Daily Archives: June 18, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Through Us!

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We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
2 Corinthians 5:20, NIV

Recommended Reading: John 14:12-14

Many people are baffled by what Jesus said to His disciples in John 14:12: “He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do.” But Jesus knew that His greatest ministry was still ahead of Him. He was going to send the Holy Spirit into the lives of believers and continue His work through them by the power of the Spirit.

The apostle Paul said, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place” (2 Corinthians 2:14, emphasis added). He said, “But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me” (2 Timothy 4:17, emphasis added).

Our Christian work is never a matter of what we are doing for Christ but of what He is doing through us by His Spirit. Those are His “greater things.” Ask the Lord to make you His channel, speaking His words and doing His works through you by the Spirit.

The only life that ever pleased God on earth was the life of Jesus Christ, and He must reproduce His life in us.
Oswald Chambers

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Taking Refuge in God

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I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress. Psalm 91:2

Today’s Scripture

Psalm 91:9-16

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

As the outdoor concert started, I felt a single raindrop on my cheek. Looking up, I saw ominous dark clouds. Having paid a steep price for tickets, however, I wasn’t inclined to leave because of a little bad weather. Then umbrellas began to pop open. One woman pulled a plastic grocery bag over her hair. It took just one deafening boom of thunder for the performer to grab her microphone and beg us to take refuge somewhere.

As the rain began to come in torrents, we splashed through muddy puddles and rushed into a nearby school gym. Thoroughly soaked, we huddled with strangers for the next half hour, still hoping the storm would end. When we ventured back out, we saw that the band was packed up and ready to leave.

When the storms of life come, where can we run? Sorrow, worry, illness, and confusion can make us fearful and in need of refuge. We need a strong shelter that’ll protect us. Psalm 91 reminds us that God has promised to rescue us and to be with us in trouble. “Because he loves me . . . I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name” (v. 14). When we need help, we can call on His name and He “will answer” us (v. 15).

When our courage fails us, we can lean into His strength. He’s our shelter in any storm.

Reflect & Pray

What storms are you experiencing? How can you gain the shelter and refuge that God has promised you?

Gracious God, I take refuge in You. Please be my place of protection and shelter as I trust in You.

Today’s Insights

Both Psalms 90 and 91 focus on the similar theme of making God our “dwelling place” (90:1; see 91:2, 9)—a place of safety and security. Some scholars suggest that Moses wrote both psalms as an elaboration of Deuteronomy 33:27-28: “The eternal God is your refuge, . . . [you] will live in safety; . . . [you] will dwell secure.” The psalmist warns that we live in a wicked and dangerous world where we’ll encounter the schemes and attacks of men and suffer from disease, disasters, and trouble (91:3-6). He doesn’t say that those who trust in God will be immune from such adversities. Rather, he assures us that when we trust in God and make Him “[our] refuge and fortress . . . [our] dwelling” (v. 9), He’ll “rescue” and “protect” us (v. 14). Today, as we face adversity, we can “[dwell] in the shelter of the Most High [and] rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (v. 1).

Find rest in the presence of God by listening to Evening Meditations.

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – How a mother prevented an attack on our nation’s capital

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It is a tale of two women that could have ended in a drastically different way.

The mother of a nineteen-year-old man became concerned about his stockpile of guns and his online chatter, phone conversations, and recent actions. She called authorities, who came to her home in Ohio and found spent ammunition and tactical clothing. Her son admitted to planning a coordinated attack on last Sunday’s UFC event at the White House, where thousands of people were in attendance.

He also identified others involved in the alleged plot. When the FBI searched the home of another alleged co-conspirator, they found the man’s firearms and tactical equipment that his wife said he’d purchased in recent months. She also said her husband told her he was a recruiter for the group. However, she had said nothing to the authorities prior to the FBI’s arrival.

What if the mother of the first suspect had acted with no more urgency than the wife of the second?

Treating other faiths like World Cup opponents

President Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday that laid out terms for ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Mr. Trump could be seen signing the memorandum late Wednesday at the Palace of Versailles in a video published by French President Emmanuel Macron. Mr. Pezeshkian signed the memorandum separately, according to Iranian state media.

Continue reading Denison Forum – How a mother prevented an attack on our nation’s capital →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – The Problem of Pain

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 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 

—Romans 5:3–5

Scripture:

Benjamin Disraeli, a former prime minister of Great Britain, once said, “Youth is a blunder; Manhood a struggle, Old Age a regret.” Maybe that seems like a dim view of existence, but there are a lot of people who would agree with his assessment.

In a fallen world, there is no vacation from human suffering and tragedy. Many deep-thinking people have tried to sort out this reality, understand it, and explain it. C. S. Lewis called it “the problem of pain.”

What we need to understand in considering this problem is that there is a God who, even in the worst tragedy, can bring good out of bad. As believers, we acknowledge that life can be bad. We acknowledge that bad things can happen. We acknowledge that tragedies can come into our lives. But we also acknowledge that God is sovereign, which means He’s in control. And we acknowledge that ultimately God can cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

Some people cling to the mistaken notion that because they’re Christians, they won’t suffer. They may not state it outright, but they believe that bad things won’t happen to them. However, Jesus dispelled that notion when He said, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33 NLT).

