Monthly Archives: January 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Certainty? Certainly!

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That you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
Luke 1:4

Recommended Reading: Luke 1:1-4

True faith does not ignore the evidence; it responds to it. Dr. John C. Lennox, the famous Irish mathematician and scientist, said, “Faith is not a leap in the dark; it’s the exact opposite. It’s a commitment based on evidence.” Take the story of Simon Greenleaf, for example. He was a Harvard law professor who spent many hours studying the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. He wanted to determine if the evidence could stand up in a courtroom.

The result? He ended up giving his life to Christ.

Believing in spite of the evidence isn’t faith. Faith is believing because we have evidence. Some of that evidence is personal to us. As we see God keeping His promises to us, our faith grows. The One who was with us yesterday will be with us tomorrow. He has been our help in ages past, and He is our hope for years to come. Take a look at God’s care for you, and trust Him with your cares today.

God is not an alternative to science as an explanation…. He is the ground of all explanation: it is His existence which gives rise to the very possibility of explanation, scientific or otherwise.
John C. Lennox

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Standing Strong in Christ

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Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11

Today’s Scripture

Ephesians 6:10-20

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Today’s Devotional

Recently, my mom gave me a play-by-play of a surprising confrontation she saw on a live webcam feed from a watering hole in Africa. The Gemsbok, a large antelope, has horns that can be more than two feet long, making it a formidable animal that doesn’t seem to scare easily. That is, unless it comes across a group of brave and rowdy ostriches.

The lead ostrich, which was taller than its foes, shook its large feathers, roared, and stomped toward three Gemsbok, causing them to flee.

“I guess they didn’t realize how powerful their horns are,” I said to my mom.

Believers in Jesus can forget the power we have when faced with attacks from our spiritual enemy, Satan. We have the Holy Spirit who lives inside us (Romans 8:11) and the armor of God to help us: “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11). Satan wants to challenge our belief in God’s Word, question our identity in Christ, and tempt us to sin.

But we can stand strong because God’s armor includes “the belt of truth, . . . the breastplate of righteousness, . . . the shield of faith, . . . the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (vv. 14-17).

When the enemy attacks us with feelings of fear, condemnation, or despair, let’s remember we’re God’s children and are well equipped to stand strong.

Reflect & Pray

Why do you sometimes forget to use the armor of God? How can you stand firm in your battles?

 

Dear God, thank You for giving me Your divine protection.

Learn more about the armor of God by watching this video.

Today’s Insights

Speaking to gentile (non-Jewish) believers in Jesus (Ephesians 2:11-12), Paul uses the metaphor of a Roman soldier’s armor—compelling imagery for that audience. Although drawing on militaristic imagery to highlight a struggle against “the powers of this dark world” (6:12), the apostle also emphasizes that this isn’t a fight against human beings—“against flesh and blood”—but against “spiritual forces of evil” (v. 12). It’s a conflict in which believers follow our suffering Savior, who died out of love to reveal “the gospel of peace” (v. 15). He’s equipped us with spiritual armor (vv. 10-17) so we can stand strong when we face spiritual battles.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Two girls killed in a sledding accident and three boys drowned in an icy pond

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Does the Lord cause all that happens?

Elizabeth Angle and Gracie Brito were high school sophomores and best friends in Frisco, a suburb north of Dallas. Last Sunday, they were riding on a sled as it was pulled by a Jeep Wrangler. The sled crashed and Elizabeth was killed; Gracie was critically injured and died yesterday.

In a Facebook post, Elizabeth’s mother wrote: “She was a bright light, a fun spirit, a brave soul. We loved her so much. She just got a car and a license and had her whole life ahead of her. It was all taken away so abruptly.” Gracie’s mother called her daughter “a kind and generous soul, full of love, affection, and warmth.” Her family said the days since the tragedy have been “unimaginably difficult.”

I cannot imagine these families’ grief and am so sorry for their loss. I am praying for them, asking God to be their help and peace in these terrible days.

I’m also praying for a mother whose three young sons fell through an icy pond Monday and died. And for the loved ones of those who died in the Challenger tragedy forty years ago yesterday. (For my heartfelt reflections, please see my new website article, “The Challenger disaster and the providence of God.”)

If God is truly sovereign, did he cause their pain?

If not, how can he be truly sovereign?

Either way, how can I trust him to be the Father I hope he is?

“So this is what God’s really like”

There is no biblical doubt that God is indeed sovereign over the universe he created. Jesus taught that not even a sparrow can “fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29).

It only makes sense that an omnipotent being has the power by definition to do whatever he chooses to do. It is therefore unsurprising that the psalmist would declare, “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases” (Psalm 115:3).

However, I don’t want to believe that my Father causes all tragedy and pain. But just because I don’t want to believe something doesn’t mean it’s not true. And part of me worries that because God is sovereign, he must cause all that happens, including all death and suffering.

