In Kill the Spider, Carlos Whittaker empowers us to destroy the roots of our deep-seated habits so we can embrace true freedom in Christ. You can't just clear away the cobwebs; you need to find the spider--the source of the issue--and take it out. In this excerpt, he shares about his experience at a week-long therapy camp.

When we first moved into our current home, I was less than impressed with the overall architecture and aesthetics of the space. It took me a little while to gather my emotions and settle in to the fact that the only way I’d truly be at peace would be to turn lemons into lemonade and start making this place a home. Our home. I knew what God had already placed in my heart for this home. I knew we wanted it to be a place where people felt welcome and accepted. It would be a place that wasn’t only aesthetically pleasing to those who entered but would speak to their weary souls in more ways than one. Those were the things that were important to me, and, on many occasions, God and I talked about it. It was a sincere and earnest prayer of my heart that became a reality as I trusted Him and not the things I chose to bring into the house.

Sometimes God says no. Let’s look at two examples. The first is silly and the other quite serious.In the movie Bruce Almighty, Jim Carrey plays the title character, Bruce, who encounters God in the form of actor Morgan Freeman. God has decided to delegate his responsibilities to Bruce for a short period of time. As you can imagine, Bruce experiments with his unbounded power as he deals with an unending stream of prayer requests from billions of people around the globe.

Editors Note: For today’s Devotionals Daily we wanted to feature an author who uses her poetry and visual arts talent to reach into people’s hearts all over the world. Morgan Harper Nichols recently shared the post below on her highly popular Instagram account and that we thought it may just resonate with how many of us are feeling right now. Enjoy~

Every time I looked at my left hand, it felt empty without that beautiful diamond ring we had picked out.I felt as if I had nothing left. God had stripped away the very thing I had been working so hard for. We were almost there. We had almost made it. And then it was all gone.I set aside some of those hurt feelings and the anger I felt at God and lay down on the nappy carpet of my California apartment. I knew that when times got really tough, we should cry out to God. So I picked up my Bible off my bedside table and started reading. Daily.

Come to Me for rest and refreshment. The journey has been too much for you, and you are bone-weary. Do not be ashamed of your exhaustion. Instead, see it as an opportunity for Me to take charge of your life.

When my kids were small, they always asked me to turn on a night-light before I left their rooms and close all the doors so the monsters wouldn’t come in. When I turned the light on, they weren’t as afraid. They could see there weren’t any monsters. The light enabled them to know their fears were unfounded and helped them to experience the freedom of thinking, feeling, and acting based on what was really true.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6 Have you ever experienced such intense grief that you didn’t think you were ever going to experience the joy you once had, in the same way again? Has there ever been a time in your life where you were so depleted of strength because all you did was worry which caused you to not want to get out of bed? Or, have you ever been in a place, after you have given so much of yourself, that now you are left feeling weary and faint and you want to give up?