Daily Archives: July 11, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – The Solid Rock: Rock of Ages

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The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Proverbs 18:10

Recommended Reading: Psalm 61:3-4

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in thee; let the water and the blood, from thy wounded side which flowed, be of sin the double cure; save from wrath and make me pure.”1

The biblical city of Jericho is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Modern archaeological excavations have revealed the city’s fortifications consisting of massive towers and walls. But those fortifications were not enough to preserve it when the Israelites entered Canaan (Joshua 6). Protection in the ancient world was centered around towers and walls. So it is no surprise that the Israelites referred to God as a “strong tower” in whom could be found safety and protection. Proverbs 18:11 says that the rich man considers his wealth to be a strong city with a high wall—that is, safety is found in wealth. But that notion has proven to be false. Only God’s name—His attributes—are a permanent source of safety.

Do not hide yourself in the wealth of this world but in the Rock of Ages.

A sovereign Protector I have, unseen, yet forever at hand.
Augustus M. Toplady

  1. Augustus M. Toplady, “Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me,” 1776.

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – God Watching Over Us

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Those who are with us are more than those who are with them. 2 Kings 6:16

Today’s Scripture

2 Kings 6:9-17

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

The angels were there all along, but no one alive had seen them. They adorned the walls of the Old North Church in Boston, looking down from on high, but they’d been covered with layers of paint more than a century ago. Church records indicated a contract with a member of the congregation to paint them in 1730 when the church was undergoing construction. A recent restoration project that commenced in 2017 led to the discovery of the angels.

Scripture speaks of supernatural beings—real, not painted—that were present when others were not aware. On one occasion, the prophet Elisha was surrounded by the army of the king of Aram. When his servant saw the hostile forces, he cried out, “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15). “ ‘Don’t be afraid,’ the prophet answered. ‘Those who are with us are more than those who are with them’ ” (v. 16). Elisha prayed for his servant’s eyes to be opened, and “he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (v. 17).

Angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14), messengers of God sent to help us. We may or may not see them, but they’re there because God has more ways of watching over us than we can imagine. And that should cause us to praise Him, like the angels do.

Reflect & Pray

How does it help you to know God watches over you? How can you thank Him for His goodness today?

Thank You for watching over me today, dear Father. Please help me to walk closely with You.

Today’s Insights

When the king of Aram tried to discern how Israel continually evaded his attacks, he suspected betrayal from his officers (2 Kings 6:10-11). But they responded that it was Elisha’s prophecies that revealed the king’s deepest secrets (v. 12). In the ancient Near East, prophecy was regarded not only as a source of divine revelation but also of military information, so it’s not surprising that the king accepted this as a plausible explanation. Yet the Aramean king didn’t acknowledge Elisha’s accurate prophecies as evidence of God’s power. Instead, he decided to capture Elisha (v. 13). In response, God dramatically revealed His protection over Israel (vv. 17-23). God watches over us as well and reveals His loving care for us.

For further study, read Fear, Faith, and the True Cost of Not Trusting God.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

 

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – The Christian Case for Being Uncomfortably Hot

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Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posted on X that New Yorkers should set their thermostats to 78 degrees during the coming heat wave. Because it’s so hot outside, he wrote that “the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool.” So any easing of the demand for power puts less pressure on New York’s grid. He ended his post: “A stable grid means the AC stays on, and lives are saved.”

Yet his suggestion of “78 degrees” sparked considerable backlash.

Various Republican pundits took to social media to comment on his plea, linking the request to raise the temperature while it’s hot outside to socialism, communism, and third-world country behavior.

Between the lines, the chief complaint seemed to be that asking an individual to sacrifice for the sake of the collective represents overarching government principles often opposed by conservatives. It was painted as if Mamdani had committed a great evil by suggesting that we inconvenience ourselves to support the needs of the masses.

Continue reading Denison Forum – The Christian Case for Being Uncomfortably Hot →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – The Hope at the Center

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 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 

—1 Peter 3:15

Scripture:

Years ago, I encountered a man on a street in Hawaii. He was holding a sign that read, “The wages of sin is death.” He was also yelling, “God hates you” and “God will judge you” to everyone who passed by. I watched him for a few minutes until I could no longer leave his misrepresentation of Scripture unchallenged.

“Excuse me,” I said. “Why don’t you share the rest of that verse? It’s true that it says the wages of sin is death, but the rest of it says that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

The man responded by telling me that God was going to judge me. Then he continued misrepresenting God’s Word.

Make no mistake: Judgment can and will come to those who reject the Lord. But if that’s our only message to the world, we’re not doing the gospel justice. Because at the center of the gospel is a message of hope. The apostle Peter wrote, “If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it” (1 Peter 3:15 NLT).

So, let’s explain it. Jesus Christ took the judgment of God on the cross of Calvary in our place so we don’t have to face it. Everyone who believes in Him will be saved from judgment because of God’s mercy.