In this sense, C. S. Lewis spoke for me when he wrote after the death of his wife,

Not that I am (I think) in much danger of ceasing to believe in God. The real danger is of coming to believe such dreadful things about him. The conclusion I dread is not “So there’s no God after all,” but “So this is what God’s really like. Deceive yourself no longer.”

God’s sovereign choice to limit his sovereignty

However:

  • Did God not choose to make humans in his image (Genesis 1:27)?
  • Does being made in his image not include the same freedom to choose that he possesses (cf. Joshua 24:15)?
  • Does God not then need to limit his sovereignty if he is to honor the freedom he gives us (cf. Deuteronomy 30:19)?
  • Is it not an expression rather than a denial of his sovereignty if he sovereignly chooses to honor our freedom in this way (cf. 1 Kings 18:21)?

Consider an example.

Paul wrote that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Peter added that God is “not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). And yet not all people are saved (cf. John 3:18). To the contrary, “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).

This paradox only makes sense if God sovereignly chooses to limit his sovereignty to permit our free will. As a result, though he passionately wants all people to be saved, not all are.

“His mercies never come to an end”

This discussion encourages me to believe that not everything that happens is the intentional will of God. However, let me hasten to add that he has both a perfect will and a permissive will.

Because he is sovereign, he must at least permit all that happens in his creation. From the sparrow that falls to the ground, to the Challenger disaster forty years ago, to the boys who drowned in an icy pond, to the teenagers who perished in a sledding accident, nothing can take place without his permission.

This fact leads me to close with mystery more than certitude, faith more than proof.

I don’t know why the God who permits disaster doesn’t always prevent it. He permits our free will, to be sure, but as with his miraculous delivery of Peter from Herod’s prison (Acts 12:6–11), he sometimes prevents its consequences.

However, as I noted in my website article on the Challenger tragedy, as a fallen and finite creature, I should not expect to understand the perfect and infinite mind of God any better than I do (cf. Isaiah 55:8–9). And the more I need his providence, the less I am likely to understand it, since challenges that call for his help are likely to be so difficult as to call into question his love.

Conversely, if I reject my Father’s love and grace because I do not understand them, I impoverish myself and forfeit his best in my life.

So I will pray honestly, “Remember my affliction and my wanderings, the wormwood and the gall!” (Lamentations 3:19). But then I will say:

This I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lᴏʀᴅ never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lᴏʀᴅ is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him” (vv. 21–24).

In what—or whom—is your hope today?

Quote for the day:

“Sooner shall a tender mother sit inattentive to her crying infant than Jesus be an unconcerned spectator of his suffering children.” —John Newton

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Denison Forum

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Personalized Care

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 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.’ 

—Mark 2:17

Scripture:

Mark 2:17 

Jesus interacted with a remarkably diverse group of people during His public ministry. The Gospels record His encounters with Pharisees, tax collectors, Roman officials, fishermen, a Samaritan woman, and a host of others.

One of the extraordinary things about these encounters is the personalized attention He gave each person, whether He was offering encouragement, rebuke, or healing. He recognized that every man, every woman, and every child is different. And though they have many of the same problems and the same basic needs, He realized that there were unique things about them that required individual ministry. He saw people for exactly who they were. He understood exactly what they needed. And He provided it.

It’s no wonder people refer to Him as the Great Physician. Jesus Himself said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17 NKJV).

Like a physician, Jesus usually saw people at their worst. I’ve always thought that one of the hardest things about being a doctor is that you only see people when they’re sick or in need of medical assistance. Most physicians don’t get a lot of patients stopping by their office to say, “Hey, Doc, I’m feeling great! I just wanted to let you know. Want to go to lunch?” You don’t usually call your doctor when you’re feeling good. You call when you’re feeling sick. And your doctor will have you come in, examine you, and apply the necessary treatment to the area of need.

Doctors, of course, are limited in their areas of expertise. Cardiologists specialize in heart health. Dermatologists specialize in matters of the skin. Gastroenterologists specialize in digestive system health. Hematologists specialize in blood disorders. Oncologists specialize in cancer treatment. The list goes on and on.

Jesus, on the other hand, can treat the whole person. He caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the disabled to walk, and the dead to live. He removed the spiritual torment of the demon-possessed. He eased the emotional struggles of the frightened and grieving. He didn’t just improve people’s quality of life; He gave them a life they never knew was possible. That’s what He meant when He said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV).

Jesus still provides personalized care for His people. He knows what you need. In fact, He knows better than you do what you need. And He can and will provide it. Reach out to Him. Open yourself to His loving ministry. Let Him guide you into the life He has planned for you. Enjoy all the benefits of having a personal Physician.

