

10/20/2026

Pray Big, Listen Bigger from Hachette Book Group - Day 4

Someone Needs Your Prayer

Read James 5:16, Acts 8:29-31, and Colossians 4:5-6.

Some of the most powerful prayers I’ve ever prayed lasted less than sixty seconds.

I was riding a ski lift once with a stranger, a woman fighting cancer far from home. We talked for a few minutes about doctors and treatments. Before we stepped off, I felt the nudge: “Ma’am, can we pray for you?” She said yes. We didn’t make a scene. We just prayed, and God showed up.

Philip understood this kind of nudge. An angel told him to head down a desert road with no explanation given. When he saw a chariot pass by, “the Spirit told him, ‘Go to that chariot and stay near it.’” Philip obeyed a prompting that made no sense on paper, and an Ethiopian official went home a believer that same afternoon.

You don’t need a title or a seminary degree for this. You just need to notice people. Paul told the Colossians to “walk in wisdom toward outsiders” and let their speech “always be gracious.” Everyone you cross paths with today is carrying something you can’t see.

Ask God for one divine appointment today. When you sense the nudge, don’t overthink it. Just ask, “Can I say a quick prayer for you?” I can’t remember the last time anyone told me no.

Who crossed your path today that you almost didn’t notice?

Prayer: Lord God, I want to live an adventure with you. I want to be attentive to your nudges and to show up for any divine appointment you may have for me. Help me to graciously look for opportunities to pray for people and point them to Jesus. I pray in his name. Amen.

10/19/2026

Pray Big, Listen Bigger from Hachette Book Group - Day 3

Preparing While You Wait

Read Psalm 37:34, Luke 2:52, and Philippians 3:13-14.

I hate waiting. I always have.

But I’ve learned that the wait itself is doing something, whether I feel it or not. A college professor once told me, “Bil, you’re in school for maximum preparation with minimum ministry, so one day you’ll have maximum ministry with minimum preparation.” I didn’t want to hear it then. I need to hear it again now.

Luke tells us almost nothing about Jesus between the ages of twelve and thirty—except this: He “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” Eighteen silent years. No miracles, no crowds, no ministry. Just growing. If the Son of God needed a season of preparation, so do you.

So what does that preparation actually look like? Forgive the person you’re still carrying. Develop the character you’ll need when the platform finally comes, because platforms expose whatever character you brought into them. Become the person your future is already looking for.

Great things don’t just come to those who wait. Great things come to those who prepare while they wait.

Don’t just sit in your waiting room today, staring at the door. God is forming in you, during this delay, something deliverance could never produce. When your door finally opens, you’ll be someone worth trusting with what’s on the other side of it.

What could you begin preparing today instead of waiting to begin tomorrow?

Prayer: God, I don’t enjoy waiting, but I want to trust that you’re working while I’m waiting, and that you are preparing me for something. Help me to do what you want me to do while I wait. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

10/19/2026

Less Noise, More God by Joon Tavarez - Day 5

Read Proverbs 19:21, 21:5, Matthew 6:19-21, 25:1-13, and Luke 9:23-27

Living With the End in Mind

I often think about standing before the Lord at the end of my life and asking, What would He say about this moment? That question has a way of sharpening focus. Sober-minded living keeps eternity in view.

Jesus regularly reminded His followers to live ready, to watch, to stay awake, to invest in what lasts. When we remember that our lives are accountable to God, it changes how we think, choose, and live.

A sober mind doesn’t live for the temporary approval of people but for the eternal pleasure of God. It evaluates moments through the lens of faithfulness. What feels small today may matter greatly in eternity.

Living with the end in mind brings freedom. It helps us prioritize obedience over comfort and faithfulness over popularity.

Reflection:

If you viewed today through the lens of eternity, what choice would you make differently?

My prayer is that your family lives alert and sober-minded lives, especially in this distracted world.

10/18/2026

Pray Big, Listen Bigger from Hachette Book Group - Day 2

Cross at Flood Stage

Read Joshua 1:7-9, Joshua 3:14-15, and Hebrews 11:6.

God has a habit of calling you across the river at flood stage.

Look at Joshua. God didn’t wait for the Jordan to calm down before He told Israel to cross. Scripture says plainly the river “was overflowing its banks” at exactly the moment they stepped in. Not before the flood. Not after. During it.