As we wrap up our look at the greatest revival in human history, I will remind you that God spared Nineveh. God extended mercy to Nineveh. And as a result, a spiritual awakening occurred in Nineveh. The people of Nineveh seized on the hope in Jonah’s message and believed.

If God could bring a mighty revival in Nineveh with no better representative than Jonah and no more gospel than he preached in their streets, He can surely do the same thing for America. Jesus validated the story of Jonah. He said that just as Jonah was in the belly of a fish for three days, He, the Son of God, would be crucified on a cross, lie dead for three days, and then rise again. That’s why believers have hope.

Jesus endured God’s judgment for your sin. He suffered and died in your place. And He did it as part of God’s plan. God loves you so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that you might have eternal life.

As we celebrate 250 years of God’s blessings on our nation, I want to make sure that you have something greater to celebrate. Have you asked Christ to come into your life? Have you asked Him to forgive you of your sins? Do you have the hope right now that you will go to Heaven when you die? If not, you can have it. Pray these words: Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner. I’m sorry for my sin. I’ve turned from it, and now I choose to follow You from this moment forward. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

 

Reflection question: What would you say if someone asked you about the hope you have as a believer? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

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by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear.” (Psalm 46:1–2)

Martin Luther’s journal entries inform us of his continual battle against evil forces and that Psalm 46 was a great comfort to him. As he meditated on the words of our text, the thrust of a mighty song was born that openly declared victory in the great battle: “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.”

A mighty fortress is our God,
A bulwark never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood
Of mortal ills prevailing:
For still our ancient foe Doth seek to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, And, armed with cruel hate,
On earth is not his equal.

The battle is “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). Satan, along with his henchmen, is an ancient foe, “a roaring lion,” as it were, “seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). But there is no need for alarm, “the LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge” (Psalm 46:11). He “is our refuge and strength” (today’s text), a bulwark never failing. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

Only God could accomplish this victory, for Satan is “the prince of this world” (John 14:30), “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). No man on Earth is his equal.

But how did the Son of God gain the victory? By taking on Himself “flesh and blood” and dying a substitutionary death, “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). JDM

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Secure Enough to Be Different

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The sun is glorious in one way, the moon is glorious in another way, and the stars are glorious in their own [distinctive] way; for one star differs from and surpasses another in its beauty and brilliance.

1 Corinthians 15:41 (AMPC)

We are all different. Like the sun, the moon, and the stars, God has created us to be different from one another, and He has done it on purpose. Each of us meets a need, and we are all part of God’s overall plan. When we try to be just like someone else, we lose ourselves and stray from who God created us to be. God designed us to fit into His plan, not to feel pressured trying to fit into everyone else’s plans.

Not only is it okay to be different, but it is also how you were created. We are all born with different temperaments, different physical features, different fingerprints, different gifts and abilities. Our goal should be to find out what we individually are supposed to be, then succeed at being that. That is why Romans 12 teaches us to give ourselves to our gift. We are to find out what we are good at and then throw ourselves wholeheartedly into it.

You can be free to love and accept yourself and others around you without feeling pressure to compare or compete. Secure people who know God loves them and has a plan for them are not threatened by the abilities of others. They enjoy what other people can do, and they enjoy what they can do too.

Prayer of the Day: God, help me embrace who You created me to be. Teach me to stop comparing myself to others and confidently walk in Your purpose for my life, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Generosity and Justice

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Read Matthew 5:38–42

One of the most famous penny-pinchers in English literature is Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s novel A Christmas Carol. Through a dream on Christmas Eve, however, he was transformed into a generous and cheerful man. How? The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future showed him moments from his life that gave him an accurate perspective on what kind of man he really was. They also issued him an urgent invitation to change his ways.

Generosity and justice are linked in God’s eyes. The old way, lex talionis, an “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” represented a human kind of justice (v. 38; Exod. 21:23–25). As we’ve seen already in His teachings, Jesus raises the bar. Rather than exchanging tit for tat, we are to respond to our adversary with extravagant, unreasonable love or generosity (vv. 39–42).

That means if someone slaps you in anger, you will offer the other cheek instead of responding in kind. (This is not referring to a violent attack or habitual abuse.) If someone sues you for your shirt, offer your coat as well. If a Roman soldier forced you to carry their gear for one mile, you were to go the extra mile despite their being the hated conquerors. These examples, like Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness (Matt. 18:21–22), are meant to shock us. We’re being asked to give up our right to get even (1 Cor. 6:7). All this is faith-inspired generosity: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (v. 42; Ps. 112:5).

Followers of Christ should not worry about keeping score, because we’re trusting in God. In His strength, we can overcome evil with good; He will take any revenge that’s needed (Rom. 12:20–21; see also Prov 25:21–22).

Go Deeper

What is your response to this lesson? Does Jesus mean we should let ourselves be taken advantage of? When, how, or why?

Pray with Us

Lord Jesus, You have shown us extravagant, unreasonable love through Your death on the cross. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). Show us who we can love generously!

Give to the one who asks you.Matthew 5:42

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/