Reflection Question: How has Jesus impacted your life in a personal way? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Four Crowns: Imperishable Crown

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by Brian Thomas, Ph.D.

“And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.” (1 Corinthians 9:25)

Imagine a crown that will never rust, wear out, and perhaps never even dull! Paul here contrasts crowns that Roman athletes could win—often wreaths of foliage that would wither in weeks—with an imperishable one that Christ will reward to certain followers. Who will get this imperishable crown? The key is those who strive.

1 Corinthians 9 speaks of trading selfish desires, comforts, and accolades for life in Christ, comparing that which athletes give up in their training to that which Christians should give up in our striving to “live godly” (2 Timothy 3:12). Track athletes will never reach their top potential if they don’t exercise regularly or eat healthily. Runners give up soft drinks, hard drinks, ice cream, and laziness. It’s worth it for a shot at the prize. Similarly, Paul decided to “suffer all things” to not hinder the church’s growth in Christ (1 Corinthians 9:12).

In particular, “unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews” (1 Corinthians 9:20). In order to not offend weaker Christians’ conscience, Paul even refrained from doing what they believed to be wrong but what he knew would have been fine to do (Romans 14:2). Indeed, “to the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you” (1 Corinthians 9:22–23).

How have we striven and what have we sacrificed for the gospel’s sake? What self-serving habits have we replaced with new habits that help others know Him? The Lord rewards such sacrifices. BDT

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Choosing Peace over Confusion

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Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.

Proverbs 2:2 (NLT)

Not everything God asks us to do is going to make sense in our minds. Learn how to go with what you sense inside your heart. If you don’t have peace about doing something, then don’t do it. If you have peace about something, don’t let your friends talk you out of it just because they don’t understand. Even if you are the only one responding your way, be bold enough to follow your heart.

Stop trying to figure things out; just do what God tells you and you will avoid a lot of confusion. Every time you get confused you can think, I don’t know what’s going on, and I am not going to try to figure it out. I just want to follow God. The apostle Paul was a very educated man, and even he came to the point where he said he was determined to know nothing but Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2).

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me trust the peace You place in my heart. Give me courage to follow Your direction, even when I don’t understand, and teach me to rest in faith, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God Decides When It’s Over 

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Play

In Jeremiah 32:27 God says, “I am the Lord, the God of every person on the earth, nothing is impossible for me.”

We need to hear that God is still in control. We need to hear that it’s not over until he says so. We need to hear that life’s mishaps and tragedies are not a reason to bail out. Corrie ten Boom used to say, “When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through.”

The way to deal with discouragement? The cure for disappointment? Go back and read the story of God. Read it again and again. Be reminded that you aren’t the first person to weep and you aren’t the first person to be helped. Read the story and remember the story is yours!

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Zephaniah: A God Who Restores

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Read Zephaniah 3:14–20

The forest fires raging in California and Western Canada have caused an incredible amount of devastation. Homes have been destroyed, communities erased, and lives lost. Many wonder if things will ever return to normal. After returning from the exile, life in Judah was not the same as it used to be. The Jewish people returned to a land devastated by war. No longer an independent nation with their own king, they had become a province in the mighty Persian Empire.

Into such discouraging circumstances God sent the prophet Zephaniah with a message of hope. God had not abandoned His people (v. 17). While their situation might have given them the impression that they were alone, the reality was that God was with them as He always had been. God was a mighty warrior, intent on saving them (v. 17). This portrait of God was designed to encourage them to have hope for the future.

After decades in exile, followed by decades of malaise, the Jewish people needed hope that God’s wrath could be assuaged, and that they would see the other side of Him again. He declares in Zephaniah that the time for rebuke is over. Instead, He will respond to them with delight and singing (v. 17). More than that, He will undo the effects of their sin. Oppressors who had been sent to afflict them will be removed (v. 19). The lame and exiled who find themselves helpless will be rescued and brought home to a hero’s welcome!

God will return things better than they were before. After enduring the punishment for their covenant violations, Israel could rest in the knowledge that their God had never abandoned them, and that He was a God who restores.

Go Deeper

Are you tempted to give up on God because you have endured a difficult season? Recall all that He has done for you in Christ to restore you to Himself. Read Zephaniah’s message of hope and remember that God loves and cares for you as well. Extended Reading: 

Zephaniah 3

Pray with Us

Lord, the message of Zephaniah fills us with joy: You respond to Your people with delight and singing. Thank You for the hope and assurance that we need today as much as did Your people in Zephaniah’s time.

At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home.Zephaniah 3:20

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

News and Info

The End of the Road for the Little Diner That Could

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LIGONIER, Pennsylvania – All that remained of Ruthie’s Diner on Jan. 21 was charred, ice-encased rubble – the aftermath of firefighters’ desperate efforts to extinguish the blaze that ultimately consumed the modest eatery, which for more than 70 years had served locals and the travelers, anglers, and hunters heading east along the Lincoln Highway.

