Daily Archives: July 24, 2026

Turning Point

Turning Point; David Jeremiah – The Spirit Chapter

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The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:6, NIV

Recommended Reading: Romans 8:1-9

Some chapters of the Bible are special enough to have nicknames. We call Hebrews 11 the Faith Chapter of the Bible. We think of 1 Corinthians 13 as the Love Chapter. Psalm 23 is the Shepherd’s Psalm. We consider Romans 8 the Holy Spirit Chapter of the Bible. The Spirit is mentioned twice in the first seven chapters of Romans. In Romans 8, the Holy Spirit is mentioned about twenty times.

When our mind is governed by the Spirit, a peace floods our hearts. The Spirit takes the verses of the Bible which we have been studying, and He makes them real to us. We learn to set our minds on Christ and turn our thoughts to things above.

When we have fears and doubts, we can experience the peace of God as the Holy Spirit manifests the life of Christ in and through us. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to come alongside us to comfort and encourage us. Take steps to make sure your mind is governed by the Spirit. Focus on Scripture. Let the truth of God establish your steps.

The Holy Spirit hath given us relief…by supplying us with a rule of the interpretation of Scripture.
John Owen

 

 

 

https://www.davidjeremiah.org

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Anchored in God

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We have this hope as an anchor for the soul. Hebrews 6:19

Today’s Scripture

Hebrews 6:17-20

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

It’s morning, so my husband opens his phone to select his favorite gospel song, “My Soul Is Anchored.” The lyrics express hope in God in turbulent times. Dan sings along, the words warning of billows rolling and breakers dashing. But we don’t sway, the song says, because God holds us fast.

The words perfectly describe the work of a ship’s anchor. An anchor steadies a vessel by sinking its “arms” into the seabed, keeping the ship from drifting or getting tossed about during a violent squall.

The anchor has become a classic symbol of the Christian faith—reflecting our hope in Christ, to whom we hold tightly, even in life’s chaos. As the writer of Hebrews said, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Hebrews 6:19). This hope is Jesus, whose “unchanging nature” (v. 17) is a trusted holding ground for those who believe in Him. Moreover, what God promised He confirmed with an oath, and in these “two unchangeable things . . . it’s impossible for God to lie” (vv. 17-18). That’s why we who hold on to His promises “may be greatly encouraged” (v. 18).

Some may anchor in unreliable things—their own ambition, unhealthy friends, or negative habits. How much better to anchor in the one whom we know we can trust and depend on. When the waves crash around us, we’ll be held fast. Our soul is anchored in God.

Reflect & Pray

In what stormy sea of life have you held tightly to God? Why is He a trustworthy holding ground?

I’m holding tight to You, dear God. Thank you for anchoring my soul amid all of life’s currents.

Today’s Insights

The word translated “anchor” (ankyra) in Hebrews 6:19 is used four times in the New Testament. Three times the reference is to a ship’s anchor (Acts 27:29, 30, 40), a weighted iron connected to a rope or cable used to keep a ship in place. The figurative usage in Hebrews 6:19 speaks of the reliability and trustworthiness of God’s promises and their impact on our soul. Other word pictures are used throughout Scripture to depict the dependability of God, who cannot lie (v. 18). In Psalm 18:1-2, David leads with the word rock and then uses metaphors to celebrate God as his strength: “I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Today, God is still the anchor for our soul, and we can trust Him.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Why are these the “dog days of summer”?

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Where I live, Wednesday afternoon felt like 117 degrees outside. Today will be much better: the afternoon high will only feel like 106 degrees. We’re not alone: parts of Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri are as hot as we are in Texas.

Welcome to the “dog days of summer,” when it’s so hot outside that dogs hide in the shade. At least that’s what I assumed the phrase meant. It turns out, it refers to Sirius (the Dog Star), which is part of the constellation Canis Major (the Greater Dog).

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky and literally means “scorching.” When people in ancient Greece and Rome watched it rise with the sun after the summer solstice, they thought the sweltering days were caused by our planet’s proximity to the star. They therefore referred to the period of July 3 to August 11 as dies caniculares, or “dog star days.”

Whatever the origin of the phrase, it seems as though the days it describes are interminable this year. We’re right: if Memorial Day is the unofficial beginning of summer and Labor Day is the unofficial end, we are now in the longest possible unofficial summer. May 25 was the earliest possible Memorial Day, while September 7 is the latest possible Labor Day.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Why are these the “dog days of summer”? →

Greg Laurie

Harvest Ministries; Greg Laurie – Bringing Good from Bad

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 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 

—2 Corinthians 4:17

Scripture:

When adversity rears its head, the first reaction of many believers is to pray it away—to ask God to spare us from it or, barring that, to help us get through it as quickly and as painlessly as possible. The ideal for many people is a life free from adversity.

But that misses the point entirely. Adversity is, in fact, one of God’s greatest teaching tools. Adversity prepares us for what God has ahead. God’s people will be better off eternally because they suffered temporarily. The trade-off in eternity will bear this out.

Our troubles won’t last forever. As the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (NLT).

This argument for the greater good may be the strongest biblical case for the whys of human suffering. But it requires great trust on our part. This means we need to look at our suffering and say, “It will all make sense in eternity, and it will produce something that would not have been there otherwise. So, in faith I am going to accept this truth and wait to see the outcome.”

We also need to keep in mind that even in the worst tragedy, God can bring good out of bad. That doesn’t mean He makes bad things good. But it does mean that despite bad things, He can bring good. This is an important distinction because often people are looking for cause and effect. They try to connect the dots: “This bad thing happened so this good thing would happen. And this even better thing happened. Now I get it.”