I’ve noticed a pattern in my own life. Every time God has led me to do something big—build a building, start a church, take a risk I couldn’t afford—it’s happened at what I call peak height and peak speed. Peak height, meaning it costs more than I have. Peak speed, meaning there’s never enough time. We built our largest building the same year the economy collapsed and steel prices doubled. We didn’t move because the numbers worked. We moved because we believed God.

Here’s the part we miss: the water didn’t part before the priests stepped in. It parted after their feet got wet. God moves after you move.

If you’re waiting for the timing to feel safe before you obey, you may wait forever. Faith isn’t calm water. It’s stepping into the current, carrying whatever God gave you to carry, trusting Him to hold back the flood right when your feet need solid ground.

Step in. Let Him stop the river.

Where is God asking you to get your feet wet?

Prayer: Father God, help me to trust you so much I’ll do whatever you ask me to do, even if it looks scary. I know you are faithful, you love me, and I can always trust you. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

10/18/2026

Less Noise, More God by Joon Tavarez - Day 4

Read Proverbs 13:3, 25:8, Matthew 26:41, Mark 13:33-37, and Luke 12:35-36

Choosing Less to Gain More

In my life, I’ve learned a hard but freeing truth: more, often means compromise; less, often means more. More commitments, more voices, more options can slowly dilute faith and conviction.

Jesus consistently invited people to a narrow path, not because life is smaller there, but because it’s clearer. A sober mind understands that limits protect what matters most. Self-control isn’t about restriction; it’s about alignment.

When we chase “more,” we often sacrifice peace, integrity, or spiritual attentiveness. But when we simplify, we gain clarity. Less noise makes room for God’s voice. Less clutter creates space for obedience.

Sober-minded believers aren’t driven by excess; they’re guided by purpose. They choose depth over volume and faithfulness over frenzy.

Reflection:

What might God be asking you to simplify so your life reflects greater clarity and conviction?

10/17/2026

Pray Big, Listen Bigger from Hatchette Book Group - Day 1

Presence Before Power

Read Exodus 33:9-11, Matthew 6:9-10, and Ephesians 3:20-21.

I once tried to negotiate with God. True story. I told Him I’d pray two hours, then five, then ten—like I was haggling over a used car. Every time, I sensed the same one-word answer: More.

I wanted a blueprint. God wanted a relationship.

That’s the trap most of us fall into. We treat God like a vending machine—drop in a few minutes of devotion, punch the button, expect an answer to pop out. But look at Moses. Whenever he needed direction, he didn’t fire off a request and leave. He walked into the tent of meeting and stayed there, talking with God as a man speaks with his friend. The people back at camp watched him go in, because they knew something happened there that didn’t happen anywhere else.

Your goal in prayer might be information. God’s goal is transformation. He’d rather you know Him than simply use Him.

So before you ask God for direction today, try this instead: stop asking, and simply tell Him who He is to you. Hallowed be Your name. Sit in that a minute. Presence comes before purpose. Don’t rush past it looking for an answer, or you’ll miss the One who’s actually in the room with you.

What have you been asking God to do before you’ve simply spent time with Him?

Prayer: God, forgive me for when I’ve made prayer all about what I can get from you. I know you are better than anything you can give me. Help me to truly value just spending time in your presence. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

10/17/2026

Less Noise, More God by Joon Tavarez - Day 3

Read Proverbs 2:6, 18:15, Matthew 7:15-16, 24:4-10, and John 8:31-32

Discerning Distractions from Direction

I’ve found that most of my effort goes into identifying what is a distraction compared to godly direction. Not everything that demands attention deserves it. Some things aren’t sinful, they’re simply sidelining.

There was a season when I was really into a popular video game called Call of Duty, don’t judge me too hard. I enjoyed playing with a few friends, but my schedule was already full, and deep down I knew I couldn’t justify the time I was giving to it. So I did something simple but important: I asked my wife, Elizabeth, to put the game somewhere I wouldn’t know where it was. She did, and it helped more than I expected.

Weeks later, I found myself with a few free hours and thought about that game. I asked Elizabeth where it was, and she said she couldn’t find it. In that moment, I knew it was probably for the best.

Jesus repeatedly warned His followers to stay alert, because distraction is one of the enemy’s most effective tools. A sober mind isn’t just avoiding sin; it’s discerning what quietly pulls us away from God’s best. Direction from God brings peace, clarity, and fruit. Distractions often feel urgent but leave us restless and scattered.

Sometimes wisdom looks like removing access, not just resisting temptation.

Reflection:

What has been occupying your attention lately, and is it drawing you toward God or gently pulling you away?