Several locals pulled into the parking lot and simply stared, at a loss for words as they watched a community mainstay reduced to charred ruins, thin smoke still rising from the ashes.

Ruthie’s was the kind of place where everyone felt familiar, whether you’d been in last week, last month, or only when hunting and fishing season came around.

It was where my parents took me, and where I later took my children and grandchildren. For anyone who walked through those doors, it felt like home: comforting, unpretentious, and powerful in its simplicity.

It was the kind of place that served chicken-fried steak smothered in gravy, their version of peas and carrots succotash, and a pile of french fries unlike any other. Outside of the mile-high pies, it was the french fries that everyone loved.

Originally known as Burnsy’s Diner in the 1950s and ’60s, it was so rooted in the community that it even sponsored its own bowling team in the Ligonier Valley league and was famous for staying open 24 hours a day.

Every time I went, I met not just locals but hunters and anglers on their way to cabins, Pittsburgh families headed for the Flight 93 National Memorial or Idlewild, and neighbors gathering after Sunday services at one of the many churches that dot this Westmoreland County village.

Now Ruthie’s joins that painful category of “used-to-be” places that linger in the memory long after they’re gone. And this wasn’t the familiar story of neglect or empty tables slowly choking the life out of a business, which does not make the loss hurt any less.

In bigger, more transient places, a loss like this barely registers. But here, the loss of Ruthie’s lands like a gut punch, largely because the people who filled its booths weren’t passing through; they were planted. Most Americans, for example, still live close to where they grew up. A U.S. Census Bureau study found that by age 26, nearly 60 percent live within 10 miles of their childhood home, and 80 percent within 100 miles.

That kind of rootedness rarely shows up in the way news is framed, which too often reflects the worldview of the rootless, the people who dominate the power structures of legacy media. They tend to live in the “super ZIP codes” of Washington, D.C., and New York, the centers of wealth and power, and their assumptions end up shaping the national story the rest of us are handed.

Why does that matter when it comes to Ruthie’s? Because people who live unrooted lives, not always, but often, are less able to grasp what’s really lost when a place like this disappears. This wasn’t just the closing of a diner. It was the loss of a room that held whole chapters of life, dinners with grandparents who are gone now, late-night meals with high school friends, the familiar booth you could still return to instead of relegating all of it to memory.

Those attachments aren’t sentimental clutter. They’re part of emotional well-being. There’s real power in being able to revisit the places that shaped you – and in being able to bring your children and grandchildren into them, so the story becomes something shared, not just remembered.

And it endured. It survived the turnpike siphoning away business as cars sped past the exit. It resisted the pull of homogenized chain-restaurant menus, and the even worse temptation of food fads, holding fast instead to the same personal touch through every shift in America’s driving and dining habits.

The social cohesion that Ruthie’s gave everyone who passed through her doors has left a void, one that tells the story of all of us, and serves as a reminder to hold on to, frequent and cherish the Ruthie’s in your city or town.

Salena Zito is a staff reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner. She reaches the Everyman and Everywoman through shoe-leather journalism, traveling from Main Street to the beltway and all places in between. To find out more about Salena and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at http://www.creators.com.

Source: The End of the Road for the Little Diner That Could

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – A Well-Watered Garden

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If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always.
Isaiah 58:10-11, NIV

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 58:6-12

Isaiah 58 is a remarkable chapter that promises God’s blessings on those who help the oppressed and correct injustice (verses 6, 10) and who share their bread with the hungry and clothe the naked (verse 7). The Lord’s righteousness will go before them and His glory behind them (verse 8). The Lord will answer their prayers (verse 9). The Lord will guide them always and satisfy their needs in a sun-scorched land.

It’s easy to take biblical promises out of context. For example, verse 11 says, “The Lord … will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” (NIV). But within the context of Isaiah 58, this is a promise specifically for those who care for the poor and oppressed.

Let’s be generous to those in need, allowing others to see the love of God through us. As we care for others, the Lord will care for us—like a well-watered garden. Whom can you help today?

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.
Amy Carmichael

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Sent with Care

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When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments. 2 Timothy 4:13

Today’s Scripture

2 Timothy 4:9-13

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Today’s Devotional

I recently learned that the name “CARE” package came from the acronym for “Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe,” a group that sent boxes of food to help Europeans displaced during World War II. While the care packages I send my kids at college are mostly filled with homemade treats and candy, they usually include a few practical items—a favorite shirt forgotten at home or extra school supplies.