As we consider the cost of following Christ, we must acknowledge that suffering is part of it. Despite Jesus’ warning, many believers have a hard time putting the words trials, problems, and God loves me into one sentence because they just don’t seem to go together. But let’s look at God’s endgame. Is it to make us happy in the temporal or make us holy in the eternal? Is it to keep us always earthbound or to prepare us for Heaven? The answer in both cases is the second option.

The apostle Paul explained it this way:

 

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:3–5 NLT).

 

God allows suffering to occur. And while no suffering is good, He can bring good from suffering.

 

Reflection question: When have you seen God bring good from a situation that was anything but good? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Obedient Christ

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by Henry M. Morris III, D.Min.

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:8)

The only begotten Son of God substituted Himself for all humanity to save them from the righteous judgment of the holy Creator.

Jesus made Himself “in fashion as a man,” which therefore made it possible for Him to humble Himself and become obedient to the death that had been ordained for Him prior to the very foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20).

Perhaps it is too much to suggest that Jesus “woke up” when He “found” Himself in Mary’s womb, but it is certain that He “increased in wisdom” as He grew in “stature” (Luke 2:52). Basically, because He “became” human, He experienced the normal increase in awareness and experience that all of us do.

The difference was, obviously, that He “humbled” Himself, even though He “was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Christ’s sinless behavior could have easily “exalted” Him as His wisdom and miracles became known throughout Israel. Indeed, many tried to make Him king.

Isaiah prophetically records the mindset of the Lord many years before He actually entered Jerusalem: “I set my face like a flint” (Isaiah 50:7). Later, Jesus told His disciples, “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:50).

Finally, the obedience of our Lord Jesus, understood fully and deeply at Gethsemane, was fully accomplished, “even the death of the cross.” May our hearts never forget or tire of these great truths. HMM III

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Replace Complaining with Praise

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My mouth will tell of your righteous deeds, of your saving acts all day long—though I know not how to relate them all. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteous deeds, yours alone.

Psalm 71:15-16 (NIV)

What would happen if we replaced all complaining and murmuring with praise to God? I believe amazing things would take place. It is difficult to get through one day without complaining, let alone a lifetime. God wants to hear our praise, not our report on all the negative things we feel are happening to us.

We can purpose to look for all the good things God has done and is doing in our lives and talk about them. We can rehearse them to God when talking with Him and telling others of them. Our prayers should not only be about asking God for something; they should also be filled with praise and thanksgiving for all that He has already done.

Philippians 4:6 teaches us to pray with thanksgiving. If we are complainers, we will only keep complaining, even if God gives us something we are asking for. Let’s learn to praise God even in the midst of our troubles, for that is when praise is most powerful. If we cannot praise Him in the valleys of life, then we won’t praise Him on the mountaintops either. God is good all the time, not just when we like our circumstances. Let’s tell of His mighty deeds and His saving acts.

Prayer of the Day: Father, You are righteous and You do righteous acts. I praise You for all Your goodness to me. I want my mouth to be filled with gratitude, not complaints. Please help me. Thank You.

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – No Grades on Prayers 

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Jesus downplayed the importance of words in prayers. We tend to do the opposite—the more words the better. We emphasize the appropriate prayer language, the latest prayer trend, the holiest prayer terminology. Against all this emphasis on syllables and rituals, Jesus says in Matthew 6:7, “Don’t ramble like heathens who talk a lot.”

There’s no panel of angelic judges with numbered cards. “Wow, Lucado, that prayer was a ten. God will certainly hear you!” or “Oh, Lucado, you scored a two this morning. Go home and practice.” Prayers aren’t graded according to style. If prayer depends on how I pray, I’m sunk. But if the power of prayer depends on the One who hears the prayer, then I have hope.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Leadership Seminar

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Read 1 Peter 5:1–4

It is an interesting exercise to look at job postings for pastors. Often you see churches that are looking for a pastor who is “an influencer,” “a captivating speaker,” or “a dynamic leader.” We highlight the leadership values of our culture.

I think Peter would have some cautionary advice for us! In today’s reading, Peter addresses elders in the church. “Elders” here does not refer to age but position. Elders are church leaders. Peter addresses two central questions: Why should they serve? and How should they serve? But first, he gives a helpful perspective on the role of elder. Peter challenges elders to “be shepherds of God’s flock” (v. 2). They are to see their role as nurturing, caring, and protective. They are to model the caring leadership God demonstrated toward His people (Ps. 23; John 10:1–18). They are also to remember that it is “God’s flock” they oversee. They will one day give an account to Him.

So, why should someone take up this responsibility? They should not do it out of compulsion or for money (v. 2). Following Jesus’ teaching, many churches compensated their leaders (Matt. 10:10). Elders also oversaw the money collected for the poor (Acts 5:1–5; 2 Cor. 8:20). This meant there were opportunities to abuse their role for financial gain. Peter warns against this.

Elders were not to be domineering over those entrusted to their care (v. 3). Instead, they were to lead through example (v. 3; see also Mark 10:42– 45). Paul modeled this: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Their goal should be “the crown of glory that will never fade away” (v. 4). They are to have an eternal perspective on their work.

Go Deeper

How does the role of elder or pastor function in your church? What values have some placed on those roles that stray from the Bible’s instruction?

Pray with Us

Loving Father, thank You for being the Good Shepherd, and establishing earthly shepherds who care for us. Please help us be an encouragement to our pastors as they nurture us.

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them.1 Peter 5:2

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/