Daily Archives: July 6, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – Strength Through Grace

Leave a comment

 

NEW!Listen Now

And [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

Recommended Reading: Philippians 4:12-13

Paul wrote, “The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9). One example of imitating Paul was when he dealt with “a thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

Paul does not say what this “thorn” was, but he surmised that God allowed it as an antidote to pride. In the Old Testament, “thorn” was used to describe the Canaanites who irritated the Israelites when they moved into Canaan (Numbers 33:55-56). Perhaps Paul’s thorn was a false apostle trying to undermine his ministry in Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Whatever the thorn was, Paul asked God three times to remove it. Instead of removing the problem, God gave Paul grace to endure it and to manifest Christ’s strength in his own human weakness.

If you are in a moment of weakness that God is not solving, imitate Paul by relying on God’s grace to give you strength.

Many are taught with the briars and thorns of affliction that would not learn otherwise.
Matthew Henry

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Thriving in God’s Presence

Leave a comment

 

David was dancing before the Lord with all his might. 2 Samuel 6:14

Today’s Scripture

2 Samuel 6:9-15

Listen to Today’s Devotion

Apple LinkSpotify Link

Today’s Devotion

Zoologists describe what they call “turtle dancing”—the charming behavior of loggerhead turtles when they are in the presence of food. The turtles tilt their bodies vertically, open their mouths, clap their front flippers, and spin around in the water. But research has shown that radio-wave interference can disrupt the turtle’s internal “GPS.” It confuses their navigation, distracts them from their food source, and, sadly, stops their dancing.

The Bible tells of a time when David danced. The ark of the covenant conveyed the very presence of God. At a certain time, the ark was brought to Jerusalem and “David was dancing before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). But years later, the king became distracted. He sinned with Bathsheba, sending her husband to death in war (11:4, 14-15). Now the child he’d borne with her was dying. In remorse and anguish, David “fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground” (12:16).

Like David, we thrive in the presence of God, but our sin distracts us from Him, and we stop “dancing.” How can we find our joy again? By turning from the sin that confuses our connection to God. When we repent, we find hope in Him. David himself writes of God’s mercy: “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy” (Psalm 30:11). God, after all, is the true Lord of the dance.

Reflect & Pray

When have you “danced” for God? What has led you away from that?

Dear God, I’ve gone so long in this dark time. There is no joy. Please help me to dance again.

Today’s Insights

The Bible records several occasions when David lost the joy described in 2 Samuel 6:12-15 and instead found himself estranged from God because of his sin (see Psalm 32; 38:1-4; 40:12). After he committed the double sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah, he was unrepentant for close to a year until the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11-12). Psalm 51 describes how David confessed his sin (vv. 1-7) and longed for renewed intimacy with God. He prayed, “Oh, give me back my joy again; . . . Create in me a clean heart . . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you” (vv. 8-12 nlt). Like David, when we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can ask Him to “unseal [our] lips” (v. 15 nlt) so we may praise Him again and “joyfully sing of [His] forgiveness” (v. 14 nlt).

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Choosing between two revolutions

Leave a comment

 

A final call to decide what kind of nation—and what kind of people—we will be

The United States is officially 250 years old, and as we conclude our series of looking to the past to understand our future, we wanted to take this final week to look forward. To this point, we’ve examined the various ways in which God explains the criterion by which he will judge nations, as well as how America fares in comparison with his standards. To be honest, the news has not always been great. However, just because our culture falls short now doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.

The brilliant cultural commentator Os Guinness has noted that Americans have two revolutions from which to choose. We are obviously celebrating the 1776 revolution that led to our independence and birthed the nation whose 250th anniversary we commemorate this year. It was conceived and fulfilled within the context of a consensual biblical morality that the Founding Fathers explicitly acknowledged.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Choosing between two revolutions →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Outside Your Comfort Zone

Leave a comment

 

 The LORD gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.’ 

—Jonah 1:1–2

Scripture:

Throughout this month, we’ll be addressing the need for revival in our nation. To help frame our discussion, I want to look back at one of the greatest revivals in human history. This week we’ll be talking about what happened in the Assyrian city of Nineveh, as recorded in the Old Testament book of Jonah.

The first thing we need to understand is that one of the greatest revivals in human history began with one person who was willing to step out of his comfort zone. Okay, maybe Jonah wasn’t exactly willing at first. But after a short stay in the digestive tract of a giant fish, he was quite willing.

By the way, if the idea of a person being swallowed by a giant sea creature seems far-fetched to you, you should read the story of Michael Packard, a veteran lobster diver from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. One day, while Packard was in the water, he was washed into the mouth of a humpback whale. He recalled, “All of a sudden I felt this huge shove, and the next thing I knew it was completely black.” After about 40 seconds, the whale spit him out. The same thing happened to Jonah—it just took about three days longer in his case.

Jonah ended up in the belly of a giant fish because he wanted to stay in his comfort zone. Jonah 1:1–2 says, “The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: ‘Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are’” (NLT). But Jonah refused. The Ninevites were enemies of Israel and were known for their wickedness and cruelty. The idea of God forgiving and showing mercy to them was far outside Jonah’s comfort zone. He had no concern for the souls of the Ninevites. He took comfort in the notion that God would judge Nineveh. He wanted the Ninevites to suffer for all the suffering they had caused Israel.

But God didn’t call Jonah to make himself at home in his comfort zone. He called Jonah to leave his comfort zone far behind and do something that must have felt not only out of character but also beyond his ability.