Sometimes life works that way. It did for Joseph. After being betrayed by his brothers, he was able to tell them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50:20 NLT).

Of course, sometimes we can’t see the outcome. Even so, as Paul wrote, “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT). Ultimately, all things work together for good.

In the case of our country, the adversity we’re facing now may be a forerunner of revival. That may be God’s plan for bringing good from bad. It’s happened before. In fact, our country was founded in the wake of a great revival.

In the meantime, believers must continue to pray, continue to immerse themselves in God’s Word, and continue to share their faith with others so they can see the hand of God at work in our nation, bringing good from bad.

 

Reflection question: When have you seen God bring good from bad? Discuss this with believers like you on Harvest Discipleship!

 

 

 

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The God of My Salvation

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by Michael Hansen

“Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O LORD; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” (Psalm 25:3–5)

Have you encountered persecution in your neighborhood, workplace, or even within your own family? How can you find comfort and relief?

In today’s text, David was discouraged by nameless enemies. Yet his discouragement was met by confident trust and consistent theology. The Lord is completely trustworthy. He cares for His people, and this fact is confirmed throughout the Psalms.

Waiting on the Lord is not a passive afterthought (Psalm 27:14; 37:7; Luke 12:35–40). No, this is an active pursuit. Biblical hope is more like a tense expectation. David knew the Lord would deliver him—if not on Earth, then certainly unto his heavenly future (2 Timothy 4:18). Consider implementing David’s pattern in your own life.

  • Adoration: Praise the Lord for His sovereignty, holiness, and omnipotence.
  • Humility: Daily seek God’s Word with faithfulness, humility, and the desire to obey.
  • Worship: Honor and thank the Lord for His gift of salvation from temporary trials and for all eternity.
  • Patience: Wait on the Lord to deliver and provide. He alone is worthy of our trust and hope.

Will you choose to adore, humbly pursue, worship, and patiently trust the God of your salvation? MH

 

 

 

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

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Slow Down and Feed Your Spirit

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Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God! Selah

Psalm 87:3 (NKJV)

Throughout Psalms (and in Habakkuk), in some Bible translations, we see after certain verses the word selah, which means “pause, and calmly think of that.” We see it in today’s scripture and also in Psalm 87:6. This phrase lets us, as readers, know that we have reached a good place to stop, consider, and slowly digest the meaning of what we have just read. We may take time to pray or meditate on the verse or passage we have read, or we may think about how it applies to our lives or a certain situation.

Jeremiah writes about stopping to feed on and digest the words of God. He says, Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart (Jeremiah 15:16 AMP). To use a figure of speech, we need to “chew” on the scriptures, rehearsing specific words or phrases in our minds and taking time to think about and process them.

Sometimes, we read the Bible for quantity, hoping to get through a certain number of chapters or pages, when we should read for quality. Whatever passage you are reading, let me encourage you to read in a manner that allows the Word to go down into your innermost being and feed your spirit.

Prayer of the Day: Father, I honor Your Word, and I ask You to help me take my time as I read it, so it will affect the deepest parts of me.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Max Lucado

Max Lucado – God Isn’t Finished 

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Play

In the famous lace shops of Brussels, Belgium, certain rooms are dedicated to the spinning of the finest lace, with the most delicate of patterns. These rooms are completely dark, except for a shaft of natural light from a solitary window. Only one spinner sits in the room. The light falls on the pattern while the worker remains in the dark.

Has God permitted a time of darkness in your world? You look, but you cannot see him. You see only the fabric of circumstances woven and interlaced. You might question the purpose behind this thread or that. But be assured, God has a pattern. He has a plan. The Bible says, “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). He is not finished. But when he is, the lace will be beautiful.

 

 

 

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Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Ask, Seek, Knock

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Read Matthew 7:7–8

In the sitcom The King of Queens, Carrie gets a raise at work after praying about it in church. She starts to pray regularly, asking God for all sorts of material things. This irritates her husband, Doug, who accuses her of using God as her personal genie. “You obviously have no idea what you’re doing,” Doug says.

So what did it mean when Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you” (v. 7)? Taken in context, Jesus is giving us a principle and a promise. The context is the kingdom of heaven. All our asking and receiving are done within and in obedience to God’s will. When we ask something of God there can be no hint of evil or selfishness. Within this context, the principle and the promise is that God answers our prayers. He wants us to come to Him and ask!

Jesus structured His teaching here as two beautiful sets of parallelisms. The first set is the imperative verbs “ask,” “seek,” and “knock,” followed by the matching positive results of “given,” “find,” and “opened” (v. 7). The second set gives the reasons (v. 8). The verbs used—“asks,” “seeks,” and “knocks”—are followed by the same matching positive results—“receives,” “finds,” and “opened.”

The verbs in verse 7 indicate repeated action, that is, persistence or perseverance in prayer, with an underlying faith in the Father’s wisdom and love. Repetition does not imply babbling (Matt. 6:7) but persistence. This is the way it works in God’s kingdom. We can pray for anything, resting trustfully in the fact that He knows what is best for us and will do what is best for us. The right attitude is always “Your will be done” (Matt. 6:10).

Go Deeper

What is on your prayer list right now? Do these items reflect the heart of God or merely a personal wish list? Are you asking according to God’s will?

Pray with Us

You are above all, Lord, and yet You hear us. Align our hearts with Your will, so our prayers are in obedience to You. We trust You to do what is best, even when we don’t understand.

Knock and the door will be opened to you.Matthew 7:7

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/