While the name “care package” may be modern, the practice of sending helpful items is far older. It’s even tucked away at the end of 2 Timothy. Writing while imprisoned in Rome, Paul concluded his letter to his trusted disciple with some personal requests. He asked that Timothy come and bring Mark to help him (4:11). Then he requested some personal items: his cloak and his “scrolls, especially the parchments” (v. 13). Perhaps the cloak was needed because winter was coming, and maybe the scrolls contained copies of the Old Testament. Whatever the reason, Paul longed for companionship and practical items to refresh and encourage him.

Tangible reminders of care, whether the recipient lives near or far, can have a significant impact on someone in need of a little encouragement. The gift of a meal for a neighbor, a thoughtful card written to a loved one or acquaintance, or a package full of goodies sent to a faraway friend can extend God’s love in practical ways.

Reflect & Pray

When did you receive a reminder of God’s love? How did that kindness encourage you?

 

 Heavenly Father, please open my eyes to see who I might show Your love to.

Staying faithful can be difficult when life gets hard. Learn more by reading Finishing Well.

Today’s Insights

The unfortunate reality of Paul’s requests to Timothy for his support and care (2 Timothy 4:9-13) is that he’d experienced attack from an enemy and desertion from those whom he trusted. He writes that “Alexander the metalworker did [him] a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done” (v. 14). He then follows that with a statement of desertion: “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me” (v. 16). Being alone, the apostle was very much in need of support, care, and encouragement. But with his time drawing short (v. 6), history is silent as to whether Timothy and Mark arrived in time to come to his aid before his execution took place. Today, we can ask God to show us how we can be an encouragement to others in tangible ways as a reminder of God’s love.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Is technology rotting our brains?

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Let’s step away from the news today to discuss the way we consume the news. The Guardian asks, “Are we living in a golden age of stupidity?” Here are some reasons for the question:

  • American high school seniors’ scores on math and reading tests have fallen to their lowest levels on record.
  • Dependence on AI tools erodes critical thinking skills, harms learning and creativity, and increases isolation and loneliness.
  • Research shows that overuse of social media, video games, and other digital platforms impairs executive functioning skills, including memory, planning, and decision-making.
  • Short-form videos have been conclusively linked to poorer mental health and cognition.
  • “Brain rot” has become such an ubiquitous term that Oxford University Press selected it as its 2024 word of the year.

Andrew Budson, a Boston University neurologist who specializes in memory disorders, explains our problem: we are using technology for the wrong purposes.

“Their brains actually shrink”

Dr. Budson reports that “our brains evolved for social interactions.” As a result, “People who become socially isolated, their brains actually shrink, even if they don’t have a disorder, and people who are socially isolated are at increased risk of developing dementia.”

I would amend his observation to say that our brains “were created for social interactions” by our triune God, who is relational by nature and made us in his image (Genesis 1:27). Nonetheless, Dr. Budson’s point stands: When we use technology in ways that isolate us from others, we misuse our brains. And this is by far the primary way we use technology.

Right now, I am sitting alone in my study as I type these words. You are likely reading or hearing what I write by yourself as well. Even if you watch television or a movie today in the company of others, you are unlikely to be discussing or experiencing it relationally. Earbuds and headphones intentionally block out everything else. Screens we can hold in our hands keep our hands from doing anything else.

And research emphatically shows that such isolation causes our brains to shrink, lose neuroplasticity, and otherwise decline in health and function.

So the answer is to engage more fully with the world around us, or so it would seem.

Not so fast.

“A dangerous network of domination”

Henri Nouwen warned in The Way of the Heart: “Our society is not a community radiant with the love of Christ, but a dangerous network of domination and manipulation in which we can easily get entangled and lose our souls.”

Nouwen then explained how we become so entangled:

“Compulsive” is indeed the best adjective for the false self. It points to the need for ongoing and increasing affirmation. Who am I? I am the one who is liked, praised, admired, disliked, hated, or despised. Whether I am a pianist, a businessman, or a minister, what matters is how I am perceived by my world.

If being busy is a good thing, then I must be busy. If having money is a sign of real freedom, then I must claim my money. If knowing many people proves my importance, I will have to make the necessary contacts. The compulsion manifests itself in the lurking fear of failing and the steady urge to prevent this by gathering more of the same—more work, more money, more friends.

If being isolated from the world harms our brains, but engaging with the world entangles us in its lostness, what is the way forward?

“Loving a holy God is beyond our moral power”

In The Holiness of God, theologian R. C. Sproul observed:

Loving a holy God is beyond our moral power. The only kind of God we can love by our sinful nature is an unholy god, an idol made by our own hands. Unless we are born of the Spirit of God, unless God sheds his holy love in our hearts, unless he stoops in his grace to change our hearts, we will not love him. . . . To love a holy God requires grace, grace strong enough to pierce our hardened hearts and awaken our moribund souls.