That’s how revivals begin: ordinary people respond to an extraordinary call. They step outside their comfort zone and place their trust in God to accomplish what He would have them do.

Are you willing to leave your comfort zone to reach people who need Jesus? Are you willing to build bridges to people who are of a different political persuasion than you are? Are you willing to build bridges to people who are of a different race than you are? Are you willing to build bridges to people who are just different from you?

Don’t forget—that’s how revivals get started.

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – Mockers—Ancient and Modern

Leave a comment

 

by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D.

“But it came to pass, that when Sanballat heard that we builded the wall, he was wroth, and took great indignation, and mocked the Jews.” (Nehemiah 4:1)

The art of mocking God and His people has changed little through the ages. The pagan enemies that surrounded the Jews as they were trying to rebuild Jerusalem 400 years before Christ tried various means to defeat them—essentially the same devices used by God’s enemies today.

They tried political and sociological means after their efforts at infiltration failed, but these also failed (see Ezra 5:6, 17; 6:6–7; 9:1; 10:11–12). Then, when Nehemiah actually began work on the city’s wall, they tried discouragement by ridicule (Nehemiah 2:19; 4:1–3), by threat of violence (4:7–8), and by attempted treachery (6:2).

Likewise, the enemies of God’s Word and God’s plan today are trying all these devices in a modern format. They use political means (such as the ACLU), compromising infiltration (liberal teachers in once-sound Christian schools), and even persecution (as in communist countries).

Mocking is often especially effective against Christians in education, science, or other professional fields. Such people place a high premium on peer recognition and thus are sensitive to snide remarks about the Bible. Thus, when latter-day scoffers come saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? . . . all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (which is essentially a denial of God and creation), there is great pressure to tacitly agree with the scoffers (2 Peter 3:4). Many Christians will seek some compromise.

But Nehemiah did not compromise, and neither should we. The Bible says that those who ridicule God’s Word are “willingly ignorant” (2 Peter 3:5), and there is no need to pander to willful ignorance of God’s invulnerable truth. HMM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – The Power of the Blood

Leave a comment

 

He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt…But he brought his people out like a flock; he led them like sheep through the wilderness.

Psalm 78:51-52 (NIV)

Just before God miraculously delivered the Israelites from their four hundred years of bondage in Egypt, an angel swept through the nation of Egypt and smote their firstborn. The only way for a family to escape this loss was to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the side posts and tops of their doorframes (Exodus 12:1–7, 12–13). When God saw the blood, the angel of death passed over that household, and no plague came on the people living there.

Jesus is called the Lamb of God (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7), and He shed His blood at Calvary. When we receive Him as Lord and Savior, we also receive the benefits His blood purchased on our behalf—cleansing, healing, protection, deliverance, and much more. We are spared from spiritual death and receive eternal life. We can thank God each day that the blood of His Son has been applied to us and say by faith: “I believe the power of Jesus’ blood covers my home, my family, my physical body, and all that pertains to me.”

Prayer of the Day: Thank You, Jesus, for shedding Your precious blood and for all the benefits that belong to me because of it.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – Entrust the World to God 

Leave a comment

 

Play

If anyone had a reason to be anxious it was the apostle Paul. Envision an old man as he gazes out the window of a Roman prison. Half-blind, squinting just to read. Awaiting trial before the Roman emperor. His future is as gloomy as his jail cell.

Yet to read his words, you’d think he’d just arrived at a Jamaican beach hotel. His letter to the Philippians bears not a word of fear or complaint. Not one! Instead, he lifts his thanks to God and calls on his readers to do the same. “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4)

Paul’s challenge is a decision deeply rooted in the confidence that God exists, that he is in control, and that he is good. Rejoice in the Lord always. You can’t run the world, but you can entrust it to God.

 

 

 

Home

Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – The Sin of Anger

Leave a comment

 

Read Matthew 5:21–22

The first anger recorded in Scripture led directly to the first murder (Gen. 4:1–15). When God accepted Abel’s sacrifice but not Cain’s, Cain became angry. God warned him to be on guard because sin was “crouching at your door” (v. 7), but he didn’t listen and murdered his brother. God therefore put a curse on him and exiled him from his community.

The sixth commandment forbids murder (Matt. 5:21; Exod. 20:13). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus raises the bar and connects murder to anger (v. 22). The three statements in verse 22 indicate the same sin: To be angry at someone, to call them “Raca”—a term of contempt, meaning “empty head” or “good-for-nothing” or simply “jerk”—and to insult them are all equivalent actions. As Proverbs indicates, the sin of anger multiplies out to other related sins (Prov. 29:22; 30:33).

To be angry in this context means to desire to harm, damage, or destroy, the opposite of loving our neighbor. One commentator explains that the anger here is ongoing or continuing anger, not a momentary emotion but a deliberate and resentful choice to remain angry. If we have been angry in this way, including feeling scorn or hatred for another or expressing derision or disrespect for them, we have broken the sixth commandment. That is, we have broken the spirit of the commandment, God’s standard of true holiness, and are deserving of judgment and hell.

As followers of Christ, we must therefore rid ourselves of anger and rage (Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8). As with Cain, this sin crouches at our door and waits for us to yield to temptation. Godly love, by contrast, is “not easily angered” (1 Cor. 13:5). In James’s practical words: “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).

Go Deeper

If anger is an issue for you, what warning does this passage hold? If not, what type of sin is often crouching at your door?

Pray with Us

Please replace our earthly anger with a deep love for one another, Lord. When we are tempted to lose control, remind us of Your example. Give us patience that only comes from You.

Anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.Matthew 5:22

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/