  1. S. Lewis would have agreed. Commenting on Jesus’ sixth beatitude (Matthew 5:8), he noted: “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”

So, the way forward seems clear:

  1. Recognize our need for the grace by which God changes our hearts and transfigures us with his love (2 Corinthians 5:17).
  2. Pray for such transformation daily as we submit to the Spirit who alone can sanctify us (Ephesians 5:18; Romans 12:1).
  3. Partner with God by refusing conformity to the world and seeking the “renewal of your mind” in Scripture, prayer, and worship (Romans 12:2).
  4. Engage in technology and other isolating activities while in conversation with the Spirit as he guides our minds and hearts (John 14:26).
  5. Engage in community while in conversation with the Spirit as he speaks through us to draw us closer to our Lord and thus to each other (cf. Matthew 10:20).

In short, “practice the presence of God,” as Brother Lawrence famously advised. What happens when we do?

“Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lᴏʀᴅ”

The Bible reports that “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). The Hebrew for “walked with God” could be translated, “continually conversed and traveled together with the Lord.”

The phrase is used of only one other person: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). I think the latter explains the former: because he “walked” with God, he acquired God’s character and thus was “righteous” and “blameless.”

But an earlier reference explains them both: “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lᴏʀᴅ” (v. 8). “Found favor” could be translated, “received grace.”

So we are back to our pathway to God’s best: receiving the grace of God leads to walking in the presence of God, which leads to being transformed into the character of God, which leads to (in Enoch’s case and ours one day) being taken into heaven with God.

Will you pray for such transforming grace now?

Quote for the day:

“A Christian is never in a state of completion but always in the process of becoming.” —Martin Luther

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Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Willing Spirit, Weak Flesh

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 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 

—Mark 14:38

Scripture:

Mark 14:38 

Have you ever been caught doing something you weren’t supposed to do? One day I found my son playing a game on the computer, something he wasn’t allowed to do until he finished his schoolwork. With a guilty expression on his face, he looked at me and said, “I couldn’t resist myself.”

That’s a correct view of temptation. When we give in to temptation, we like to blame others. Think of when Adam was caught in the act in the Garden of Eden. The Lord asked, “Did you eat of that tree?” And Adam replied, “It’s the woman You gave me, Lord. She made me do it” (see Genesis 3:8–12).

And then there’s Aaron, who offered a classic example of a bad excuse for giving in to temptation. When Moses went up the mountain to receive God’s commandments, he entrusted the people to his brother Aaron. When Moses returned, he saw the people dancing naked around a golden calf. Aaron explained it this way: “We just threw the gold into the fire, and this calf came out.” The truth was that Aaron told the people to bring their gold jewelry. He molded it into a calf. And then he encouraged them to worship it (see Exodus 32:22–24).

James 1:14 leaves little room for bad excuses. “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed” (NKJV). Every person plays the key role when they give in to temptation. The devil may tempt you. Someone may try to trap you. But they will not succeed unless you give in.

The Bible makes it clear that no temptation is irresistible. “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT).

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NLT).

Despite those assurances, temptation is shockingly easy to give in to. But you probably don’t need to be told that. Perhaps there’s a sin in your life that’s caught up with you. Perhaps you’re contemplating getting involved in a sinful relationship. Perhaps because of your sin, you’ve been overcome with guilt. If so, there’s something you need to know: God gives second chances.

First John 1:9 says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (NLT).

And David, who knew a thing or two about giving in to temptation and seeking God’s forgiveness, wrote, “He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust” (Psalm 103:10–14 NLT).

Reflection Question: What is your most effective strategy for avoiding or resisting temptation? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Four Crowns: Crown of Righteousness

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by Brian Thomas, Ph.D.

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

Why did Paul feel confident that he would receive a “crown of righteousness?” It’s because he “love[d Jesus’] appearing.” We would therefore do well to learn what this means and copy Paul.

The New Testament’s regular references to Jesus’ appearing refer to the second coming of Christ to Earth. During His first advent, He fulfilled the suffering servant role foretold in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and elsewhere in the Old Testament. For His second advent, He will fulfill the conquering king role foretold in Isaiah 63, Psalm 89, Daniel 7, and so many other places. “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Matthew 25:31).

“When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4). Do we believe this? Do we think about this future day and prepare to be completely united with Christ? If so, then “the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:12–13). “Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God” will bring a crown of righteousness (2 Peter 3:12). BDT

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Think Differently, Live Differently

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But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart.

1 Corinthians 2:16 (AMPC)

One of my favorite things to say is, “Where the mind goes, the man follows,” because the way you think determines the way you live.

If you think you’re going to be defeated, then you’re going to have an attitude that leads to defeat. But if you choose to think about God’s promises, you’re going to have a faith-filled, expectant attitude.

Yesterday, you may have let your mind focus on the negative— what you can’t do, how badly you’ve messed up, all the things that could go wrong—but today you can submit your mind to the Word of God. You can actually choose the thoughts you are going to dwell on. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you can change your thoughts today. You can choose a better, more positive, more fulfilling life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, help me fix my thoughts on Your promises. Teach me to reject negativity and live with faith, peace, and expectation—trusting that my life follows where my mind goes, amen.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Valued by Jesus 

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Jesus’ love does not depend upon what we do for him.  Not at all. In the eyes of the King, you have value simply because you are. You don’t have to look nice or perform well.  Your value is inborn. Period.

Think about that for just a minute. You’re valuable just because you exist. Not because of what you’ve done, but simply because you are. Remember that, the next time you are left bobbing in the wake of someone’s steamboat ambition. Or some trickster tries to hang a bargain basement price tag on your self-worth. Remember that, the next time someone tries to pass you off as a cheap buy.

Just think about the way Jesus honors you—and smile. I do.  Because I know, I don’t deserve a love like that. None of us do!

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Nahum: The End of Enemies

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Read Nahum 1:1–15

Revenge is a dish best served cold, or so we are told. But as people committed to the Bible, we are commanded not to take revenge. We are told to love our enemy, not plot his downfall. Yet if you have ever suffered an injustice, you know the feelings that can bubble up in your heart. If I don’t take care of this, who will? If I don’t take care of this, they might get away with it. Is there anyone you can turn to who will take care of things for you?

In biblical times, Assyria was a world power that excelled at cruelty. From one of their principal cities, Nineveh, this empire ran roughshod over the ancient Near East. In his providence, God used this nation to chastise His people. But the Assyrians took delight in their cruelty and took credit for their own success (Isa. 10:10–11), so God decided to defend His people. The judgments described here are severe: Their allies would abandon them, they would be childless, their precious idols and temples would be destroyed (Nah. 1:14).

This would have been a cause for rejoicing among Israelites. God promised to defend them when their enemies attacked. He had done so in the past, but with the arrival of Nineveh they might have wondered if He would do so again. The prophet declares that He would (v. 12). This was a joyous word from the Lord. Nahum calls it “good news” (v. 15). Their enemy would be totally and triumphantly defeated.

Rejoicing at the downfall of an invader is understandable, but how can it be squared with exhortations to avoid revenge? Nahum provides the answer. Because God is fully capable of judging with perfect righteous judgment, His people can leave that difficult work to Him.

Go Deeper

Have you been wounded and are struggling with a desire for revenge? What does Nahum teach us to do with those emotions? Extended Reading: 

Nahum

;

Habakkuk 1

Pray with Us

In our flesh we crave revenge on our enemies, on those who hurt us. Holy Spirit, encourage us with Nahum’s “good news” that it’s God who fights for us as our defender from any evil.

The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.Nahum 1:3

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

News and Info

Holocaust Remembrance Day: Not Just Memory — A Call to Moral Courage

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Each year on January 27th, the world pauses to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945. It is a solemn moment — not only to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust, but also the millions of others who were systematically persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime. This date stands as one of history’s darkest reminders of what happens when hatred is allowed to fester unchecked and when civilized society looks away.

This day is not merely about memory. It is about responsibility.

As the generation that witnessed the Holocaust fades from living memory, the obligation to preserve its lessons falls to us. Remembrance must be active, not ceremonial. It must challenge complacency and confront the uncomfortable truth that the Holocaust did not begin with gas chambers. It began with ideas, with rhetoric, with the gradual normalization of dehumanization and exclusion. It began when people were sorted into categories, stripped of individuality, and judged not by who they were, but by what they were said to represent.

My own family history is rooted in that era. They lived through World War II in Europe, witnessed unspeakable brutality, and risked their lives to save Jews being persecuted. They later came to America believing it to be a nation built on individual dignity, moral clarity, and the rule of law — a country where such horrors could never be repeated. That belief shaped their lives and, in many ways, shaped mine.

Yet today, we would be foolish to assume that the conditions that enabled the Holocaust exist only in history books.

Across our culture, particularly among younger generations, we see a growing tendency to reduce people to categories — to judge individuals not by their actions or character, but by group identity. This mindset, often presented as enlightened or “progressive,” fuels resentment, encourages collective blame, and erodes the moral foundations of a free society. It replaces moral clarity with moral relativism and substitutes grievance for accountability.

History teaches us exactly where that road leads.

The Holocaust was not the product of ignorance alone. It was the result of ideologies that divided the world into oppressors and victims, that justified cruelty in the name of grievance, and that encouraged ordinary people to rationalize silence. When society abandons the principle that every individual possesses inherent worth, atrocities become possible — and eventually inevitable.

That is why Holocaust remembrance must be paired with education and moral clarity. Young people must understand not only what happened, but how it happened — and why it matters now. The Holocaust should never be reduced to slogans, nor filtered through modern ideological lenses that distort its meaning. It must be taught honestly, fully, and without political manipulation.

That’s why my son and I started the Next Generations Project. We believe an organization led by the children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors could play a critical role in this effort. They ensure that remembrance remains personal and human rather than abstract. Their work reminds us that memory is not inherited automatically; it must be intentionally preserved and passed forward. Without that effort, truth becomes vulnerable to denial, distortion, and indifference.

Holocaust Remembrance Day should also prompt serious self-examination. Are we willing to speak out when we see antisemitism — whether it comes from the extremes of the right or the left? Are we prepared to challenge narratives that excuse hatred when it is cloaked in fashionable language or political activism? Are we committed to defending free expression and equal treatment for all, even when doing so is uncomfortable or unpopular?

“Never again” is not a slogan. It is a commitment — one that demands vigilance, courage, and moral consistency. It requires rejecting any worldview that justifies hatred, excuses violence, or normalizes the silencing of dissent.

On January 27th, we honor the victims of the Holocaust by remembering their names and their stories. But we honor them even more by refusing to tolerate the ideas that led to their destruction. Remembrance without resolve is hollow. Memory without action is insufficient.

The lesson of the Holocaust is timeless and universal: when hatred is normalized and truth is compromised, civilization itself is at risk.

Let us remember — and let us act – and let us never forget.

Saulius “Saul” Anuzis is President of the International Institute and of the 60 Plus American Association of Senior Citizens. He was chairman of the Michigan Republican Party from 2005–2009 and was also a candidate for national chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2009 and 2011, as well as a Member of the RNC from 2005–2012. He is the founder of the Next Generations Project.

 

 

 

Source: Holocaust Remembrance Day: Not Just Memory — A Call to Moral Courage

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Cycle of Sufficiency

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NEW!Listen Now

Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.
1 Chronicles 29:16, NIV

Recommended Reading: 1 Chronicles 29:14-20

A couple enrolled in a financial stewardship course, and it changed their perspective. They said, “We wish we had done this 15 years ago! It’s been so helpful to realize that ‘our money’ is really ‘God’s money.’… The most significant lesson we learned was that giving to God’s Kingdom is a form of worship.”1

The apostle Paul said about giving: “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others” (2 Corinthians 9:8, NLT).

In stewardship, we’re giving what the Lord has provided for us. Then He provides some more, which allows us to give more. What a wonderful cycle of sufficiency! King David said, “Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand” (1 Chronicles 29:14, NIV). Don’t wait fifteen years to discover this. Start where you are today!

The less I spent on myself and the more I gave to others, the fuller of happiness and blessing did my soul become.
Hudson Taylor

  1. “Helped by a Budget Coach,” Crown Financial Ministries.

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Hope in Faith

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Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 31:13-18

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Today’s Devotional

Kristin’s son had died from cancer when he was just seven. Now, three years later, her older son was diagnosed with a terminal illness. Friends who were not believers in Jesus grieved with her, but they couldn’t understand why she continued to trust Christ. “How could your God allow this? Why keep believing in Him?” they asked.

For Kristin, however, it was an even stronger reason to keep believing. “I don’t understand why this is happening,” she said, “but I know God will help us through this. Only God can give me hope to keep going.”

Such a hope and trust kept King David going when he found himself in overwhelming circumstances. Surrounded by enemies seeking his destruction, he probably couldn’t understand why all this was happening to him. Yet he knew he was following a God he could trust to deliver and bless him in His time (Psalm 31:14-16). This certain hope enabled him to keep submitting to God and to say, “My times are in your hands” (v. 15). And it uplifted him, such that he could also say, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord” (v. 24).

In times when we feel overwhelmed and there seems little to look forward to, we know we can hang on even more tightly to God and the life-giving hope He alone provides.

Reflect & Pray

What do you need to keep going through life’s challenges? How does God’s promise of hope give you joy and strength even in hardship?

Loving Father, You know my struggles and doubts. Please give me the faith to keep trusting in You and the strength to keep going.

For further study, read A Place for Doubt in a Growing Faith.

Today’s Insights

As Jesus hung dying on the cross, He spoke the words of the Psalms. We’re familiar with those from Psalm 22:1: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (see Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). The words communicate deep pain and a kind of hopelessness in the face of utter despair. The circumstances of both David and His true heir, Jesus, led both to cry out in anguish.

But the words that Christ quotes just before surrendering to death carry a different note: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Here, He quotes David again—but the words of Psalm 31 point to an unshakable confidence in the goodness of the Father despite suffering. When we face overwhelming pain and suffering, the words of this psalm lead us to hold on to the Father just as Jesus did. We share the same hope as the Son of God.

 

http://www.odb.org